January 2011 Official Publication of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club christmas Volume 84 • Number 1 party 2010 Tracy Conn, Stacy Massey and Jeff Merrill photos BYC Christmas Party or How the Remodelers Stole Christmas A Every sailor down in ABYCville liked Christmas a lot… But the remodelers, who lived inland, did not! They ripped up the bathrooms, they ripped up the floors! They brought in porta-potties with hard working doors! But they didn’t stop Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other it came just the same! It came without plumbing, it came without sinks! It came without showers to work out the kinks! Yes, the second deck was decorated by Bonnie, Lori Ann, and Sue. Santa ( Jon Robinson) handed out gifts and posed for Tracy Conn’s photots too! Ann Seapy, party chair signed in 150 at least, Lori, Jennifer, Steve and some juniors served up the big feast, And then he…he himself… The Grinch (Bill McDannel) carved the roast beast! After that ABYCers, the tall and the small, Heard the strains of the music it filled up the hall! Chris, John and Jorge had started to play, And everyone sang “Have a Merry Christmas Day!” Jeff Merrill photo Sue McDannel

...continued page 11 inside sav e the date Commodore’s Compass...... 2-3 Rose Bowl Regatta ...... January 8-9 Manager’s Corner ...... 3 Membership Meeting...... January 21 Vice Verses ...... 4 Club ABYC ...... January 28 Rear View ...... 4 Super Bowl Party ...... February 6 Fleet Captain’s Log ...... 5 Membership Meeting...... February 18 Pages of History ...... 5-6 Midwinter Regatta ...... February 19-20 Membership Report...... 8 Club ABYC ...... February 25 Boxing Day Wrap Up ...... 10 Manning Regatta ...... March 5-6 Fleet News ...... 11-15 World Qualifier...... March 12-13 sou’wester • january 2011 • page 1 commodore’scompass appy New Year! I am going to suggest we call 2011 the “Year of the Elevator” as we are making great strides H on this long anticipated project. We are well into our construction with both the club house and quarterdeck restrooms stripped out - showing only support beams and framing and the concrete floors have been jack hammered out, now the new build is officially underway. Our target is still completion for all construction projects by the end of March, keep your fingers crossed. As a reminder, please check in with Kelly Whitlow before going on a tour so that he can carefully guide you through the construction safely. We made it through December with the construction barely noticeable (as long as you didn’t mind using our five outhouse suite). My thanks to our wonderful contractor, Richard Borden, for keeping this project so clean and tidy. Tree trimming on Friday December 3rd found a hearty group decorating the club so we were all set for Santa and his helpers at our annual Christmas Party on the 12th. Our Social Advisory Committee, chaired by Sue McDannel did a great job having ABYC festive attired for the holidays. I’d like to thank Pam Merrill, Stacy Massey, Ann Seapy, Lori Van Skyhock, Bill McDannel, Steve and Jennifer Kuritz, the Junior Board, photographer Tracy Conn, Santa Claus, our trio/troubadour musicians – John Massey, Chris Ericksen and Jorge Suarez plus the wonderful ABYC staff for a great party. The wrapped gift book idea was a nice touch. Advance reservations are increasingly important for our meal planning events and I’d like to thank everyone who called the office or used Regatta Network’s convenient online system to let us know you were coming. 2011 finds some traditions being put into play. We have sent out reciprocal privilege invites to other yacht clubs with whom we wish to share reciprocity. I’d like to thank S/C Dave Crockett and Sue Crockett for outlining what ABYC offers in the way of reciprocity, we now have an organized policy to address this important member benefit. We have also joined “The Register of American Yacht Clubs”, a national authority that provides a list of member clubs with whom we can exchange visits. Contact the office before you travel and we can tell you about clubs in your destination that will welcome you. Honorary Membership letters have also been mailed out to many key community leaders and special friends of ABYC. If you see a celebrity walking around please introduce yourself and make them feel welcome. I’d like to thank those members who helped us recruit some familiar faces back into fold. Our “We Want You Back” membership drive was a great excuse to dial up some familiar names and invite them to rejoin. If you missed out, have no fear because membership Director Jim Grubbs and membership chairperson Terri Bishop have two new promotions now underway. With our construction possibly providing a discouraging appearance to potential membership applicants we have decided to offer a “Construction Promotion” discounted regular membership program. Instead of paying $1,000 to join the promotional rate is only $500. The “Construction Promotion” is good for all applications completed and submitted to the membership committee by March, 31, 2011. And to make things even sweeter a brand new contest amongst fleets to see who can bring in the most new faces has also been unveiled by our tireless membership recruiters. The first annual FLEET Membership Challenge – a competition amongst ABYC’s fleets to see who can bring in the most new members is underway with all qualifying fleets getting to attend an appreciation party and the fleet with the most new members winning our new FLEET MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE TROPHY. See the separate article in this issue outlining the challenge and count on a phone call from your fleet captain to see if you can help come up with some new members to join ABYC. Our goal in 2011 is to go over 400 members – we have to work hard every month if we are going to achieve this! There are ABYC membership application packets at the office, the same forms are available on our website and if you have any questions or want some help getting a new member signed up please contact membership Director Jim Grubbs. We will be issuing our membership cards in February. Vice Commodore Jon Robinson is developing a sticker that will go onto your POS card that identifies you as a 2011 member and also includes your membership seniority number. Our online membership roster is now “live”. Special thanks to Rob Rice, Sue Rice, Ken Reiff, Sandy Toscan, Ed Spotskey and others for helping to outline the important internet features and de-bug the program to make it easy to use. This is a member only, password protected data base that is marvelously simple – please go to the home page, far right Membership tab and follow the prompts, I am certain you will find this a friendly and convenient and so much more useful than the old hardcopy version we offered for years. The roster updates changes instantaneously and sends a note to the office staff so every day there is always new information. If you would like a printed version and don’t have computer access please call the office and they can print one out for you on 8 ½ x 11” paper. My recommendation if you want a printed version, would be to hold off until March to give the web savvy members some time to update their records. Director Ed Spotskey is now working on capturing all of our yearbook information - trophy photos, historical archives, boat lists, bylaws and other sections of the old style yearbook to our website. Go to our website www.abyc.org to see all of the events scheduled for 2011 and check our online calendar for the latest updates on events and activities. If you would like to host a meeting or party at the club please contact Kelly Whitlow – our calendar lists a number of dates available for special events. You are a member of a very special yacht club, make it a point to come down to ABYC to check on your boat, look at our construction and have a bite to eat and something nice to drink in ...continued next page sou’wester • january 2011 • page 2 morecommodore ...from page 2 the company of your fellow members. Our race to October, 2011 finds us rounding the weather in first place with a beautiful spinnaker set and we are blasting along on a fast paced reach to the wing mark, stay tuned as we make the jibe next month. I am available by cell phone 949.355.4950 and email [email protected] and always welcome your ideas and suggestions. Thank you! “ABYC is the place to BE.” Jeff Merrill manager’scorner irst, a heartfelt thank you from me and the ABYC staff for the incredibly generous Christmas bonus donations. Never expected, but always appreciated, it means a lot to us knowing our efforts are Fnoticed by our wonderful membership. The staff and I had our Christmas Dinner and gift exchange this past week, and one of the topics of conversation was how blessed each and every one of us are for the opportunity to work at ABYC. It really is the place to be…and work. If you haven’t been to the club recently, well hold on to your “hardhats”...we are knee deep in construction. Our new bathroom remodel is well underway, and elevator construction will be starting soon. Other than a little dust, and the East Yard filled with construction equipment, it’s business as usual at ABYC. If you are planning on coming down to the club during construction, (and we hope you do) please remember to be aware of your surroundings and watch for area’s under construction. Stop by my office and I will be glad to show you what has been accomplished thus far. It’s been quite a year here at the club, and next year promises to be even bigger and better. With our new elevator and restrooms, ABYC will be the belle of the ball. The patio and grass area looks better than ever (thanks Bishop family) and we’ll be making more exciting changes in our Galley. Have a GREAT New Year everybody! Kelly Whitlow

