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The San Francisco Yacht Club
JULY 2014
November 2009
THE
BULLETIN
The Bulletin
Magazine of The San Francisco Yacht Club JULY 2014 Volume 20 • Issue 6
Columns
OFFICERS & DIRECTORS
3
6-10
Race News
11
Youth Sailing
11
Facilities
Steve DePetro
THE BULLETIN Editor Ads/Calendar Editor Race Editor Production Manager Bulletin Committee
Manon Baze Evelyne Swinscoe-Byer Leslie Richter Vince Mattera Joan Linn Bekins P/P Mimi Cornelius P/P Joan Harter Bob McDermott P/P Sally Secor P/P Jane Watts
4
Burgees Aweigh!
13
Mother Son Dinner
Teddy Russell accepting the 1st place Wabbit trophy at Whiskytown.
14-16 Crossing Wakes 17
Cruising News
18
New Members
18
Eight Bells
November 2009
Social Events 19
On the Horizon/Ads
20
Calendar
Contributors Patrick Adams, Michelle Farabaugh, Forrest Gay, Lisa Klairmont, Harold Kleiderman, Ed Lynch, Ginger Mason, Bill Melbostad, Bill Wallace. Photographers Sturdy Adams, Nelle Placek, Anne Russell, Leslie Richter, Marily Rimmer, Natalie Watson, Tim Wright.
THE SAN FRANCISCO YACHT CLUB 98 Beach Road • P.O. Box 379 Belvedere, CA 94920-0379 (415) 435-9133 • FAX (415) 435-8547 www.sfyc.org
photo by Leslie Richter
General Manager
Features
Always a beautiful sight – Hank Easom’s Yucca on the way to Stockton
photo by Natalie Watson
Marily Rimmer P/P Elizabeth Merrill Jolynn Hardiman Tinsley Hutson-Wiley Carol Anderson Cynthia Bernheim Stephanie Cannell Emily Heller Eugenia Jesberg Connie Lewis Robin Reynolds Julie Zanze P/P Melissa Tulp - Ex-Officio Frances Melbostad - Honorary
photo by Anne Russell
Departments
AUXILIARY OFFICERS & DIRECTORS President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors:
Commodore
Mother and Son Dinner Dance
photo by Sturdy Adams
William W. Melbostad Susan E. Moore Edward E. Lynch Angela D. Lackey Olson Michael S. Brilliant Charles R. Wideman Laurence R. Bekins Daniel C. Buckstaff Jerry Eaton Jr. S/C Thomas C. Lacey Tina C. Lundh Paul S. Rosenlund
photo by Leslie Richter
Commodore Vice Commodore Rear Commodore Secretary Treasurer Port Captain Directors:
The San Francisco Yacht Club
Cover: Roland VanDermeer’s Big Blast blasts down the Berkeley Circle during the June Invitational Regatta. Patrick and Read Adams sailing aboard the 100’ Swan Varsovie off Italy’s Amalfi Coast
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From the Commodore Bill Melbostad, Commodore / commodore@sfyc.org
T
he Race Council (RC) is in the midst of their busiest part of the season. The Club Series Races will be almost halfway completed by the time you read this. This month, the Independence Cup, suitably is on July 4, and the Mitchell and Ross Regattas are on July 26. The final SFYC Series Race (#5), the Wosser Cup, is on August 23, which also hosts the (postponed) Staff Commodores’ Cup. The Club Series awards will be given in November during Race Recognition Night. The RC has completed the Resin, Small Keelboat Regattas, and Elite Keel Regattas, with Elite Keel requiring ing two separate courses. During these events, RC Chairman Michelle Farabaugh and her multitude of volunteers, maintained the high standard of excellence of race management to which the competitors have become accustomed. One of our spring traditions is the Spinnaker Cup: a downwind sleigh ride finishing at the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, co-hosted by The SFYC and MPYC. The Cup’s heavy lifting this year goes to Race Council member, Nancy DeMauro, and V/C Suzie Moore. After starting the fleet off Belvedere from Victory on Friday afternoon, they hit the blacktop to drive to Monterey, to assist MPYC with recording the finishes. These remarkably diligent women burned the midnight oil, finishing the first boat at 7:00 p.m., and recording the last finisher in the fleet at 7:00 a.m.! It is with pride I congratulate SFYC Director of Sailing. Forrest Gay, for achieving US Sailing Regional Race Officer status. Forrest will be working towards National Race Officer this winter. I am happy to introduce our new Race Council Administrator, Lisa Turner. Lisa started late May, after previously working with the Olympic Circle Sailing Club. Her skills appear to be transferable, as she had the scores up and posted for the May 31 Small Keelboat Regatta before the competitors reached the dock. Please take a moment to say “hello” and welcome Lisa to The SFYC family. For two years now, Michelle has been anchoring our program, and as a past RC Chair, I can personaly testify to the scope and breadth of the RC Chair’s responsibilities. It is a full time commitment from January to December. Under Michelle’s leadership, our program continues to grow, with high quality management on and off the water, bringing pride and prestige to our Club. As the Commodore, I’m extremely grateful to Michelle and all of the RC volunteers for their stewardship of our program and its continued excellence, keeping The SFYC as one of the top racing clubs on the Bay. The Race Development Committee (RDC) first established in 2011 to support our top SFYC racing sailors, has also had a busy first half of the year. RDC Chairman, Steve Fentress, and his Committee have a full agenda in 2014. The recently
