1961 Seal Beach Yacht Club was organized
in February 1961 by nine local businessmen headed by Naval
Architect Daniel M. Callis. These men,
interested in traditional Corinthian yachting and impressed
with the ideal year around yachting location of Seal Beach,
immediately incorporated and elected Mr. Callis as Commodore.
He was later succeeded by Robert McClure,
Chief of Police of the City of Seal Beach, who finished
out the year. A limited race schedule was instituted and
the membership rose to 65.
1962 In 1962, with Lloyd Clark
as Commodore, the activities of the Club nearly doubled.
Racing events increased and a large CAL 20 fleet was developed.
1963 Tom Orr was elected Commodore in
1963. Under his direction the general meetings were moved
to the Huntington Beach Club after two years of various
temporary meeting locations. This was also the year that
our application for Affiliate Membership in the Southern
California Yachting Association (SCYA) was granted.
1964 In 1964, under the command of Commodore
Ray Boeger and with the acquisition of the Commodore's
Room at the Edgewater Inn, the Club experienced substantial
growth. Membership increased to 192 about 12 regattas, including
the Pop Top Series got under way the first Isthmus Cruise
was sponsored and our float won the Sweepstakes Trophy in
the Naples Christmas Parade of Lights.
1965 In 1965, with Ron Hazlehurst
as Commodore, the Club was granted Associate Membership
in the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA).
Eighteen regattas were held and for the first time a junior
program was set up to teach young members the fine points
of sailing. We were also selected as a sponsor for several
classes in the upcoming 1966 Midwinter’s. Our first
annual Commodore's Ball was held in the Commodore's Room
and for the second time we won the Sweepstakes Trophy in
the Christmas Parade.
1966 Hugh Wherritt served as Commodore
in 1966. With a continued steady growth pattern, the Club
was able to sponsor over 23 regattas a number of Power Fleet
functions, make its first entry in the semi finals of the
Congressional Cup enter a number of National Cup events,
including the "Adams Cup" where our women's crew
came within a quarter point of winning in the semi finals
at the Richmond Yacht Club sponsored the start of the Catamaran
Transpac and hosted the Al Rogers Trophy Race. The year
was climaxed by our second Commodore's Ball and for the
third time our entry won the Sweepstakes Trophy in the Naples
Christmas Parade of Lights.
1967 was the year of two Commodores.
Bill Moran for the first half of the year,
then succeeded by Ed Feo. Under their direction,
the Club continued to grow and consolidate its gains. The
Club took part in a number of national cup events, sponsored
23 regattas as well as the quarter finals of the Sear's
Cup. A small but active power fleet was formed and, under
the direction of Ed Feo, a planned effort
was started to acquire our own clubhouse. A fourth straight
Sweepstakes Trophy in the Christmas Parade and a most successful
Commodore's Ball climaxed the year.
1968 In 1968, with Vern Baker
as Commodore, the Club sponsored over 22 regattas and was
again very active in the SCYA Midwinters. A number of sites
were considered for a new clubhouse but no commitments were
made. A third place trophy in the Christmas Parade and another
very successful Commodore's Ball rounded out the year.
1969 Commodore Victor Stern
directed the Club in 1969. We had entries in several national
events, sponsored 18 regattas as well as both the quarter
finals and the semi finals for the National Women's Championship,
the "Adams Cup". Our Commodore also served as
General Chairman for the NOSA Ensenada Race, the largest
long distance sailing race in the world. A permanent site
for our clubhouse was acquired with the signing of a lease
for facilities in the Edgewater Hyatt House. Remodeling
began July 1, and was finished in time for the first Commodore's
Ball to be held in our own club room.
1970 Heading up the Flag for 1970 and
guiding the Club through its first full year in our new
facility was our first power boat Commodore, Chuck
LaTourrette. For the first time we were able to
have after race hosting in our own clubhouse for the Midwinters,
our Opening Day Fleet Review Parade and other racing and
cruising events. Also for the first time we had a National
Champion with Dick Alfring in "Bandit"
taking first place in the CAL25 Nationals. Special events;
such as the August Luau and cruises to Catalina Island were
a smashing success.
1971 In 1971, we again had two Commodores.
Charlie Nelson took over the Flag for the
first part of the year before being transferred to Hawaii.
Dick Lowman then assumed command and was
the driving force behind the negotiations for acquiring
our present facility at 255 Marina Drive. An extensive racing
and social calendar was presented to the membership and
among the several events that became high points for the
year was a very successful Fleet Review on Opening Day,
and a wind blown Midwinters, Decker McAllister
became Enterprise National Champion, the Commodore's Ball
aboard the Princess Louise and to climax the year, the Club's
Christmas float. "Light of Ages", designed by
Carol Miller and directed by Zollie
Byrd, won our fifth Sweepstakes Trophy in the Christmas
Parade of Lights.
1972 In 1972, under the direction of Commodore
Asa Clark, the Club moved to its new location
in the Marina. A long list of dedicated members worked long
hours sanding, painting, building and cleaning in order
to get the new club ready for the Opening Day festivities.
Two weeks later our first Ladies Day Regatta was held.
Decker McAllister was again the Enterprise National
Champion. The Pop Top series, the Spring and August Luaus
as well as a combination Halloween Party and Western Barbecue
at the Isthmus highlighted some of the year's events. The
Commodore's Ball was again held aboard the Princess Louise
and an outstanding New Year's Party ended the year in high
style.
1973 Commodore Zollie Byrd led us through
1973. Racing, cruising and social activities continued to
fill the calendar. The Club sponsored the Enterprise National
Championships in out local waters with Decker McAllister
winning again. Dr. Victor Stem attended
the IYRU meeting in Europe, presenting details for catamaran
measurement rules which were adopted. Luaus, raft ups and
parties were enjoyed by all in addition to fleet, invitational,
center board and Pop Top series. The Dana Point Regatta
was most successful, with the power fleet escorting the
racers for the first time. To round out the year, the Commodore's
Ball was held at the Old Ranch Country Club but the energy
shortage and cancellation of the Christmas Parade ended
our efforts to win a sixth Sweepstakes Trophy with an excellent
designed and partially completed float that had to be scrapped.
1974 Doug Waggoner was elected Commodore
for 1974. Under his command, over 28 regattas were sponsored
by the Club. An Easter Sunrise Service raft up was added
to the list of power fleet activities with over a dozen
boats in attendance both power and sail. Midwinter participation
continued as we again sponsored many classes for this SCYA
event. The White Cane Mutiny, with Frank Braun and
Zollie Byrd handling the details, was one of the
highlights of our racing calendar. Thirty blind teenagers
from Orange County raced around noisy marks in Coronado
25s. A great day for the kids and for the Seal Beach Yacht
Club. Our Boston Whaler and several members assisted in
the Finn National and International Gold Cup Races, sponsored
by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. We hosted a pre race dinner
and started the Ocean Racing Catamaran Association Transpac
Race in July. Despite the energy shortage, fuel conservation,
the slump in the economy and general world conditions, our
members continued to participate in all the Club's activities
with enthusiasm and dedication. An outstanding Commodore's
Ball aboard the Princess Louise and a noisy, exuberant,
fun filled New Year's Eve Party climaxed a most successful
year.