Sou’Wester DEADLINE Help us to Help you! January 21, 2011 is the deadline Please keep your e-mail address current with [email protected] to receive all for the February Sou’Wester. of the weekly news and events. Thank you.

2009/10 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS Commodore Jeff Merrill Volunteers/Member Services/Legal Ken Reiff [email protected] [email protected] Vice Commodore Jon Robinson [email protected] Treasurer George Kornhoff/Mary Montz Rear Commodore Mike Baumann [email protected] Junior Commodore Elle Merrill Jr. Staff Commodore John Massey Fleet Surgeon Dr. Allan Rosenberg [email protected] Fleet Captain Jennifer Kuritz Judge Advocate Tom Ramsey [email protected] Secretary Ed Spotskey Port Captain Dave Myers [email protected] Sou’wester Editor/Layout Sharon Pearson Directors Junior Program Pat McCormick ABYC Phone (562) 434-9955 [email protected] Fax (562) 434-2267 Membership/Recruiting Jim Grubbs Homepage www.abyc.org [email protected] Email [email protected]

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 3 viceverses

ll four of the bathrooms are out of service but the new bathrooms are pretty nice. Demolition in the restrooms is completed and the rough plumbing is in place. New walls A are in place and concrete is complete. The rough electrical is being installed and the power will be on and off during the month of January r to facilitate service upgrades and new sub- panels. As the construction progresses the bathrooms will take shape with tile and toilets, sinks, and cabinets. We are through the worst of the demolition from the bathrooms and the club looks great. Mess is at a minimum. The as the bathrooms progress the elevator demolition will begin after the Rose Bowl Regatta. The demolition, construction and installation of the elevator will take about 6 weeks. The elevator shaft area will be enclosed during events with plywood to prevent people from falling into the construction. The whole project is projected to be completed by mid March but it may extend to the end of March. The yard is in great shape with all of the boats in their proper places. There are a few places in the yard up for rent and I am contacting those on the list to fill those spots. Be ready when I call to offer you a spot in the yard. The rain is here and we have had 5 inches so far that means as much as several hundred pounds of water could be in your boat. This takes its toll on the hull and trailers. Come down to the club and check your boat to make sure that all is well. The rail rider program will begin again on January 1. The new price is $255 for January through March. This is the “Construction Deal”. If you want a space you have to be on the yard wait list. We have several spots available so call the office and get your boat on the rail. The house is looking as good as ever. This is our slow time of year, so we will be doing several maintenance projects for the next few months. Don’t be alarmed if you see paving projects, painting projects or cleaning projects in progress. In terms of security, there is a new camera looking our over the east yard for more security. Our cameras have been helpful in seeing what is going on in the yard or better yet what is not going on in the yard. All seems to be good. Looking to the future, I will continue to monitor the yard, enforce the yard rules and make the yard and house more secure. My mission this year is to institute more security measures in the yard. These will include barcodes for boats and entry security systems for entry gates. Jon Robinson

rearview elcome to January, our “slow season” at the club, with a mere 11 events over the next month. January is a good time to get things in order before racing resumes for most of W us. I will be working on fixing my Lido this month, in preparation for Mid-Winters and Manning Regattas. I hope you get all your paint and varnish and riveting and rigging jobs done this month. While most of us are fiddling with parts and repairs, the, the college and high school age kids are in the middle of their racing season, starting with clinics and the Bowl Regattas. We will once again be providing the venue for USC’s Rose Bowl Regatta on the 8th and 9th. This event is always popular on the youth sailing circuit. Do stop by the bay side beach for what is probably the most spectator friendly event we have at the club. With the longer winter nights, we have events geared toward an evening trip to the club. Thanks to the Keelboat fleet, on the 21st we have the General Membership Meeting, with a program on the inner workings of something we all rely on, our GPS. The following Friday, the 28th is the start of the popular “Club ABYC” events were we go all out on the last Friday evening of the month with music, dancing, and light food. Following close on the heals of January will be the traditional Etchells (and ) Race and Superbowl Party on Sunday Feb. 6th. A belated thanks to Sue and Bill McDannel, Stacy Massey, and the Social Advisory Committee volunteers for a wonderful Christmas Party. We couldn’t hold our events without the creativity and efforts of our volunteer members. If you would like to share your ideas, or lend your effort to helping at some of our social events, please contact Sue, we would love to have you. Mike Baumann

