Bilge Pump: September 2011
1. Commodore's Report
I’m sitting in Friday Harbor writing this report and reflecting on the past three years. We were with Fleet Captain Steve Weiss and 1st mate Jacqueline for a week before they left for Canada and want to thank them for their year of efforts to keep us entertained. After our June meeting, we spent the 4th of July at Winslow hosted by the Wilshins, with 56 boats, a creative menu, golf, kid’s games, a parade and lots of wonderful sunshine polished off with a great fireworks show. Then on July 16th and 17th Andy Gerde and new Bremerton Commodore Leo Longnecker put together the “Big Brother’s Cruise.” Check out Andy’s picture (he’s wearing a dress) on our website.
Planning and Finance has started to work on the 2011-2012 Budget. We still have some major dollars to be spent on fire code compliance but there is money going back into the contingency fund, so it looks good. Next up is Labor Day by P/C Bob Yates and 1st mate Crystal, it will have occurred by the time you get this article but thanks to them for taking this on. You will have this Bilge Pump report in time to schedule the Fishing Derby, Entertainment Night with the Tarettes’ Steak Fry, Change of Watch and the Commodore’s Ball on October 1st on your calendars. Look for more info on what’s happening in other articles.
As this is my last article I wanted to make sure to thank all of our members that helped, in any way, to continue to maintain and improve our club and support our many activities. On September 28, you will install an energetic new Bridge, who, with all the new and old chairpersons, will keep us moving forward. I wish to thank my wife Nancy for her support and involvement. We have developed friendships that will last a lifetime.
Thanks to Vice Commodore Don Wilson, Rear Commodore Bob Stettner, Treasurer John Rogers and Secretary Eric Wood who made this year an enjoyable team effort.
Come see us on Grey Goose.
George Austin
Commodore
2. Vice Commodore's Report
The end of summer is coming and it is hard to believe that my year as Vice Commodore is coming to a close. I would like to thank all of you that have helped me through this year. You deserve the credit for any accomplishments that I have had in the past year. Thank you!
Working in conjunction with the Moorage Committee last Spring I started contacting some of the club members whose boats were suspected of being storage boats. Sometimes our information is wrong yet this summer we have seen some positive progress. Inspections will begin again in September and I expect the program will continue on with positive results. Make sure that you have your tabs on your vessel and your insurance and WA State registration on file with the office as per the By-Laws. Review the moorage rules and confirm that you are in compliance especially if you are leaving for the winter.
The July 4th celebration at the Winslow outstation was really fun. The weather was pretty good and we actually had sunshine for the parade on the 4th. It was so nice to see Lois Stettner on the back of a red convertible waving to the crowd. Dan and Marilyn Wilshin should be congratulated for all the hard work that went into making this such a great event. If you were there you know and if not you missed a great time.
The annual Fleet Captain's Club cruise started on July 29 and so did the summer weather! Fleet Captain Steve Weiss really knows how to plan a cruise: we had good weather the whole trip. He guided us all the way to Princess Louisa with plenty of food and drink. What a great trip! We spent time at LaConner, Sucia, Roche Harbor, Reid Harbor, Deer Harbor, Silva Bay, Egmont, Princess Louisa (yes, we survived Malibu Rapids), Pender Harbor and then the group separated. Steve and Jackie, along with guests Captain Brian and Carolyn Barton, went on with Captain Bill Gray (Gray Mar's shakedown cruise) and guest Ron LaFayette to Desolation Sound. Captain John and Mary Louise Alving and Judy and I went on to Otter Bay and then went our separate ways.
By the time you you read this we will have attended the Grand XIV Cruise-In at Bremerton Yacht Club. This is the annual 3-day event where we get to meet all the new Rear Commodores from the different clubs. I know that Bob and Laurean Myers will have had a very fun time.
I am really looking forward to serving as your Commodore this next year and will work hard to serve our members and the club's best interests to the best of my ability.
Don Wilson
Vice Commodore
3. Rear Commodore's Report
Greetings:
Whoever would have thought that summer could go by so quickly? Just when we were starting to settle in with all the wonderful weather, it’s time to start thinking about the changing of the Queen City Watch on Sept 21st. My, how time flies. Of course there is still a lot of cruising left for those who can get away to enjoy it.
