By Chris McMuldroch --We had 18 connections to our Second Thursday Cruiser Social on ZOOM and 24+ people present on camera.

The meeting got off to a slow start.  Technical support was provided via cell from the office staff who was on kayak near Meadow Point buoy!  She talked me through how to find the meeting schedule, and open the correct meeting!  Live and learn…

We did introductions around the room to find out what everyone has been doing recently.  Cary and Tom called in from California.  David Williams called in from Oregon.  Scott and Karen called in from their boat in Garrison Bay San Juan Island.  Paul and Erica were on their boat in Vaughn Bay, South Sound.

Several cruisers had been out day sailing and doing overnights during our isolation phase.  We heard of 40 boats at Blake Island and Blakely Harbor.  Four or five boats in Manzanita.  A full bay of boats at Poulsbo.  Over a hundred boats at Sucia in the three different bays.  4 or 5 boats in Garrison Bay.  Today, Tuuli and Altair are both in the San Juans.  Atalaya is in South Sound.

Our topic tonight was “Hidden Gems of Puget Sound”.  There was lots of talk about places to hike to from Blakely Harbor.  Also hiking from two water access points in Port Madison.  I learned that there is ice cream in Brownsville.  A couple of people talked about the really good Navy museum at Keyport where there is a dock which is a bit shallow for sailboats, so it is better to dinghy in.  In Poulsbo, Peggy talked about the board walk and trail North along the shore from the marina.  There are a couple interesting destinations along that direction.  I also spoke about the shore access and road to Manzanita Park, and someone else mentioned there is a cool creek to paddle in just to the East of that access in Manzanita Bay on Bainbridge Island.  We heard about South Sound locations, with comments that it is less crowded than places North of the Tacoma Narrows.  Lots of people were aware of the really nice trails on Blake Island, including the perimeter trail.

• Jack says there is a park on Vashon opposite Dockton next to the Girl Scout camp.  I think this is the link https://vashonparks.org/jensen-point-1 I see the behind this down the road is a bigger park: Burton Acres Park.
• Scott said there is are downloadable maps of the Bainbridge Island hiking trails at BIParks website.  https://biparks.org/printable-maps/
• Scott also talked about hiking from English Camp in Garrison Bay.  He said there is a trail up Young Hill with great views over the water.  https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/young-hill

There were too many other mentions for me to keep up with tonight!  We have a group of people with a lot of information on places to go, and places to discover!

Towards the end of our social we reviewed our upcoming cruises. 

Because state parks are open for day use, and mooring balls are open for overnight stays, I think we won’t cancel upcoming cruises.  But we need to modify our expectations. In place of our normal anchor rafting we will anchor individually.   Right now marinas are either closed or limited with no reservations, so those cruises are pending further developments. 

•  Memorial Day at Mystery Bay.  Three boats tonight said they are interested in going if the weather is pleasant:  Maggie May, Gratitude, and Tuuli.  Those Guys will not be going.  The tractor parade is cancelled, so we can meet up for a hike.  Also the group could decide to anchor at Fort Flagler where there is a park dock and trails across the bluffs to Admiralty Inlet.  The views from the trail are beautiful and the military fortifications are interesting.
• June 6-7 Blakely Rock Low Tide cruise will be with individually anchored boats, but the group can go explore the rock at low tide.  Sharing food may not be advisable.
• June 16-17 Blake Island Marina led by Al Johnson is still on, pending the status of the marina for overnight stays.  If the marina is not open, Al will not attend, he prefers not to anchor.  However, if the marina is closed, the group could anchor on the West side, and dinghy ashore for a hike. Stay tuned to the club web page for updates.
• June 27-28 The Bremerton Bridge Blast fire works have been cancelled already.  At this time the Port Orchard Marina guest moorage appears to be closed.  So this one is pending, and could be relocated or cancelled.
• July 3^rd Poulsbo Fireworks.  The web page says to watch for a schedule of events.  So I don’t know if the fireworks are going ahead or not. It always draws huge crowds in town, at waterfront homes, and on boats at anchor.  If you see some information, please let me know, so we can announce it.  Again this would be a cruise with individually anchored boats.

We had a fun hour, seeing each other on camera, and talking with each other.

Talk to you all again - same time same place in June!

 

Best regards,

Chris

Fleet Captain Cruise

Online registration at the CYC Cruising web page is now open for our May 14th Social. Click here to register.