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 4 fleet captain’slog ...from page 4 s everyone was out shopping for Christmas, the fleet was nicely tucked into bed for a long winter night. Chris Erikson, my husband Steve and I, with a trip to the hardware store, A managed to get Patience lit and into the Christmas mood. The Junior’s float was beautiful — I hope you enjoyed seeing it in the Naples Parade. Rick has made arrangements for the whalers with gearing issues to be repaired. Apparently our main outside mechanic, was on a three week honeymoon in Hawaii (nice vacation). But, as soon as he returned, parts were order and repairs began. While the rainy weekends held us off from completing the deck work on the bay barge, we hope to it is completed before Mid-Winters. I hope that Santa was good to everyone bringing new sails and boat equipment so that 2011 will be a great sailing year at the club! Jennifer Kuritz from the pages of history nother year, another decade, another batch of “pages of history.” This is the seventh January that this column has appeared in the SOU’WESTER under the current authorship (after several years under the same title but over the A byline of Ann Exley), and the pages keep rolling on. Let’s see what the new year—and the new decade—brings. THIRTY YEARS AGO: The cover of the SOU’WESTER of January, 1981, shows a lot of faces I recognize—but a couple at which I had to squint: the faces were familiar, but the hair color was a bit darker than I remembered. I easily recognized Mac Mills, Dorothy Hill, Kathy Black and Robin Lounsberry from thirty years ago, but a couple of folks I only recognized when I pictured them with lighter-colored hair. The gang was standing on and in front of the not-yet-finished ABYC Christmas Float for the Naples Christmas Parade. No news as to winners in this edition, though. Langdon Parrill reported in his “Commodore’s Comments” that Linda Landes and her crew organized and ran “possibly the largest ever...function at the Yacht Club,” the 1990 Christmas Party. It was to be followed by “Robin and Marietta’s New Year’s Party and Breakfast,” referring there to co-chairs Robin Lounsberry and Marietta Jones. But there was business, too: apparently there was a rash of “no club stickers on car windows, no keys in the car, unauthorized boats left in the yard, flat tires (presumably on boat trailers in the yard)” and so on. Glad to know those problems have gone away. Terry Smith, the Membership Chairman, reported among the new members were Keith Dodson and Mark Golison, both joining as Interim members. This membership classification later became our current membership. In those days one could only be an Interim member until age 25, at which time they could apply for Regular membership. There were changes in the House Committee in 1981 as Ted and Mary Matson stepped down from their many years of service; their principle accomplishment was the refinishing of the captain’s chairs, the framing of burgees and creation of plaques for most of them. Harry and Marilyn Hutchinson were stepping down as chairs, and Dennis and Eileen Raden were stepping into the leadership role. ABYC’s Juniors had been on the road in the fall: Russell Fox trophied in Naples Sabots at the Oceanside Yacht Club Poinsettia Regatta while Ron Rosenberg and Chris Redman represented ABYC at the SCYA Commodore’s Trophy Regatta in Newport Beach and took first place. Ken Newman was ABYC’s new Port Steward; he and his wife Judy had already moved into the ground-floor apartment. The first regatta of the year would be the Chapped Cheek Regatta in mid-January; Bay racing would be on Saturday and harbor racing would be on Sunday... TWENTY YEARS AGO: The January, 1991, SOU’WESTER was very large, with lots to report. There were 246 entries in 18 classes and 21 separate starts for the 1990 Turkey Day Regatta. According to fleet reports, Bruce and Margo Golison were tops in the 21- boat fleet while Mike Bartell won the J/24 class with 25 entrants total. The weather was typical for a Turkey Day: glorious and sunny on Saturday with twelve knots of wind, but light and shifty on Sunday (they only got one race in that day). Pease Glaser submitted a full-page article on the “newest member of ABYC’s family of fleets,” the Olympic Classes Fleet. There were a lot of Olympic-class boats at ABYC in those days—470’s, Europes, and Stars—but not enough to form a fleet of their own; this fleet gathered these boats together for service and support. Pease reported that she and husband Jay had won the 1990 Tornado NA’s in Florida. Last month we reported that Ann Exley’s “From the Pages of History” column had teased us with news of the 1937 Pacific Coast Championship Regatta, which was held Labor Day weekend of that year in Isthmus Cove on Santa Catalina Island and was hosted by the Catalina Island Yacht Club. Ann reported in the January, 1991, SOU’WESTER that Skimmers, Skimmerettes, Rainbows, Flatties and Snipes were among the invited classes. Peter Gales and his brother Don raced a , but the interesting part was that they slept that weekend in the loft of a barn that apparently stood overlooked Catalina Harbor (and is now long gone). ...continued page 6