1975 Leading us through 1975 was
Don Brown. We continued to have out many fine regattas
throughout the year with a few additions. In January we
held the Hot Toddy race. The Pop Top series was extended
to three with a week off in between each one. In September
we resurrected the Around the Island Race, holding three
legs in three days. The White Cane Mutiny was put on again.
We assisted Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, along with Long Beach
Yacht Club and Little Ships Fleet in the Junior Sabot National
Championships on the bay. John Shelly led
us to the district semi finals in the National Prince of
Wales competition. Staff Commodore Asa Clark
with John Shelly and other members aboard
participated in the PHRF Championships, the Al Rogers Perpetual
this year. Our Commodore won the Commodore's Trophy on Opening
Day at Los Angeles Yacht Club. Both Power and Sail Fleets
were active. Many sailed to San Diego and around Catalina
Island in planned cruises; several raft ups, a fishing derby,
a new poker run, and a shipwreck party rounded out a full
schedule. Special Saturday night seminars were conducted,
covering such topics as silk screening, line splicing, rigging,
and racing rules.
Hugh Wherritt served on the Board of Directors of SCYA
and Don Brown was elected to serve on that board for 1976.
The year ended with the Commodore's Ball on the Princess
Louise, the New Year's Eve Party at the clubhouse, and a
special evening, the Commodore's Appreciation Night. Commodore
Brown hosted a special December meeting, highlighted by
a Polynesian Dancing Troupe and Karate demonstration.
1976 In 1976 the club was led by Commodore Ron
Kennedy, who also led the club in many races in
his Coronado 45, "Wind Wagon". His leadership
gave the club many activities and races which made this
year second to none. These included invitationals, the "Around
the Island" series, inside regattas, the SCYA Midwinters,
our "White Cane Regatta" for blind children, and
the Multi Hull Transpac.
Jr. Staff Commodore Don Brown served on the SCYA Board
of Directors as well as our own board, in spite of the many
other commitments to his time. He hosted the Club's Opening
Day Celebration, which was one of the highlights of the
year.
Our Junior activities reached a new high, building to 39
members of the Jr. Fleet, with John Matzinger as Chairman
and his son, Richard as Junior Fleet Captain. There were
many willing members to help. A new trend was started with
the juniors which promises to build to even better success
in the future. Sail and Power Fleets were very active, with
cruises, parties, dinghy dinners, raft ups, poker races,
and the Newport Cruise with over 100 members attending the
dinner that evening at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. One
of the highlights was the "Las Vegas Night".
The "Pop Tops" continued their popularity for
12 weeks and a new summer series was inaugurated to end
the year's evening races. The "Indian Summer Series"
was an instant success.
The Island Luaus were their usual success, with great food,
dancing and parties on the wall to wall boats moored in
the Isthmus.
There were some changes in the By Laws, and the formation
of a Permanent Facility Development Committee to give continuing
direction to the Club's growth. Cal Macy is Chairman of
this committee.
The combined Sail and Power Fleet Christmas party at the
Club was a huge success with lots of food and dancing to
a live band.
The Commodore's Ball was again held on the Princess Louise,
to start the new officers off for the new year with a big
bang.
1977 Harry Naeve served as Commodore in
1977. This year's club membership reached an all time high.
The race schedules continued with the club sponsoring over
thirty races. Tom Greska became the Catalina 27 National
Champion. The Power and Sail Fleet sponsored many activities.
The progressive dinner by dinghy had over a hundred participants.
Negotiation began with the city to expand the second floor
of the Clubhouse. The Facility Development Committee has
plans that will greatly improve the club's facilities.
The special meeting for service awards was highlighted
by the Hi Hopes (young handicap people) from the Hope School
in Anaheim. The Commodore's Ball was held at the Golden
Sails and in attendance were the largest contingent of Staff
Commodores in recent history, which gave the incoming officers
a great send off. The New Year's Eve Party hosted by John
George was one of the best parties of the year.
1978 1978, under the leadership of Commodore "Hamm"
Ward, was a year of expansion. Spearheaded by John
Matzinger, the upstairs floor was enlarged by 50%. We had
many new and interesting people join our club, we now have
a larger membership. A ladies group contingent to Seal Beach
Yacht Club was formed, calling themselves the Sea Belles.
The Friday night get togethers at the club are a financial
and social success. Our general meetings have increased
in attendance each year. We had 30 days of good all out
racing during the year and nearly as many power sail fleet
activities. Staff Commodore Don Brown was elected Rear Commodore
of SCYA the first for a Seal Beach member. Asa Clark was
elected Rear Commodore of the Yacht Club Association of
Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors. Our Staff Commodores
have risen and were seen leading many activities of the
club. 1978 was the year of the First Avalon Salute to Seal
Beach. George Schaadt was chairman We hope this will continue
as an annual event. The three facilities owning yacht clubs
in the bay are now working to provide a mutual camaraderie
for all of their members. The Commodore's Ball was held
at the Queensway Hilton hosted by John and Sue Knox. Hugh
Wherritt was Installing Officer and his blend of solemnity
and levity provided entertainment for all. John and Sue
hosted a gala New Year's Eve party to end the year.
1979 The 70s drew to a close under the
stewardship of Commodore Dick Comstock.
1979 was marked by a burst of membership growth over 25
percent. It was agreed to close the membership at 400. A
By Laws Committee was formed to review the Club's operational
guidelines. A set of recommendations from Facilities Development
concerning the bar area was accepted and work was begun.
The financial position of the Club remained strong. All
the traditional events were held, with record turnouts.
Even with the enlarged meeting area, general meetings were
attended with SRO. An active racing year was highlighted
by a strong showing in a challenge series. 1979 was the
first full year of the Sea Belles, with their Sunday brunches
and other well regarded activities, all conducted, enviably,
on a self supporting basis. The year was crowned by the
traditional Commodore's Ball, to which all past commodores
were especially invited, and given recognition at the Ball.
1980 Commodore Sam Cunningham launched
the decade of the 80's with a theme: "Get involved.
" Many favorite club events were repeated, including
the Whale Watch, Las Vegas Night, the Easter Raft Up and
the Annual Island Luau/Vacation Cruise. Other events were
added; the two most innovative were the Spring event, Sherwood
Forest, when the Isthmus was transformed to a Renaissance
Faire Ground, and the inspiring salute to the armed forces
in November.
