Home	Vallejo Yacht Club Cruise Memorial Day May 28-31, 2010

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

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Three weeks of rain and below normal temps ended on Friday morning as Islanders headed for the Memorial Day cruise to Vallejo Yacht Club. Puffy white cumulus, stunted by super cold air aloft, trimmed the deep blue sky left by the departing cold front. Fitfull winds from west, north and northeast fanned the morning and early afternoon. Even San Pablo Bay, usually blustery and sometimes brutal, was falt as a mirror until 1500 when the sea breeze finally blew in.

Pacific High and Snowflower led the way, clearing Southamption Shoals across from Angel Island by 1030. They rode the building flood, with a gain of 1.5 knots, right up San Pablo Bay, Mare Island Straits and into the Vallejo Yacht Club harbor, unfortunately under power all the way. Vanishing Animal left Brisbane at 0935, but fought the 2.0 knot flood for twelve miles, finally passing Southampton Shoals at 1208, and then blasting on the full flood up San Pablo Bay, arriving at 1425. Tacoma Blue arrived at 1500 and the Friday fleet was complete.

Weekend organizers and Vallejo YC members, Noble & Barbara Brown, Mai Pen Rai, were on hand to help tie up. Along with Carol Williams, they organized the evening nibbles and potluck. As the cool late afternoon sea breeze continued to build, nibbles were moved from the open deck to inside tables. Harry did his customary magic with a tri-tip on the grill, while Nancy's ribbs and Tacoma Blue's savory meatballs completed the entrees. Bean salad, cole slaw, and potato salad, plus fruit, chees and bread rounded out the table. Cookies finished it off. VYC's bar served up generous glasses of wine to wash it all down. It was not surprising, with a full day of sunshine on the water and all that good food and beverage, that all were quietly back aboard their boats in time for sunset.

Here's your table of attendees.

Boat	Owner & Crew
(In order of appearance!)
Mai Pen Rai	Noble & Barbara Brown (Annabelle)
Pacific High	Harry Farrell & Carol Williams (Bodie)
	Veronica Bedolla
	Michael Williams & Jeanne Skalka
	Michele Williams & Matt George
Snowflower	Skipper & Nancy Wall
	Scott & Kimberly Wall
Vanishing Animal	Rick & Sandy Van Mell (Teak)
Tacoma Blue	Rich & Takae Watters
Louisa Ann (power)	Peter Szasz
Diana	Lou Zevanov
Captain Hooke	Tom & David Newton
	Mike Fitch, Lyle Ryan
Zen	Capt'n Z (French)
Solitude	Jay & Jean Lund
Luna Sea	Dan Knox & Myphi Alloy
Dayna Marie	Glenn & Julianna Zimmermann
White Horses	Rob Blenderman & Ruby Wallis

Saturday morning should always be like this. Deep blue, clear sky, light wind, good sleeping temps. VYC's first coffee pot was made at 0640, scratched through when the next one came along at 0730. And so it went.

Breakfast aboard ... or wander up to Noble & Barbara Brown's favorite Good Day Cafe. They did and some others too. Take your pick: chores aboard or a Farmers' Market up Columbia Street at 1000. Some did each. Sandy & Nancy, and maybe Rich and Takae, did the Market. Skipper & Rick did chores, with Skipper over his ears in the cockpit locker working on the alcohol stove feed, and Rick sanding and varnishing the foreward toerails.

Lou Zevanov arrived (with wine, of course). So did Scott & granddaughter Kimberly Wall. Commodore Michele Williams too. Dan Knox and John Melton called to say they were finking out --- but, would drive up Sunday. (Big bets on this one!!!)

The Captain Hooke crew arrived in spades in time to break out instruments right around an early dinner time. Carol Williams & Barbara Brown roused the fleet early to start dinner prep at 1600. It wasn't long before Harry and Matt had all the burners blazing, and in no time the Tri-Tip was smokin' hot on the grill. Nibbles and salads filled the tables. A beverage or two flowed across the bar.

Captn Z of Zen fame arrived in time for the festivities, as did Jay & Jean Lund whose Solitude lives next door in the Vallejo Marina.

There is something about music. It draws, it pulls, it's pulse entwines the soul and the spirit. Once it starts, all are drawn to its vortex. And so it did this Saturday. The first tuning sessions and then the ad hoc simple jazz jam sessions were the music for dinner KP. All gathered at tables: what is coming next.

There's not much more connecting than people singing together. Easy; hard; funny; good; or bad, those notes, someone singing and we all follow. Before long we're all having fun! It sure happened Saturday night. Why, people even sang along with Rick as he sang and (fortunately) his guitar got drowned out by a great backup group.

Sea chanties, ballads, and lots of great jazz by the core group of David & Tom Newton & Mike Fitch, made the whole weekend to date. How hard is it to imagine the next great I-Max movie of Islanders (yes, all kinds of Islanders) rail down and driving with full sail and a bone in their teeth. But we digress.

It was about two hours of singing and musicality. A great way to wrap up Saturday - as all retired ashore or afloat to celebrate one great day. Oh yeah, that was before 2100!

A beautiful Sunday morning started with the great Pacific High breakfast. Two kinds of juice, bagels and croissants, cream cheese, capers, sun dried tomatoes, why it was a delight to linger over breakfast.