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 5 morehistory ...from page 5 Back in the Nineties there was a large and active number of Yachting members at ABYC; an article reported that several Yachting members were serving in positions of responsibility, including Lynda Fox as a Junior Program advisor, Latham Bell as Happy Hour “Bar Czar” and Randy Smith as Challenge Chairman. Among the new members introduced were “newlyweds Robert and Stephanie Siemer” and Merle Asper, a new Yachting member. East Yard Chairman Chris Reno reminded everyone with a boat in the yard that it was time for them to submit copies of their current boat registration to the ABYC office. TEN YEARS AGO: The SOU’WESTER of January, 2001, was a bit thin: maybe everyone still reeling from the excitement surrounding the Presidential election of 2000. Half of the articles were from one author (which modesty forbids me from identifying), but one snappy, chatty piece was written by the reporter of the Cal 20 fleet, Glenn Selvin. His lead was both clever and historical when he reported that our Turkey Day Regatta was to “honor a bunch of lost sailors hundreds of years ago.” He meant, of course, the Pilgrims in MAYFLOWER, who were supposed to settle near the mouth of the Hudson River but got as far as Cape Cod and decided that was far enough. “Shame they didn’t land in California,” he continued, for “we’d all be eating tacos instead of turkey!” Turkey Day 2000 was sizeable (although the writer stretched things a bit to say the numbers were “staggering’): there were 165 entrants in 14 classes and 18 divisions, racing on three courses. It was a pretty nice deal for the sailors: they evidently left the yacht club in an offshore, waited for the wind to shift to race in an onshore and rode the sea breeze home. Chuck Hardin and Don Reiman co-chaired the event (which, if memory serves, was later declared the US SAILING One- Design Regatta of the Year for 2000 by the One-Design Class Council).

The long and wordy Etchells fleet article (one of many) reported that the ABYC Etchells Fleet had been increased by the arrival of boats from Newport Beach and Cabrillo Beach. He also reported on an incident at a weather mark that included contact and a collision among three boats; one boat nosed in at the mark, rubbed against another, and a third boat hit the second one while trying to avoid the first. There was some boat work being done in December of that year, too. Blah, blah, blah... The itinerary for an upcoming Keel Boat Fleet trip to go whale watching in Baja California was reported; the highlight of the trip was to be camping at Laguna San Ignacio...planned for the SCYA Midwinter Regatta in 2000 was a party at Long Beach Yacht Club for all participants within San Pedro Bay rather than individual parties at each host club...the Chapped Cheek Regatta was to be sailed over several days in 2000, the first one in January; only fleets with five entries posted by mid-January could compete… Chris Ericksen, Club Historian naples boatparade hristmas on the Island. That was the theme for this year’s Naples Island Boat Parade. Under the leadership of Tarek Elsharhawy Cand Steve Bloemeke, they transformed the Bay Barge into what can be described as looking like “Kon-Tiki”, and when finished it was festooned with Tiki Torches and an amazing sound system. David Odegard, (Nicholas’ father) was a creative genius and tireless worker who orchestrated the Visual Affect and Sound System. Latham Bell also helped with decorations and structural work and was a constant source of good cheer. The Elsharhawy and Bloemeke children finished off the float by stringing lights and worked as a great team. Staffed with Juniors and some of their parents, they enjoyed an extremely mild evening, and when combined with the grass mat skirting around the barge which worked as a wind break, it made the night all the more enjoyable. All told, there was the Elsharhawy Family, David and Nick Odegard, the Bloemeke Family, and some other friends who wished the masses on Naples Island to have a wonderful Holiday Season. During the parade, either due to high hopes or poor lighting, there was a murmur in the crowd that they saw Justin Bieber on the barge. It was very fun to witness, and if the look-alike could have been a bit less embarrassed and taken the microphone to sing a few verses, there could have been a teen-age riot on the Island! David, who has worked on several award-winning floats, but never saw the Naples Boat parade, nor Naples Island at Christmas time, was in awe of the event. During the passage around the inner island, Steve asked him what he thought, and he said that it was truly remarkable and was amazed at how close the spectators were to the floats. “At King Harbor, the nearest spectator is 1/3 of a mile away!” Many thanks to Kelly Whitlow, Julissa, Rick, and Brad Schaupeter for helping find various little items like the ignition key and gas cans and their moral support!

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 6 championscelebration Tracy Conn photo he Champions’ Celebration, hosted by the Cal 20 Fleet, drew record crowds!!! Close to 150 members showed up to the general meeting, Friday night, TNovember 12th. As the sounds of Jimmy Buffet echoed in the background, members entered the club framed by glowing tiki torches skillfully placed by pyrotechs, Dave Myers, Rick and Roberto. Our commodore, Jeff Merrill, master of ceremonies, was entertaining and enthusiastic as he presented this year’s 2010 champions. John Massey and Pat McCormick shook hands and congratulated the champs. The champions were defined as members that raced under the ABYC burgee and won a major regatta or major championship. ABYC burgees were awarded by month. Members dined on a festive Hawaiian feast organized by Sue and Bill McDaniel from the Island Grill. Rory Gaudio, first, Dutch Shoe Marathon Tables were elegantly designed with Green tea leaves, dendrobium orchid branches and votive candles by Stacey Conn, assisted by Jeff Ives, Dan Bates, and Mark Barnard. The decor was so beautiful a high end florist could have Chuck Clay, Cal 20 Fleet One Champion done it. John Massey scooped up volcano sundaes which were a big hit! It was a festive and exciting event and members stayed late into the night to enjoy the evening! Steve Flam and baby William Flam greeted guests in Hawaiian shirts. Ron and Elaine Wood, Chuck Clay, Dave Kofahl and Jeff Ives served up the tasty dinner. This was our first Champions’ event and from the response it looks like this will become a major annual event. Thank you to Jon Robinson, Mike Bauuman, Jennifer Kuritz, Mark Townsend, Chris Ericksen, Steve Bloemeke, Latham Bell, Rick Roberts LBYC, Jane McNaboe, Carol Kofahl, Brad Shaupeter and fleet captains’ Jorge Suarez, Steve Smith, Jeff Newsome, Diane Gonzales, Paul Makielski for their input and to Toni and Jim Morford who put together the Mark and Sarah Ryan, , National burgee winner awards and also Tracy Champions Conn for his terrific photos. Special thanks to Steve Bloemeke and Jeff Merrill for creating this unforgettable night!!! Patty Nash, Event Chair Jack Jorgenson, US Sailing Bemis Double-Handed National Champion facilityupdate

Old sewer line Quarterdeck restrooms Lots of Rubble!!

