Table of Contents:

1. Keith Conrad, Commodore
2. Bill Rumbold, Vice Commodore
3. Bob Bachman, Rear Commodore
4. A for Angela 
5. From your WebMaster 

From:  Keith Conrad, Commodore

December 2001 was a very busy and successful Month. Major events were the Special People's Cruise on December 2nd organized by Capt. Leedy, the Lighted Boat Parade on December 7 & 8th organized by V/C Rumbold and R/C Bachman, followed by the Christmas Dinner on December 16th. A lot of club members have worked very hard to make these events successful and I want to thank everyone very much for doing their share plus a lot more. These events are enjoyed by hundreds of people each year and have become a tradition at Bremerton.

Now that December's events have been logged as successful, we can start to focus on our next big event, Heavy Weather Weekend. This year it is February 15-17. Heavy weather weekend is considered an all-hands event, due to the many activities involved. A quick summary of major events: Guests start to arrive Friday noon; dinner and dance Friday night; Saturday is log race day; Saturday night are the skits followed by dancing and a snack. Sunday is the breakfast followed by awards presentations.

The first Heavy Weather meeting is scheduled for 8 January at 7:00 PM.

An update on our outstation situation finds no change in status. Tacoma Yacht Club is appealing to the State Dept. of Ecology and will request a hearing and introduce expert witness to testify about water quality. BYC will share in the costs of this hearing, as our permit change request will be impacted by the Tacoma decision. BYC Executive Committee has requested BYC membership to limit outstation use to 13 boats at the dock. We will not give up on this issue, but expect it will take some time for a resolution.

"Do your share plus a little" and always be positive.

Keith & Shelley Conrad
Commodore
Awesome Ospreys 

From: Bill Rumbold, Vice Commodore

Wow! What a year - 2001! I for one am glad that it is behind us. It is one that I shall never forget and I am sure that nearly everyone in the world will always remember the terrible events of September 11th. A positive happening occurred out of the trauma as it made every American stand up and want to be recognized as one, and the patriotism that was displayed was truly awesome.

The past several weeks have been very busy ones around the club, but the one event that stands out particularly in my mind is the Special Peoples Cruise. I think that each of you who participated in making it happen can be very proud of yourselves. I believe that we as a team were able to bring a little bit of happiness to 179 of the physically and mentally challenged for awhile and were able to give them a little bit of freedom from their daily lives. I know that the people on my boat were enthusiastic and really enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the water. A little thing that we take for granted.

I have asked our Towline Editor to include an article that I received from the Vice Commodore of the Port Orchard Yacht Club. It was written by Dorothy Matthews, the wife of their Fleet Captain, for inclusion in their monthly newsletter to their membership. It is entitled, "A is for Angela", and most certainly reveals the reaction of someone outside our club who has experienced our Special Peoples Cruise. I found it a very moving article and one that I felt should be shared with the entire club. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you know Dorothy, give her a call and express your appreciation, or give me a call and I shall be happy to pass it on.

A new year is upon us and gives each of us an opportunity to excel and to do a little more for the club, our families and for our nation. Don't be a couch potato. Get up, turn off that TV and get busy around the club and volunteer in the community. The other week I had to call over two dozen members to find one that would take over the January breakfast when the original chairman had to cancel because of work conflicts. I could write a book with all the weak excuses that I got. If you enjoy attending our social events and activities, give a hand. Don't sit back and wait for the same men and women to do your share over and over again. You say you are not qualified or you don't know how -- I say BS! Everyone else had to start from scratch too.

Don't forget to attend our New Years Eve celebration. Roger Horne and his committee are planning a grand extravaganza to celebrate the "American Spirit" and dance to our new disc jockey, "Daddy Cool Productions". It promises to be a great evening!

January Social Events:

• Friday Night Social: 11 January. A Taco Feed that would make Azteca jealous! Chairman - Bill Nickerson 
• Sunday Morning Breakfast: 20 January. An opportunity to taste someone else's extra special recipe. Chairman - Dave Cleator 

Lynne and I want to wish you and all of our BYC family (and you all are) a Very Happy & Prosperous New Year. Boating is what it is all about! Take every opportunity to get out on the water and enjoy our great waterways.