This Month's Topic:

Hidden Gems of Puget Sound – Anchorages, Marinas, Beach access, Walks, Hikes, Parks, Ice cream, Coffee, and Restaurants

Our May 2nd Thursday Cruisers Social will be held at 6:30 PM via Zoom.

The meeting is for club members only. A computer link and call-in phone number will be emailed when you register.

We had a really fun conversation at our April Zoom meeting. Scott Tobiason led us through a presentation of our reciprocal moorage yacht clubs as catalogued on yachtdestination.org. We felt like we were out cruising already looking at the satellite imagery and talking about the attractions of the clubs.

This month we will talk about places we have each discovered around the Sound that are easy to get to in a day or a weekend – places we might not take a fleet of CYC cruisers to on a cruise. A few people have discovered the park at the head of Blakely Harbor, and the directions to walk to Fort Warden. I hear there are other places within walking distance from the harbor as well. Jennifer and I discovered a beach access at Manzanita that led to a park with an amazing number of trilliums blooming in April. Has anyone been to the Ajax Café since it reopened? Do you need a reservation? Do you need a dinghy? How many crepe shops are in Puget Sound? J’aime Les Crepes! Is there anywhere, any space to anchor in Port Madison these days? Hope to hear about fun little places you may have found. Of course we look forward to hearing how everyone has been coping with Coronavirus Isolation. Have you been getting cabin fever? Ordering groceries in? Have you visited your boat for essential maintenance? Have you gone out for an isolating day sail or overnight? What was it like? Have you been working on a small or big boat project? Are you dreaming of your next cruise or your next boat!

Until we meet up on Zoom, stay safe and stay healthy!

Best regards,

Chris

As Fleet Captain Cruise I would like to thank all the cruisers who have volunteered during 2019 to give us such a successful and fun year.  I’m sure the following list will miss people, but I want to try to say thanks to everyone I can from a day of research into a megabyte of e-mail.  Please let me know who I missed - I am realizing how many people it takes to make CYC cruising fun.  This list has at least 17 tasks, and 39 people who have volunteered this year. Many cruisers volunteered multiple times, continuously through the year!

• Fridays in 2019 February organization: Laurie Bushue
• Fridays in 2019 February Speakers: Chris Young, Sue Drake, Eric and Karrie Sanderson, and the crew of “Sail Like a Girl”
• FIF chefs: Kaley Walgren, and Molly Cain
• FIF help: Paul Baker, Hans Reinhardt, Ron and Peggy Watt, Brent and Joyce Phillips, Tom Dyas, Carol Dapogny, Derek Storm, Cindy Gossett, Monica Howell
• Leading 16 cruises with 86 boats: Chez Tucker, Bob and Margaret Liston, Ron and Peggy Watt, Mike McGuane and Karen Mooney,  Bret and Joyce Phillips, Jenny Heins, Rose Capestany and Robert Houston, Mike McGuane, and Karen Mooney, Jack Connick, Jennifer Lathrop
• Presentations at the 2nd Thursday Cruising Social Potlucks: Paul Vanderspek, Peggy Watt, Jack Connick
• Reciprocity Focal: Laurie Bushue
• Website posting, Cruisers Questionnaire: Jen Hobden
• Mapping out 2020 cruise dates:  Al Johnson for his deconfliction spread sheet
• Editing the Annual Meeting Cruiser’s Report: Shauna Walgren
• Volunteer bar tending: Mike McGuane, Laurie McRae, Jenny Heins
• Procuring raffle items for the December Potluck: Mike McGuane
• Designing and building our new Commodore Gibson Race trophy: Paul Baker
• Researching 2020 Fridays in February Speakers: Suzette Connolly
• Preparing for the 2020 Fridays in February:  Scott and Karen Tobiason
• Cruising Advisory sounding board to FCC: Bret Phillips, Chris Young, Cindy Gossett, Mike McGuane, Paul and Suzette Baker, Peggy Watt, Rob Hodge, Samantha Williams
• Bringing food to our 10 monthly potlucks: Lots!

Thank you everyone!  You make it fun to belong to CYC.

Chris McMuldroch

It was a gloomy December afternoon, but 9 CYC cruisers had a warm crossing from Edmonds to Kingston on Saturday December 7^th. 