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 7 membershipreport

BYC Fleet Membership Challenge 2011 Coinciding with our Construction Related Discounted Membership Drive, ($500 regular membership initiation) from A January 1 - March 31, 2011 we are going to also host the first annual FLEET Membership Challenge All ABYC fleets (Duty racing fleets, active fleets and social fleets as listed on our website) will compete for the FLEET MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE TROPHY. Racing Fleet Captains Junior Program – Steve Bloemeke Etchells – Ken Frost and Rich Vaught Lido 14 – Sarah Ryan Laser – Steve Smith and Jorge Suarez Cal 20 – Dan Bates and Jeff Ives Senior – Jane McNaboe and John Ellis Multi-hull – Jeff Newsome 505 – Rob Waterman Keelboat – Joe Riddick and Judy Mathias Other Active Fleets Snipe – Jerry Thompson – Richard Davies – Tim Carter Tempest – Dominic Meo III C15 – Dan Gilboa Open 5.70 - Nick Vale I-14 - Geraldine Lampert – Glenn Selvin Social Fleet Captains Nirvana Radio Control – Dan DeLave, Damon Kunkle and Don Shirley Bridge – Mary Riddick High School/College – Mike Segerblom This is intended as a great excuse to have a membership drive and though only one fleet will be the ultimate winner, all fleets can win an invitation to attend the exclusive Membership Challenge Appreciation Party hosted by the Board of Directors at the end of this promotion (a date in June or July is being explored). To qualify to attend the Membership Challenge Appreciation Party each fleet shall have recruited three (3) new regular members by March 31, 2011. A point schedule for the Fleet Membership Challenges as follows: Independent Junior : 1 point (Note: a waiting list may be created if applications exceed bylaws maximum) Yachting 1 or 2 : 2 points Regular Family Member : 3 points But, DON’T STOP THERE! The more new members your fleet brings into the ABYC family the better your fleet’s chance at winning the coveted Fleet Membership Challenge Trophy. The winning fleet will be that fleet that totals the largest point total (minimum of 3 regular members must be included in that score). The fleet that brings in the most new members (as determined by the point schedule) during January 1 - March 31st will receive: 1. Hosted BAR at Membership Challenge Appreciation Party. 2. Fleet name on Membership Challenge perpetual trophy 3. Free rail rider spot for one boat from July 1 – September 30th, 2011 For the sorry fleet that is incapable of bringing in any new members, that fleet will be required to: 1) Participate in Speech and Choral Singing Lessons given by the esteemed S/C Chris Ericksen. 2) AND, the losing Fleet Captain will be asked to perform the” Loser-Ville Dance” (all meant in good fun!) at the Membership Challenge Appreciation Party. Note: Any fleet gaining at least one point will not have to do this dance even if they finish last. After the March 31 deadline the Fleet Membership challenge will be determined by which fleet secured the most membership points (minimum of 3 new regular members). Fine print rules…The applications must be received by Membership chairs with completed questionnaires ready for Board of Director approval and posting to count. Final results will be announced after the June Board of Directors meeting allowing time for all membership applicants to be posted, approved and initiation fees paid. Please contact Jim Grubbs or Terri Bishop for more details. Good luck! Jim Grubbs and Terri Bishop

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 8 christmasdecorating tree party

small group gathered on Friday December 3rd to decorate our tree and take a quick peek at the progress in the downstairs restrooms. Commodore Jeff Merrill was given A the honor of placing the first ornament on the Christmas tree…and also equipped with a hammer and a roll of toilet paper to help manage the construction project. eightbells hris Dundas-Shepherd passed away December 9, 2010 Memorial Service January 8th 2011 at 11:00AM C Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church 11600 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos Our deepest sympathies to the family and a fond farewell to Chris.

ad news to report to the ABYC family, Joyce Rosenthal has passed on. Joyce had been ill for about 3 weeks, was undiagnosed and has unexpectedly expired. S Joyce was married to long time ABYC club treasurer Elliot Rosenthal and was she was very active in the kitchen with Mary Smith during Al Smith’s commodoreship, especially during the Women’s Worlds in 1991. Details on Joyce’s memorial service will be announced to the membership as soon as they are received. Our deepest sympathies to the family and a fond farewell to Joyce. armchaircruise anuary 27th of the Armchair Cruise put on by Judy Mathias and Carol Reynolds. This will be at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim, and is a comedy, Moon Over Buffalo. The Children’s Benefit League puts on this special performance Jto raise money for a very worthwhile cause. The cost is only $25 and is tax deductible. The League’s members always provide complimentary snacks and very reasonably priced wine. It is always a lot of fun so don’t miss it. Doors open at 7 PM for snacks and wine and the play starts at 7:30 PM. All ABYC members and guests are invited. Call Judy Mathias at 562 434-0767 for tickets and further information. George Caddle whichclub ? ello ABYC Members! Todd Smith, Cathy Black–Smith and Jeff Merrill organized all of the framed burgees on Hthe second deck by typing up an inventory list, noting precise locations and then carefully packing them up until construction is done. The hope is to put up a fresh coat of paint and then re-hang our wonderful burgee collection. One burgee is unidentified. It is the one shown in the photo with the red cross. Commodore Merrill is offering a free drink at the bar if you are the first to email him with the correct identification of the unknown burgee. Send your winning answer to [email protected] and put “Burgee Identification” in the subject line. Thanks!

