Volume 83, Number 11 November 2011

Scholastic on the Bay

The 2011-12 High School Sailing Season In the Gold Fleet, Patrick Tara and Griffin is in full swing. Fourteen SCYC Juniors, in seven Lay finished fourth, while David Yang-Murray and boats, competed in NorCal # 3, Encinal YC’s annual Arvin Pourmand finished 17th (in Arvin’s first ever Pumpkin Regatta held on October 16th in the Alameda regatta). In the Silver Fleet, Christina Gasparich and Estuary. Last year, this event drew 72 boats, and was Kristin Fauske finished 6th, one point ahead ofJulian recognized as the largest High School regatta ever held Martinez and Talia Rozenbaum. In their first ever in the Bay Area. This year, EYC attempted to limit the Scholastic regatta, Nicholas Lenz and Kyle Hunt fin- fleet to 60, but entries still sneeked up to 68, 34 each in ished 22nd, and James Arnerich and Morgan Miller Gold and Silver Fleets. EYC’s Steve Grove ran a fault- finished 28th in Silver. It was noticeable that, as the less 10 race series, with starts going off like clockwork breeze built, our SCYC boats finishes began to steadily every 15 minutes, except for two general recalls in the improve. Gold Fleet. Conditions were warm and sunny, with Finally, an added bonus was that the Silver breeze ranging from very light air for the first three Fleet was blitzed by SCYC junior Mike Pacholski, a races, up to a maximum of 8-10 knots. Pinto Lake alum and past El Toro Junior North Ameri- November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

Greetings from the Helm can Champion, now sailing for Peninsula Youth Sailing Wow, what a year. And we still have a lot to Foundation (Mike lives in Los Altos and must, unfortu- do. Please join us Sunday, November 6th for the Annual nately, sail for a school in that district). General Membership Meeting at 4:00pm (Don’t forget daylight savings time). The bar will be open before and Paul Tara after the meeting with appetizers following the results. Scholastic Sailing Director There are no constitutional changes this year but we have an excellent slate of officers for you to vote on:

Commodore Dave Emberson Vice Commodore Rob Schuyler Rear Commodore Barry Whittall Treasurer Chuck Murray Secretary Don Conant Director Tom Webster Director Lou Pambianco

The following Sunday is the Annual New Members Dinner. Barbara Booth, your Membership Chairperson, has decided to mix it up a little by having a buffet style dinner which should provide more mingling between members and instead of speeches there will be photos showcasing the year twenty-eleven. Everyone is invited but especially new members and their sponsors.

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We want to see all you Corinthians as well. Please find the menu on page 15 of this month’s Spinnaker Sheet. I realize the year is not over but I would like to thank the current 2011 Board of Directors as well as all the Committee Heads, volunteers and all of you mem- bers for making this a year to remember. There have been a lot of changes over the past few years and more changes ahead of us and we couldn’t do it without all of your time, energy and passion. Thank you for your continued support and may you have a Happy Thanks- giving. Michael, Rob and I attended and got to meet our Michael Wood counterparts at the other Monterey Bay clubs. We Commodore then departed in an effort to attend Octoberfest at SCYC. Unfortunately we got caught in a terrible traf- Vice Commodore’s Report fic jam in Watsonville due to a fatal auto accident and it took us 2-1/2 hours to get back to Santa Cruz. By It was my privilege to serve as the principal the time we got to the clubhouse everyone was gone! race officer for the 5o5/ Regatta and the Anyway, we heard Octoberfest was great. Sorry we Jack & Jill Race on October 8th and 9th. I want to missed it! commend the race committee volunteers on a job Our October hearing with the City zoning well done—really well done! We had three Hobie administrator was continued to November 2nd because fleets, the 5o5s and the Jack & Jill competitors on the of a glitch with our tree permit. By the time you read race course at the same time. On Saturday, the RC this it should be straightened out and our permitting got off twenty start sequences without a hitch and we process should be back on track. We are working to had nearly that many starts on Sunday. My heart- minimize any delays this may have caused. felt thanks to RC volunteers John Buchanan, Dave Don’t forget the Regatta Committee Appre- Kitchen, Kris North, Don Radcliffe, Chris Lash, ciation Dinner on 11/5, the Annual General Meeting John Wurster, Ashley Zaninovich, Gene Sofen and at SCYC on 11/6 and the New Members Dinner on Magdalena Naef. (My apologies if I left anyone out.) 11/13. See you there! What a team! Everyone had a great time and after- wards we had 72 people up to the clubhouse for a fine Dave Emberson taco bar prepared by Scott and Sandy of Kiss Cater- Vice Commodore ing. If you would like to get in on the fun and help out with race committee duties please don’t hesitate to contact me. We are always looking for RC volunteers. The flag officers of Monterey Peninsula YC sponsored a pot-luck at their clubhouse for the flag officers from Elkhorn YC, Stillwater YC and SCYC.

