September 2019 Commodore Phil Davies

September 2019

It seems hard to believe that September is already upon us, hopefully you have all enjoyed the summer and perhaps more importantly had time to get out on the water and visit the club. At this point the club is gearing up for the Annual meeting, our nominations committee is concluding its work and our Board will review the 2020 budget at our September Board meeting. Over the summer there have been many events to celebrate and our members have been active in Racing, Cruising & Social activities. We kicked off the summer on July 4th with the christening of our new lawn area and July 4th BBQ. Almost 100 members attended this event and around 20 members continued the celebrations at the South Beach Cruise Out. Thanks go out to all the members who supported our club through the various events and recognition to those who committed their time and energies to organizing.

During the Summer, Alameda Police made a visit to our docks. Overall, the visit was positive, though several boats with expired CF numbers were cited. As we look to enhance the security of our facility, we will likely have more visits so please look to make them welcome if you meet the Police, USCG or other agencies on our dock. In relation to USCG, we are also aware that they have been boarding boats in the estuary to check safety equipment and documentation. It’s end of season sale time at many chandlers so now may be a good time to check your equipment! Our September Board meeting has been brought forward to September 5th at 6pm, this to accommodate the delta Cruise Out and various travel commitments. I look forward to meeting you all around the club, on the docks and out on the water.

Vice Commodore Brad Budinger [email protected]

There will not be a report from our Vice Commodore as Brad and Marya are vacationing overseas.

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Rear Commodore Keith Dines [email protected]

We come to the club regularly and enjoy everything from the bar and food to the patio and window displays. What we sometimes forget is all the planning and preparation that goes into keeping our club safe, secure, attractive and functional. Some of this requires ongoing evaluation and some of this is accomplished as projects, whose completion relies on our dedicated members.

Here is an example of our completed projects and those that are still in the works. Projects Completed Trophy Case Upgrade: The Trophy case has been cleaned and rearranged and all the trophies polished. The Williams trophy has been re-plated. Thanks to Joyce Taylor and team for the work! Owen Bottler and Joyce are working to research and capture "trophy history". Projects In-Progress: Garbage Enclosure Buz Replacement Security Cameras New office chairs

It takes a dedicated committee, a hardworking staff and a grateful club to maintain our “House” All suggestions and new ideas are always appreciated!

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Membership Chair – Mike Bennett [email protected]

Open House August 24 Yields Good Prospects The Open House held on August 24th yielded several “I’m Interested” forms and at least a couple that look like they are very interested in joining OYC in the near future. Of course, you never know for sure until the filled-in application form gets submitted, but here’s hoping... Many thanks to Social Director Kristiana Brown for arranging for the great band and decorations, and to our many loyal members who showed up, wore the paper badges saying, “Ask Me About OYC” and gave our visitors a great introduction to the friendliest yacht club on the Bay.

New Member Orientation Went Well Near the end of the Open House, we invited all the newer members present and all the prospects down to the Regatta Room for the New Member Orientation Session. Rear Commodore Greg Lonie and several of the key committee chairs gave newcomers and prospective members a great overview of the club’s governance, major activities, and how new members can become engaged with the club.

New Member Mentoring Program We are just starting to implement the Mentoring Program, whereby experienced members volunteer to partner with new members on a one-to-one basis, helping them to feel welcome, meet other members, learn more about the club, and get their question answered. We try to connect “like to like,” so new members with sailboats are mentored by sailboat owners, power boaters with power boaters, etc. Want to be a Mentor? Contact Wayne Martin or Mike Bennett and you will soon be given the opportunity to meet new members and share your experience and enthusiasm with the newest members of the Club.

Upcoming: Next Open House and New Member Orientation November 16 The next Open House and New Member Orientation will be held on Saturday November 16 from 3 to 5:30 pm. It is also a prime rib dinner night, so come early, socialize with prospective new members, get updated about your club by attending the orientation session, then stay for a great dinner. What could be more fun?

