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November 2007
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November 3 - Annual General Membership Meeting
November 10 -
6-11 PM
Contents
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The term Blitz-Krieg comes to mind for this my last Seascape article as the sitting Commodore of Oakland Yacht Club. Among other things, Webster says of blitz-krieg: “War conducted with great speed and force!” The operative word is Speed and that is what this past year has been. Yes, there was perhaps what some might perceive as warfare. I prefer to reflect on certain events as differences of opinion and subscription levels regarding organizational development, attention to detail and error management. Something on the order of: Herding Cats! The year flew by (for me)! Perhaps not as fast for some; none the less it has been one more experience that few in number can appreciate until they walk in the Commodore’s shoes for a year. There are so many OYC members that contributed to the success experienced that to name them all would take far more space than appropriate. I will none the less name a few for without their support, advise and council, the past year could have been long and ugly: First, my wife Monica Duncan and best council, any number of Past Commodores, the Board of Directors members themselves who volunteered for the positions, and replacement members as well. The committee chairs (to many to list) contributed in so many ways with outstanding programs all year long across the board. Craig Wong our outstanding Club Manager and the entire OYC staff, Bruce Gillis who contributed immeasurably to the 2007 Directory, Mike Russell who became the resident photographer for many events and Charles Chernack (mystery man) to whom I am beholden for the OYC Web page and Seascape production. Least, I forget the many OYC members who kidded me, encouraged me and provided institutional memory and guidance. My sincere THANK YOU TO ALL. |
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On a different note and focused on tomorrows, we now have the OYC Harbor reconfiguration project “locked and cocked”. As of this written article and edition of the Seascape the contracts involved and the intended lending plan are signed off. There remains the City of Alameda permit approval. The dominoes have been lined up and all we are awaiting is the start gun. I will not make projections in this article but a whispered forecast is the potential of a full Harbor in early 2008. As previously written, the efforts regarding the OYC Marina reconfiguration span several years, several Commodores and several Boards of Directors. If these efforts result in the anticipated, recorded and detailed Marina improvements envisioned and documented, I will be pleased to have been a part of that effort. The 2008 Board of Directors will have many challenges and opportunities to excel. Paramount among them early on will be keeping the reconfiguration dominoes aligned as the effort commences, meaning, on track with established planning. That task alone will require a great deal of effort and due diligence. May they have every success. Lastly, I do want to speak to the Membership endorsement I received a year ago. I hope I lived up to expectations. The position of Commodore, as any Past Commodore will, I suspect, report, is an unparalleled Oakland Yacht Club opportunity, privilege and valued experience. Once again, my thanks to you, the Members, for the opportunity. As the next Staff Commodore on the 2008 Board of Directors, I’ll be watching as we move forward. |
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Bill
Niepoth, Education Chair BilgePumps.com
It would be fair to say that almost everyone uses the Internet these days. I do, but I realized again while I was with the cousins what a great tool it is . . . and, as always, I learned some things from those kids. A new one for me was Google Earth. Probably most of you are aware of this incredible program that allows you to pinpoint almost any location on the globe. You can zoom in, view different angles, get directions, and other interesting stuff. The resolution on the illustrations I saw was very good. The images are not in “real time,” but if they were you could zoom in on 1101 Pacific Marina and see if Mike Jackson had ridden his Harley to the Club. When I got back to Chico, I had occasion to look for a book on-line. As always, I did some additional nosing around on the net . . . and was impressed yet again with the incredible amount of information that is available! Among endless other subjects, there is a lot of stuff on boats and related topics. For example, I opened one of the browsers on my computer and typed in “bilge pumps.” Eight hundred listings came up. Sure, many of them were product descriptions and listings for retail sales . . . but there also were many items on installation and maintenance. “Marine toilets” also produced a whole bunch of listings. I did not look at them carefully, but my guess is that there were at least a two or three written by psychiatrists reporting on boat-owning patients who were driven mad by malfunctioning heads.