(Vice Commodore, Dave Emberson, having fun at the Pink Ladies Dance Party) 3 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

Rear Commodore (Social) Corinthian Oktoberfest

Pink Ladies Rock The Corinthians also had an Oktoberfest dinner this month. Mack Ellis spent the entire day preparing deli- A dance of the ages took place at the club that cious appetizers and Lauren Linkemyer joined the involved five generations of music played on a jukebox. party in time to help serve food in her German outfit. The well-attended event included Juniors, Corinthians Then we went to Fast Eddies to play a little pool. It was and Regular members aged 5 to 95 who were able to a ton of fun. choose their favorite music from the jukebox. It was amazing fun. It felt so good to celebrate life with our Adam Webster Foundation Dinner friends and families in our yacht club. Special thanks to De Schuyler and Jan DeWitt for their organization and Tom and Judy Webster held the 10th Annual they were assisted by Chris Borror and Marilyn Diola. Adam Webster Memorial Dinner to enable special Look out as the Pink Ladies’ gang is growing and they needs children to go out and experience the ocean on are talking about another dance next year. the O’Neil Sea Odyssey. Judy decorated the room and the club looked elegant. The food was incredible. Oktoberfest Dinner Upcoming Events Kiss put together another excellent Sunday buffet themed dinner this month. The food was out of this There are a lot of social events this month. Come to world. Well, actually from Germany. We had a full them if you can. house with much laughter and cheer. These themed dinners are blossoming into must-do events. The next Regatta Appreciation Dinner on Saturday, November 5. Sunday Buffet will be “Thanksgiving” themed so mark Annual General Membership meeting, Sunday, Novem- your calendar now for November 20th. ber 6. New Member Dinner Sunday, November 13. Crab Feed, Saturday, November 26.

De and I hope see you there.

Amazing Volunteers

There are many amazing mem- bers who are giving their time and effort to make our club a better place. Lalaine Dowdell is one of these members who has been making huge contributions the last few months. Our Commodore, Michael Woods, appointed her to be the Promotions Chairperson. She has (Members Beat Naef and Janet Welch cutting since made major a rug at the Pink Ladies Dance Party) contributions. She 4 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

was a big part of the Corinthian sponsored Jack and Jill Auction and Art show. Currently, she is working on the Lighted Boat Parade and the French Acrobats and has put on events such as Texas Hold’em and Oscar Night. She is eager to help whenever she is asked. It has been an absolute pleasure working with her and getting to know her. Say hi to Lalaine and thank her for her amaz- ing efforts.

Robert Schuyler Rear Commodore Upcoming SCYC Events Calendar Santa Cruz Yacht Club

Last Wednesday Night BBQ Crab Feed November 2

Regatta Appreciation Dinner Corinthian Fundraiser November 5 Saturday, November 26 @ 5:30pm Annual General Membership Meeting November 6 $20.00 per person

New Members’ Dinner Includes Crab, Garlic Bread, Salad & Dessert November 13 Reservations Required Midwinters #1 831-425-0690 November 19

Thanksgiving Theme Dinner November 20

Thanksgiving Club Closed November 24

Crab Feed November 26

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Regatta Committee

The Regatta Committee is pleased to report that Beau Vrolyk has agreed to chair the commit- tee for 2012. Beau will have plenty of help next year, Kurt Hoffman and Gene Sofen have both joined the Regatta Committee. Gene will chair the new asset committee, and they will be in charge of the marks and shed. Kurt will be Beau’s backup and helping however he can. We have a great com- mittee for 2012 and we are all looking forward to working with Beau. Dave Emberson was PRO for the 505/ Hobie The committee wants to thank John Multi Hulls Regatta, here were 5 different classes and Buchanan for all his hard work this year and past 29 boats. Dave and his crew were really busy running years. 39 races in two days. Bruce Edwards was second The Champion of Champion Regatta for in the 505’s and Adam Borcherding was third in the 2010-2011 had to be canceled due to the tsunami. class. It has not yet been decided whether to claim the Thank you to all the 2011 regatta volunteers. tsunami as the winner or to combine this year’s en- It takes everyone’s help to run as many regattas as we trants with next year’s Champ of Champs Regatta. do. The Regatta Appreciation party will be Saturday November 5th, so if you haven’t signed up yet, it is not Jack & Jill too late. Please call the Yacht Club and sign up today.