launched Wednesday night team racing clinics aboard our chartered J22s have been well subscribed. Head sailing coach, Jackson Benvenutti, has been leading the clinics, educating our members in the nuances of team racing. This is open to all members at any skill level. Please contact the Race Office for more information on how to participate. Another big responsibility for RDC is coordinating our outside regattas. Our Club should be proud of hosting the first ever multi- venue San Francisco Cup. Up next for the RDC will be the Perpetual Cup, which will be sailed in J105s with The SFYC defending Long Beach Yacht Club’s challenge on August 9. Shawn Bennett will be representing The SFYC defense in his J/105, Jose Cuervo. The RDC’s secondary purpose is to acquire prestigious national and international regattas, such as the Melges 24 North American and World Championship, which The Club hosted in 2012 and 2013. The regatta pipeline is full, with the 2014-5 Melges 20 North American and World Championships. In 2016, The SFYC will be hosting arguably the most prestigious one design championships (I might be a little biased); the International Etchells Class North American Championship, followed by their World Championhsip in 2017. I personally want to thank Steve and the hard working members of RDC for keeping racing on the forefront of The SFYC agenda. On shore, the Entertainment Committee (EC), led by my wife, Frances Barbour, continues to bring some fresh and fun themes to our regular events. Our Members will enjoy the July 4 East Coast themed “Cook Out” on the lawn, with a great R&B/Motown band, Good Time Sounds. On Labor Day will host an “Endless Summer 1960’s Surf Party”, with a West coast-theme BBQ, beach style music from “The Riptides,” SUP competition/raffle, limbo contest, and a vintage Hawaiian shirt competition. The Labor Day Party poster is derived from the 1960 cover of Sea Magazine, which my mother saved, because it featured The SFYC deck – thanks, Mom! S/C Ken Frost of the Historical Committee also furnished a photograph of 1934 Opening Day at SFYC, which EC member Shawn Wideman has now made into a keepsake poster, to celebrate SFYC’s 80th yachting season on San Francisco Bay. Look for both posters on sale at the Ship’s Store, and on deck after The Club Series races. Hope to see you all very soon on the water and at The Club.
Commodore Bill Melbostad
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 3
Burgees Aweigh! Tommy Young, Will Foox and Caleb Yoslov. All are members of the SFYC Opti Race Team and were selected as 3 of the 15 members of Team USA racing Optimists at the 2014 Magic Marine Easter Regatta on Lake Braassemermeer, South Holland in April, over 210 sailors from 11 countries.
Steve and Ginger Mason in Sointula, BC where you learn to perfect your one or two finger wave from the steering wheel as you drive to the market.
In Vienna aboard the river cruise ship Viking Kvasir enroute to Amsterdam: Gig & Mel Owen, Jerry Knecht, John & Judy Sanford, Sue Knecht, Carol and Harry Allen.
Gregory and Marie Greunke cruising up the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar (Burma).
Bob and Kathie McLaughlin in Budapest, Hungary. Burgee on hat.
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Let us know where you and your burgee have been. Pack your burgee on your travels and take pictures of it with you and your group. Submit to Bulletin@sfyc.org to be in the next Bulletin. Happy Travels!
SFYC Speakers Series Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:30 p.m.
“Life on the Water” A film about Ron MacAnnan
L
ife on the Water is a series of portraits about remarkable people whose lives are inspired by, and have a strong connection to, water. The first portrait in the series is of Ron MacAnnan, a resident of Sausalito since 1960. The man who moved Horizon’s Restaurant (formerly the San Francisco Yacht Club) from where it was originally located on land, to where it stands now– above the water. Ron sold the restaurant when he retired and his focus shifted to his 82’ sloop, Pursuit. Easily one of the most
beautiful sailboats in Sausalito, Pursuit is just as unique as its owner and their stories are intertwined. As with all of the portraits in the series, the story of Ron MacAnnan is told in the first person. Life and the world as seen and lived by Ron himself. There will also be the opportunity see a brief excerpt on the film currently in production featuring our own SFYC Member Hank Easom.
Please R.S.V.P. to The SFYC Front Office 435 9133 ext. 10 office@sfyc.org or for your convenience go to www.sfyc.org The event is free for Members and their guests.
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 5
Race News
race@sfyc.org Michelle Farabaugh / Forrest Gay
Elite Keel
W
ith sixty-five boats registered and eight fleets racing, the Elite Keel regatta is one of the largest regattas SFYC hosts each year. Due to the number of participating fleets, two race venues were set on the Olympic Circle. The Melges 20, Melges 24, J/70 and Open 5.70 raced on venue Alpha and the Etchells, Express 27, IOD and Knarr raced on venue Bravo. Thank you V/C Suzie Moore and Bryan Moore for so graciously providing Rendezvous to be our second signal boat. Many thanks also to PROs Anne Scully and Forrest Gay, as well as the thirty on-the-water race volunteers who gave their time over the course of the two days to make this regatta a big success. Saturday was a very windy day with the breeze consistently in the high 20s. The Melges 20, Melges 24, J/70 and Open 5.70 fleets raced on venue Alpha, but were forced to abandon race two and
photos by Leslie Richter
Tom Kassberg’s Melges 20 Flygfisk
The Pearce’s Fjaer on fire downwind. 6 • JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org
three due to the too-windy conditions. Meanwhile, the Etchells, Express 27, IOD and Knarrs were able to sail their three scheduled races. On Sunday, the PROs set the Alpha fleet course closer to Angel Island for some relief from the forecast winds. Unfortunately, the wind gods did not want to cooperate or even make up their minds as to which direction to come from. The small boat fleets were able to sail three races on Sunday, making up for one of the abandoned races on Saturday. On the Bravo course, a postponement was called one minute before the start of the second race when the wind completely changed direction and died. The race committee was able to quickly pull all of the Laurence Pulgram’s Magic, 1st place Etchells marks and move the course one half mile south to provide the fleets with stronger and more consistent breeze. The post-race festivities on The SFYC deck included a beer tasting courtesy of Trumer Pils, featuring their Trumer Pils, a German style pilsner, and Shiner White Wing, a Belgian style wheat ale. They also handed out key chains, buttons and beer openers to the racers. Big thanks to Trumer Pils, the Official Beer Sponsor of The SFYC Race Program.
photos by Leslie Richter
Roland VanDermeer’s Melges 20, Blast!