I ran across a couple of web sites that I want to mention specifically. One (powerboat.about.com) produced a bunch of good stuff. For example, there was an article on a technique for installing deck hardware on cored hulls that eliminates the possibility of leaking into the core. I wish I had read the article when I was working on our last boat. There also was what looked like a good article on maneuvering your power boat, and one on avoiding the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide poisoning. Another useful site (www.yachtsurvey.com) produced much information on maintenance as well as other topics. There are hundreds of other web sites, and these two are only examples of what is available. The Internet also is a great resource for finding books and DVDs. Amazon.com lists 30,742 titles related boating. There are short descriptions and reader reviews for most of these. The site for Barnes and Noble lists 9,031 boating titles. In both of these cases the range of materials is very broad and many of the listings might be of little interest to the average boater. A more focused resource that is available on-line, and closer to home, is Marilee Shaffer’s Waypoint (www.waypoints.com). The Waypoint site includes almost 4000 listings for printed materials in 35 different categories. For example, there are 496 cruising guides, 51 different navigation titles, 55 on racing, 106 on boat handling, and 45 on medical and survival subjects. If you are interested in knots and rope work, you can find 46 items. There also are 246 fiction titles. In short, you can learn a lot on the Internet. Classes and workshops also are good ways to get smart. One excellent opportunity will be the USCGA Coastal Navigation Course starting on January 9, 2008. This is a 12-week course that will meet at the OYC, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., on Wednesdays. Cost for the program is $125. Space will be limited. You can pre-register by contacting Nancy Schimmelman, Flotilla Commander for 12-2 (phone: 510-601-6239 email: nancy@windwave.com). There are some plans in the works for additional programs at the OYC in the next few months. One possibility that did not develop was a ham radio class. There was not enough interest to offer the class this fall, but we might try again next year. I think we want to schedule a boat handling session again, and there continues to be some interest in diesel maintenance and troubleshooting. Also, there have been a couple of requests for a repeat of the weather workshop we had earlier this year. So those are possibilities and there are others. As arrangements firm up, there will be announcements at the Club and in the Seascape.
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Change of WatchNovember 1 0 , 6-11 pm
Music for Dancing Provided by Apollo
Black Tie Optional
$65 per person
Reservations and
Entrée Selection Required
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Social
Report November 2007 After 3 years, we are “retiring” as Social Co-Chairs, and gladly passing the baton to Inez Pandolfi and Toni Lyman. A special thanks goes to Monica Duncan for all her help this year. And a major, big-time thank-you goes to webmaster extraordinaire Charles Chernack, without whose support the on-line reservation system would not exist. In our time, we have changed a number of things around the social scene. We’ve added some new events and kept the “classics”. Our Celtic Fest and Blues & BBQ have been very successful, and we appreciate your support of them. Next year Inez and Toni will certainly be putting their own stamp on the social scene. It is always good to have someone with fresh ideas! When we first came into the job, we felt that we wanted to make it easier for members to participate in events. So, we discontinued the practice of having to come to the club to sign-up for a party, and replaced it with the e-mail/on-line/phone/in-person sign-up system that we have today. Thanks for your support in using these tools, and thanks for coming out to our social events!!! And now, don’t forget to come to the remaining events of the year! Change of Watch Next up is Change of Watch on Saturday, November 10th from 6-11pm. This is the time to recognize the present Commodore, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs for all their work in 2007, to introduce the new Commodore, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs and to wish the new team well in their coming term.
5 pm Directory Photos as assigned
Black Tie Optional After Change of Watch, next up is the Lighted Boat Parade, followed by New Year’s Eve. These events are always popular, so plan to join the fun! Put us on your calendar – there are still great things happening for the rest of the year. Events in Bold below require reservations.