Spinnaker Division Barbara Booth 1st place: Mark Langer 2nd Place: Carol Gordon Regatta Committee (part 2) 3rd Place: Bridget Binko Non-Spinnaker The Score Series came to an end this last Sun- 1st place: Todd Bredehoft day. It started out as a beautiful summer day but there 2nd place: Hilary Walecka was no wind. Just when we thought it was over, a won- 3rd place: Sydnie Moore derful 10-knot breeze filled in and we had an extremely Family pleasant sail to end the series. 1st place: Ross Clark 2nd place: Kristen Lenz A Division 1. Octavia One Design 2 Aboriginal 3. Heartbeat Santa Cruz 27 B Division 1st place: Warren Pelz 1. Rochinante 2nd place: Barry Whittall 2. Saffron 3rd place: Charlie Abraham 3. Double Espresso Moore 24 JAM Division 1st place: Steve Bourdow 1. Sailing Pair-A-Dice 2nd place: Sydnie Moore 2. Valkyrie 3rd place: Scott Nelson 3. Aeolian Santana 22 Double Handed Division 1st place: Mark Langer 1. Adios 2nd place: Fred Molnar & Bridget Binko 2. Nobody’s Girl 3rd place: Phil Vandenberg 3. Cadenza

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Midwinter Series SCYC Wet Slip Policies Come out and race in the Midwinter Series starting on November 19th. The series will begin on • Wet slip space is available to members and the third Saturday of November and run through March. visiting guests of reciprocal Yacht Clubs. Sign up on line on the SCYC website. • Guests may stay in the Yacht Club wet Racing slips up to three nights at no charge (limited depth/length). Mature Mariner Laser Regatta. There will be a Laser race for old guys in two months. The race will be • Members and dry slip holders, who are on Sunday, December 11 at 12:00 p.m. This will give registered to race, can leave their boats in the you plenty of time to get in shape, get some practice on water the night before and the night of a posted the club Lasers and maybe show some of the Juniors and SCYC race at no charge (Wednesday Night Corinthians you still have what it takes to go fast. Don Races are included). Radcliffe came out a few weeks ago and had a big smile on his face as he crossed the finish line ahead of some of • Members and dry slip holders, who are not the youngsters. registered to race, will be charged the follow- Second Sunday Laser Regattas will take place ing rates (per day). all winter long. Sign up on the SCYC website. Each Sunday will be a stand-alone event with trophy presenta- Rates: Summer Winter tions at the end of the day. The first regatta will be No- 4/1 - 10/31 11/1 - 3/31 vember 13th. We will resume our Friday Evening Laser Series in May. Monday – Thursday $10.00 $8.00 Friday – Sunday $16.00 $12.00 Rob Schuyler PRO CALIFORNIA – Chris Watts not only raced in the SCYC Member Racing Updates Rolex Big Boat Series on San Fransisco Bay this past month, but trimming offside upwind and the spinnaker downwind, aboard Brad Cooper’s, Tripp 43, TNT in Since this is a 2-month column, including the the IRC B division, Chris and his team finished in st1 end of August, September and much of October, we’ll place in their division, thereby winning a Rolex watch list events in order of completion… for the skipper! They scored 2,2,1,1,1,2,2, beating Swiftsure by 2 points. They actually also won the bay OREGON – August; In reporting on the Moore 24 Na- tour but Swiftsure got redress for a drifting mark and tionals and the Double Dammed race, we hadn’t gotten they corrected first in that race by a few seconds. Also the word that Dave Hodges, Scott Walecka and Doug participating in the series among others, were Brent Kirk, were up there racing in that crazy, windy venue on Ruhne, whose team Powerplay came in 2nd in IRC Adios and finished 2nd and 3rd respectfully! division A and Chris Deaver with other Santa Cruz sailors on Akela. Zhenya Kirueshkin-Stepanoff and his Hobie 33, Akyla continues to race on SF Bay racing in the Jazz Cup and is tied for the lead in the South Beach YC’s Salty Saturday Series. Crewing are Corinthians, Glenn Gray, Evan Diola and Ashley Zaninovich. They also won the Bay View Boat Club Champion of Champions this month with Glenn on the foredeck, scored three firsts out of three races. Ballenger, Philippe Kahn and Zhenya Kirueshkin-Stepanoff took the top 3 places in the 7 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