1980 was a year of honors for Seal Beach Yacht Club. Staff
Commodore Asa Clark served as Commodore of the Yacht Club
Association of Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, and Staff
Commodore Don Brown was elected Commodore of SCYA. The coveted
Walt Elliott Trophy was won by Chuck Riordan in "Valkari",
and the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Holiday Series was won by
Gerry van Amerongen in "Auklet". Because of an
unusual combination of accidents and incidents, awards were
made to numerous qualifying members through reactivation
of the Wet Sponge and introduction of the "OUCH! "
awards.
The bar was enlarged and modernized and the kitchen was
remodeled, including a microwave oven donated by the Sea
Belles. There was full scale participation in the Pop Tops
and a record breaking 2900 meals were served during the
series. Membership reached the 400 limit permitted by the
By Laws and social events were well attended by members
and their families. The Sea Belles Brunch and Fashion Show,
using members as models, was a family event held on Father's
Day, and brunch lasted all day! The year ended with the
traditional Commodore's Ball and holiday parties, and a
rewarding feeling that members had been fully involved in
another successful boating, social and financial club year.
1981 The Club, under Commodore John Frazee,
started year 1981 with a bang with a great Midwinter Regatta
and early season races, followed by the winning for the
second time of the prestigious Walt Elliott Trophy by Hal
Critz in his Catalina 38 "Critz Craft". A proper
champagne party was enjoyed by all.
Staff Commodore Don Brown served eminently as Commodore
of SCYA, where he assisted us in our highly successful involvement
in the Olympic Classes Regatta. In this event Staff Commodore
Zollie Byrd was named as our four year Olympic Liaison Chairman
to represent us in the future Olympic events. This is a
tri club and city sponsored event. This year, the highlight
of the regatta was our Hamburger Bash and Beer Bust, put
on for the participants of the regatta. Over 500 people
attended.
In the meantime, our club which had closed at 400 members,
continued to solidify, and the new members became even more
active in our full schedule of races, cruises, social events
and waterborne parties.
The Sea Belles (bless 'em), headed by their President,
Elaine Ward, continued to enhance all of the Club activities.
They published their own cookbook and put on several very
successful parties, the least of which was an SCYA dinner,
a sit down dinner for 140 people. The Club looked like a
grand ballroom with the beautiful decorations and tables.
Good news came to us in December. The adjacent area to
the Club became available and the lease was signed on December
21, 1981. Development of that area is a welcome expansion
of our facility.
1982 The year of the Club's 21st birthday
(1982) was under the command of Commodore George
Schaadt. This year, like all others, started out
with a fast beat.
A club motto for the year was announced at the Commodore's
Ball. "Good Friends, Good Times, Good Boating"
became the symbol of the SLBYC that was carried throughout
the busy year. Our lease for the Club was renewed for an
additional five years. Work was started on major remodeling
of not only the new addition below, but all new carpeting,
drapes, bookcases, etc. All work was completed in time for
one of our most enjoyable occasions Opening Day.
All the great functions that make the club so popular were
repeated during the year, along with a new one, the San
Diego trip by train. The support for all these various functions,
parties, programs, races, etc., was always at capacity level.
Two special events were hosted by Seal Beach Yacht Club
during this year the Catalina 22 Nationals attended by racing
crews from eight different states; and the Pre Olympic Trials,
attended by Olympic competitors from twenty two nations.
This one ended with a huge burger bash at the Club, where
over 700 burgers were sold. Both events were handled very
successfully.
As in the years past, Seal Beach Yacht Club experienced
active participation of the members in all the club sponsored
events. The various raft ups, cruises, brunches and even
some unscheduled programs were well planned and attended.
The annual club Luau this year at the Isthmus was something
to behold. So many hard working club members put on a spectacular
Hawaiian production. It was a program second to none.
Other things that changed throughout the year were: the
membership was increased from 400 to 500 through action
of the Board of Directors. This was in response to a long
waiting list of potential members. A Ham Radio Operations
Committee was started at the club. Their title is "HAMROC."
They have their own "net" and are involved in
our cruise and race communications. Also, the Club now has
"end tie" availability on a limited basis, which
is controlled by our Port Captain, and is available to members
of visiting reciprocal yacht clubs.
During the course of the year our lovely Sea Belles, under
the guidance of Joan Wolfelt, Chairman, put on their various
and well attended brunches, programs and parties. They get
better every year. We owe them a lot.
The year ended with another fantastic Commodore's Ball
at the Golden Sails.
1983, under the leadership of Commodore Don Labriola,
got off to a fast start with the usual great New Year's
Eve Party. Whale Watch and Super Bowl Sunday, quickly followed
by the Midwinters Tune Up and a great Midwinters.
The Club motto for the year "We Are Members of The
Best" was backed up by the many club functions, social
events and a great racing program under Dave Rustigian,
(who was also elected at the end of 1983 to President of
PHRF for 1984). The many social events, including the Sweethearts
Cruise, Las Vegas Nite, the Spring Island Bash, Progressive
Dinner by Dinghy as well as the Easter and 4th of July Raft
Ups were all outstanding successes. On Opening Day, the
rain clouds parted and again we had another outstanding
day to remember.
We participated in our first Sail Board Regatta and we
were selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to run the "on
the water" activities of the U.S. Finals Sail Board
trials in 1984. Our Club was again very active in the Olympic
Classes Regatta including security and communications, with
our ham radio group (HAMROC) doing yeoman duty. We again
hosted the Olympic Classes Regatta participant’s dinner,
headed up by Jeannette Labriola and assisted by about 100
members of the Club serving over 900 hamburger dinners to
competitors from 24 nations an event that was one of our
most enjoyable occasions.
Four other special events were hosted by the Seal Beach
Yacht Club during the year the Catalina 27 Nationals, the
Catalina 30 Nationals, the Cyclone Nationals and all Catalina
Race Day, and we again started Ocean Racing Catamaran Association
Transpac Race.
The Seal Beach to Dana Point Race, co sponsored by our
Club, which has grown into to one of the major Southern
California Coastal Races, was another great success with
over 100 boats participating.
Our August Luau and Show at the Island was outstanding
and a highlight of the year. Headed up by the Carpenters
and assisted by the Holfords, the Georges, O'Connors and
at least 100 other members, the Isthmus at Catalina was
transformed, in a matter of hours, into a Hawaiian paradise.
A south seas show with hula dancers, Tahitian dancers, a
fire dancer (all Club members) along with the Seal Beach
Yacht Club Beachboys, put on such a great show it had to
be repeated later at the Club. This was followed by a real
Luau feast. The next day, after a Champagne Brunch, we waved
Aloha to a group of our members, starting on a week's vacation
cruise from the Island.