Bill Rumbold
Vice Commodore 

From: Bob Bachman, Rear Commodore

The new year is just around the corner. At this time of year I always seem to reflect on where time has gone and I always seem to come up with the same answer-----I don't know!! Now I think I understand what "over the hill" means. It did seem like it took a long time getting up to 50 but once starting down the other side I?m losing no time in leaving it way behind. In theory it's called momentum. In application I think it's me. It seems like only a few long weeks ago that I was planning my part of the August Officers Cruise-in and starting my intelligence gathering for the December Christmas Party. Well, the Grinch has come and gone, we've seen more penguins than if we went to the zoo, and Cindy Lou Who is now focusing on other social events, like log racing.

The predicted log race of the year, Heavy Weather, is less than 2 months away. Planning is well under way and the clubhouse and grounds will need some winter cleanup to prepare for all the visiting clubs that will attend this event. There is a work party scheduled for February 9 and 10. If you need to get in your time, see Capts. Terry Stevens or Steve Stearns. If you see them early they can probably accommodate you with a project that will better fit your calendar.

Regarding Heavy Weather, since we are the hosting club it would be great to see a large turnout of members in the race. If you are a retired racer, consider dusting things off and joining in. If you?ve never raced and want to learn there are training sessions planned. It costs nothing, its a lot of fun and who knows, you might win a trophy. To quote a certain P/C who was just given a new compass for the event, "Log racing is a social event". Seagull will be racing for the first time so you need not be concerned about finishing last. So, sign up and have a good time showing the burgee.

Bob Bachman
Rear Commodore

"A" is for "Angela"

This weekend was a first for us. We signed up for the Special Persons Cruise at the Bremerton Yacht club not knowing really what to expect - including what the weather would do following Saturday's reported 40-60K gusts. 

What we found at our very first visit to BYC was a wonderfully decorated clubhouse, 168 skippers, crew and volunteers and 40 boats that were set to provide the179 special people with a wonderful on-the-water parade of boats, a personalized message and gifts from Santa, and party following the parade at the Westside Improvement Club. Organizers, skippers, and sponsors got together after the parade and shared an exceptional potluck hosted by the BYC. And the weather cooperated - very little rain and smooth sailing to and from the event.

Port Orchard Yacht Club earned the plaque for highest participation from a club other than BYC. Three boats - our Storm King (Pat Foss is still dry docked), Jeters' Grey Dawn and DuBrall's My Toy represented POYC. Dan Case planned to enter Casenova but was down with mechanical difficulties.

Special guests were accompanied by a caregiver and a volunteer to assist during the parade and mooring. We were asked NOT to provide any food or drinks because an event was planned after the parade. Caregivers took their charges to the BYC restroom prior to boarding the boats to eliminate any difficulties with our marine heads. We provided life jackets for each guest. Many boats were decorated with lights. Some - including ours were not, but it didn't seem to make a difference to the organizers or participants.

Our volunteer helper was an officer of the Kitsap County Federal Credit Union, one of the event's commercial sponsors. We learned from him and the BYC organizers that this was the 20th year of the event whose umbrella organization is Seafair and that another 200 special people could have participated in the event if there had been enough involvement from Kitsap County Yacht Clubs. 

Our special guest was Angela. She is 31, does not verbalize, but has learned to complete repetitive tasks that provide income for essentials. During the parade, Angela's caregiver, Sharon, told us some of Angela's history and about the Kitsap County programs that give access to people with special needs. Sharon indicated that Angela did not draw or write, but that she was learning to make an "A" and recognize that her name is associated with it. As we passed the santa ship - a sailboat with star topped lighted mast, Santa wished Angela, "Merry Christmas, Angela" and rang sleighbells over channel 71. Angela squeeled with delight. It was wonderful to see her connect with the spirit of Christmas - and the event.

Angela's caregiver indicated we would get a thank you card from her and that maybe she would be able to make an "A" on the card. We hope so. We certainly endorse the event and would be happy to talk with anyone who has been considering adding it to their winter boating schedule.

-Dorothy Matthews

From: your WebMaster

I hope everyone survived and enjoyed the holidays. Just a reminder to check the web page for upcoming events, and if you want to add something to the web page, contact the web team via the web page. www.bremertonyachtclub.org We've had a lot of favorable comments, and I want to keep it that way by making sure the web page is current and relevant to members of the community.

Also, for those members that had email via @home, please contact daveu@sptddog.com to let me know your new email address. I am already collecting email addresses for next years annual.

Dave Uebele