Richmond Yacht Club’s Totally Dinghy Regatta. my hotel room in Palma Mallorca, Spain. Here at the Philippe had a business appointment and could not Worlds and today was day one. A very nice attend all races – but he was still a major factor in the 10-15 knot seabreeze, which is what is on tap for the final placing. entire week. I am sailing with the Warpath team, which is the same boat, and crew that we had when we won FLORIDA – At the 2011 A Class North American the Windjammer race and the Day on the Bay one year Championships in Islamorada, Florida Paul Allen ago in Santa Cruz. The owner, Steve Howe, is the son of skippered in a regatta that saw only 4 races. The first Fred Howe who is or was a SCYC member. He had an 3 days saw no wind and after that, only blustery winds. Olsen 30 and an Express 37 both called Warpath. Any- The RC finally gave in to the weather and called the way, we kicked off with a 4,14 today in the first two of races. Paul finished 10th out of 40 boats. the ten race series. Last week I competed in the final TP52 Med Cup event in Barcelona where I joined Niklas FRANCE – Also in August, Dennis Bassano returned Zennstrom’s RAN. Niklas is a Swede who founded a little from the Grand Prix De Bretagne: Challenge Revert, tech company called SKYPE! They are a great team with in Cherrueix, France. There were 120 Char a Voile a very nice boat. He is the only “owner driver” in the (French for “wind chariot”, dirt boats to you and me) fleet and we managed to win the regatta. in attendance. Dennis raced in a very old class of three boats on the first day. On day 2 he raced in a fleet CROATIA – And again! After previous wins in Sar- of 38 and had a mid fleet finish. With a brand new dinia and Sweden, Andy’s team, Aqua won the third and class 2 loaner boat, he finished 2nd out of 10. Den- final RC44 regatta of the Season, the Adris Cup. With nis wrote that the weather was perfect and despite the the trio of wins, they were also awarded the crown as beach having many large holes with mud in them the the 2011, RC44 Tour Champions. Morgan was sailing competition was great and he was able to sail in shorts on Artemis when they finished nd2 despite major crunch- and tennis shoes the entire time (quite a rarity for the age. They were T-boned in the last event and the boat beach). This will be the site of the world champion- nearly sank. In the last three weeks it was shipped to the ships next year and Dennis was there doing a pre-run RC44 factory in Hungary where it went through a major of the course. Dennis met the mayor of the town, the re-construction. constable of the region and the president of the local club and gave them a SCYC burgee! SARDINIA – Then it was on to Porto Cervo in Sardinia for Morgan for the TP52 Worlds with RAN. Morgan’s SPAIN – The brothers in law were at it again in Palma team hammered out a victory and won the 2011 Conde Mallorca, Spain. Andy Estcourt and Morgan Larson de Godo City of Barcelona Trophy. Going into the final were both there competing in the Melges 32 World race only two points separated the top three challengers Championships. Congratulations to Andy (mainsheet for the final Regatta Trophy of the season. Bribon had trimmer) and his team on Goombay Smash for taking a one point lead on RÁN and two points on Quantum first place honors! Morgan, sailing on Warpath with Racing. RÁN started best, emerging off the start line in Steve Howe, penned this update “I’m writing from cleaner air, clear of the tussle for the committee boat end of the start line which saw Bribon and Quantum Racing both starting late off the line.

If you have info on where club members are racing, please feel free to pass along details to Bucciel@ aol.com. By Ellen Kett

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“Day On The Bay” Outstanding Success well before the deadline of 5 PM. Race Results:

One of the really good things about our yacht Overall Winners – Long Course and Division 1: club is the fact that we give back to the community. 1. Heartbeat Lou Pambianco For the last 25 years we have dedicated a special event 2. Animal Matt Lezin as a fundraiser for a community non-profit organiza- 3. Symmetry Howard Turner tion. Big Brothers Big sisters has been the recipient 4. Octavia Shepard Kett of our efforts for the past 20 years, and, frankly, who needs our support more than local children right now? Overall Winners – Short Course and Division 2: We really had excellent results! This year we 1. Pegasus Philippe Kahn raised $41,446 (net), slightly above last year’s total, 2. Enigma John Buchanan even though the Windjammer’s race was cancelled 3. Paddy Wagon Sean McBurney due to high seas. The cancellation caused a drop off 4. Gypsy Fred Molnar in attendance, but the difference was made up in new sponsorships and silent auction items. Division 3 The event is filled with activities including 1. Transition Ron Merrall a corporate reception for sponsors, race, barbeque, 2. Harmony Richard Curtin calamari booth, music, silent auction, raffles and enter- tainment. Everyone gets to participate… What a fun Division 4 Day on the Bay! All of this could not happen without 1. Gypsy Fred Molnar committee volunteers from the yacht club and Big 2. Sailing Pair O Dice Barry Keeler Brothers Big Sisters, who work for several months in 3. Jersey Girl Geoff Boraston advance to make it happen. 4. Saffron Frank Della Corte The Day was sunny with a 10-12kt breeze out Division 6 of the northwest allowing for all the boats to finish 1. Hobie One Stan Manning

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“Thank You” to our Major and Corporate Sponsors

This event would not be successful without your sponsorship. Thank you so much! Martinelli’s, Multi- verse, West Marine, Lee Kahn, System Studies Team Giving, Surf City Kiwanis, Elyxir, Jim Emerson, Granite Construction, Sierra & Sea Level Accomodations, Sea- side Co, and Windjammers. A fabulous corporate reception was put on by Lauren Linkemyer and her volunteers. KISS catering provided wonderful food for the event. Thank you Scott and Sandy! Paul Nichols handled the race results once again. Everything ran smoothly, thanks Paul! Our emcee was Karley Pope from the Seaside Company, who did a Acknowledgements great job once again. Susan & Joe Altmann handled the raffle prizes, Tom and Maryse Postlewaite coordinated Thanks to everyone who works so hard behind the silent auction. Bob and Carol Simpkins helped with the scenes, especially Bob Dewitt, chairman of our com- set-up. We would be remiss not to include all of the won- mittee for the past 15 years! Marie Cubillas, executive derful Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers. Thank you director of Big Brothers Big Sisters works tirelessly to everyone! enlist supporters and staff. Committee members include: If you are a new member or would like to vol- Susan Altmann, Maria Bispo (BBBS), Rich Branson unteer for our wonderful event and give back to your (BBBS) Jan Dewitt, Linda Garner (BBBS), Paul Nich- community please contact any of the committee mem- ols, Tom Postlewaite, and Bob Simpkins. bers. We’d love to have your participation next year. It’s a great way to get involved for a good cause.

Susan Altmann

Good Times At South Beach

A team of young, physically challenged sailors from SCYC, and their support crew, travelled to San Francisco to compete in The Herb Meyer Regatta, an event co-organized by South Beach Yacht Club and the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors. The races were held on Mc Covey Cove which offered-up its usual dish of puffy and shifty breezes (4-14 knots) for an afternoon of tight competition. There were three classes on the course at one time; Access Liberty, Access Liberty Servo and Access 303. For the five races, our crew sailed in 303’s. One thing to note here is the fact that rarely are these classes divided by age, it’s usually kids and adults going head to head. So it’s always great to see the younger ones finish so well! The SCYC skippers and their crew (in order of finish) were;

st (SCYC Commodore, Michael Wood, 1 Brandon Arthur/ Michael Levy th with BB/BS Executive Director and 4 David Doherty/ Rachel Hoffman (Corinthian) th Honorary member Marie Cubillas) 5 Chis Bailey/Wilson Fletcher 10 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