Our ladies of the Sea Belles, under the leadership of Marda
Carpenter, not only presented their usual great brunches
and a fashion show, as well as helping in the hosting of
almost every event at the Club, sponsored two Club blood
drives at our facility. Both were very successful.
Two other events highlighted our civic pride and responsibility.
Our Armed Forces Day Boat Parade and Party was well attended
by our members and was much appreciated by the many members
from each of the Services who participated. John Martin
chaired this event and led the boat Parade aboard the "Semper
Fi". Seal Beach Yacht Club also had an outstanding
entry in the City of Seal Beach Christmas Parade.
Under Port Captain Ron Voelker, our reciprocal program
with other Clubs was greatly expanded and we now control
an "end tie" in the Marina on a year round basis.
The year ended with a wonderful Commodore's Ball, at which
past Commodores were given special recognition with "gold
membership cards".
1984 The year 1984 under the leadership of Commodore
Dick Brunner was exciting and an eventful year
for the club, highlighted by the Olympic Wind Glider trials
and the events surrounding the actual Olympics.
During the year we had all of the usual favorite events
such as the races, dances, Luaus, Opening Day, cruises,
special events, and the brunches put on by members of the
Sea Belles. There were also several unique events. The first
was hosting our second SCYA dinner with over 170 people
served. The dinner was handled superbly by the Sea Belles
under the guidance of Sally Dailey, chairman. The second
was co chairing (along with HHYC) the Olympic Wind Glider
trials for the U.S. entrants. Dave Rustigian and Bruce Miller
were our Race Committee chairmen, helped by a large group
of club members. A third event was the "Tall Ships
Parade" on July 4th and John Martin was asked to be
an escort vessel. Then came the Olympics with over half
our members participating in one form or another.
1984 was also noticeable for the introduction of new activities.
We had three Friday night birthday dances, the reintroduction
of predicted log races, helping Seal Beach City in their
rough water swim, a "Secret Cruise" and the changing
of the Commodore's Award night to a Friday night with a
dance band.
We hired for the first time a professional bar manager
with the resultant upgrading of service and quality.
A financial advisory group was formed to develop financial
schemes for payment of proposed future club expansion.
1985 Commodore Jim Wolfelt started 1985
with a Job Fair to provide our newer members an opportunity
to meet this year's Officers and Chairmen and get involved
with this year's programs. We had a full calendar of racing,
cruising and social events. Judy Capers was hired at the
beginning of the year to manage our bar operations specializing
in cheerful hospitality. Our membership was maintained steady
at 500 regular members. A new election policy was established
requiring two more candidates than the number of openings
for the election of Directors. Opening Day was held on May
4th with about 400 members and guests turning out for a
full day of activities starting with the ceremony at 9:30
a.m.
This year SLBYC joined the Yacht Racing Union of southern
California as their 26th yacht club member. We continued
to very actively support S.C.Y.A. attending every meeting
usually with three delegates as well as supporting the Association
of Long Beach and Los Angeles Harbor Yacht Clubs. We have
also joined affiliation with Sail America to support SDYC
in capturing the America's Cup and bring it back to Southern
California.
Other notable items this year were: (a) a significant upgrade
in the "Burgee" to a professionally styled publication
under the editorial leadership of Lloyd Kramer; (b) the
adoption of a conceptual master plan to upgrade our facility;
(c) the addition of one more Clean up Day to the calendar
that has really sparkled up our facility; (d) the Board
of Directors meetings were moved to the last Tuesday of
the month so fresh news could be communicated to the membership
at the monthly general meetings; (c) wide screen TV was
purchased for video tape programs and the Sea Belles purchased
video camera equipment to televise our own activities; and
(f) an expanded line of quality accessories was offered
to our members under the leadership of Carol Miller.
1986 Commodore Neil Carpenter was at the
helm for our Silver Anniversary year, 1986. The year kicked
off with an outstanding Commodore's Ball and followed with
a full calendar of racing, cruising and social events. An
informal group of recreational vehicle fans participated
in two new "campout" events and HAMROC continued
to provide communications for club events. Liability insurance
rates went out of sight and set the Board of Directors scrambling
to find affordable coverage.
Opening Day moved from the traditional early morning time
slot to early afternoon with an expanded program celebrating
our 25th year.
We joined Southern California Cruisers Association (SCCA)
to enable our log racers to enter sanctioned events and
we hosted a dinner for YRU of Southern California. We continued
our fund raising events in support of Sail America's efforts
to reclaim the America's Cup.
The Sea Belles, under Chairman Grace George, hosted the
traditional brunches and supported club functions in their
usual outstanding manner.
The cork floor on the upper deck was replaced with a new
hardwood floor and the entire facility was recarpeted. A
window was installed in the upper deck west wall, providing
a fantastic view of the marina and debunking the myth that
the exterior of the building could never be changed.
1987 was an exciting year; for the first
time we saw the excitement of an America's Cup race. Modem
technology brought the races into our living rooms. The
Congressional Cup brought the same sailors into Alamitos
Bay. Under the leadership of Commodore Lawrence
S. Lewis (Larry), SLBYC led the way in 1987.
Opening Day was celebrated in great fashion, with enough
cannon fire to keep everyone's ears ringing. Commodore Lewis
started the year with the theme "Let's Join Hands".
Join hands with the new member, the young member, the not
so young, the newcomer on the dock, join hands with our
yachting neighbors. Our Opening Day cannon fire brought
Long Beach Yacht Club's ceremonies to a halt, and almost
ended the good neighbor policy before it started. We apologized,
but with a slight smirk on our face.
SLBYC's Bruce Miller ran Bravo Circle of the Olympic Classes
Regatta. With over 190 Olympic class boats entered, it was
an exciting regatta.
Our race committees, led by Bill Wallace, organized and
managed 35 races with an amazing 1900 race entries. SLBYC
hosted the National Regatta for the Catalina 27 Fleet. The
regatta, which was managed by the fleet, was so successful
they were able to donate $100 to the Charity Regatta and
$200 to the SLBYC Facilities fund. To crown the year's yachting
activities, Seal Beach Yacht sailors won the PHRF Championship.
SLBYC champions of the largest handicap racing fleet in
Southern California! What a year.
Our stairway canopy and awning, a project of the Sea Belles,
funded by the Sea Belles and the Club, transformed our plain
exterior into a Yacht Club entrance. Our Thursday night
Pop Top Burger Bashes served a record number of yachtsmen
and provided a significant income for the club.
Patty and Treasurer Hal Critz thought it might be fun to
have a Sunday evening barbecue. Bring your own entree and
the club would light up the grill and provide the rest.