PROs Forrest Gay and Anne Scully
Sid Gorham’s Melges 20, Funner JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 7
Race News
race@sfyc.org Michelle Farabaugh / Forrest Gay
Spinnaker Cup start, Class E
Spinnaker Cup
T
he Spinnaker Cup got off to a great start with forty boats in three divisions starting in winds of 18-20 kts under foggy skies. As specified in the Sailing Instructions, several boats were subject to on-the-water safety inspections which they all passed with flying colors. The wind forecasts for the race led everyone to expect a fast race to Monterey. However, as the boats headed south down the coast, the wind lightened up, and division standings became shuffled. Invisible Hand was the first to finish at 19:19:08 followed by Buona Sera at 19:55:10. After that, it was a long night for the Race Committee with the last boat crossing the finish line at 06:30:32 on Saturday morning. The first place winners in each division were: Class D – Buona Sera – Edward Merez (SCYC); Class E – Encore –
Wayne Kudo (RYC); Class F – Red Cloud – Don Ahrens (EYC); Class G – Blue – Ray Paul (StFYC); and Class J – California Condor – Hill Blackett III – (RYC). Congratulations to The SFYC member Steve Stroub’s Tiburon for their 2nd place Class E finish. Only two other SFYC boats participated; Roland VanDermeer’s Big Blast, and Trygve (Trig) Liljestrand’s Ragtime. A special thanks to the members of the Race Committee for supporting PRO Nancy DeMauro; V/C Suzie Moore, Angie Olsen, Madeline Morey, Soren Hoy, Anne McCormack, Michelle Farabaugh, Forrest Gay, John Cashman and Pat Lowther. Nancy and Suzie also traveled to Monterey for the finish, and finally got to bed at 7:15 on Saturday morning – a very long day!
Small Keelboat #2
S
aturday, May 31, was the second of three days of The SFYC Small Keelboat Series. We only had one Melges 24 show up since most of the fleet was sailing the Delta Ditch Run, but the Etchells and J/24 fleets had five and seven boats, respectively. Both fleets had great close racing in conditions of 16-22 knots. Three races were completed for all fleets. SFYC Commodore Bill Melbostad is currently leading the Etchells fleet, with Jim Cunningham close behind. The final day of racing in the series was June 28.
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photo by Leslie Richter
Have you or a member you know competed outside of our SFYC regattas? Let us know. We want to include these happenings in the Bulletin. Submit articles and photos to bulletin@sfyc.org
June Invitational
T
Walter Sanford’s Alchemy leads the J/105s at the start able to surf at 13-14 knots in 20-22 knots of breeze; however, she has surfed in the high teens and was still very stable. There are currently ten J/111s in the fleet and they are expected to grow to 15 by next summer. It was great to see the docks in front of the Club House full of J/120s,
J/105s and J/111s all weekend. There were many stories from the day’s racing shared over Trumer Pils beer, Official Sponsor of The SFYC Race Program. It wouldn’t be a J Boat regatta without hearing a protest or two. Thank you to Bryan Kemnitzer, Vicki Sodaro and John Super for serving as our protest committee.
photos by Leslie Richter
he June Invitational turned into a J Fest regatta this year with thirty J/120, J/105 and J/111 boats racing. The June 7-8 weekend proved to be perfect conditions with winds consistently 15-20 knots, building to the mid-20s. The breeze was also consistently from the west making the windward-leeward race course in Olympic Circle perfectly square, thanks to the rock star SFYC Race Committee led by Jeff Zarwell, PRO. We were excited to have the J/111s race with SFYC for the first time. The J/111s, sleek, speedy 36 foot one-design boats, are one of the newest J boats on the Bay. According to Roland VanDermeer, Big Blast: “The J/111 is the best J boat yet. It is a real racer with great cruising potential. It is very responsive and fun to maneuver on the starting line. It goes so well up wind just cutting through the chop, but most of all, it surfs really well down wind in 18+ knots.” Big Blast proved that to be true taking third place, after the tie for second was broken, in the J/111 fleet. She was
Jose Cuervo catches some upwind air JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 9
Race News
race@sfyc.org Michelle Farabaugh / Forrest Gay
SFYC Member Race Wrap-Up
T
hree SFYC J/105s participated in this year’s Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta, hosted by St.FYC – Scooter Simmon’s Blackhawk, Walter Sanford’s Alchemy, and Paul Kent’s Perserverence. Blackhawk placed first place in its division in the four race series. The Delta Ditch Run is always a bit of a crap shoot of a race – starting at the Richmond Bridge, the course winds sixtyfive miles up the Delta to the Stockton Sailing Club. Congratulations to Hank Easom’s Yucca and Charles Froeb’s Kaos vs. Control for placing first in their divisions. Richard von Ehrenkrook’s Can o’Whoopass, and Bartz Schneider’s Expeditious placed second and Tom Kassberg’s Flygfisk placed third in their respective divisions. Several SFYC members had winning performances in the StFYC Woodies Invitational Regatta. The seventeen-boat Knarr class was won by Chris and Phil Perkins’ Three Boys and A Girl, beating William Foox brother Jon Perkins by one point. Larry Drew’s Wintersmoon was fourth. Charles Rixford’s Widgeon won the Bird Boat fleet. On May 17th, two SFYC sailors participated in the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s annual Singlehanded Farallones Race – and they each won their division! Congratulations to Jib Martens, aboard his Worth 40, Freedom, and Ryle Radke aboard his Beneteau 323, Friday Harbor. It’s worth noting that
Freedom was one of only two boats in its division to finish, and Friday Harbor was the only boat in its division to finish. The Master Mariner’s Regatta is always a feast for the eyes, and SFYC was well represented by David James’ Leda, placing first in the L-36 division. Congratulations to Tim Russell, who with his son Teddy, won the Wabbit division of the 50th Annual Whiskeytown Memorial Regatta in the Trinity Alps.