Huge Success

On Saturday, October 22nd, Tom and Judy Web- ster hosted the 10th Annual Adam Webster Memorial The support crew of very helpful parents, club Fund Silent Auction and Dinner at the Santa Cruz Yacht members, and friends were: John Fraser, Gene Sofen, Club. Carla Miller, Wendy Bailey, Irene Benitez and me. John, Judy Webster along with help from Lynette Wilson, Michael and David towed the GUARDIAN to the & Lorenzo Rota, Steve & Ann Niemann, and Hank St. Francis YC, launched her there and enjoyed a couple Cureton & Barbara Karleen transformed the club into of trips by the City Front going to and from South Beach. a fall wonderland with beautiful centerpieces and table Also, I hear they got THE GRAND TOUR of STFYC! settings. Plates were counted and stacked in order to get We are looking forward to more racing in the near the kitchen prepared for Executive Chef Brian Woods of future and preparing for the NAs in ‘13 and the Worlds in Johnny’s Harborside to come in and perform his magic. ‘14 are both coming to San Francisco. Many, many thanks Guests started to arrive at 5:00 and were greeted to all involved. by the music of JazzA. As guests mingled and browsed through the Silent Auction items, JazzA provided cool George Arthur jazz sounds and a little swing for some great rounds of Director Adaptive Sailing Program dancing. They were also treated to passed appetizers of SCYC Smoked Rainbow Trout Crostini with pickled onions and lemon/dill Crème, Beef Carpaccio in a Crispy Parmesan Bowl, and Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce. At 6:30 the guests were seated for the first course of Crispy Pork Belly with Granny Smith Apple Risotto Cake and a Chipotle Caramel Sauce. This delicious appetizer was followed by salad of Frisée Lettuce with Vanilla Orange Vinaigrette, Candied Pecans, and Blue Cheese Crumbles. The Entré of Peperonata of Corvina Sea Bass with Confit of Fingerling Potatoes was served with flair. Just when you thought you couldn’t eat another bite, the wait staff brought out dessert. It was a Butternut Squash Panna Cotta with White Chocolate Mousse and Caramel Sauce and truly was a piece of art. At the meal’s end, the master of ceremonies, Tom Webster introduced the volunteers and when Chef Brian entered the room he was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation. It certainly was a meal that will (The whole gang all smiles) be hard to beat next year. Again, this year, there was a drawing for the “Pot-O-Gold.” Vance Landis-Carey

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won and graciously donated it back to the Fund. Back in the Old Days… An event like this cannot happen without the support of volunteers and donors. We would like to This article came about from a chance meet- thank: Sheri and Jeff Moise of Johnny’s Harborside, ing with a camera man named Dan Geller at a recent their Executive Chef Brian Woods and their staff; Dick showing of the riveting documentary, “Something Ven- Swank of Swank Farms in Hollister for donating all of tured.” Dan was lucky enough to film all of Tom Per- the fruit and vegetables, The Seaside Company for the kin’s interviews aboard the spectacular sailing yacht, dinner wine. Silent Auction items were donated by: Maltese Falcon. Having never met him, I approached Nick Tarshey of Diamond Supply Co; Smith’s China; Dan after the screening to ask him what it was like to Shampoo Chez; Rose Brancatelli of Lavish Salon; be aboard a 300-foot, $200 million dollar sailboat. Dan Carl Ruhne; Peggy Poindexter; Linda Rochin; told me he is still ‘living in a dream.’ Chaminade; Convention Plaza Hotel; The Hind Quar- I went on to tell Dan that I sailed a little and he ter; Aloha Island Grill; Kuumbwa Jazz Center; Joseph replied by telling me West Marine was a client of his. A Bank; Johnny’s Harborside and Chef Brian Woods; Naturally, Chuck Hawley’s name came up and since Sue Wilson; Chardonnay II; Santa Cruz Paddle Board we both knew Chuck and Nolan Bushnell was featured Company; Bargetto Winery; O’Neill Surf Shop; and in the film, I told Dan the story about Nolan’s sailboat, last but certainly not least, Diane Rejman . Finally, Charley, and the rest is history. we would like to thank the folks from the O’Neill Sea “Something Ventured” is a film about venture Odyssey: Dan Haifley, Adam Steckley, and Laura capital’s role in the development of the high tech boom Barnes. that made Silicon Valley. Along the way there are We would also like to thank the Santa Cruz many great story threads that include brilliant people, Yacht Club and the Club Members who support this some unpretentious and some not so unpretentious. event by buying tickets and participating. Many of www.symaltesefalon.com www.somethingven- you have been coming to this dinner every year. Your turedthemovie.com support is truly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you next year. Staff Commodore, Chuck Hawley and I worked together at O’Neill’s Yacht Center in the late Tom & Judy Webster 1970s. The yacht center was located in the O’Neill building, near the Crow’s Nest, where El Palomar is Sunday Night Themed Thanksgiving Buffet today. Jack O’Neill also owned O’Neill’s Dive Shop next door. Larsen Sails occupied most of the second November 20th at 6:00 PM floor along with The Rigging Shop, owned bySteve Leddy and Jim Wallace. O’Neill’s sold Santana and Appetizers: Baked Onion dip with Fresh Vegetables, Ranger sailboats, and was the home to Hobie Fleet 2— Relish and House Baked Croustinis the second official Hobie Cat fleet in the world. Chuck worked for O’Neill’s during the sum- Fresh Tossed Green Salad & Carrot Ginger Soup mers of 1977 and 1978 as a part-time summer helper. He was in college and I pretended to be. College was Carved Roast Turkey and Cranberry sauce not my ‘thing’ and after spending three semesters earn- ing eight credits, I was done. A few summers before, Apple Bread Stuffing and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Geoff Eisenberg, present-day CEO of West Marine, was a yacht broker for O’Neill Yacht Sales, but he soon Whole Green Beans, Carrots, Caramelized Onions and left O’Neill’s with bigger ambitions. Toasted Garlic Almonds One day after announcing that he was leaving, Rolls and Butter Geoff took us over to his house on 6th Avenue to show us what he called his ‘new business.’ He opened the Dessert: Pumpkin or Pecan Pie garage door and with enthusiasm he said, “What do you think?” I said, “It looks like a bunch of cardboard $17.50 plus tax and Tip boxes.” The boxes actually contained spools of rope. Geoff went on to explain that he had a friend