The Sunday night barbecue was one of the biggest successes
of the year. The barbecue was instantly popular, with more
members using their club than ever before. The barbecues
lasted all summer and ended only after it got dark and too
cold.
After neatly three years of waiting, fund raisers and a
lot of pizzas, SLBYC's day in glory came. On Veteran's Day,
November 14, 1987, SLBYC was host to the America's Cup.
The Cup arrived from the San Diego Yacht Club under guard
in a stretched limousine. Armed escorts provided by the
Marine Department watched over the Cup while we basked in
the glory of the 132 year old trophy.
The Ist Annual Charity Regatta, conceived by the Commodores
of Alamitos Bay, Long Beach, Shoreline, and Commodore Lewis,
was an outstanding success. Working together, the yacht
clubs of Long Beach contributed over $5,000 to the Children's
Clinic. Seal Beach Yacht Club's support was primarily instrumental
in the success of the regatta. In 1987, Seal Beach Yacht
Club did indeed, "Join hands"!
1988 In 1988, John Martin was at the helm
as the Commodore, and it was a very eventful year. In February~
the International Order of the Blue Gavel, Seal Beach Yacht
Club Chapter, made a recommendation to the Board to make
our Senior Staff Commodore Hugh Wherritt a Life Member.
A change in the By Laws would be necessary in order to do
so. A By Law change was introduced, seconded and passed
and Hugh Wherritt became the first accorded this honor.
Peggy Gregory, Jr. Staff Commodore of SCYA, and for many
years associated with our club, was the recipient of the
Yachtswoman of the Year awarded by the Yacht Club Association
of LA/LB Harbors.
Eight ceiling fans were installed upstairs, enabling some
degree of climate control, and adjustable lighting. The
Outboard Shop vacated and will be in the negotiations with
our next lease. The bricked enclosure in front of the club
was also acquired in order to relocate our liquor storage.
The burgees of the local LA/LB area yacht clubs as well
as our own, were installed over our "window" upstairs
and, for the first time, our club was listed in "The
Reciprocity Guide," with the Register of American Yacht
Clubs.
Our "Burgee" format was further improved under
the leadership of Jean Hessler van Amerongen. Innovative
pictorial cover stories now dominate the front page, and
with the Burgee finally out of "4th class" mailing,
it is received by all members in a timely manner.
Some of our more dedicated and hard working members were
honored by Commodore Martin with a special service award
at General Meetings on a quarterly basis. Those members,
and many others, who contributed their time and assisted
in various ways during the year, were invited to the Commodore's
Award Night for a cocktail party, awards presentation and
a concert by the "South Coast Trio."
The Sea Belles, under the leadership of Carol Miller, made
some positive strides in the area of accessories, handling
the raffles at the General Meetings, they hosted the brunches,
provided gala birthday nights and, of course, were of considerable
assistance at various functions.
SLBYC continued to shine in their racing program. Our members
dominated the Catalina Fleets in the 59th SCYA Midwinter
Regatta. For the first time, overall trophies were awarded
for those who raced the entire Pop Top Series. Member John
Naviaux. was among four U.S. entrants in the first 540 mile
Copa Galapagos Regatta, racing under our burgee. We hosted
many regattas to name a few: PHRF Championships, to which
we donated a "Class D" perpetual trophy to PHRF;
Catalina 30 Nationals; All Catalina Regatta, through the
efforts of our club, $1,000 was handed over to the Children's
Clinic; and once again we hosted a hospitality room during
the Ensenada Race. With Bob Robb as our Log Race Chairman,
we made monumental strides in the art of racing power boats;
competitors in SCCA saw SLBYC as "racers" to be
reckoned with. In November, Bob Robb "invented"
and ran the First Annual Commodore Martin Offshore Challenge,
open to yacht clubs in the greater LA/LB Harbor area. Again,
as in many years past, the members went out and provided
the safety for the Annual Seal Beach Rough Water swim. Our
end tie on Gangway 18 as well as members' donated slips
provided many reciprocal hours to visiting yachtsmen and
racers.
The social side of our calendar was once again busy, we
kept the members hopping attending the many cruises and
parties, the biggest, of course, being our fantastic Opening
Day celebration followed very closely in popularity by our
10th Annual Armed Forces Day. Our Sunday barbecues continued
by popular demand, there is even talk of having them all
year long!
Plans still continue for expansion. We've been working
closely with the city in order to improve out facility.
And the dream goes on.
1989 Gavel in hand, Commodore Jerry Dalley
led the way with the New Year's party ringing in the 28th
year. For the third year in a tow, we held the Commodore's
Ball aboard the Queen Mary, and Staff Commodore Neil Carpenter
conducted an impressive installation ceremony.
The "Yachtsman of the Year" award of the Yacht
Club Association of LA/LB Harbors was awarded to our own
Staff Commodore Don Brown. Commodore Brown was also presented
a Service Excellence Award by YRUSC.
Our social calendar was changed slightly this year. Under
the guiding hand of Billie Frazee, we hosted two dinner
meetings, one for SCYA and one for YRUSC. We also hosted
several race seminars.
Each year our Opening Day program is bigger and better.
The judges for the boat parade were guests and did an excellent
job in scoring.
After the "Sweetheart Cruise," our only island
event of the year was the "Moonlight Over Two Harbors.
The Memorial Day Weekend at the club was hosted by the three
flag officers and their spouses. Even our traditional Luau
was a land based event held here at the club. We held our
first Mother's Day Brunch, hosted by Mike and Dee Ferreira.
All of these events were well attended.
The word mini cruise took on a new meaning. It now has
taken on the connotation of meaning a cruise involving between
3 to 65 yachts at one event. Geri and George Hively hosted
the ever popular Labor Day cruise to DRYC.
Bob Robb led us with the Southern California Cruisers Association
(SCCA), and the power fleet really turned out. John Kemp
won the prestigious "Marina Cup" and presented
it to be displayed in the Club trophy case. SLBYC racers
won four trophies in the Newport to Ensenada Race. Our hospitality
room at the El Cid was well attended for the third year
running. We hosted the PHRF Championship for the second
year, assisted by ABYC and LBYC. Our race committees and
racers have done well in our southern California area. The
Seal Beach to Dana Point race was well managed this year;
we did it our way!
The Charity Regatta, sponsored by six of the Long Beach
yacht clubs, enjoyed an excellent turnout and a check for
$7000.00 was presented to the Children's Clinic. In addition
to this, the Burger Bash sponsored by SIBYC netted $1400
for an additional donation. This regatta and the Seal Beach
City Rough Water Swim are our two primary civic events.