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 9 boxing daywrap up Eric Conn photos symmetric spinnakers, gaff rigs, bow sprits, code zeroes, bloopers, trapezes - the Boxing Day race had it all. A The weather for Alamitos Bay Yacht Club’s 11th Annual Boxing Day Pursuit Race was near perfect; light breeze, blue skies and sunshine a chamber of commerce day. Fifty-one boats in nineteen different classes entered with enthusiasm on Sunday morning. Once again sailors arrived with an assortment of the normal and not so normal boats providing a challenge for the handicappers. Boats ranged from the easy to rate Naples Sabots, the unusual Dyer Dhou and the not so easy, a Sharpie Rowing Skiff. The Race Committee was kept busy getting the fifty-one boats underway with sixteen separate starts some only one minute apart. The Sabot class was divided into five sub-classes A’s, B’s and C1’s, C2’s and C3’s to provide opportunities for the less experienced junior sailors to win. The starting line was between the ABYC Race Tower and a nearby Christmas Tree, and the Dyer Dhou led the boats away. Steven Hopkins and Robin Townsend both sailing Naples Sabots were exchanging the lead for much of the first half of the race. Unfortunately the wind died away to nothing leaving the entire fleet becalmed, and when the wind did fill the Naples Sabots were the last to receive the new breeze and their early advantage was soon gone. The wind filled from the west sweeping down the course filling everyone’s sails and restarting the race. Despite the conditions familiar names were leading the different classes, Stan Gibbs lead the way in the Cal 20 fleet, Bruce Golison in Lido 14;s and Chris Raab with an impressive lead in the class. David Klatt (VYC) sailing his Pyramid 660 found that his Code Zero was the perfect sail for the conditions, sweeping past boat after boat as he climbed the rankings. While Stan Gibbs (Cal 20), Bruce Golison (Lido 14) continued to catch Chris Raab (Mercury 18) but time was running out. With only ten minutes remaining in was clear that no one was going to catch Chris Raab (Mercury 18) and that he would add the Boxing Day title to his victories in the Mercury 18 Class Championship, and US Sailing Champion of Champions titles. The question was who would fill the remaining top spots Eric Conn (Mercury 18) and Brad Bergeron (Mercury 18) rounded out the top three spots. David Klatt (Pyramid 660) finishing fourth was able to get in amongst the Mercury 18’s, with Stan Gibbs (Cal 20) and Bruce Golison (Lido 14) in hot pursuit but not quite able to break into the top five.

Final Results 1 Chris Raab (ABYC) Mercury 18 2 Eric Conn (ABYC) Mercury 18 3 Brad Bergeron (SlBYC) Mercury 18 4 David Klatt (VYC) Pyramid 660 5 Thomas Priest (HLBC) Mercury 18

Other Trophy Winners Cal 20 Stan Gibbs Steven Hopkins Lido 14 Bruce Golison Boats with Beds Class Cardinal Sin, Dave Rustigan Rent a Boat Class Freedo, Alex Cross A GREAT time was had by all sailing against competitors and boats that they rarely see on the bay. Trophies were presented on the second deck, with lobbying for improved handicaps next year for some already starting at the bar. Next year’s Boxing Day Race will be on Saturday December 31, 2011. Results http://www.abyc.org Mark Townsend

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 10 morechristmas party ...from page 1

hails fromthe fleets

ou’West Exclusive The heated contest for size between Fleet Six of Alamitos Bay and Fleet One of Newport Beach has S entered a new phase. On Saturday the 11th of December, Fleet Six escalated the battle by rolling out their latest weapon, creating new members from within existing ranks. It not only embraces the concept a family organization, but gives member swelling a new meaning. The latest salvo came when newlywed Suzy Swezea announced during the 51st Fleet Six Holiday Party that she is on the nest. Suzy is a former top-flight collegiate sailor and in one year has climbed the ranks of the B Fleet. Saturday she was sung into the A Fleet for her thrashing of the B Fleet during this year’s Halloween Regatta. Procreating from within is not unusual for Fleet Six; Chuck Babcock admitted Scott was conceived at an unspecified fleet function with the help of copious amounts of wine. Husband Bill Swezea, newcomer to sailing, and despite being a devotee of that lonely sport of surfing, is believed to be partially responsible. In honor of his efforts, he received the Dueling Pistol Award, not so much for in-boat squabbles, but for unloading his gun at exactly Suzy just starting to show the right moment. Suzy told the gathered group, “I’ll be out of commission until July, so Bill is available to anyone who wants him until then.” With that Just one more Lisa and you can have your own fleet! statement, Suzy not only demonstrated her generosity to Fleet Six, but assured herself of the 2011 Foot in the Mouth Award. On that subject, the 2010 Winner of the Foot in The Mouth award went to 7-year old Bobbie Little. While skippering offwind, he looked over to Kevin and Kelly showing the interfleet love that comes his fidgeting dad, Peaches Little, and said, “I want a new crew.” This is the to those that sail the bay first of many perpetuals that will bear Bobbies Little’s name. ...continued page 12

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 11 hails fromthe fleets ...from page 11