GOOD NEWS: Captains Rod Hilden and Craig Ranta have purchased two new webcams for our club. When they are installed and tested, the first camera will provide members with the opportunity to view the Boyer main station general “U” loading dock area. Our second webcam will be mounted at the Winslow Outstation and will show our docks in Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. Access to the cameras will be added as a new feature to our existing Queen City website, and you will be able to check out these areas (during daylight hours) from anywhere you have access to the internet. Along with our new free WI-FI system we’ve all been enjoying, this should be yet another great benefit for all members planning to get under way, or for even just checking in on Queen City Yacht Club facilities when out of town.
HISTORY: The Bridge elected to undertake this project in two separate phases. We completed phase one by installing the infrastructure for our WI-FI System at both Boyer and Winslow in our previous year’s budget. We are now proceeding to complete phase two with the final equipment and cameras under the current year’s budget. I’m not completely sure when we will see this package fully operational, but I think it would be a nice early Christmas present from the two captains.
SECURITY: Most of the action in July involved some minor vandalism to the junior boating equipment on dock #4 which sustained under $100.00 worth of damage and loss. Thanks for the quick action to R/C (elect) Bob Myers; P/C Daryl Anhalt; Deborah Cobain, QCYC office manager; Sophie Thomas, sailing supervisor; and John Rogers, QCYC Treasurer. We extend a special thank you to Bob for providing information for the police incident report which had to be filed. There was some missing hardware from one of the sailing boats that had to be replaced, and one of the two Laser sailing boats had been untied and left to drift on to the shore under the 520 high-rise near Queen City property.
GROUNDS: I want to give special thanks to Queen City’s office manager Deborah Cobain for her quick action to head off what could have been a very serious fire in one of the two dumpsters adjacent to Cummins Hall. Deborah shared that a QCYC member alerted the office that the garbage dumpster appeared to be on fire and there was smoke coming out of it. Capt. Orrin Phillips also had noticed the smoke and was already on his way to investigate. When he opened the lid, the contents in the bottom of the dumpster burst into flames. Orrin quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher from Cummins Hall and put out the flames. QCYC members Bob and Diane Prestebak, Orrin and Gary Nelson all sprang into action and raked apart the still smoldering debris from the bottom of the dumpster, and completely soaked the container with water from the dock hose. It appeared that someone may have thrown in a foil -wrapped package that caused the fire in one corner of the dumpster. Please let this serve as a cautionary reminder to not put anything that might be smoldering or hot in the dumpsters! Once again, we really appreciate the quick action that everyone took to get this incident under control thus averting the need to call in the fire department.
MAIN-STATION PARKING LOT: Unfortunately, were unable to schedule the repair and asphalt seal coating of the main In-station parking lot this year due to a timing conflict with the asphalt contractor. We have agreed to reschedule this work for early summer next year the week of June 8, 2012. The work will involve cold patching, crack sealing and a full float coat of asphalt emulsion over the entire parking lot. Please note on your calendars that there will be no access to the club parking area during the early part of the week of June 8, 2012. I want to give special thanks and appreciation to Captains Prestebak, Purvis and P/C Anhalt for their contribution in performing temporary repairs to the most vulnerable paved areas of the parking lot so that we will be able to get through this winter.
CAR PARKING ISSUE: Yes, we have all faced the frustration of no parking space availability at the Seattle In-Station parking lot during the summer months. You only have to read the comments from members on the QCYC Website under the “Parking” forum to get a picture of the frustration. For the record, the rule is that members must post the current year QCYC parking summer decal with their member number on it in a conspicuous place within the vehicle. And yes, the same old questions come up again and again: do we have members parking more than one car in the lot? The other question is: do any of the non-decal cars belong to guests of members?
I want to appeal to all Queen City members to respect rules of the club and not expect special parking privileges. As we all know, there is sufficient off-site parking along Boyer and the side streets off of Boyer and it’s only a short walk to the club. As we work to build our membership rolls, we need to ensure that the club rules are respected and that special parking privileges are not a part of the club’s rules. I hope that our members will join me in support of this important issue.