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2007 OYC
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
This mailing is intended to provide formal notification to all OYC Members that the General Membership meeting is scheduled for November 3, 2007 in the OYC Club dining room area and will commence at 9:00 o’clock in the morning. The formal meeting will commence at 10:00 hours as reflected on the Agenda which was forwarded electronically on October 25th and mailed on October 26th. Among other informational items, there are three items that will be advanced for membership consideration and vote. Looking forward to seeing you there. Michael Hershey Commodore
Sunday Brunch Racing Series Second Warning! The famed OYC Sunday Brunch Series starts on January 6th. (total of five races, every other Sunday until early March.) This fun series is one you don’t want to miss. It’s a great place and time to learn what racings all about. The winds are usually light, the water’s flat and your competitors are relaxed from that great brunch. If you’re not quite ready race your own boat, why not learn how it all works, join the crew running the races, from the comfort of the race deck? In addition to the fun of legally waving flags, blowing horns and shooting guns In downtown Alameda, you get a great view of the race and each boat’s tactics. Or you can get an even closer look by crewing for one of our experienced skippers. Be sure to get to the club early for the pre-race seminar. Each seminar features a local expert. If you are an experienced racer, we have enticements for you too. Unlike YRA, we give you a very short commute before and after the race. Estuary racing is a blast with lots of tactics, spinnaker raise/drops, flat water, pleasant winds, and a chance to share lies with your rivals immediately after the race. You get all this plus classes in sail trim and other fine points of sailing conducted by local “rock” stars. Races this year are scheduled for Jan 6 & 20, Feb. 17 & 24 March 2. The races start and finish right in front of the Club. Brunch is served from 0830 to 1130, first gun at 12:55, après race activities whenever you finish. Seminars will start around 10:30. Entry forms will be available at the club, Cost will be $40.00 for the series and $12.00 for an individual race. Contact Steve Shaffer at sjshaffer@sbcglobal.net or cell: 510-368-5427 or any of the Race Committee for details. |
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OYC WENT TO TINSLEY ISLAND See the photos. A gentle rain welcomed us to Tinsley Island on Friday Oct 12, but that didn’t dampen our spirits or our Cocktail Party. The Island is a special park like place in the Delta with a lighthouse, swimming pool, covered dining area and many manicured spaces. We gathered under the lanai and welcomed each other to the Island. Saturday was a glorious day with bright blue skies and sunny weather; a great day for leisure activities, games and exploring. The morning walkers were out in full force. Dominoes were played on several boats, bridge and other card games on the lanai and Bocce and other games on the lawn. Saturday evening brought us together again with cocktails and appetizers followed by a grill your own dinner with sides and desserts to share. The highlight of the day was when the Tinsley Island Bocce Ball Tournament was won by our own Bill and Alison Fishel, bringing home the “gold” for OYC and a bottle of wine for themselves. Congratulations to you! We topped off the evening around a bon fire that lit up the night sky. Sunday was a sleep in day but at 10 am our pot luck brunch buffet could boast the best menu selection and menu items available. At 4 pm we gathered for awards and Wine Tasting. The award for the Brain Teaser Challenges went to Glenn and Ellen Voyles and Bill and Alison Fishel. The best poker hand was won by June Steffensen with four of a kind….eat your heart out! A Delta remembrance was given to each couple. Every couple brought a bottle of wine wrapped in a paper bag to the wine tasting event. We tasted for obscure flavors and rated based on our personal likes. A special thank you to everyone for pitching in to ensure the success of this cruise…..It is the Oakland Yacht Club way!