You Can Help Recruit New Members Recruiting new members is always a challenge, and the large-scale changes in national demographics and habits only increases the challenges. For instance, there is a long-term nationwide general decline in membership-based organizations of all kinds, and the huge changes in how people communicate brought about by the tremendous rise of social media also need to be addressed. Your membership committee is looking at ways to find and attract more non-boat owners and more local kayak and SUP owners who might like the idea of storing their human-powered boats on our dinghy dock, just seconds from “flat water.” You’ll be hearing more about these efforts in the next few months. Are you a regular user of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or ??? Join the Membership Committee and help guide us toward more effective use of these powerful new technologies!

To volunteer for any of the above activities, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about the Membership Committee, contact Mike Bennett at [email protected].

Always be sure to look for those Green Dots; introduce yourself and others to new members. Let’s live up to our reputation as “the friendliest yacht club in the Bay”. ______

Race Committee Chair -- Debby Ratto [email protected]

Sweet 16 Race Series .. We have just completed racing the 2nd Half of our Sweet 16 Series as of the last Wednesday of August!

With sign ups at 35 full series, 8 half series and 14 single race, we are filled the estuary on Wednesday ev enings!

Photo taken by Steve Green, Slackwater Due to high winds, even higher gusts and a good soaking we unfortunately had to cancel Race #4 but safety comes first and Race #5 is just a few days away.

Perpetual Cup: Currently the top 5 places through Sunday Brunch, four InterClub races through Race #14 of the Sweet 16 races: 1st Sheldon Haney/Lioness 67 points 2nd Scott Ollivier/Double Agent 57 points 3rd Emily Zugnoni/Lelo Too 56 points 4th Dick Johnson/Nice Turn 46 points 5th George Gurrola/Bandido 41 points

InterClub Races: OYC will once again run the September race, the last race of this series for 2019. OYC Racing Results can be found on Jibeset, on the OYC Web site and posted on the bulletin board in the downstairs hall. Other Racing News … Anyone have a story they want to tell while racing other races? Want to join the Race Committee; we’d love to have you. Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7pm in the Regatta Room. For additional information about the OYC Racing Program, call Debby Ratto @ 510-390-1620 or e-mail: [email protected]

Skippers and crew are up at the Club after each race. The Galley is serving up some great light options, the bar is open and commaraderie abounds.

And after we will up the Estuary, we fill up the Club!!

WHAT’S A ’TUNA FEST? The first OYC ’Tuna Fest Regatta took place on August 3 & 4. Tuna Fest? What’s a Tuna Fest? It was a one- design and level-rated regatta for small keel boats put on by OYC in the Estuary. The Regatta drew fourteen boats in three fleets: six 5.5. Meters, five boats, including four Santana 525s in a level-rated fleet with a PHRF rating of 189, and three Santana 22s. Two of the 189-rated boats sailed from Coyote Point to Alameda for the event, which provided a full weekend of one-design racing for only $25 on windward/leeward courses, using a committee boat anchored near OYC for square lines. Starting the faster boats ahead of the slower ones kept the fleets from tangling with each other. The conditions were ideal, the winds were light and constant with no real dead spots, the sunshine brilliant, the temperatures mild, the water flat and the currents both mild and predictable, although Mother Nature did throw a challenge: the wind displayed a disconcerting tendency to oscillate between WSW and SW, especially on Sunday, which loused up one start and one of the windward legs. The closest racing was in the 5.5. Meter fleet, where a different boat won each of the five races. The level- 189 fleet produced only one winner of all five races. Mike Jackson’s 5.5 Meter WINGS managed to take a brief pause late on Saturday to check out the depth contour on the Oakland side of the Estuary. His crew jumped over to push off, but found the water thinner than anticipated. The tide was falling, but luckily Bob Nelson was nearby with his dinghy and pulled WINGS off. The boat seems fine; Mike and Murk won the finale on Sunday. On the tight budget dictated by the modest entry fee, only winner-take-all awards were presented. The two Santana fleet winners each received a lovely plastic tuna fish. The 5.5 winner received an equally lovely one-kilogram lead ingot. You can find the full results on Jibeset, but winners were: 5.5 Meters, Scott McCoy, CARINA (EYC) ‘Tuna 525/Level 189, Ted Keech, URSA MINOR (OYC) ‘Tuna 22, Billy Cook, BRANDY (AYC) There are almost, but not quite, too many people to thank: George Gurrola, Mike Berndt, Mike Ruff, Greg Lonie, and Mike Jackson, for their work; Debby Ratto, the entire Race Committee, and Dan Jones for their support; and Benjamin Yamanaka for giving us all the support we asked for and then tending bar for the awards party on Sunday. OYC has already received several requests to do it again next year, and the Race Committee has agreed, probably on either August 1 & 2 or 8 & 9. And You can be part of it! Buy, charter, beg, borrow, or steal a small keel boat, get up a one-design or level-rated fleet of three or more boats, and come join in. Picture credits: Angelica Randewich; Kristin Wendt; Mike Berndt