And getting back to the loaded gun category, Kevin Thomas accepted the Hot As A Pistol Award. During the Twilite season, Kevin and Kelly Cantley traveled down from Fleet Two, Marina Del Rey, and for months were winning the Fleet Six Twilite Series (until Porland cement was funneled into her flotation tanks. Welcome to the LBC.). Cap’n Paul Makielski, as his last official act, self awarded the Hole in the Head Trophy, not for wrapping the anchor chain “Hey Ed what are you wearing to Twilites tonite?” around the committee boat prop Ed note: no rights when approaching from astern. as many would have thought, but for serving eight cases of Spyder energy drink at Junior National Champs. It took about a month, but the parents reported their children’s sleep patterns Riley Gibbs just before being poisoned by Cap’n Paul did return to normal. at the Junior Champs Paul, with Ed Spotskey,also captured the Loving Cup Award from Chris and Don Taugher. It is confirmed that Paul and Ed have an unusually close relationship, but it will not result in an increase in fleet membership. DADT. Sarah Ryan’s term as new fleet captain is eagerly awaited to restore a modicum of civility to the fleet. Despite losing the Loving Cup, Chris Taugher did not go away trophy-less. She received the coveted Martini Marilyn award, named after Fleet Six imbiber of legendary talent, Marilyn Dana Bell and Pam Ott-Conn help Chris Taugher keep count:the Hutchinson. Chris, a registered nurse, won for self-medicating new Fleet Six math where everyone wins! during the Summer Solstice celebration. The award was given not so much for the medication, the Citrus Gin Martini, but for the dosage: claiming only two martinis while signaling one and the reality being closer to three. The surprise winner of the Port Tack Award was our own Bruce Golison. Bruce could not attend because of a schedule conflict with his rules seminar. He won for his Labor Day infractions of rule 18.3 Tacking When Approaching a Mark, not once, but twice, during the same race and for fouling the same competitor, the mild mannered Steve “Blow Dog” Bloemeke, both times. Bruce did do his circles and apologized profusely, but it was good to see that even the Intergalactic Etchells and Champion can make a mistake (or two). The Port Tack Award, along with his North American and US Championship trophies, now gives Bruce an impressive trifecta for his trophy shelf. The evening, however, belonged Bruce Golison proud recipient of one of Fleet Six’s to Lido 14 World highest honors Champion Mark Ryan. Mark was the overall winner of the 70 race, six month Twilite Series for the A Fleet. (Kathy Reed for B Fleet). And if that wasn’t enough, for the second Another one bites the dust! Mark Ryan, World Champion Trailer year running, Mark Ryan also won the Trailer Trash Award, not for Demolisher ruining his own trailer as he did last year, but by borrowing and destroying both Tarek Elsharhawy’s and Ed Spotskey’s trailers, a double header never achieved in Lido sailing. Senior fleet members have counseled Mark that a Lido fits well on a Finn trailer. Since Finn sailors simply drag their boats to water’s edge in a sort of Neanderthal way, they won’t notice their trailer is missing anyway. (And most Finn sailors aren’t even aware of the invention of the wheel). There is also some truth to the rumor that Mark Ryan is trying to grow Lido sailors in a similar manner as the Swezeas, but as of yet is unable to locate the right partner. For his efforts in recruiting the opposite sex, namely using 9

...continued next page sou’wester • january 2011 • page 12 hails fromthe fleets ...from page 12 different female crews within the same season, Mark won the Crazy Train Award. Mark has offered to help propagate any other fleet using the new Fleet Six’s Member Enhancement Program. Men, hide your daughters and sisters. Other proud award winners in no particular order of sobriety:

Cindy Heavrin received the cooking award for casserole- It took Mark a few tries to get this romance thing right., but when he did— (Thank ing Bruce back to full body weight while he was you ladies of Fleet Two for helping him out).

Bruce Wasson had the most impressive capsize as he was painting the hoist. Note the sympathetic head gear worn by the fleet when he received his club burgee.

Patti Acosta, wins for EMAIL ABUSE in sending out party reminders on an hourly basis (Hair dye abuse too. She’s not a natural blonde.)

John Gresham didn’t dress himself or his Lido properly (note the Cal 20 main)

All season, Walter “Big” Johnson suffered from Blade Dysfynction, pointed out by disappointed Steph Reed and Evelyn Sanchez.

“The window should be about this big.” Seriously, Tracy Conn honored for years of thankless work as measurer and treasurer. ...continued page 14 sou’wester • january 2011 • page 13 hails fromthe fleets ...from page 13

And last but not least, Amanda Kroeger went from committee boat to From our fleet to yours, Happy Holidays and come sail a Lido! We’ll get skippering in just one season. She brought up the rear in that regatta, you a boat and a crew. but what a joy to see (Her rear not pictured here.)

Thelonious P Bilgewater

he 2010 racing season for the Alamitos Bay Etchells fleet ended on a wild and wooly—and savory—note as members of Alamitos Bay Etchells Fleet 18 gathered for the last fleet regatta of T the year on November 28, the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Seven teams showed up for the day, which was blustery and cold; one team decided that “discretion was the better part of valor” and tossed in the towel before the regatta began; six others went out, and all came back, but only four sailed the last of three races. The oldest boat in the field, SPIRIT, with Don Burdge at the helm and with Jim Barber in the crew, won the first race. It was their high moment, as it was the only race they finished: they came in after that, as did Chris Wells and Company. Second in that race went to Argyle Campbell, a former ABYC member from Newport Harbor Yacht Club who sailed as a member of the local fleet at the 2010 Etchells Worlds in Ireland, won the remaining two races to take the regatta title. Three tough contenders—the teams of Tom Corkett, Rich Vaught (with Bob Bishop) and Ken Frost/Jamie Hardenbergh (with Jane Frost as crew) fought it out for second. Corkett took that place, but only by a point—and Vaught won the tiebreaker. In fact, that was the order of finishes in the last race. Ron Wood, with Vicki Vaught and Terry Bishop, ran the races. And the “savory” part? Bob Bishop turned his hand to deep-frying two Turkey Day trophies and serving it to the fleet upstairs after the races. Thus endeth 2010. The new year looks to be a busy one as fleet members vie for places on the starting line of the 2011 Etchells Worlds to be held at the Yacht Club. Etchells class rules require a Worlds Qualifying Series, and for Fleet 18 that’ll be two two-day regattas, one in March and another in April. The 2011 Fleet Championship Series will start with the SCYA Midwinter Regatta in February. Before that, however, there’ll be a fleet regatta in late January and the annual Super Bowl Regatta in Alamitos Bay in February. So watch for news on the doings among the Alamitos Bay Etchells Fleet in the new year. Chris Ericksen

