August 2019 WHERE Is the BURGEE?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
St. Francis Yacht Club MAINSHEET August 2019 WHERE is the BURGEE? Commodore Paul Heineken, new members Jim & Ellen Lussier, S/C Terry Anderlini and Janet Heineken on a Mt. Shasta climb, which the Lussiers won at the 2019 StFSF Auction John Collins, John Callahan and Peter Vessella somewhere in the Gulf Stream Pam & Peter McGuire at the Hassan II James & Linda Rea at the Temple of (most likely off Cape Hatteras) delivering S/Y EPIQUE from Charleston to Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco Poseidon (God of the Seas) in Greece Newport Bill & Gerry Brinton at the Monaco Yacht Club in May, just in from a cruise A Martha's Vineyard cruise from Boston via Hadley Harbor and Nantucket with the Friels, around The Mediterranean. "We were quite hurried and got our beloved the Brennans and the Bilgers burgee going the wrong way! A great trip nonetheless." Philip & Patricia Larson, Tom & Sheila Lynch, Angela & Bob McIntire, and Sue Chuck Stuckey & Donna Eng at Royal Southern Yacht Club in Southampton, UK & John Sobrato at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club in the Exumas, Bahamas The Mainsheet (ISSN 10641688) is published monthly by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Vol. XXVI No. 6. Periodical Postage Paid at San Francisco, CA. Subscription price, $30.00 per year, included in annual membership dues. Nick Ranahan at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, where he is S/C Bruce & Lynne Munro on a CCA cruise in the Halsey Richartz & Laura Levy at the 119th US training as an officer in the Marines. Nick hiked the burgee out for a Stockholm Archipelago Open at Pebble Beach, at the Pebble Beach week-long field exercise and snapped this photo right before an attack! Club in Stillwater Cove Bob & Janet Higgins and Erick & Tina Christensen Morgan & Julie Paxhia in the Galapagos Islands, Getting ready to walk the purple carpet at the Aladdin film premiere join the 150MPH+ Club at the Las Vegas Motor pictured on Espanola Island with two Blue with Kim Meek and Charlie Griffith Speedway driving Richard Petty NASCARs Footed boobies in the background In the Sheet August 2019 St. Francis Yacht Club 2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMODORE: Paul A. Heineken COLUMNS VICE COMMODORE: Ken Glidewell 02 From the Chairman REAR COMMODORE: William H. Dana, Jr. 03 From the Commodore CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Paul Cayard 05 From the GM/COO DIRECTORS Stephen Gould Pamela Healy AROUND THE CLUB Elizabeth Little Geoffrey Mulligan 06 MDC: New member sponsorship incentive Carolyn Patrick 07 Photos: Fourth of July on Tinsley David Wilson, Jr. John Vrolyk 08 House: Refreshing our clubhouse APPOINTED OFFICERS 09 Women: What to expect at the Women's Cruise John Collins, Secretary 11 Wine: Billecart-Salmon event on the horizon Michelle Harris, Assistant Secretary 13 New Members: Joined in June and July Larry Swift, Treasurer Nadine Franczyk, Assistant Treasurer John Fitzgerald, General Counsel THE HOST WITH THE MOST 17 Regatta Preview: Aldo Alessio and Kiting North Americans MAINSHEET 19 RBBS: Back to the future with a classic class EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Meredith Laitos 20 Behind the Scenes: Meet the staff of the Race Office CHIEF DESIGNER: Anna Hoit COPY EDITOR: Scott Armstrong 21 Beginner's Luck: Report from a Get Your Feet Wet sailor CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: 22 Sailor Spotlight: Gerard Sheridan, ERC Chair Scott Armstrong, Graham Biehl, Leslie Blakely, Daniel Forster/ROLEX, Sharon Green, Chris Ray, Gerard 23 Race Reports: NYYC 175th, Transpac finishes and more Sheridan, Amy Velasco, Sam Weissman 26 Cruising: New educational cruise in September ST. FRANCIS YACHT CLUB T: 415-563-6363 ON THE HORIZON F: 415-563-8670 27 Wednesday Yachting Luncheon: August speakers STFYC.COM 28 Calendar of Events: August & September For address changes, contact [email protected], 415-820-3702 or Membership Director, St. Francis Yacht Club, 700 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94123 Connect with Us! St. Francis Yacht Club St. Francis Yacht Club - Racing St. Francis Yacht Club - Tinsley Island On the Cover: StFYC-flaggedRio100 nearing @StFYC StFYC the finish line at Diamond Head at the 50th Transpac, to win the Merlin Trophy Photo by Sharon Green from your CHAIRMAN Race Management: Our Secret Sauce hen I heard that theme staff, and dock staff, for all you do! of this month’s MINDING OUR BUSINESS WMainsheet was our race Around the club, June was a quiet month. We had a management, I had to admit: I know negative variance to budget mostly due to a low month in very little about what goes on behind catering and private event