MEMBERSHIP: No change from last month, 475 total members, 360 active and 115 Senior Life members. Our 2011 goal is 45 new memberships, and we are currently at 48% of our goal.
Although Lois and I were unable to join in on the Fleet Captain’s cruise north this year, we have heard it was a blast with lots lot of fun, socializing and the usual “high jinx.” I look forward to seeing you at the Sept. 7, 2012 meeting.
Regards,
Bob Stettner
Rear Commodore
Classes
Club Manager's Report
The bar needs additional help. On October 1st there will be two positions open on the bar team. I am looking for a new Assistant Club Manager and new Assistant Bar manager to assist Judith Pippin. If anyone is interested, please contact Andy Gerde or Judith Pippin to discuss in more detail. Each of these positions is important to our success and we need your help greatly. If you have any questions about the positions, please feel free to ask.
Calling all bartenders……..for those of you who were certified in the original large group 5 years ago, your permits are about to expire. Andy is working on a group class to re certify most or all of the bartenders that are currently licensed. You also have the option of attending a class on your own and will be reimbursed for the cost. If this fits better with your schedules, please feel free to do so. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Gerde directly.
Summer is coming to an end which means that our bar will start becoming busy again. Please contact Judith Pippin for bartending opportunities. Thank you in advance for your help and participation, it is greatly appreciated. If it wasn’t for you, our bar would not be what it is today.
Andy Gerde
Club Manager
Commodore's Ball 2011
Docks Committee
September is a new beginning to all that matters to the Docks Committee, although some big things are about to begin that have been in the works for several years.
This year we aim to improve the functioning of the ongoing maintenance functions of this committee. From the Dock Captains program all the way to the volunteers who do the improvements and repairs to this facility, processes need to be streamlined and people need to be empowered to make all the needed steps happen smoothly and seamlessly. Making sure all of the pieces are ready and available when the labor shows up to do the task is no small job.
We commence this year’s volunteer season with downspout projects. Some repair and replacement is needed on Dock 2 and ten all new downspouts are to be installed at the north sides of the float moorages on dock 3. Currently rain water spills out of the valleys and some of it reaches the lake. Some has been destroying the wood structures at the ends of the finger piers. Captain Mike Cochran has fabricated ten fabulous stainless collector boxes for this project. Thank you Mike! Many small projects and the ongoing planking replacements will start up in September and continue this year. Check out the bulletin board in Cummings Hall. Tasks are posted there. Feel more than free to do one of those deeds.
We shall commence with another under-docks inspection, probably in October this year and we’ll try to do 1/3 of the marina. It should be far less demanding than the task has been in the past. Our contractor will be back for more pilings, caps, and stringers work. We completed nearly half of the work identified in the last inspection. The second half and anything we find in October goes on this year’s list.
Power connections to the work floats have now been restored. Thank you, Tim Dies. Work float #1, the 42 year old wooden float, has now been suspended from use for permanent moorage assignments. You may continue to use it as a work float as it’s believed that you’ll be monitoring your boat there and that it’s not likely to be occupied in stormy weather. The structure of the wooden float simply isn’t sound enough to securely tie up boats for the long term. We are actively seeking a new, wider, and safer float, but there is no current budget allocated to replacement.
The big project that begins this year is the long awaited smoke vents project. Not all of the details have been hammered out as to how or when this will be accomplished. This fall and winter will host the contractor selection process and that will firm up plans. We should expect some significant, short term, boat displacements in the spring or summer of next year. We expect only to complete one half of the work next year with the rest to follow in the spring/summer of 2013. There will be more about this project as we learn more. Have a look at the approved layout for the smoke vents, which will be published in the October issue of The Bilge Pump. You’ll be enjoying more light in your slips.