Despite light wind, Michele and the Vallejp Commodore Chris started launching Laser Picos. Severof us pitched in to rig them and started ghosting around the harobr. The only problem was that their self-bailers we almot flush with the stern waterline to begin with, and adding any of our (ahem) senior sailors tended to drive them under water and you would soon be sailing a bathtub full of water around with you. Scott Wall got the prize for the most water in the boat, even with Little Kimberly forward of the mast trying to keep her balanced!

A race was planned, but the wind was too light to do much, as the pictures show. Later in the afternoon, Michele went out and raced in the river and seemed to come back and claim victory over the Vallejo team. Good think too, because it was rumored that the loosing team had to walk the plank into the drink.

There were so many good leftovers from Friday & Satruday, that lunch was easy to lay out, again inviting any VYC members to help themselves.

It was a perfect afternoon for sitting under the awning on the porch with a warm breeze blowing past and enjoying the scenery. Member Glenn Zimmermann showed up with Dayna Marie (a beautiful Freeport Islander) and stopped long enough to chat and have a brew or two. As cocktail hour approached, both Peter Szasz returned, and Rob Blenderman and Rudy Wallis (White Horses) showed up. Peter brought a gallon of his famous, prize-winning Petaluma Punch and frothed-up at least four full pitchers for the gang to enjoy.

Meanwhile, Michele, Barbara Brown and the rest of the kitchen volunteers were busy boiling huge pots of spaghetti. Lined up with potluck sauces and salads, we enjoyed yet another fine meal. Matt & Rick were the main KP crew, slaving over the dishwasher until everything in the galley was ship shape and bristol fashion.

We tooped off Sunday with the movie "Morning Light". The Disney production showed the selection and training of 15 crew, ages 18 - 22, to sail a TP52 in the TransPac. It was well done, and they finished 2nd in their devision. Once again it was lights out before 2200.

After three beautiful days of morning calm, Monday, naturally, had to start with some summer-like left over sea breeze. Though pleasant enough on the VYC porch, 15-20 knots piping up San Pablo Bay as a 3+ knot ebbs is pushing against it makes for square waves. Vanishing Animal, Snowflower and Pacific High all departed at 0800 for the bash back. Pacific High set a jib only and tacked down the Bay, making good time, but not quite catching Vanishing Animal who stayed under power, though at times driven to a stop by bashing into the square waves with a period of half a boatlength!

It was yet another very successful Islander weekiend. Thirteen boats, 32 Islander folk and lots of VYC people thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Pictures by (so far) Captn Z and Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

Beautiful morning ...	ditto the skipper.	Crisp sky	Hunters Point	Current is ...
with us.	Good bye Gate ...	& San Francisco	Hello Red Rock & ...	San Rafeal Bridge.
Moving fast, but ...	no wind.	Yeah, right.	The Brothers is ...	a great B&B ...
welcome sign ...	so check it out.	Into San Pablo Bay ...	& Point Pinole	Major refinery ...
ship dockside ...	Carquinez Bridge.	Busy work boats.	Still no wind.	The Friday fleet ...
Pacific High ...	Carol & Harry ...	shoot that???!	Vanishing Animal	Tacoma Blue burgee
Skipper & Nancy ...	Rich & Takae	Teak.	Great ...	burgees.
Says it all	Peter & Sandy ...	Peter & Carol!	Hi Veronica!	Bodie says hi ...
Annabelle arrives ...	checking Teak	Good girl	Great potluck!	Delish
Waiting for ...	the crowd!	Almost gone.	Fine Friday evening.	Almost colors.
Can we walk now?	Saturday morning ...	dog watch.	Skipper's up to his ears	'Morning Noble!
You too Takae ...	my best side.	Teak's gangplank	Nancy's happy	Quiet morning
Sanded & ready ...	to look nice.	Mai Pen Rai ...	looks great ...	fore and ...
aft.	Peter traded Midnight Sun	for this???!!!	Looks great ...	for a power boat ...
nice lines ...	here's why!!!	Our fleet ...	Pacific High	Tacoma Blue, & Snowflower
Vanishing Animal.	Nibbles time ...	for me?	No, me!	Getting started ...
great grilling ...	Chief inspector	Chief cooks!	And helpers	done to perfection.
Corn too.	Where's mine?	Tuning up	Easy does it.	Salad # 1 ...
and more ...	where is everyone?	Here!	Us too.	Lou's hugs ...
again.	Chow time ...	fill your plate ...	Hands full ...	but smiles.
Where to put it ...	cooks eat ...	tables fill ...	over here!	Good eats
Here too ...	you really want that?	Get the point?!	Don't mess!	Backbreaking work
Let's tune ...	sounds good ..	are you ready?	You bet!	Group gathers ...
Mellow sound ...	concentration ...	Lyle leads ...	David follows ...	OK!

Jam Session - David, Mike & Tom (Turn volume way down)

Pickin' & Strummin' (Turn volume way down)

Mike & Tom	Singing fun	He sings? ...	Rick's turn ...	David's OK ...
hanging in there ...	rapt audience?!	what's next ...	Country Roads!	Come on Harry ...
Matt's there ...	keeping time	more strings	the group	keeps playing
full on	from above	wish he were here!	Saturday evening.	Sunday morning Dan
here they come	there goes Dan	Kimberly & Scott	looking good	VYC Commodore
our Carol ...	gets stuck ...	much better	backwards Dan	crossing and ...
gone!	light air	Kimberly on the helm	concentration	tacking
and away	too much water!	here comes ...	Commodore Michele!	Mom & daughter ...
going backwards??!	STARBOARD!	I'll just watch.	No big deal.	Sunday lunch leftovers ...
Myphi & Sandy like 'em

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