by Monica Duncan |
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THE COMMODORE’S CRUISE TO SAN FRANCISCO YACHT CLUB It takes a touch of fog to remind us that we are really at home on the bay, and that is how the cruise to San Francisco Yacht Club started, but not for long as the weekend progressed into brilliant blue skies. With members arriving throughout Friday and Saturday it made for a flexible no pressure schedule. On Friday folks explored the town looking for cozy bistros and restaurants for dinner on their own. Saturday activities were dominated by shoppers and walkers. At 4:30 on Saturday evening the only place to be was at Camp Alpha for appetizers and beverage. What a fun crowd it was! Saturday dinner at SFYC featured an elaborate Italian Buffet with ALL the trimmings along with a raffle and tiramisu. Sunday was a wonderful morning for a beverage and breakfast on the dock. The ride home was basked in sunshine with flat seas. It just doesn’t get any better than what we had. Michael Hershey
See all the photos |
The Blue Angels and Fleetweek 2007
I took my powerboat SEAYA out Saturday for the Blue Angels and Fleetweek
2007. It is mostly blue sky with the club burgee from my boat in
the lower right corner, and 4 Blue Angels in the sky. Copies of this
photo are available in different sizes for your computer as a desktop
background.
Richard Scaife
aka
"Big Rick Stuart"
KFOG FM
San Francisco
OYC member
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Wallace Cup Back Home Again Once again old age and cunning out sailed youth and enthusiasm as the “woofs” from Oakland Yacht Club reclaimed the Wallace Cup on October 6, 2007 from Berkeley Yacht Club. The Cup is probably the oldest trophy on San Francisco Bay. It came into being in 1897 and was deeded to Oakland Yacht Club in 1913. The deed specifies that the competition be held among yacht clubs in the East Bay. The wily old guys on Nice Turn a Cal 2-29, carried a rating of 180. The competition had ratings in the double digits. The course was in the south bay with light to moderate breezes and flat water. When the Berkeley Yacht Club crew from Jeanette, a Frers one ton, turned up at OYC, they were stunned by the news that they had placed second; worse yet, they had lost by four minutes. The cup was no longer theirs. Dick Johnson pointed out that he couldn’t lose in “Lapworth Weather.” The crew aboard Nice Turn included Richard Johnson, owner and driver, Marvin Dunn recently of the Northwest racing scene, Jim Hanck, Jim Jessie, and Craig Seavey. The youngest member of the crew is a mere 62, while the others are well into their 70’s. The woof crew is well known in the Estuary racing series; where they intimidate all winter and spring in the Sunday Brunch series and the Wednesday night, Sweet 16 series sponsored by Oakland Yacht Club. They decided that woofs were being overlooked simply because of age and hence the name, Well Off Old Farts. The other East Bay club to participate was Encinal Yacht Club.
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If you can’t make it to one of these dates, you can email
a photo to the club. Photos must be in JPEG format and sized at 414pixels x 414 pixels (2.5 in x 2.5 in). File size should be around 146kb Hardcopy prints will not be accepted, only digital photos. Digital photos must be received by November 31st. |
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Have you seen a seal like me? A research project concerning harbor seal health & survival needs your help! Please report the location and appearance of the animal and the number and color of the hat tag observed to The Marine Mammal Center at 415-289-7350 or sealhat@tmmc.org PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH SEAL Denise and Suzanne |
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We
have more good news about our harbor’s reconfiguration. We have received
the CoE permit and now are only missing the City of Alameda’s permit. As
you may be aware, the most difficult permits to obtain for any
construction project in the bay are the BCDC and the CoE permits; we now
have both. Our steel pilings have arrived at the construction company and
have been prepared for installation. This just might really happen …… but
I’ll believe it when I see it”. Brent continues to prepare the old 28’
fingers for removal; we have several opportunities to reuse these fingers
and save the cost of having to dispose of them. By the time you read this
some may have already been moved to their new sites and alternative uses.
Things
have been dormant in the Education corner. The last program we had was the
Balclutha tour in late July . . . and there was no education column in the
Seascape last month. I should comment on that omission to allay any
misconceptions. My absence was not because I was back east accepting a
journalism award from a prestigious university. Nor, much more likely, was
it because the Editor finally got fed up with the drivel I write for this
column and fired me. Actually, I was out of the country from mid-September
until the middle of October. The last half of that trip was in Germany,
where we have relatives. I stayed part of the time with younger folks
whose work and personal interests cause them to use the Internet
frequently.