Next committee meetings: Sept. 27, and Oct. 25 at 6:00pm
Next work parties: Oct. 8, Nov. 12 at 8:30am
Arthur Mauldin
Docks Chairman
In Memoriam
Anderson, Orville Tillman 1926 - 2011
Captain Orville Anderson crossed the bar on April 22, 2011. Orv was Member Number 45 when he passed away. He was born on February 11, 1926, in Aberdeen, Washington, and graduated from Quillayute High School in 1944. Captain Anderson graduated from Washington State University in Pullman.
Orv married Arlene Hosack in 1952, becoming his loving wife of 58 years, and after starting a career with the Boeing Company, they settled in and became long-time residents of Edmonds, Washington. Orv worked for the Boeing Company for 32 years, spending many years in Industrial Relations and retiring in 1987.
Orv loved his family, boating and, after retirement, travel within the United States. He was a long-time member of the Lake City Elks Club and Queen City Yacht Club in Seattle
Captain Anderson joined Queen City in June of 1972 and participated in club work parties. He is remembered as being fun to be around, always looking for the right answer, fair and good natured. He owned three boats: the Gusty II, a 28’ Grandy; the Escape, a 27’ Grandy and the Sea Coop, a 40’ Chris Craft. The Sea Coop had been previously owned by Harold Cooper, our Commodore in 1974.
He was a loving, compassionate man who was dedicated to his career, to his children and to his wife, Arlene, and he will be missed by all who knew him.
Orville is survived by Arlene, daughter Deborah Nicholson of Spokane, sons Douglas Anderson of Monroe and Don Anderson of Bothell and grandchildren Nicholas, Jordan, Reagan and Colton.
Benoit, William (Bill) 1932 - 2011
Captain William (Bill) Benoit passed away from lung cancer peacefully at home in the loving care of his family on Jan 2, 2011, at the age of 78. He was born June 3, 1932, and raised in Yakima. He attended Marquette HS there and then attended UW. Bill graduated from UW in 1958 with a degree in Business.
Bill served four years active duty in the US Army and over 30 years in the Army Reserve retiring as a Colonel and Chief of Staff, 124th Army Reserve Command. Captain Benoit spent 32 years at Boeing, primarily in Aerospace Group Facilities.
Bill was an incredible father and grandfather, and spent his life devoted to family and friends. He especially loved his son’s Beach house in El Salvador, sailing with family in the San Juan Islands, Birch Bay, and the Silver Valley of Idaho. He and his wife Darline enjoyed 57 years of marriage!
Captain Benoit joined Queen City in 1984 and was a life member. He and Darline were active in the 80s in club activities and social events. They enjoyed cruising the islands in their 22’ sailboat, l’ Alouette.
Bill is survived by Darline and their six children, Marie Anne (Mike) Stager, Ron (Lisa) Benoit, Joanne (Andy) Svendsen, Mark (Amy Cericola) Benoit, Mike (Karen) Benoit, Paul (Marianne Bowie) Benoit, thirteen grandchildren, one great grandchild and many nieces and nephews.
Schornack, Raymond "Ray" 1931 - 2011
Captain Raymond "Ray" Schornack, passed away peacefully in his home on February 4, 2011 at the age of 78. He was born on December 20, 1931, in Perham, Minnesota. He bravely battled pulmonary fibrosis for 6 years.
Ray served two years in the Army during the Korean War. After the war, Ray married Patti Clark in Yakima in 1959, the beginning of a fifty-one year marriage.
After moving to Seattle, he began working for the Seattle Parks Department, and after 40 years with the city, he retired from Seattle City Light in 2008. He is remembered by his City Light colleagues as being reliable and fun to work with.
Ray was a life member of the IUOE Local 302, Lake City Elks Club and Queen City Yacht Club.
Captain Schornack joined Queen City in June of 1973 and was active through the ‘80s. He served on the Docks Committee and the Grounds Committee and participated in our volunteer work parties. He and Patti cruised aboard their 31’ Diesel Uniflite named Summer Sky.
He is survived by his wife Patti, daughter Paula (Schornack) Sherman of Florida, son Mark and wife Paige of LaConner and grandchildren Alex Sherman, Mason, Vaughn and Tess Schornack.