All of the year's functions St. Patrick's Party, Las Vegas
Night, Family Day, Hamburger Bashes, Halloween Party, Armed
Forces Day, the Sunday BBQ's, Christmas and New Year's parties,
all with super chair people, and good attendance. Topped
by the Commodore's Award party with awards, snacks, dancing,
and good drinks for all those hard workers of Seal Beach
Yacht Club.
The political highlight of the year was the change in the
by laws, from "Membership" to “Memberships",
making the spouse a member of record with all the privileges.
The club expansion is now on hold while negotiations between
the City and the Club are being conducted.
The Sea Belles did a number on Mr. "C" and his
socks, and he thanks them. The aloha spirit does work Thank
you for an outstanding year.
1990 In 1990, Hal Critz served as Commodore
during Seal Beach Yacht Club's 29th year. A full calendar
of racing, cruising and social events kept the membership
occupied. The Commodore's Ball was held on the Queen Mary
and, as usual, was a sell out.
The Midwinters, billed as the largest regatta in North
America, was chaired by none other than Staff Commodore
Larry Lewis. This year's racing came to a halt when the
oil tanker American Trader ruptured her hull with her own
anchor while attempting to position for off loading at Seal
Beach. 394,000 gallons of crude escaped into the water.
Seal Beach Y.C. managed to get two races off on Saturday
before clean up activities forced closure of Alamitos Bay
on Sunday. So much for the Midwinters!
Opening Day fell on Cinco de Mayo in 1990. What better
theme than a Mexican fiesta? Mariachis, margaritas, food
and dancing well into the night. Our active cruising schedule,
started by Joe Radensky last year, was expanded and fine
tuned by Ron Gordon in 1990. SIBYC cruisers braved the waters
from Santa Barbara Island to San Diego. Included on the
Easter Raft up and cruise to Navy Yacht Club was a tour
of the battleship New Jersey. Of course, our premiere cruise
is the Labor Day weekend cruise to Del Rey Yacht Club. George
and Geri Hively hosted the cruise again this year and managed
to get all the clubs in the Del Rey area involved in entertaining
us. Forty seven boats enjoyed barbecues, poker runs, sabot
racing, brunches, cocktail parties, etc.
This year, the entire Bridge supported the Ensenada race
and journeyed to Ensenada for the festivities. Ross and
Millie Van Voorhis and the rest of the crew manning the
hospitality suite at the El Cid Hotel did a great job providing
food and drink for our racers. It seemed the shower ran
day and night.
Mid year, Bob Robb was named Yachtsman of the Year by the
Yacht Club Association of LA/LB Harbors. Bob has given of
himself time and time again. He has brought credit to himself
and SIBYC. In addition, he was awarded the Harry Brittain
Perpetual Trophy for first place in the Midwinters Cruiser
Navigation Contest. Stan Daniels agreed to be SIBYC's chairman
for the Charity Regatta. The goal of $10,000 was exceeded
and the proceeds were presented to the Long Beach Children's
Clinic.
After much discussion and investigation, the club has moved
into the computer age. With the help of a generous contribution
from the Sea Belles, a computer and several printers have
been installed. Jim Chester, Barry and Vicki Martin, after
identifying all the tasks to be computerized, gained board
approval on hardware configurations, purchased the equipment
and are now in the process of acquiring the necessary software.
Training will follow.
Thanks to the efforts of Howard Newman, our club now has
a new public address and sound system.
Plans for expansion are still underway. Hopefully, 1991
will see progress toward completion of the construction
phase. SIBYC continues to "stand out from all the rest”.
Our members continue to be our greatest asset.
1991 was a terrific year for Seal Beach
Yacht Club, full of racing, cruising and parties. The 30th
year started off with the Commodore's Ball held on the Queen
Mary. At the change of watch ceremony, Dwight Reed
was installed as Commodore.
During the year, Seal Beach Yacht Club's members contributed
to the community in new ways as well as old. We participated,
along with five neighboring yacht clubs, in the Charity
Regatta and hosted the accompanying Hamburger Bash. It was
a lot of work but a substantial benefit to the Children's
Clinic. Jeanne and Bill Boyd were awarded the Founder's
Trophy for their contribution to the Charity Regatta over
the past several years. Once again, many of our members
turned out with their boats to support the Seal Beach Rough
Water Swim. They braved the predawn waters to assist and
protect the swimmers. A new project was started under the
direction of Carol Miller and Sea Belles. Our members made
quilted blankets and supplied stuffed animals for officers
of the Seal Beach Police Department to give to children
contacted under traumatic circumstances. Appreciation was
extended to the Club by the Police Department at our December
General Meeting.
The Sea Belles, chaired by Karen Hartman, continued the
tradition of service to SlBYC. This year, Birthday Night
was reestablished as a monthly event. Under the hand of
Marian Pincombe, each month was a terrific success. A theme
was picked each month and often the bridge officers' pictures
were decorated with items from eye patches to "muscleman"
bodies. The dinner and wine-tasting put on by the Sea Belles
in October was an elegant evening enjoyed by all who participated.
This year SlBYC returned to the practice of keeping a stock
of accessories on hand at the Club. A "Ship's Store"
was established, Millie Adams taking on the responsibility
of getting it started. With a display case downstairs showing
off the gear and the bar handling the money, items were
easier to purchase. Jackie Gerard took over the responsibilities
mid-year, bringing the program to even greater heights.
The Race Management team was active during the year. In
addition to the regular schedule of racing, two inter-club
races were implemented: Port Royal to Seal Beach, and Marina
del Rey to Seal Beach. In a bold move, the Team assigned
each of the bridge officers the responsibility of Principle
Race Officer for one of the three club races.
There were four Catalina Island events this year, the Sweetheart
Cruise to Avalon in February and, later in the year, the
Western Barbecue, August "Lu-Wow" and Oktoberfest
at the Isthmus. Each was enjoyed by those who made the trip
to the Island.
In September, a summer storm passed through Alamitos Bay
and jolted our clubhouse with a bolt of lightning. No fire
or structural damage, but much of the radio equipment was
lost.
Two members brought honor to SlBYC by serving as commodores
of area yachting associations, George Hively of the Southern
California Yachting Association and Peggy Gregory of the
Yacht Club Association of Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.
We continue to discuss with and wait on the City regarding
a lease and expansion of Club facilities. There were moments
of optimism during the year but the realization of the plan
is still in the future.
Seal Beach Yacht Club continues to be known throughout
southern California as a friendly, hard working club. Its
members agree but additionally enjoy the dedication, good
spirit and affection we share. Indeed, the future looks
bright ahead!
1992 The Commodore's Ball, held at the
Queen Mary, was the site of Commodore Joe Radensky's
promise of a year filled with such varied activities that
there would be plenty of fun for everyone.