 

In Kingston we listened to the Elvis impersonator, and watched the fire truck arrival of Santa.  When the holiday lights came on throughout the park, we were amazed at all the new scenes!  Not only are the shrubs, trees, and buildings illuminated, but a committee of volunteers works through the year in creating amazing flower, animal, and sea creature ornaments of wrought iron wrapped in lights.  Some notable ornaments this year were:  A spaceship hanging in the air, a sea serpent in the grass, and a collage of turtles, square rigger, and peacock floating on a sea of blue lights. 

Every boat at the guest dock was illuminated as well.  One sailboat had projectors illuminating the hull and deck in roving patterns.

At the Kingston Cove Yacht Club we met Jerry Andrews, CYC member and a commodore of KCYC.  Jerry welcomes CYC members to the bar, which is open every Friday. 

For dinner we walked up to the Mossback Restaurant where we had reserved a big table in the back.  The Mossback specializes in using all local ingredients.  From squash soup to oysters, clams, meat pie, and chocolate dessert it was tasty and filling.

On the evening ferry home several booths were engaged in conversations, while others worked on the puzzles left out by ferry commuters.

 

It was anything but foggy the weekend of Oct 5th & 6th, when 10 CYC boats and 22 members enjoyed the new Bainbridge Island Waterfront Marina and Park. Everyone enjoyed exploring the town, museums and stores in Winslow Saturday afternoon.

The new dock allowed our group to cluster together for comradery, appetizers and cocktails Saturday afternoon, and then on to dinner at the San Carlos Mexican Restaurant that evening. The party continued on "Aurora" after dinner with Nicaraguan rum being enjoyed.

The next morning dawned sunny and warm, and after exploring the many bakeries, coffee houses and restaurants there was more sharing of boating stories. The group was able to sail home in a fresh 5-6 knot breeze on a beautiful Fall afternoon.

-Jack Connick & Denise Kitchel, Hosts

At 10:00 AM Saturday Morning 10 boats set out from Shilshole in a 5-8 knot South easterly, most flying chutes off the line on a reverse start for a 17.75 mile race to Foul Weather bluff.  Unlike recent years tide was light and current light.  Several fast boats set a direct course for the finish to reduce the chance of having any problem jibing their boats short handed.  One slower boat worked what eddies there were, and jibed dozens of times along the shore to stay in with race leaders. 

Charlotte blazed across the finish line first at 13:48, followed several minutes later by a close tie between Those Guys and Altair.  Altair had worked the shore some and fought through some difficult sailing challenges, while Those Guys stayed out and fought through the main river of flood tide.  The two boats finished so close the Sailing instructions had to be used to hand the lead to closest boat to the finish mark, Those Guys.  Altair was really hoping for a second year of second place after fight such a good race. 

The next few boats had less disputed finishes.  All the boats were at the Marina by 15:00 and prepared (napped) for Happy hour at 17:00.  What a spread. You had to remind each other dinner was still coming.  At 7pm a dinner spread was laid out which filled a whole table and two benches.  Pretty much a classic Cruising Fleet Potluck - its what they do!  Matthew Wood, a racing guest to the cruising fleet, remarked he had found a new and profound respect for Cruising Races and would be back.

As the dishes sat unwashed, Matthew Wood entertained and informed the fleet with stories of CYC. Particularly the Lake Fleet Committee Shoe. We were roaring with laughter so much the locals watching Free Willy movie across the lawn probably wondered what the fun was about at our site.  We then joined the Movie crowd on the lawn to watch the decisive moments when Willy was Freed, and the young lad said his last of many “I Love You Willy” lines. 

Sunday morning’s Potluck was equally as good a spread, fresh baked sticky rolls, Yogurt Parfaits, and another table full of food.  After a quick race starting tactic talk we all set off for our boats.  One boat had an engine overheat, and was towed by Tuuli to the start line in time to make Tuuli’s start.  Nearly all the boats started after a discussion of delay to wait for boats still at marina.  Sunday the wind was 5-7 knots from the South. 

The wind held while getting lighter until past Point No Point.  It was nearly Kingston where boats started retire.  We all realized we forgot to make a provision for shortening the course after the start. So closest to finish at time limit of 19:00 gave the win to Charlotte, followed again by Those Guys and Atlair.  Although it could be debated that Altair had outside assistance when a boat delivered ice to them to encourage them to stay in the race. 

Special Mention goes to Tuuli for emergency towing service, and emergency supplies delivery (the above mentioned Ice). 

Participating boats:  Charlotte, Those Guys, Altair, Tuuli, Gratitude, Sea Geek, Bardo, Kittiwake, Red Hot, Cascadia.

