Monday, November 22, 2004

To all that had anything to do with the year end meeting held this past Saturday at the St. Francis Yacht Club, thank you for your efforts. I didn't think I was going to make the meeting this year as my son was competing in a surf contest down in Southern California and Martha, Molly and I were all going to be down there with him. I was able to get a flight home Sat. eve., leaving Martha to drive up the coast on Sunday. I didn't want to miss the awarding of the Season Championship to Peter and the gang on Midnight Sun, and to applaud the efforts of the gangs on Tom Cat and Diana for getting second and third for the season respectively.

For those of you who weren't present -- it was a packed house...literally standing room only. Beautifully decorated, fully attended by cruisers and racers alike. Acknowledgements ran the gamut from the founders of our association the Schneider's, Schumacher's, Zevanov's, the Wall's, etc., to the newest boat owners in the audience. Our exiting Commodore, Harry Farrell, was given a standing ovation for a magnificent job and new one, Mike Dickson, was voted in by unanimous acclaim.

My wife Martha, who wasn't able to attend as previously mentioned, was awarded a trophy designed and donated by the Peter and crew of Midnight Sun that acknowledges excellent crew work in the fleet, which will become a perpetual trophy to be given away every year.

This huge e-mail (it got away from me I'm afraid), started out as a note to Peter and the rest of the fleet to let you know how much that trophy meant to her. We bought PILOT about 15 years ago. It was the perfect boat for a new family, Molly our daughter being 3, and Woody, our son being just under a year old. We wanted a boat that could stand up to the strong San Francisco Bay summer winds and yet was still comfortable and roomy enough down below for a family of 4 to cruise around in locally.

Also being penurious individual (read tightwad), I didn't want to spend a fortune on a boat. When we bought the boat we had no idea there was an Islander 36 Association. Talk about icing on the cake.

We loved the boat from the start. We'd spend Saturdays and Sundays on the boat cruising to Angel Island, up the Estuary, along the city front...wherever the wind's took us. Pulling into the docks at Angel Island we'd run the kids until they couldn't move, take them back to boat and secure them in the bunks, and then go for a wonderful sail in the afternoon.

We started racing the boat at the encouragement of our fellow yacht club member Don Schumacher. I had raced a bit in college but then decided to go into larger cruising boats and eventually ended up being a licensed maritime master aboard a square rigged ship chartered out of Costa Rica to National Geographic, and owning a yacht delivery company that moved boats all over the world. I was pretty secure in my seamanship and believed racing would be snap. I thought with all the ocean miles and various boats I'd commanded I'd just teach these Bay sailors a thing or two.

I followed Don around the course for years....when I could see him. I followed Wind Walker around the course for years.....when I could see them. Absolute, Tenacious, Blue Streak, Island Girl, Night Train, Blockbuster, the list goes on and on......I followed them all.....when I could see them. The first race we won we sailed the wrong course and had a bunch of boats follow us....(sadly you'll note that still happens within our fleet). "Heck HYZ is going over there - so it must be right....Let's catch him."

But, you know, Martha and I had a great time. When we started, we only raced with the kids and each other. I think Molly was 8 and Woody was 6 when we started. We were easily picked out of the fleet not only by our place in relation to the other racers..which was normally last, but also by the kids pulling little plastic boats behind us. We still basically only race with the kids when we can get them aboard.

I'm writing this because I want others to appreciate what a different experience it's been to be a part of this Association and indeed race with a fleet such as ours. Molly has moved on to high tech dinghy's now and races not only for her high school where she's the captain of her sailing team, but also competes in the 29er fleet. Woody is our grinder and tactician. Martha, who is the most competitive of all of us it turns out, thrives on the foredeck and everywhere else when something needs to get done.

When I gave her the trophy you guys awarded to her on Saturday night she actually teared up. She took the trophy and placed it above the other trophies that she and our children helped win for PILOT over the past 10 years. It was a great honor for her.

To those folks out there that are not racing with us and live in the Bay Area....please consider joining the fun. Winning is great - becoming a better sailor is even greater. It's not hard on the boat - we limit the sail sizes, the rules are pretty basic, no one is going to yell at you (and if I do - I don't really mean it - and I'll buy you a beer afterwards), and no one will hit you....(in turn please don't hit any of us).

Joseph Kresnsavage did a magnificent job of getting new boats out this year, organizing city front practices and seminars throughout the year and I think we're lucky to have him back.

This last year saw some of the greatest competition our fleet has had in decades I suspect. I personally believe that any of the top ten boats could have won any of the races. I'm still following boats around the course it seems.............

Warm regards to all, Saturday night was truly impressive on many levels, and I look forward to seeing you all next year.