bookings. July is booked to the scenes. But, as a 40-year budget and August is going to beat budget in catering. In participant on the output end of our June we also served fewer covers in our dining spaces. It race management, I know that our looks like you all got the kids out of school and left town. club runs outstanding races. Further, Overall, we are still ahead of budget and expect to finish we have a worldwide reputation for 2019 with a financial “beat.” Budgeting season for 2020 running outstanding races. I also has started and to that end we are aligning our know it requires a lot of planning, committees, staff and board on our goals for 2020. organization and execution to make our regattas run Tinsley Island is looking beautiful thanks to our tireless smoothly. Back when I joined the Club in the mid ‘70s, this Toilers and great staff. Get on up there and enjoy one of was entirely done by volunteers. In 1981, we hired our first the most unique perks of being a member of St. Francis professional race manager. We were a front-runner in this Yacht Club. I will be in residence on Faster Horses, August arena, and the sailing world followed. These days, it is 8–12. Stop by for a beer. standard operating procedure for most major yacht clubs In closing, I come back to racing and our new Race around the world to have a professionally managed race Committee vessel, which is currently at a boatyard on the program. Bay getting a tune-up before being put into action later in Still, we continue to be heavily indebted to a great August. I think the 32-foot power catamaran sourced by group of members who spend countless hours working our Executive Race Committee will be perfect for the task with our race staff to conduct over 45 on-water events of running races on the Bay. She is stable, fuel-efficient each year. I have attended a few Executive Race and provides a large platform for operations. I believe a Committee meetings this year and I am impressed with christening may be in order sometime this fall! their organization and passion. This committee, led by Gerard Sheridan, not only creates the opportunities for our members and other sailors in the community to enjoy sailboat racing—they produce at a level of quality that makes us all proud. Paul Cayard The work is not simple. There is: scheduling, race Chairman of the Board documents, equipment, on-water assets, fuel, [email protected] insurance, hospitality ashore, staffing, coordinating volunteers and working with the U.S. Coast Guard, City and National Parks for permits. And, after we get done with all that preparation, we then have responsibility and potential liability. We have to be safety conscious. We require lifejackets to be worn by all competitors and we receive top insurance guidance from our Insurance Committee led by 47-year member, Harry Humphrey. We have also become environmentally conscious. We are committed to reducing waste and in particular the use of plastics at our regattas. We provide reusable water bottle filling stations and recycling bins. As a club, we have attained Gold Level status rating from Sailors for the Sea. Our sights are set on the highest level, Platinum, which we expect to attain within this year. Racing sailboats is at our core. We were founded to do that, and we will always do that. Thank you, ERC, race St. Francis Yacht Club • MAINSHEET 2 from your COMMODORE Making Our Mark t’s been said that the first sailboat WHO ARE SOME OF THESE AMAZING PEOPLE? race occurred when the second I sailboat was launched. Ron Tony Chargin, the owner of the best volunteer Rolodex Young has researched sailing on SF anywhere, and someone who strives for perfection—even Bay and determined that the first under SF Bay conditions. Did I mention he is an optimist? races occurred in the mid-1850s. Shortly thereafter, race rules and Alan Laflin, who is out all day on the Bay in shorts, race management were born. Why? sporting a smile while training new volunteers in his many So bets could be fairly settled. mark set tricks. Sailboat racing has come a long way in 160 years. Over the last 92 Mike Mahoney who takes his humor and energy years, the StFYC has actively wherever he is on the Bay or at the Club, volunteering for contributed to many of those changes. I’ve personally any job asked. experienced only 42 of those years, but 42 is enough to know that our ERC has made a remarkable mark on the world of yacht racing. Let’s look at some events it has created and the people who make it all work. In the 1960s, the Club created the Rolex Big Boat Series, which put us on the international yachting map. When I moved to SF in 1975 I was thrilled to see Windward Passage racing around the buoys on the Bay. In recent years, Susan Ruhne has been leading this regatta with unparalleled passion.