-Mike McGuane

Saturday

			Start Location	Meadow	Apple	Pt NoPt	Meadow Start
			Distance	17.75	10	3.75	GPS Time Example
Sail #	Rating		Boat Name				if 10AM start
B30	201	Mike McGuane & Karen Mooney	Kittiwake (Islander Bahama 30)	00:00	00:00	00:00	10:00:00
None	189	Monica & Robinson Howell	Cascadia (Jeanneau 36)	03:33	02:00	00:45	10:03:33
828	169	Greg Davenport	Bardo (Catalina 36)	09:28	05:20	02:00	10:09:28
283	162	Luyuan Fang & Fabio Chiussi	Sea Geek (Jeanneau 349)	11:32	06:30	02:26	10:11:32
215	147	Karen & Scott Tobiason	Tuuli (Catalina 42)	15:58	09:00	03:22	10:15:58
248	141	Suzette Connolly & Paul Baker	Altair (Sceptre 41)	17:45	10:00	03:45	10:17:45
10653	135	Shez & MichelleTucker	Red Hot (C&C 39)	19:31	11:00	04:07	10:19:31
60733	120	David & Karen Barnes	Gratitude (Hanse 415)	23:57	13:30	05:03	10:23:57
25365	96	Al & Jane Johnson	Charlotte (Quest 30)	31:03	17:30	06:33	10:31:03
18155	72	Jenny Heins & Tim Huse	Those Guys (J35)	38:09	21:30	08:03	10:38:09
97703	-18	Thomas Muir & Carol	Artemis (Alan Andrews 53)	04:47	36:30	13:41	11:04:47

Sunday

			Start Location	Foulwthr	Pt No Pt	Apple	Meadow Start
			Distance	17.75	14	7.75	GPS Time Example
Sail #	Rating		Boat Name				if 11AM start
B30	201	Mike McGuane & Karen Mooney	Kittiwake (Islander Bahama 30)	00:00	00:00	00:00	11:00:00
None	189	Monica & Robinson Howell	Cascadia (Jeanneau 36)	03:33	02:48	01:33	11:03:33

Wind Dancer just came back from Port Orchard / Bremerton this weekend.  We really enjoyed it all:  a big Port Orchard parade, a little aerobatic airshow, music in the bandstand, and fireworks from the bridge, plus the ride to and from Bremerton on the foot ferry.  The Bremerton marina was packed, but Port Orchard was maybe half full.  We had a quiet night’s sleep.

We left Shilshole late Saturday morning in the sun, and sailed for an hour in very light air heading for Agate Pass.  Then we motored down the West side of Bainbridge to Port Orchard.  The ships in the Navy yard are impressive up close.  The marina at Port Orchard is good, with a breakwater float around it.  Some gentle rocking occurs when the ferry comes in from Seattle.  Port Orchard has nice marina restrooms and showers.  Downtown is a block away, and there is a pleasant a mile of  paved shore side walking path going toward the East.

After a walk along the promenade, and a BBQ onboard the boat, we walked up to see the parade through downtown Port Orchard.  I was impressed with the number of sports cars and vintage cars in the parade.  I bet there was every version of the Corvair ever built.

Right next to the marina is the foot ferry to Bremerton that runs every 30 minutes for $2 a person.  This takes you to downtown Bremerton right beside the still new looking Bremerton marina.  We rode over during the airshow put on by three aerobatic airplanes.  Their favorite maneuver was to dive down to the water, and then climb back up vertically, till they tumbled and dove down again.  We walked in the narrow park beside the Naval facility.  It has a series of fountains that look like submarine conning towers. 

Thanks to Jenny and Tim’s scouting last year, we watched the fireworks from a small park along the shore just in front of the Turner Joy Navy museum ship.  I wanted to see how they took advantage of the bridge for launching fireworks.  What became evident was that the wide base meant they could launch multiple rockets across the expanse of the bridge – so a much broader section of the sky was lit up than when they are launched from a barge.  During the climax, a waterfall of fire rained down from the center span of the bridge to the water.  The fireworks could be seen from Port orchard, but for the waterfall effect you need to be in Bremerton.

On a previous cruise Jennifer and I toured the destroyer: Turner Joy moored at the Bremerton marina.  I recall that the ship was in very good condition, and many parts of the ship were open for visiting.  In our case a docent escorted us to some bowels of the ship that were more strenuous to access.  The ship is a good way to get your fix of Navy flavored history.