In the week that followed, Sea Belles presented a concert
by the South Coast Trio. Wonderful. The next night we hosted
the Installation Dinner Meeting of the Yacht Racing Union
of Southern California during which our George Hively was
inducted as YRUSC Commodore. Billie Frazee took charge early
on and, thanks again to the Sea Belles, the evening turned
out to be our usual smashing success. Our first Popcorn
Cruising Series program was presented a week later. Approximately
100 members and guests listened to how cruisers managed
their voyages into Mexico.
As in all previous years, we were quite active on the racing
circuit. The Race Management Committee evolved in its final
form this year and saw to it that each of our races was
run as "professionally" as could be. Under the
leadership of Lynne Eddy, the Committee performed outstandingly.
We've had “Sweetheart Cruises" each year commemorating
Valentine's Day with the usual destination being Avalon.
Taking nothing away from Avalon, it nevertheless became
time for a change. What a change! Sweetheart Cruise by train
to San Diego. Jim and Joan Wolfelt hosted this "cruise"
and about 100 members enjoyed a wonderful weekend.
Marian Pincombe, as Sea Belles chairman, brought our monthly
Birthday Nights to an almost frenetic pitch. Standing room,
only. In between Birthday Nights we had "Pub Night",
complete with darts 'n draft beer. It was gratifying to
see the depth of renewed interest in Sea Belles.
From mid spring through late fall, SIBYC attracted its
members every Wednesday night to orchestra concerts performed
by Dan Walker and his 19 piece “Swing Machine"
band. The price was right. Free. Great music to dance by
or simply sip a brew and listen to.
The Fleet Surgeon, Doctor Dan Murphy, brought other medical
professionals to the club for first aid and C.P.R. courses
and, in general, saw to it that we stayed healthy. He was
the force in moving the Club into the modern world of “NO
SMOKING”. On Dan's motion (and insistence), the Board
of Directors adopted a “no smoking” policy upstairs,
while smoking was permitted in the bar. This action was
enthusiastically acclaimed by the general membership.
The parties were varied and fun. St. Patrick's Day was
duly honored. During the summer months, the Square Dance
Party had us (what else?) square dancing. Everyone breathed
fire after sampling from the annual Chili Cook off. A popular
move was the shift of the Oktoberfest from the Island to
the Clubhouse where a couple hundred members had an "ump
pah pah" time. The Halloween Night party. The Thanksgiving
cruise to Dana Point. December, always a full month with
Commodore's Awards Night, the Children's and Adults' Christmas
Parties and New Year's Eve Party, plus Island cruises...
the summer cruises... Ensenada... San Diego... the Sunday
barbecues... the Hamroc picnic. What a year!
The Yacht Club continued in its outstanding public services.
Again, many members with boats, many without boats but who
crewed, and many Hamroc members all participated in the
annual Seal Beach Rough Water Swim. "Are you sure it's
time to take the boat out? It's still dark outside!"
This year the purpose of our accompanying boats was brought
home when Ron McCoy aboard Fair Lady was instrumental in
saving a swimmer from possible drowning.
The Sea Belles continued with the project of making quilted
blankets and stuffed animals for Seal Beach Police to give
to children, victims of various unhappy incidents.
Our participation with other area yacht clubs in the annual
Charity Regatta, benefitting the Children's Clinic of Long
Beach, was so successful that it's going to be tough to
top in the future. A greater than 55% increase in funds
over any previous year, and all done during a recession
year, at that. Marian Pincombe was awarded the Founder's
Trophy for the outstanding job she did in fund raising.
As with all years, we suffered sadness. We lost Staff Commodore
Hamm Ward, our Fleet Chaplain, and John Kemp, who served
the Club as Cruiser Navigation Chairman for several years.
Of course, other members were also taken and their losses
are remembered by the members who knew them best.
Our world, our country and our state were, in 1992, in
the throes of a recession. It affected the boating community
and impacted on nearly every yacht club including Seal Beach
Yacht Club. For economic reasons, many members had to give
up their boats and their membership in the Yacht Club. In
spring, we took necessary steps to turn the membership decline
around and embarked on an active membership drive. "Fly
your burgee" was the Commodore's rallying cry and it
worked. Our blue and gold burgees were seen flying throughout
the marina. In late spring, we began to again welcome new
members and the trend has continued throughout the balance
of the year. At year's end, a strong sense of optimism prevailed.
Each Commodore reports on the progress of the plans for
the expansion and rejuvenation of the clubhouse. This Commodore
can do no less. The Yacht Club has been anxious for many
years to finally resolve the future of our clubhouse. We
hadn't been able to get the City of Long Beach to act. Now,
however, the city appears to be moving forward and, apparently,
has good reason to proceed. The tentative numbers seem to
be reasonable, and the proposed improvements appear, at
this point, to be satisfactory. It will remain to be seen
how close we really are to the project. Perhaps next year.
A sense of closeness, camaraderie and warmth mark our membership.
One's own living room could scarcely be more inviting than
to enter the Seal Beach Yacht Club filled with family like
friends. This, then, is the foundation upon which to build.
1993 Commodore Bill McComas began the
year with the promise of austerity due to the continuing
economic decline. The club's membership had dropped to 315
members and recruiting was a difficult job for Membership
Chairmen Les and Chris Hawkes. However, there was no decline
in club activities or enthusiasm on the part of the membership.
The Commodore's Ball at the Long Beach Marriott Hotel began
the year with a gala celebration. Also, in January the YRUSC
installation dinner was held at the club, hosted by Billie
Frazee. Our own Staff Commodore, Jerry Dalley, was installed
as Commodore of the YRUSC. Sally Dalley still active in
the club, served on the club's Board of Directors.
The clubhouse was the site of social activity and parties
throughout the year. They began on New Year's Day with a
Pajama Social for the "morning after." The Super
Bowl Pot Luck Dinner proved a popular event and everybody
liked the food. Dena Sabean devised the Tacky Party in March.
At that party, some clothing that had not been seen since
the sixties was right in style. Irmgard Turner gave the
Oktoberfest a real German flavor this year, complete with
an Ohm Pa band. Dan Daly and Pam showed us a "hot time"
in October. The Chili Cook-off gave ten teams the chance
to display their skills and secret chili recipes. The Halloween
party was a gathering of pirates led by Black Beard Mewes
and the lovely wench Terry. The Children's Christmas Party
by Barry and Vickie Martin (and kids) and the Adult Christmas
Party by Sue and Dick Owens capped the holiday season. The
New Year's Eve Party hosted by Steve Stanec was a proper
celebration to wrap up the year.
These usual events were augmented by special activities
hosted by the Sea Belles. Sea Belles Chairman Cindy Gothberg,
with her bubbly personality, did an outstanding job providing
activity for the membership. The South Coast Trio performed
in January to a packed house. The talent show was a huge
success and revealed hitherto unknown talents of some of
our membership. The Birthday Night and Pub Night Parties
hosted by the Sea Belles continued to be very popular and
a lot of fun.