David James’ L-36 Leda during the Master Mariners Race
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photos by Leslie Richter
Wet and wild! Charles Froeb’s Chaos vs. Kontrol speeding along in the Delta Ditch Run.
Youth Sailing
youth@sfyc.org Justine O’Connor, Youth Sailing Director
SFYC YOUTH RACE TEAM RESULTS HIGH SCHOOL FLEET RACING NATIONALS @ SAN DIEGO YC (MAY 911) 20 Teams Qualified 5th Branson (Romain Screve, Kennedy Placek, Jackson Ritter, Will Dana, Nick Marwell)
OPTI HARKEN #3 @ CABRILLO BEACH YC (MAY 24-25) Championship Fleet (41 boats) 2nd Christian Ehrnrooth; 4th Will Foox; 9th Caleb Yoslov; 13th Tommy Young; 17th Sarah Young; 18th Chloe Holder; 21st Ben Foox; 28th AJ Torres; 38th Sydney Holder.
photo by Nelle Placek
BAYS #1 @ PYSF (MAY 17-18) Opti Green Fleet (15 boats) 1st Kaelin Stock, 5th Connor Bennett, 7th Charlie Keldsen, 8th Luke Froeb, 10th John Duncan, 15th Sydney Holder. Opti Championship Fleet (15 boats) 1st Tommy Young; 2nd Mats Keldsen; 3rd Will Foox; 4th Sarah Young; 5th Caleb Yoslov; 6th Chloe Holder; 9th Ben Foox. C420 (18 boats) 1st Will Martens; 2nd Will McMullen; 4th Lucy Wilmot. Laser Radial (9 boats) 1st Lindsey Baab; 4th Kyle Larsen; 6th Will Dana; 8th William Sutton. Will Dana, Romain Screve, Kennedy Placek, Nick Marwell, and Jackson Ritter on the Branson High School Team placed 5th in the High School Nationals in San Diego with Coach Jackson Benvenutti.
Facilities Planning
rearcommodore@sfyc.org Ed Lynch, Facilities Planning Committee Chairman
What’s the status of the Cove House Project?
F
or the past four years The Club has been reviewing options for the Cove House and what to do. Remodel, rebuild or tear down and not replace. All of these options have been thoroughly researched and studied. Ideas from the membership have been solicited and all The Club’s committees and staff have provided input to identify the needs of The Club into the future. Facilities Planning Committee (FPC) made two presentations to the membership at
member meetings held in October 2013 and again in March 2014. The consensus of the FPC was to proceed with developing options to replace the Cove House with a new building. The SFYC Board of Directors supported the direction of the FPC and authorized the FPC to seek a qualified architectural design firm to assist The Club in developing the conceptual details (rendering and cost analysis) for presentation to the membership and Board. In April 2014, the FPC requested a Request for Qualifications from 14 Architectural Firms in the Bay Area and California that had experience in
clubs, waterfront and knowledge of the local city planning process. The Club received eight responses from well qualified firms. FPC reviewed the eight responses and selected four of the top firms for further consideration. The four firms will be requested to submit a proposal for services and after interviewing the firms the Board of Directors and FPC will decide which firm best suits The SFYC. Next month FPC will provide another update and will do so every month in an effort to keep our membership informed of the status of this project. If you have any questions and or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact us at rearcommodore@sfyc.org .
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 11
Endless Summer 60’s Surf Party Labor Day Monday, September 1, 2014 West Coast BBQ 12 noon - 7 p.m. Ages 13 & up $22 youth 6-12 $11★5 & under FREE
“Riptides” Beach Band on the Deck, 2-6 p.m. SUP Races! Limbo, Hawaiian Shirt/Sundress Contests & More! All prices subject to Club Service Charge and Marin Sales Tax.
The San Francisco Yacht Club Auxiliary proudly presents
Grand Raffle 2014 KEEP CHIC AND
SHOP! grand prize! A $5000 Saks Fifth Avenue San Fransisco Shopping Experience
Plus
A Few Additional Surprises Additional Many Surprises Tickets 1/$20 or 6/$100 Drawing at the Annual Fundraiser Luncheon, Runway 2014 –Ports “Ports Call” of of Call September 25, 2014 Winner need not be present to win. Restrictions Apply To Benefit SFYC Youth Sailing & Auxiliary Events
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Summertime
…a special time of year for friends and family to gather together. Contact Natalie in Catering to plan your next event 415-789-5821 catering@sfyc.org
photos by Marily Rimmer and Natalie Watson
Mother and Son Dinner Dance
All moms had fun with their sons.