Close racing upwind in the 5.5 Meter fleet.

URSA MINOR on the downwind leg. Two ‘Tuna 22s: FUN and BRANDY.

First Prize: A ’Tuna Tuna

______Social Committee Chair – Kristiana Brown [email protected]

Looking forward to another month of activities and events, promising something for everyone. Keep an eye on the weekly Blast for updates and announcements!

Hope to see you all at the Club! ______

Cruise Chairs – Dave & Michelle Opheim [email protected]

Again, come and join us on cruise outs. We always have a great time. Michelle and Dave Opheim OYC Fleet Captains

2019 July 4 Baseball Cruise On Thursday, July 4, twelve OYC boats (with 27 club members) headed over the South Beach Harbor in San Francisco, after first celebrating the Fourth at the club with dinghy and rubber ducky races, as well as a delicious potluck barbecue. We continued the celebration of the Fourth at the South Beach Yacht Club, dinner at Palomino, and then a partial view of the fireworks from the Ferry Building. Friday and Saturday everyone was on their own during the day, some choosing to take in the Andy Warhol exhibit at MOMA, others shopping and bike riding, etc. Friday evening we gathered at Phil and Annette's gorgeous boat, Kinship, for cocktails, followed by dinner at Amici's. Saturday evening we started with a dock party at 4:30, and then headed over to Oracle Park to watch the Giants beat St. Louis 8-4. This included the Giants' first pinch-hit grand slam home run since 2003! Sunday morning some gathered for breakfast at the Java House, followed by a sail home. Others departed early to have breakfast at OYC. The weather was perfect. A good time was had by all. Ed and Cornelia Gould, Cruise Co-Chairs Drakes Bay/Treasure Island July 19-21, 2019 Another year, another “change of plans” for the Drakes Bay Cruise-out. At the Captains meeting the evening prior to departure, we all watched the wind predictions for the weekend change from West wind, good, to Southeast winds, the worse possible scenario for a Drakes Bay anchorage. With heavy hearts, but with eyes toward safety, we all agreed to try another anchorage and settled on Treasure Island. We departed Friday to gather at the Treasure Island

anchorage. After a few attempts in slippery sand by some, we all successfully set anchors and enjoyed a relatively quiet evening aboard Vet’s Pet for a Minestrone soup dinner, with salads and desserts…and, of course, good wine. The next day, many of us dinghied to shore to visit the fun breweries and wineries on the island. Libations were enjoyed! That evening we gathered for Davies hosted hamburgers and sausages, with pot-luck appetizers and dessert (thanks for the ice-cream Big Mike!) aboard Kinship with even more libations. Great company, good food, and a beautiful Bay area anchorage made for a great weekend. Dan and Denny Stoup