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boat, Charley. Nolan dreamed of sailing to Hawaii, and Chuck dreamed of being the winning skipper on a Transpac yacht. Nolan Bushnell also had a much big- ger dream. He wanted to take computer games to the people by allowing them to be played on your televi- sion screen at home. His company, Atari, based in Palo Alto, had a conceptual product that could plug into a television allowing you to play video games in the comfort of your own home. No one paid much attention to Nolan even though had some backing from Venture Capital- ists. Not unlike Steve Jobs, Nolan was hippie-like and wore non-conventional clothing. To complicate Nolan’s dream, investors, buyers and consumers could not imagine why one would even want to play video games at home. Nolan finally found a buyer at Sears to listen and to believe in his idea. The buyer at Sears committed an entire page in the Sears catalog for a product launch just in time for Christmas that year. After a successful product pitch in Chicago, Nolan Bushnell, being a great salesman and probably a good poker player, returned to the Bay Area to franti- cally drum up money to produce the product he told (This July 1977 ad in Latitude 38 invites boaters to Sears already existed in California. Sears, in order to clip the coupon and mail it to West Marine to receive save face and to protect their full-page investment in their 1977 catalog. West Coast Ropes offered free the Christmas catalog, ended up funding the project in- shipping to all 50 states on orders over $20 from part. Fortunately, (no pun intended) Pong & Pacman their only location in Palo Alto) instantly exploded out of the gates to quickly become a household name. and that his dad owned a rope company back east. He Nolan Bushnell, who had previously sailed the and his friend were forming a new company called Transpac on a slow boat, soon took an interest in the “West Coast Ropes.” Their first store was in Palo West Coast craze of ultra-light sailboats. These sail- Alto because the rent was cheap and there was more boats could surf ocean swells at speeds over 20 knots boating in the Bay Area than in Santa Cruz. Geoff’s and everyone in the traditional East Coast establish- friend was Randy Repass and his family owned New ment thought West Coast sailors were all crazy and England Ropes. Randy and Geoff went on to build would soon die surfing into some dark-hole oblivion at the largest boating supply company in the world, West the bottom of a huge wave in the Pacific Ocean. Marine Products. Nolan built a pretty light sailboat, designed Randy Repass and his wife, Sally-Christine by Ron Holland, named Charley and our own Chuck Rodgers are a huge asset to our community and Hawley became the sailing master. They won the Randy is also a Staff Commodore of our club. Sally- Transpac on elapsed time in 1983 and Charley quickly Christine is either Joseph Rodger’s sister or Joseph is gained notoriety. Chuck was the delivery skipper for her brother… the return trip from Hawaii to San Francisco, and my After college Chuck Hawley went to work for column in December is headed 288 miles north of West Coast Ropes which would soon become West Kauai where the delivery crew aboard Charley had a Marine. After commuting to the Palo Alto, Oakland memorable trip that will forever be carved in history. and Sausalito stores for a few years, Chuck followed The trip will always be remembered as a super-hero his intuition in late 1982. After meeting an interesting feat in leadership at sea with the odds heavily stacked guy named Nolan Bushnell, Chuck agreed to leave against Chuck and his crew. West and become the sailing master aboard Nolan’s Question: How do you keep SCYC history 13 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

fans in suspense? Answer: Make them wait until December to read about Charley’s ill-fated trip home from the 1983 Transpac.