The boys have fun with the magician. Event Chair Tinsley Hutson-Wiley with son
Mara Rieden McCarthy with son
Stephanie and Rix Cannell
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 13
Crossing Wakes
Stephen and Virginia Mason ginger@seajay.org
Crossing the Atlantic on the 100’ Swan Varsovie By Patrick Adams Patrick Adams, a SFYC member since 1989, holds a 3000 GT Masters license and currently captains the 100’ Swan Varsovie which travels between the Caribbean and Mediterranean, racing in many of the superyacht regattas. His two sons – Jackson, a recent UC Berkeley grad in Biology and Philosophy, and Russell “Sturdy”, a Columbia University undergrad currently studying at Oxford – often crew for him in these races, and his wife Read frequently joins him onboard when he cannot be at their Mill Valley home.
D
eparting the Caribbean at the conclusion of the racing season to head toward Europe is an exciting moment. The thought of a cool breeze, some decent architecture, and a bit of culture is widely anticipated after months of oppressive heat and throbbing disco sounds emanating from the Mad Mongoose and the Soggy Dollar Bar. By mid-May, Simpson Bay and Falmouth Harbor quickly become desolate as the forest of massive rigs dissolves and the fleet of superyachts slips away, one after the other, heading to the “other side”. I suspect a similar sort of hush descended upon English Harbor two hundred years ago, whenever Nelson departed with his fleet in search of the French. Planning for an Atlantic crossing on a superyacht is somewhat like planning for a crossing on a freighter – the departure date is set well in advance due to tight schedules, and the luckier yachts have a one or two day window on either side of this date to push off. About ten days before our intended departure, I start to study the weather patterns over the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s good to get an idea of the shape and size of the Azorean High and a feel for how the lows are blowing through – whether they are big or small, north or south. It is sort of like getting ready to enter a swinging skip rope, standing to the side to follow the motion of the rope with your hands, waiting for the perfect moment to jump in. If you get it right, it’s a fast, smooth ride. Wrong, and you stumble and fall. For weather routing, I use the MaxSeaTime Zero navigational program on the Varsovie’s PC system. It’s a French program, and apparently Nelson’s success in defeating the French at
Trafalgar had little effect on teaching them how to think like an Englishman. It has some truly great features, as well as a few that leave you scratching your head, wondering what could possibly have been going through their minds. While in the program, I can download a GRIB weather file from the satellite telephone directly onto the chart showing wind direction and speed, current, waves, clouds, rain, and barometric pressure. It doesn’t actually show the fronts, which is too bad, but it is usually pretty obvious where they are. The coolest feature of MaxSeaTime Zero is that I can plot a route, say from Antigua to the Azores, putting in anticipated noon positions, run the automatic weather forecast feature and watch a model of the yacht follow the route at a designated speed. As the icon of the yacht moves along the route, the weather changes accordingly. In a perfect world, the weather on the chart would be somewhat related to the actual weather, but in reality, lows seem to pop up mysteriously and move in unanticipated directions. It becomes a matter of adjusting our route daily to take advantage of the most recent predicted weather patterns, and, if all goes well, we have a great sail across the ocean. Cruising books tend to suggest that, in making the passage across the Atlantic from the Caribbean, the prudent sailor would head north until even with, and just east of, Bermuda, then turn right towards the Azores. Alternatively, one may head directly for Bermuda, take on fuel and provisions, and head east on a good weather window. The superyacht master has a slightly different approach. Many captains plot a Great Circle route and simply follow it, content to sail the shortest distance. Most of the superyachts carry in excess of 16,000 liters (more than 4,200 gallons, ed.) of fuel, and so are pretty much able to blast through anything. Varsovie, by comparison, carries a paltry 3,000 liters (about 800 gallons, ed.) of fuel. Weather routing maintains a critical importance – we certainly can’t motor across the Atlantic, and for that matter, who really wants to? A superyacht is usually defined as a yacht of 100’ or more, so Varsovie, at exactly 100’, is on the small side of the superyacht
The elegance and power of the Swan 100 is breathtaking, and the sheer pleasure of opening her up and driving such a fantastic machine across the ocean is a sailor’s dream come true.
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Photo by Tim Wright
The Swan 100 Varsovie racing in the St. Barth’s Bucket, a superyacht regatta off the spectacular Caribbean island of St. Barth’s equation. She does, however, handle like a thoroughbred race horse, rather than a plodding Clydesdale. In 12 knots of breeze she will easily do 10 to 11 knots through the water, and a 300 mile day is not unusual. In an 18 knot breeze we are still able to carry full main and jib. The helm feels amazingly light, but the boat is lively on the waves and it is best to hang on. At 78 tons we don’t surf, and we sure do hope there are no slumbering whales in our path.The elegance and power of the Swan 100 is breathtaking, and the sheer pleasure of opening her up and driving such a fantastic machine across the ocean is a sailor’s dream come true. On yachts this size, mainsails become a handful. Predominately, mainsails on superyachts utilize an automated boom furling system, usually made by Southern Spars of New Zealand. Someone only has to press a button to make the mainsail go up and down. Behind the scenes, massive hydraulic pumps controlled by a PLC chip that could fit into your camera’s memory slot dictate how much pressure to give to the self-contained main halyard, how fast to turn the enormous spindle residing inside the boom, and how much hydraulic fluid to squirt into the boom vang to set the gigantic spar at a perfect angle. The trick is know when to stop pressing the button – serious damage has occurred due to an unexpected phone call while pushing a little button on a superyacht. Mistakes in the several hundred thousand dollar range are not unheard of – you just have to pray it’s the owner and not the crew who makes them.