Cruise-Out: Way Down South To Sequoia YC On the last Friday in uly, nine OYC boats made the trip south down the Bay, under the San Mateo Bridge, and up Redwood Creek to the friendly and hospitable Sequoia Yacht Club in Redwood City. By late Friday afternoon all our boats were happily tied up—the Becketts (Tardis), the Bennett/Larsons (Pacific Star), the Cardozas (Edelweiss), the Cook/Kencks (Water Genie), the Leonards (Blue Passion), the Mercado/Ruffs (Neverland), the Opheims (Endless Summer), and the Stoups (Vet’s Pet). Later that afternoon, after many delicious appetizers on the guest dock, we all trouped inside for a great tri-tip dinner, followed by an exciting, and often raucous set of bingo games. They even let some OYC folks win some of the prizes! Early Saturday morning we gathered in the SYC clubhouse (with coffee and doughnuts graciously provided by SYC) for a very interesting and informative talk by US Fish and Wildlife Specialist Ivette Loredo about the history, natural history, and environmental importance of nearby Bair Island, now a part of the Don Edwards National Wild Refuge. After this great introduction six dinghies took off for the 8-mile three-hour “circumnavigation” of Bair Island, revealing lots of birds and seals basking on the beaches of this newly- restored tidal wetland. We won’t mention which two dinghies failed to complete the trip under their own power, but the Opheims and the Cardozas were both awarded the esteemed “Excellence-In-Towing-A- Dinghy-With-Another-Dinghy” medal. Saturday evening SYC opened their club just for us. We made great use of the bar and the barbeque to enjoy a hearty potluck dinner with way more than enough food for everybody. On Sunday everybody made use of the not-too-unfavorable wind and currents to make it safely back to their home berths. A good time was had by all! Many thanks to the Sequoia YC for their unstinting hospitality, and to Ivette Loredo for generously giving up her Saturday morning to share her knowledge—and enthusiasm--for the wonderful natural resource of Bair Island and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. Mike Bennett and Leslie Larson Cruise Co-Captains

Welcome to the Ladies Cruise Out!

“Two breakfasts, two lunches, drinks, appetizers, drinks, dinner and dessert – I have never been on a cruise out but it seems like all we do is eat and drink” said Carliane Johnson. Welcome to the Ladies Cruise Out!

Carliane was one of multiple guests that joined us on the Ladies Cruise Out to Richmond Yacht Club August 2-4. Tammy Mercado, on Neverland, hosted guests Carliane and Joan Burleigh. Guest Diana Teves came on Julie Cheng’s boat. OYC members along for the Cruise were Annette Davies on Kinship with crew Jenn Mengel, Linda Garvin, and Diane Hougland, Kim Lonie on Tango with Kristiana Brown, Tammy Mercado on Neverland, Julie Cheng on Tigger, and Michelle Leonard on Blue Passion with crew Megan Zeitler. Saturday lunch became a real party when members Claudia Bass, Mindy Hart- Shaw and Diana Rose joined us. Karen Scott met up with us after lunch and provided a much-needed Uber alternative. Thanks Karen! It felt like royalty had arrived when Jocelyn Nash joined us for dinner Friday night and Saturday lunch and dinner. Richmond YC is Jocelyn Nash’s home Club. Jocelyn, the RYC Commodore and other RYC members made us feel very welcome at dinner on Friday. On Saturday we visited the Rosie the Riveter Museum and shopped at the Columbia Employee Store. Then we ate and drank some more and had some big laughs over a game of LeftCenterRight with Diane Hougland seen stuffing lots of one-dollar bills in her pockets at the end of the night. High winds gave our boats some challenges to docking at Richmond Yacht Club. We all learned good things and gained valuable experience – one of the reasons we have a Ladies Cruise Out is to encourage OYC women skippers to learn more about their boats. But hey – it is also all about the eating and drinking and the fun getting together. Let’s do it again soon!

Aquatic Park Anchor Out For Fleet Week October 11-14, 2019 ONLY PERMITS FOR SUNDAY LEFT FYI Monday is Columbus Day… Reserve Before They Are Gone!!!