The side story: Chuck Hawley and Geoff Eisenberg mar- ried sisters Sandy and Susan Sears. In the interest of human interest I cannot help but share some of my questions and Chuck’s responses to them about his friendship with Geoff Eisenberg and their sister-wives, Nolan Bushnell and the sailing yacht Charley. Enjoy! Niels: How did you and Geoff Eisenberg meet? Chuck: Geoff and I met when he worked at The Mariner, and I needed parts. He had yet to work for Randy, but it must have been very close to the time when he started working in Palo Alto. Niels: How did you meet your wives? Chuck: I brought Charley up the coast after doing a race to Cabo San Lucas in May of 1983. My crew and I stayed in Santa Cruz for about 12 hours. I called Geoff, and he asked if he could bring his girlfriend, Sandy Sears, and her sister, Susan Sears, for a sail. I said “Sure!” Sandy and Susan were in their early 20s, and were as close to identical as any two non-twins could be. I kept forgetting which one was Geoff’s girlfriend so that I could concentrate on the other one. We ended up having a great sail, but I had a schedule to keep, so in a few hours, we cast off from Santa Cruz and headed up to San Francisco. I did manage to track down Susan after the 1983 Transpac and we’ve been together ever since—as have Geoff and Sandy. Niels: How did you and Nolan Bushnell meet? Chuck: My actual contact on Charley was Bruce Munro, who is a Staff Commodore at the St. Francis YC and a very successful yachtsman on the San Francisco Bay. He called me up and asked me to help put Charley together. It was a dream job, and it allowed me to gain lots of experience which has helped me to this day at West Marine. Nolan was intro- duced to me at some point in the building process. He was incredibly easy to like, not pretentious in the least, and a great source of inspiration. (In this Latitude 38 ad from 1979, O’Neill’s Yacht Center offers Santana and Ranger sailboats. This was one of the biggest years for Hobie Cat sailboats at Niels Kisling O’Neill’s. They sold over 100 Hobie Cats and hosted SCYC Historian the Hobie 16 World Championships that year)

14 November 2011 Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker

Corinthian Corner Christmas Giving

Corinthians Rachel Hoffman, Henry Nieuws- Just a Reminder: There will be a Second tad and Nick Degnan joined forces this month to give Harvest Food Bank barrel at the club starting the a series of small boat workshops and activities at the week of November 1st through December 15th. UCSC Sailing Club. Rachel organized the event. Henry That’s only 125lbs of food and we are hoping to fill gave classes on starting and tactics and Nick gave a class it this year! on boat speed. There was also a Pirate Regatta and BBQ Currently, Second Harvest Food Bank of that was a lot of fun. Don’t miss these workshops next Santa Cruz helps put food on the table for over year. 50,000 families, children and elderly in our region A Third Place Trifecta. Patrick Diola won three each month. Over 50% of those served are chil- third place trophies in three regattas during three week- dren. The most needed food items include pow- ends. First, he got 3rd in 505s at the Santa Cruz Fall Re- dered milk, peanut butter, canned meats and stews, gatta sailing with Jeff Miller on Saturday and then with cereal, fruit juices, tuna, pasta, rice and beans. his brother, Evan Diola on Sunday. The next weekend Hopefully, we can help ensure no one goes hungry he helped sail Variety Show, helmed by Henry Nieuws- this holiday season. tad, to place 3rd overall for SC27 One Design. And this last weekend, he placed 3rd at the StFYC Fall Dinghy in Patti Edwards the 505 class sailing with Jeff Miller. Three 3rd place Second Harvest Food Bank trophies in 3 weekends! SCYC Corinthian

New Members Dinner Buffet

Sunday, November 13 at 6:30 (Everyone is Invited)

Ante Pasta with Salami Coronets & Basil Cream Cheese

Tangy Bourbon Meat Balls

Mixed Baby Greens With sliced Apple, Candied Walnuts, Crumbled Blue Cheese Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Roasted Chicken Breast Picatta With Lemon Caper Sauce

Carved Marinated Tri Tip With Béarnaise sauce (Commodore Michael Wood, sponsor Homer Light- hall, new members Kattie Wohlstattar and Scott & Lisa Roasted Vegetable Penne Pasta with Alfredo Sauce Correa-Mickel with sponsors Rod & Donna Trombly) Tarragon Rice Pilaf

Fresh Green Beans, Carrots, Caramelized Onions and Membership Report toasted Almonds Regular 429 Non-Resident 70 Home made Bread Pudding Junior 106 Corinthian 46 On Raspberry Coulee with Carmel sauce Life 10 Honorary 24 Total 685 $22.50 includes -Tax and Tip - RSVP 831-425-0690

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