On Varsovie, we opted for a traditional mainsail – well, traditional in the sense that it utilizes slab reefing, although the 3DL construction is state of the art and costs about the same as a small farm in upstate New York. With a rig 147’ off the water and a 2,555 square foot mainsail, it is easy to get overpowered. The sail is supposed to handle up to 50 knots of wind, but even double reefed with no other sail set, we speed along at 12 knots in a 35 knot breeze – sort of like a hundred-foot Laser. With any more wind than that, I take the mainsail down, and usually well before. On ocean crossings, I tend to put away the mainsail early and go to the storm trysail. It’s a fairly unattractive sail with a big orange strip across the middle of it, but nevertheless it’s reasonably efficient. It has the important advantage of allowing me a decent sleep in rather nasty conditions, assuming I don’t get flung out of my bunk by the odd rogue wave. It is indestructible, easy to control, and can’t really get you into trouble – nice assets for many things in life, come to think of it. With the storm trysail up, we can center the main boom and not worry about it, a considerable advantage in the world of superyachts. Even though the boom is carbon fiber, a couple of tons of it swinging around can still do some serious damage. This was proven by the previous captain, who experienced an accidental jibe while off the coast of Morocco, causing the boom to slam up against the port shroud made of Navtec - 195 rod rigging. This put a substantial bend in the solid rod before the boom spectacularly splintered in two. To put things in perspective, -195 rod is 1 1/8” diameter super hard Nitronic JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 15
Crossing Wakes
Stephen and Virginia Mason ginger@seajay.org
(continued from page 15) below 70% capacity. With the generator going, we take the stainless steel with a minimum breaking strength of 190,000 lbs. opportunity to run the water maker. We have two 750 liter water The storm trysail is a comfortable sail. We can still average tanks but always keep one full in the event the water maker 240 miles a day with just the trysail and a staysail. This year our fails. We also carry about twenty 6-packs of one liter water average from the Caribbean to the Azores was 9.8 knots, which bottles as a further back up – these double as free weights for is fairly respectable considering we had only our storm sails our daily crew gym sessions at sea. Yes, these guys want to stay flying for about 50% of the time. We did have a lull of about cut. The metric system is very cool – a liter of water weighs two days last April where we had to motor, reducing our exactly a kilo, so 6 liters of water is 6 kilos, or a little over 13 average speed, since we motor at nine knots to conserve fuel. I pounds. A couple of 6- packs per bicep get heavy rather quickly, like to cross with a crew of five or six, which may seem a bit but one can always drink a bit to make it lighter. light to many, but even on a hundred foot yacht you start to The passage from the Caribbean to the Azores is never the bump into people if there are too many around. We use a watch same, thanks to the elusive Azorean High and the unpredictable system I’ve used for many years– some call it the Swedish lows that come screaming Watch System, though I’ve across. The North Atlantic had plenty of Swedish crew Ocean seems rather barren who have never heard of of sea life to us Pacific this, so I suppose they either sailors, but it more than forgot about it or were makes up for it with its never told. Anyway, when unpredictable weather, water we are five, three watches spouts, lightning storms, don't make an even split, bizarre wave action, and the which I find perfect. As mysterious Gulf Stream that captain, I always opt to runs like a river through the stand watch alone. It’s all ocean. Sometimes the too often my only escape Azorean High sits smack on from the pulsating music top of the Azores and there my crew invariably favor. I is nice weather for the covet this opportunity to be Competing in the Swan Worlds in Porto Cervo, Sardinia aboard approach. Other times, the alone with the sounds of the the Swan 100 Varsovie High spits in two or simply sea and the energy of the Photo by Tim Wright disappears in the face of a ocean. Each watch gets a big low pressure system. We try to get on the forward lower four hour stint in the day and two 2 hour watches at night. If we quadrant of a low and ride it across the ocean. This usually need to do a maneuver, like reef or pull in a big fish, it’s all means gray skies and a bit of a sea running, but a good breeze hands on deck. Safety is a major concern, and I periodically from the starboard beam or slightly aft. A strong High (weather throw a fender over the side at odd hours so we can practice men like to say “well developed”) and a fast moving low can rescue and recovery. So far we have not lost a fender. We also feel like getting stuck in cross fire, with waves going in several have an MCA Class A medical kit on board that would make directions at once and virtually no way to stop the boat from most small hospitals envious. Varsovie is a very easy boat to sail slamming. Those are bad crossings, a reminder that the North but a very complex boat to run. Like all superyachts, she is Atlantic can be treacherous. Approaching the Azores is power hungry, and power management is critical to keeping her spectacular. Most yachts put in at Horta, the main city on the operating smoothly. On the bigger superyachts, a generator is island of Faial. The unreal green of the well-tended pastures kept running 24/7 to keep up with the demands of the vessel. On slopes down to vertical cliffs at the water’s edge. Windmills and Varsovie we can go into silent mode, and with our 2,000 amp churches dot the countryside, and the nearby snow-capped hours of batteries, keep the machinery off for up to eight hours mountain island of Pico sets an almost magical backdrop. The at a time. During regattas we normally have both generators town is a feast for the eyes with castles, forts, and beautiful, running, one to operate the power take offs (PTOs) for the quaint Portuguese buildings along the seafront. Horta is a good hydraulic system and the other to keep the batteries charged and place to stop, stretch your legs, take on fuel and have a cold the air conditioner running. It gets hot on deck during a race, beer at the Café Sport. The next leg to the Straits of Gibraltar and it is amazing how many people find excuses to go below to can be tough to horrendous, and crews like to catch their breath the nice, crisp interior. before coping with the notoriously riotous seas which cram Crossing oceans, we tend to be very conservative with themselves forcefully into the narrow portal to the Med. power usage and start up a generator only when the batteries get