Memorial Day 2011
Well, the BIG weekend has come and gone without much excitement except for someone that needs to go back to BBQ School. The weather was pretty good on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 48 plus boats made the trek all the way to Bainbridge Island. I think everyone had fun. It was great to see so many New Members and over 20 kids running around.
The weekend could not have happened without the help of my extended boating family and friends. For those of you who haven’t done one of these, it is a lot of work and very rewarding when it is over.
I want to personally thank the following QCYC “Family” Members who put in long hours and hard work to make the weekend look effortless: Chris & Barbara Castrow, Nick & Laurie Castrow, Chas, Nick & Sandy Werner, Jeff Madera & Kim Suchomel, Mark & Jan LaFountaine, Paul & Shauna Bennett, Dan & Teresa Richards, Randy White, Mark Vanderwall, Paul Grimm, Mathew & Danny Grimm, Scott Grimm, Dean & Kathleen Lentgis, Mark & Lupe Weiss, Tim DeCook and Tracy McPhee. There were a number of NEW members attending this weekend that jumped in and helped as needed. I am sorry I didn’t get your names, but Thank You!!!
I would like to thank Carolyn Rolstad for hosting the First Annual Captain Ronnie Memorial Weekend Breakfast. I listed some of the names above who helped her, but I know I missed some, so I would like to thank all of you for your help also.
Thank you Barb & Eric for having the club in GREAT shape for everyone.
Captain Ken Klett again provided an inspirational service. Thank you, Ken.
Finally, I would like to thank Kathleen (my wife) for shucking it out at Costco and Cash & Carry, helping to gather prizes and just letting me raise my hand one last time.
Have a great boating season!
Peter Anderson
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Outstation Report
Summer arrived just before the July 4th weekend and the Outstation found many boats arriving for the long weekend. This is always a popular weekend on the Island and worth attending if you have never participated before. Downtown Winslow has been undergoing some construction and the parade had to take a different route. The parade boat was dusted off, decorated and filled with QCYC kids. Three red convertibles were supplied to carry our Bridge Officers and their wives. Even Rear Commodore Bob and Lois Stettner arrived in time to participate in the parade. For those that may not know, Lois has been dealing with a serious health problem and it was wonderful that they could be here, if only for the day. Eric and I were cruising in the San Juans during the 4th but kept in contact with Dan and Marilyn Wilshin, who were chairing the 4th of July event. I know they worked hard to make this a successful event and deserve a big THANK YOU for taking on this challenge. A couple of weeks later, the Big Brother’s cruise was organized by Andy Gerde. Bremerton Yacht Club co-chaired this event and helped prepare meals and helped with the cleanup at the end of the weekend. Again, Eric and I were not able to participate as our boat was over at Delta Marine, where Eric was spending more of my money. The weather, unfortunately, did not cooperate and I understand there was a low turnout for this event.
Barry and Colleen Rutten recently joined QCYC and were generous enough to buy new floor mats for the shower rooms at the Outstation. One is red and one is green. They are supposed to be mildew resistant and very absorbant. Thank you Barry and Colleen!
As I write this, Labor Day is just around the corner and this is always fun event to attend. I hear Beer Can Chicken might be on the menu. I've had the opportunity to taste chicken prepared this way before and it was the best chicken I have ever had! There is a rumor that the doggy olympics may also take place. That is always fun to watch and cheer our four legged friends on.
For those of you that love to fish, the annual Fishing Derby is on September 17th and 18th. This is another popular event that tests our skills on the water. Larry and J'Anna Post are chairing this event as J'Anna caught the largest salmon last year. Eric and I are helping, as Larry and J'anna are good friends of ours whom we introduced to the club. There are always many prizes and even those who don't fish, but purchase a ticket, have a good chance to win a prize. Dinner is planned for Saturday night. This is supposed to be a good salmon year and we hope to have some good fish stories to tell you in October.
Eric and I have been keeping an eye on the Outstation for 9 years now and the stories we could tell could entertain you for hours. We wouldn't be able to do it if we did not have the support of so many wonderful people in the club. We are getting ready to leave for a six-week cruise and I know the Outstation will be well taken care of by our QCYC friends!
Barb Wood
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