Sign Up on OYC website AND reserve your permit NOW at https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/273757 The Weekend portion starts with the Parade of Ships on Friday 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Air Show performers include the Navy Leap Frogs, Team Oracle, United 777, Royal Canadian Air Force, United States Coast Guard, Lucas Oil Air Show, Air Force F16, The Patriots Jet Team and The Canadian Snowbirds as well as many others. 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. The US Navy Blue Angels are set to fly Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ~ 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Put your Anchor Down, Grab a Beer or Two, Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy the Weekend YOU CAN’T GET ANY CLOSER

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OYC PICYA and RBOC MAY 2019 REPORT By Maggie Sabovich, Board Director, PICYA Board Director, RBOC [email protected]

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Take a Moment to think about Safety Three Overboard, One Dead, in Wednesday Night Race Fortunately, the headline doesn’t involve an OYC race. However, there’s little that separates the circumstances of the race referenced in the headline, from one of our own OYC races held in the estuary or out on the bay. The race referenced above happened on March 13, 2019. It was the opening race of the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club’s (MPYC) Wednesday night races. The details are captured in a report, produced by US Sailing, and prepared by a Working Party comprised of US Sailing and MPYC members. This Working Party was recognized by the USCG as a “Party in Interest” to this incident and both groups shared information. The US Sailing report may be found at the following website. https://www.ussailing.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Morpheus-Report- 2019.pdf?utm_source=US+Sailing+Media+List&utm_campaign=5a050f1f69- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_12_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e58eb06915- 5a050f1f69-276954813 The people involved were four experienced racers, the regular crew of the Moore 24, Morpheus. The boat had been modified with the lifelines removed. The weather and sea conditions were considered not unusual and not concerning. The skipper, with 40 years’ experience, somehow, was thrown overboard. The remaining crew of Morpheus made two attempted rescues. During the rescue attempts, two more of the crew fell into the water; one was slightly injured. Another boat, LocaMotion, assisted and recovered the skipper who was found floating face down. The USCG came on scene and took the skipper to shore and a waiting ambulance. He was taken to hospital, however, attempts to revive him failed. The incident, from the skipper going overboard to being recovered by the second boat took approximately 20 minutes. The skipper’s PFD never inflated. Again, the circumstances of this race and this boat aren’t far from those found with our own OYC races. Although, looking at the OYC boats that regularly participate in our club and/or interclub races, most have their lifelines in place. Crew Overboard (COB) situations do happen. As recently as Friday, August 16, there was a COB incident directly opposite the OYC docks, on the Oakland side of the estuary. A boat, traveling downwind, lost a crewmember over the side. The remaining crew quickly put the boat in irons; however, had a difficult time getting back to the crew in the water. The crew in the water ended up swimming about 50 feet to climb back aboard their boat. Something they may not have been able to do if injured. Although the Encinal Yacht Club Friday Night Twilight Series race was going on, no other boats were nearby to lend assistance. The recovery took less than five minutes. Following are some of the edited safety recommendations from the report. These also apply to our OYC racing fleet and any other OYC boaters: racers, cruisers, sail, or power. For the full description of the safety recommendations, please see the US Sailing report via the provided link.