16 • JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org
Cruising News
Lisa Klairmont / lisa@klairmont.com Harold Kleiderman / hkleiderman@gmail.com
Benicia
South Beach/Giants
W
ith SFYC burgees proudly flying, six adventurous vessels set off to Benicia for our May 16-18 cruise. Friday afternoon found us gathered on the dock for cocktails followed by the always-great hospitality of the Benicia Yacht Club and just in time for “Prime Rib Night”. The BYC Commodore warmly welcomed us to their club, introducing us to their gathered membership at the bar, and graciously provided us with wine for our dinner, which was prepared by their recently on-board new kitchen staff who did a great job. Make it a point of stopping by next time your cruising brings you up the Carquinez Strait. Saturday, folks wandered the streets of Benicia, checking out various unique galleries, shops, and a fascinating glassblowing exhibit. As evening approached, we were drawn back to the BYC’s friendly bar for cocktails, and then walked up the street to the Union Hotel, where a private intimate dining room was provided for our group. An evening of excellently prepared food and lively conversation left us with a pleasant glow. Afterwards, some of us retired while an adventurous few moseyed over to Rookie, the sports bar where it’s all happening, for a night-cap. The winds picked up on Sunday across San Pablo Bay, with some of us venturing forth back to The Club, while others lingered one more day. We all enjoyed our brief Benicia vacation get-away. Scott Harris
B
y the time you read this, our annual cruise to South Beach/Giants Cruise will be history. We had 11 boats planning to cruise to South Beach Harbor, along with 21 people signed up for dinner at MoMo’s on Friday evening, and 52 members and their friends and family have tickets for the Saturday Giants game against the Rockies. Special thanks to Bill Stark for arranging the tickets and great seats, and Bill Thomas for setting up the dinner at MoMo’s. Next up on the cruising calendar is the annual Summer Delta Cruise to Delta Yacht Club, on August 11-15. Contact the cruise leaders, Jim and P/P Mimi Cornelius and Mike and Joan Mellon, to see if any slips are still available. It is not too early to sign up for the annual Five Club Cruise to Tinsley Island. This ever-popular cruise will be on October 3-5, the weekend before Fleet Week here in the Bay. This year’s theme is Pirates of the Caribbean and is being led by R/C Ed Lynch. He is personally guaranteeing a fun weekend. See the flyer and sign up on The Club website, under “Calendar” in October. The cruise to Half Moon Bay has been rescheduled to October 17-19. Save the date for this short blue water cruise. Ron and Edita Roberts have arranged an exciting weekend, with the theme “Putting on the Ritz”, and featuring a “foodie” adventure to the Mezza Luna restaurant in Half Moon Bay and Navio at the nearby Ritz Carlton. Blacktoppers are also welcome for one or both nights. See the flyer and sign up on The Club website, under “Calendar” in October. Lisa Klairmont & Harold Kleiderman, Cruise Committee Co-chairs
Annual SFYC Summer Delta Cruise August 11-15, 2014 Where: Delta Yacht Club, about 1 mile past Tinsley Island on the San Joaquin River at Headreach Cutoff Why:
Warm weather, fresh water, lots of fun activities, a perfect location for relaxation and FUN with family and friends. Pool, golf, games, quiet relaxation. Shared time with Petaluma YC this year. Join the cruise for all or part of the week. This cruise has received rave reviews from SFYC members and their guests who have attended this event the last three years. Don’t miss the chance to join the fun! Please contact Mike Mellon (mmellon@cruzio.com) or Mimi Cornelius (mimicornelius@comcast.net) for more information
Sign up online for this event at www.sfyc.org, under Members, Calendar, Cruise. Maximum of 10 boat this year, so sign up early.
The San Francisco Yacht Club 2014 Cruise Calendar Destinations
Activities
Cruise Leader(s)
Dates
Delta Yacht Club Tinsley & Delta Yacht Club Half Moon Bay
Delta Fun Five Club Cruise Blue Water Cruise
P/P Mimi Cornelius & Mike Mellon R/C Ed Lynch Ron & Edita Roberts
August 11-15 October 3-5 October 17-19
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 17
Welcome New Members
Bill Wallace, Membership Committee flcloud@comcast.net
The SFYC welcomes Julia Cashin as a Regular member. Julia is an independent Marketing and Strategy Consultant, based in Marin County. She and her husband Justin Oberbauer live in Tiburon with their two children, Blake, 7, and Reed, 4. Julia has sailed all of her life, spending summers cruising on the lakes of New Hampshire and sailing whenever possible. Moving to Marin, she and her husband purchased and actively raced their Vanguard 15 and began crewing on J/105s. Her love of the J/105 fleet led to purchase a partnership interest in the J/105 Strangelove. They continue to race actively in both the J/105 and Vanguard 15 fleets. Julia is thrilled to join The San Francisco Yacht Club and looks forward to actively participating in Club events and racing. Their daughter, Blake, will participate in The SFYC Youth Sailing program this summer and surely, Reed will follow as soon as age permits. Julia is sponsored by Ben Kilgore and seconded by Matthew Sessions. The SFYC welcomes Nathanial (Nate) Feduska as a Regular member. Nate is Vice President of Sales in the technology industry. Nate and his wife, Michelle, live in Mill Valley with their two sons, Hunter, 3, and Tyler, 9 months. Nate admits to becoming addicted to sailing in 1989, racing Lasers at Tinsley Island. Since that time, he has regularly sailed and raced on Catalina 30’s, Lasers, and Sceptre 41’s, primarily on San Francisco Bay. He has done extensive cruising in British Columbia and San Francisco Bay, his responsibilities ranged from deck hand to captain on a 57’ Nordhaven and a 48’ Kadley Krogan, as well as other trawlers and power boats. Nate is looking forward to the time when his two sons can participate in the Youth Sailing program. Nate is proposed by Chris Cooper and seconded by Chelsea Ialeggio. The SFYC welcomes Scott Peters as a Regular member. He is an Investment Manager, based in Sausalito. Scott and his wife, Karin, live in Tiburon with their son, Alexander, 12. Scott holds an ASA 101 certification, Basic Keelboat and is a regular SFYC Race Committee volunteer. He enjoys sailing and racing, crewing aboard the TP52 Meanie, winning 1st overall and setting a course record in the Spinnaker Cup and in the Leukemia Cup in 2013. Scott can be found regularly cruising aboard SFYC boats including Good & Plenty and Haven. Scott’s family believes in family Club participation – his wife is involved in The SFYC Auxiliary “Learn to Sail” program and his son is actively participating in The SFYC Youth Sailing Program. Scott is proposed by Tom Akin and seconded by Charles Froeb.