ebruary ABYC Membership Meeting On the evening of February 18th, eve of the SCYA Midwinter Regatta, the ABYC Laser Fleet is F hosting the General Membership Meeting. A tasty selection of Chinese delicacies is on the menu for the dinner portion of our gathering and after dinner, our speaker is Ms. Monica Eichler, Project Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Long Beach Harbor Breakwater Removal Feasibility Study. Ms. Eichler is scheduled to present and discuss the very topical issue of the Long Beach Harbor Breakwater future. This presentation should prove very interesting to ABYC sailors as well as local member-residents poised to be effected by any changes to the breakwater. So make plans to join us for dinner and more Friday evening February 18th 2011. 2011 ABYC Laser & Radial Fleet Championship In an effort to encourage participation in ABYC hosted regattas and reward high placement in these events, the 2011 ABYC Laser and Fleet Championship will be determined by results and participation in the following ABYC ...continued next page sou’wester • january 2011 • page 14 hails fromthe fleets ...from page 14 regattas: E.E. Manning Series Regatta Olympic Classes Regatta Memorial Day Holiday Regatta 4th of July Holiday Regatta ABYC Multi-Hull Regatta: Each ABYC Laser Fleet member will receive ten (10) Participation Points for each day of participation in management of this event. Laser District 25 Championship/ABYC Labor Day Holiday Regatta Charity Regatta Halloween Regatta Turkey Day Regatta ABYC Laser/Radial Fleet competitors earn points in reverse order of their placing in a regatta, i.e. the first place finisher will receive points equal to the total number of competitors in the race. To encourage participation, each racer will also receive points equal to half the total number of competitors in the regatta. Competitors with the highest combined total of Place and Participation points will be the respective fleet champions and earn the privilege to be ABYC Laser Fleet representatives in the 2012 ABYC Club Championship. 2011 at ABYC is packed with any number of Laser/ Radial racing events from local fleet races and the ABYC Holiday Series to Laser Midwinters West and Laser Nationals at California YC, as well as the U.S. SAILING Area J Qualifier at ABYC for the Men’s (Laser) and Women’s (Radial) Singlehanded Championship for the prestigious O’Day trophy, so hose off your Laser, strap on your pants and join us on the water in 2011. Log-on to the ABYC Laser Fleet website for schedules, news and updates anytime: http://www.fleetracing.net/index.cfm?fleet_id=15 Steven Smith, ABYC Laser Fleet Co-Captain

The Fleet to Be In!

e had great weather this year for the Cal 20 fun run. Ten boats showed up to race and there was enough wind to keep everyone happy. Rick Roberts put on a good event and if you see him W around tell him Thanks! Chris Raab and Dave Crocket sailed consistently to grab 1st place. Jeff Ives and Phil Soma also sailed fast and were WAY in front a couple of times. Thanks for sailing every one. Results: 1. Maniacal 2. Bravura 3. Rubber Dog Keep the fleet alive!! Dan Bates, Jeff Ives

KEEL BOAT FLEET ON WATCH

hen you take long time friends, great piano music, a libation or two and excellent hors d’oeuvres there has got to be a super party and so it was at the Keel Boat/Sabotier Christmas get together. WJudy Mathias, Mary Riddick and Bob Chubb jumped right in to help Joe Riddick, who had a recent health set back, and the Christmas party went off as planned. The music from our favorite pianist, Rhonda Rubio, was perfect and we all enjoyed her family who sang carols along with our fleet members. John Massey joined in with his ukulele. John Perone won the raffle and promptly gave the money to the Fleet treasurer. Lorraine Perone provided tamales that were outstanding and not a crumb was left on the plate that Marilyn McMahon brought her home made English toffee on. I could go on and on about the great goodies to eat but suffice to say everyone out did themselves in the treats they brought to the party. Several games and the singing of the Twelve Days of Christmas with the different tables singing the verses wrapped up another terrific party. The month of January has a lot going on for the Keel Boat Fleet. January 14 is the Keel Boat Fleet meeting and potluck dinner. Joe and Mary Riddick are in charge of the meeting. Cocktails at 6 PM, potluck dinner at 7 PM followed by the meeting. January 21 is the ABYC general membership meeting of which our fleet is in charge. Judy Mathias has a great speaker lined up whose subject is GPS. January 27 is the Armchair Cruise put on by Judy and Carol Reynolds. This will be at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim, and is a comedy, Moon Over Buffalo. The Children’s Benefit League puts on this special performance to raise money for a very worthwhile cause. The cost is only $25 and is tax deductible. The League’s members always provide complementary snacks and very reasonable priced wine. It’s always a lot of fun so don’t miss it. Doors open at 7 PM for snacks and wine and the play starts around 7:30 PM. Have a very happy holiday and lots of good sailing in 2011 George sou’wester • january 2011 • page 15 PRSRT STD U. S. Postage Alamitos Bay Yacht Club ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED PAID Long Beach, CA 7201 East Ocean Boulevard Permit No. 685 Long Beach, California 90803

februarygeneral meeting he ABYC Laser Fleet is hosting the February General Membership Meeting. A tasty selection of Chinese delicacies is on the menu for the dinner portion of our gathering and after dinner, our speaker is; Ms. Monica Eichler, Project TManager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Long Beach Harbor Breakwater Removal Feasibility Study. Ms. Eichler is scheduled to present and discuss the very topical issue of the Long Beach Harbor Breakwater future. This presentation should prove very interesting to ABYC sailors as well as local member-residents poised to be affected by any changes to the breakwater. So make plans to join us for dinner and more Friday evening February 18th 2011.

januarygeneral meeting Friday, January 21st Keel Boat Fleet member, Judy Mathias, has secured a super program for the ABYC January 21, 2011 General Meeting. At the suggestion of Barney Flam, Judy has arranged for a GPS program as the Keel Boat Fleet/Sabotiers have the duty. Judy went through many phone calls, called in all of her outstanding favors owed to her to secure this program. Dean Stanek, manager of our local West Marine store, will be the guest speaker.

sou’wester • january 2011 • page 16