• Life Jacket Maintenance: Sailors must check their gear at each outing, and perform full inspections, including inflation, annually or as specified by the manufacturer. Automatic jackets must have their mechanisms replaced, again, as specified. • Life Jacket Procedure: If possible, sailors should accustom themselves to pull the tab on their life jackets rather than expect an automatic inflator to do the job. An automatic inflator may fail for any number of reasons, and the manual action should be the primary method. • COB Practice: A boat retrieving a person in the water can injure the person, or fail to retrieve them in a timely manner. Regular practice, in realistic conditions, including the use of a person- weight dummy victim, can give crews the skills and confidence to approach and retrieve a person in the water successfully. Skippers and crew should demand this practice of each other annually at a minimum. Such practice should include: • Theory and practice of the use of a Lifesling®-type retrieval device • Quickstop and/or Figure 8 maneuver to return to victim in a controlled manner • Reboarding a victim (but, if with humans, only in appropriately safe water). • COB Reboarding Gear: Simply reaching over the side and pulling the COB up is unreliable and can further injure the victim. The thrown horseshoe buoy does nothing to get a victim aboard. Depending on the boat design, features to assist in reboarding should be considered and implemented, including a halyard that reaches to the water, a swim step, low transom, or boarding ladder, and the like. • Bright Clothing: Nautical blue may be fashionable, but it makes a person in the water very hard to find. Bright colors such as red or yellow will make a person in the water visible to potential rescuers. Wear these. Avoid blending in. • Staying On The Boat: Various means, including lifelines, jacklines, padeyes, toe rails, and tethers can be prescribed in various circumstances as appropriate. • Improvised and Old Safety Gear: Old gear may become unreliable, particularly if maintenance has not been performed. Sailors should consider replacement of older gear or should increase their inspection frequency of such gear. A separate issue is highlighted by home-made or improvised gear, such as using old sheets as lifelines or tying a line to a horseshoe to serve as a Lifesling®. These measures may lack the reliability and functionality of the items they “replace,” and, moreover, may not be recognized by crew on the boat as intended to serve a particular safety function. These should be adopted only with careful consideration. • Communications: A proper watch on VHF 16 is part of a sailor’s obligation to maintain situational awareness. Absent other considerations, boats should maintain such a watch. A boat in an organized event, such as a race, might rely on a race channel if the race committee is maintaining such a watch. Boats should have VHF audible to the helm. Many OYC skippers and crews have a great deal of sailing experience without incident. It can become very easy to believe, “It may happen to the other guy; but, it won’t happen to me.” The question that remains is, do you want to bet your life on that?

Thank you, John Egland, for sharing

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September Meetings These meetings are open to all members. Your attendance is encouraged and welcome.

917 Race Committee 6:00 pm Regatta Room 9/4 House Committee 6:00 pm Regatta Room none Membership Committee 6:30pm Regatta Room ? Harbor Committee 6:00 pm Regatta Room 9/5 BOD Meeting 6:30 pm Regatta Room

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Amateur Radio – Rich Beckett Parliamentarian – Kim Lonie

Budget & Finance – Brad Budinger PICYA & RBOC – Maggie Sabovich

Cruise – Dave & Michelle Opheim Racing – Debby Ratto

Education & Safety – Angelo Perata Reciprocity – Julie Cheng

Harbor – Brad Budinger Reconfiguration – Jim Labbe

House – Keith Dines Risk Management – Vacant

Library – Len Cardoza Seascape – Marlene Dines

Membership – Mike Bennett Social – Kristiana Brown

Merchandise – Michelle Leonard Staff Commodore – Greg Lonie

Nominating – Tom West Webmaster – Vacant

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September Birthdays

Dave Opheim 1-Sep Jennifer Mengel 1-Sep Deborah Hadad 4-Sep Nadja Adolf 4-Sep James Carroll 5-Sep Nancy White 6-Sep Diane Ericsson 6-Sep Joel Leslie 7-Sep Elisabeth Olson 8-Sep Eliot Laurent 8-Sep Diane Holaday 9-Sep Rodney Thompson 9-Sep William Lavis 10-Sep Michael Bennett 12-Sep Sandra Goozee 12-Sep James Read 14-Sep Greg Matthews 15-Sep Tyler Heerwagen 16-Sep Karen Scott 16-Sep Gary Damiano 17-Sep Dan Scott 18-Sep William Andrew 18-Sep Jason Pratt 20-Sep Jerry Nelson 23-Sep Judy Hardie 24-Sep George Gurrola 26-Sep Harry Reppert 29-Sep

Seascape is written by the members of the Oakland Yacht Club, for the members of the Oakland Yacht Club. Articles, photos, and event flyers are due to the editor before the 4th week of each month. For additional information contact Commodore Phil Davies at [email protected].