jIn Memoriam i
Youth Members: Front Row: Nick Nazzal, Galen Justis, Sebastian Bellingham. Second Row: William Sutton IV, Olivia Rosenlund, Tommy McKnew, Sydney Holder, Sebastian Green. Third Row: Emily Ritter, Nicholas Marwell, Noble Reynoso, Liam Kilroy. Back Row: Cooper Weitz, Jackson Ritter, Will McMullen, Leonardo Biral. Not Pictured: Ben Hoffner, Jack Landon. 18 • JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org
With sadness, The Club announced the passing of Russ Coggeshall on May 31, 2014. Russ served as The SFYC General Manager for 17 years and was also the Bulletin Editor. At retirement, Russ was awarded Contributing Membership by The Club as appreciation for his service. Russ was well-known for his pleasant demeanor and was greatly beloved by the Staff and our Members alike, he will be missed.
On The Horizon Evelyne Swinscoe-Byer / evelyne@sfyc.org
Independence Day Celebration
The Seventh Annual
Friday, July 4th, 2014
Great San Francisco Schooner Race
East Coast “Cook-Out” BBQ Noon – 7:00 p.m. Music by GOOD TIME SOUNDS Motown - R&B 80s Dance Big Band on the Deck 2-6 p.m.
Saturday, September 6, 2014 Celebrate July 4th and enjoy the Independence Cup at The SFYC.
Adults $22 Youth 6-12 Years $11 5 Years & Younger Free JUMPY
Party all the way to the fireworks on the SF Bay.
All prices subject to Club Service Charge and Marin Sales Tax.
The San Francisco Yacht Club Presents The Annual
Wine & Food Extravaganza See the beautiful vessels at The SFYC Guest Docks September 5th, 6th & 7th Celebration at The SFYC begins after the race at 1500 No Host BBQ – Live Music For more information, contact The SFYC Front Desk at 415 435-9133 ext. 10
SAVE THE DATE
Saturday July 12, 2014 Fabulous Food Stations throughout the Clubhouse & Deck 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Reservations Requested Front Office 435-9133 ext. 10 office@sfyc.org or for your convenience go to www.sfyc.org
FEATURING A SELECTION OF CALIFORNIA’S FINEST WINERIES Berridge Casey Flat Ranch Cobb DuMOL Far Niente Freeman Gary Farrell Honig Hyde Joseph Phelps Kenefick Ranch Ketcham Merry Edwards Neal Palmaz Silver oak Member Owned Winery
No Reserved Tables – Members’ guests most welcome
$65.00 per person All prices subject to Club Service Charge and Marin Sales Tax.
JULY 2014 THE BULLETIN • www.sfyc.org • 19
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday Club Closed
6
13
20
Club Closed 7
Club Closed
Club Closed
27
14
21
28
July 2014 1
Club Closed 8
Wednesday
2
Thursday
Youth Sailing Program: Session 3
9
10
Youth Sailing Program: Session 3
Club Closed
15
16
17
Youth Sailing Program: Session 4
Club Closed
3
Friday
July 4th BBQ 4 CYC Friday Night Races Ind. Cup: Knox
22
23
Youth Sailing Program: Session 4
29
30
24
CYC Friday Night Races
11
18
CYC Friday Night Races
Saturday Youth Bays #4 Regatta: Richardson
5
12 Wine & Food Extravaganza
19
Farallones Race: Ocean
26
CYC Friday 25 Mitchell & Ross: Night Races Knox: Club Series
31
Club Closed
Club Closed
August 2014
Youth Sailing Program: Session 5
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
CYC Friday Night Races Youth Sailing
3
Club Closed 4
10
11
Club Closed 5
6
7
CYC Friday 8 Night Races Perpetual Cup
Saturday Midnight Moonlight: Raccoon Youth Bays #4 Regatta: Richardson
2
9
Oakland Yacht Club Cruise In
Youth Bays #4 Regatta: Richardson
Club Closed
Oakland Cruise In
17 Summer Keel/ Easom Founders: Circle Corinthian 24 Cup at SFYC v Annapolis
Tiburon Cruise In
31
Express 27
Club Closed
18
Club Closed
Cruise Out Delta
Club Closed
25 Club Closed
12
13
14
20
21
27
28
Youth Sailing Program: Session 5
19
26 Club Closed
Speaker Series “Life on the Water” A film about Ron MacAnnan
CYC Friday Night Races
15
CYC Friday Night Races
22
Perpetual Cup
Summer 16 Keel/ Easom Founders: Circle Mitchell & Ross: Knox: Club Series
TIburon Yacht Club Cruise In
CYC Friday Night Races
29
23
30
Express 27 Nationals: Circle
WED. - FRI. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. • Bar Menu: 3:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. • Dinner: 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (Friday until 10 p.m.) SAT. - SUN. Breakfast/Lunch: 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. • Bar Menu: 3:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. • Dinner: 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.