After breakfast Sunday we motored out from Port Orchard in the warm sunshine, through Rich Passage, around the South end of Bainbridge, past Blake Island, and up the Sound to Shilshole.  We had a very pleasant weekend, with a circumnavigation of Bainbridge Island included.  Thanks to Jenny and Tim from “Those Guys” for scouting the Bremerton Bridge Blast last year.  I recommend this weekend event for a change to our popular 3rd of July Fireworks in Poulsbo – that is coming right up this week!

Once again, the Blakely Rocks Low Tide Cruise this past weekend turned out to be a great fun.  To all of you who participated and contributed fabulous food, (eleven boats total),  on this Fathers Day Cruise thank you very much.

Beside the boats that signed up for the cruise, we had Raven with Chris Young, Red Hot with Shez and Michelle Tucker and another boat that came with the Tuckers, but I couldn’t catch their name, I apologize for this ommision. 

The weather was a big help, it was sunny and warm. On Saturday, we had the appetizers at 6:00 PM on “Gratitude" thanks to David and Karen Barnes and their boys, who graciously offered their cockpit to set up the buffet.  Their boat is so spacious, we all fitted comfortably. Saturday night we were gifted with a spectacular full moon. On Sunday we headed for the Rocks around 9:30 AM to set up the brunch on the beach. Everybody brought fantastic food, we are so lucky to have members that are great cooks.  Thank you Bret and Joyce and Jack and Denise for bringing tables that we badly needed to set  the food dishes.  There was lots of things to explore and see on the Rocks.  We had birds, a group of seals bathing in the sun and colorful starfish for the delight of the adults and younger set, (we did have several children/young adults celebrating with their fathers).

Robert and I appreciated the camaraderie and enthusiasm that you all showed us this past weekend, it was a pleasure, we enjoyed sharing the time with you all. Bellow are some photos of the event that we wanted to share with you.

Thank you all.

 

Rose Capestany
RCI Inc Design Consultants

  

CYC Cruisers enjoyed another memorable Memorial Day weekend at Mystery Bay on Marrowstone Island. After a wet Saturday sail and/or motor up on Saturday, 8 boats rafted up with 5 anchors for the 2 night weekend. We welcomed new club members Jack Connick and Denise Kitchel on their boat “Maggie May”. The story of the day was the rescue in Admiralty Inlet with Coast Guard and freighter radio help of one of our group’s wayward dinghy. On a cold Saturday night cruisers hopped from boat to boat visiting, with the most popular boats being those who had toasty warm furnaces!

Sunday we awoke to sun and warmth. 2 more boats joined us with their own little raft nearby and about half the crew visited the goat farm and came away with lots of goaty knowledge and cheesy goodness. Then on to the Nordland Tractor Days parade where the tractors were plentiful this year and we were treated to 3 passes in front of the Nordland General store (which also sells Mystery Bay Yacht Club burgees!)

The afternoon was filled with dinghy rides, paddleboarding, swimming and hammocking. Jack’s drone caught some of the activity including Tim at the top of his mast. (We hope to see some of that footage soon!) In the evening, we dinghied ashore for a potluck dinner and fire at the park. The food was delicious and plentiful! 

Monday we departed before the low tide - with a little more water in Kilisut Harbor’s entrance channel than the 8 feet on Saturday. “Those Guys” under spinnaker, and “Wind Dancer” with white sails sailed home down Admiralty inlet in the sun until it was time to motor.  What a fun club event – that’s why we belong to CYC!

On November 2-3, there were 5 boats that attended the 2nd annual Chili Cook off in Poulsbo. Thirteen people which included 3 youngsters, all under age 8, braved the blustery fall weather.  Forecast for the night was lots of wind, so after securing the boats, we all set off for some beer tasting and comradery at Valholl Brewery. 

At 6:30pm we convened in the Marina party room for some serious chili tasting. We had 7 different chili recipes, 2 cornbreads, a sourdough bread stuffed with brie and a big salad to balance things out. So you can see we were not lacking in food. The wind kicked up to 20-30 knots Saturday night so what better weather for some good chili tasting.  And the winner of our perpetual chili flag trophy was Ron Watt with Jerry Andrews a close 2nd.

Post dinner activities included a round or two of Cards Against Humanity and lots of good laughs. I think it was a great turn out for a blustery November weekend with a reward of some sunshine and rainbows on the trip home on Sunday.

Thanks to all of you all that attended and participated for making this a great event. See you again next year.

Peggy Watt