The Cruising Committee chaired by Ron Gordon held seven
mini cruises during the year. From Cabrillo to Dana Point
Yacht Clubs and from Catalina to San Clemente Islands, the
club's burgee was flown by our intrepid cruisers. Eddie
and Diane Kiefer hosted the cruise to the Isthmus for the
Summer Island Event. They provided a great luau on the beach
that was enjoyed by everyone attending.
Dr. Lynne Eddy served in her second year as Race Management
Team Chairman. The RMT provided 37 days of on the water
sail boat racing for the club. The races were conducted
in the highest standard. The RMT and Race Committees of
the club earned the professional reputation they enjoy in
the SPBA. For the power boaters, Jim Sullivan chaired the
Cruiser Navigation Committee. There were 13 contests of
predicted log races enjoyed by club members. These teams
upheld the tradition of Corinthian yachting on which the
club was founded.
Public service was also a part of club activities this
year. The Charity Regatta, produced by Howard Newman, generated
over $12,000 for the Children's Clinic of Long Beach. The
Sea Belles, with Carol Miller's supervision, provided quilted
blankets and stuffed toys for those unfortunate children
who come in contact with the Seal Beach Police Department.
Mabel Thole led the way in knitting caps for the newborn
at Long Beach Community Hospital. The club again provided
boats for the Seal Beach Rough Water Swim, protecting and
aiding the swimmers.
Herb and Mabel Thole were recognized for their many years
of service to the club and awarded Life Memberships. Herb
and Mabel have been married over 55 years and have belonged
to the club for the past 30 years. Their devotion to the
club has not gone unnoticed. Sal and Bonnie Macias have
also served the club this year beyond the call of duty for
a volunteer member. For their efforts, they were chosen
as Members of the Year for 1993.
In the fall when the Sunday BBQ's came to an end, the weekend
dinners began. Bonnie Macias accepted the appointment as
Bar Captain and instituted Friday, Saturday and Sunday night
cook your own dinners. This program increased use of the
club by the membership. It made the club a popular weekend
place to go for dinner. Plans to continue this activity
through 1994 have been made and this innovative idea will
continue.
The greatest accomplishment this year was the securing
of a new lease for the club facility with the City of Long
Beach. After months of negotiations and work by many members,
the lease agreement was finalized. The agreement was approved
by the Board of Directors at a special session in August.
The following day, Commodores McComas, Ferreira and Newman
signed the lease agreement at the Long Beach City Hall.
The new lease ensures the Seal Beach Yacht Club use of the
facility until the year 2019. Plans were drawn for the remodeling
of the clubhouse. They include renovation inside and the
construction of an exterior deck overlooking the marina.
Upon completion, the club facility promises to be an attractive
and modern yacht club.
In the club history this year we do not have to hope for
or dream of improvements in the club. The past hopes and
dreams have been partly realized with the signing of the
new lease. The planned construction is about to begin and
economic recovery is in sight. The future looks bright for
the club and we can begin 1994 with a very optimistic outlook.
1994 Ten years after he joined the club,
Mike Ferreira took over the helm of the organization.
He usually ended his Burgee articles with the line "see
you around the club," and you did. Almost every weekend,
one could find Mike at the club, conversing with members
and prospective members, making them feel welcome, making
this one of the most energetic years for the club.
This was the year that the clubhouse expansion started.
Yes! Finally it started. We put all our pictures, trophies,
burgees and race equipment into storage for the duration
of the build out. The Board even approved the purchase of
the new upstairs bar (30 feet long!).
Sally Dalley and the Race Management Team continued to
put on a super race program. This was the year the Outlaw
Regatta was made an official inter club race.
Hamroc, under the direction of Ed Koran, continued to be
very active and helpful to the club. This year they supplied
the communication for the Seal Beach Rough Water Swim.
Thanks to Harold Alexander, SIBYC continued to provide
on the water safety for Seal Beach's Rough Water Swim participants.
Another major community project was hosting the Charity
Regatta of Long Beach. This year, under the chairmanship
of Carol Miller, we raised over $18,000 for the Long Beach
Children's Clinic.
With our Jr. Staff Commodore Bill McComas recovering from
major bypass surgery, the Blue Gavel jumped in and gave
a helping hand with the Opening Day events. Opening Day
was highlighted by the participation of 10 SCYA yacht clubs
performing the club's first surprise mock wedding. It seems
that Mike was the first single Commodore of Seal Beach Yacht
Club. SIBYC was honored in Santana magazine with a full
page article, complete with pictures.
Sea Belles were very busy this year, hosting events such
as the Mother's Day Brunch, South Coast Trio, sweet shoppe,
Birthday Night and the return of the Luau. In fact, they
accumulated over $8,000 to purchase needed club items.
Our Membership team, Dave and Lynn Woolrage, pulled out
all the stops and brought in a record 62 members.
Since this is a volunteer club, we like to recognize those
outstanding individuals who contribute to the organization.
This year, SIBYC's Member of the Year was Millie Adams.
Also recognized was Jerry Dalley for outstanding sportsmanship.
This year we mourn the loss of two very special people,
Ed Holford and Jackie Croft. We miss them dearly.
1995 During his tenure as Commodore Howard G. Newman,
Jr. led the Club through the arduous task of reconstruction.
The long waited remodeling was to become reality during
this year. The year began normally with the Commodore's
Ball being held at the Long Beach Marriot Hotel. Then, the
pomp and circumstance of the Ball gave way to the many active
social programs at the Club. The activities began in January
with the Super Bowl Sunday pot luck and St. Patrick's Day
Party. An active and successful Mini Cruise program took
off under the direction of Jim Lium. The yachting and cruising
season was under way once again.
During the early spring the finishing touches were put
on the tenant improvement plans by the Facilities Development
Committee. The Board of Directors gave their approval to
the improvements that were presented by the Committee. Some
construction had already begun at the complex but the Clubhouse
was delayed until after Opening Day.
The Opening Day Ceremonies and party on May 6th. was the
last event held in the old Clubhouse. The Opening Day theme
was "Hardhats and Hammers". The ceremony was held
amid the already started construction work around the buildings
and parking lot.
The following Monday storage containers appeared in the
parking lot and contents of the Club were carefully packed
away. House Chairman Chuck Riordan did a masterful job of
dismantling the Club and then putting it back together after
construction. The Clubhouse was emptied and the contractor
began the demolition of the interior just before the first
Pop Tops series began. Rear Commodore Dave Woolrage would
not be deterred in the pursuit of the race schedule and
Vice Commodore Bruce Miller proceeded with the burger bashes.
The galley was demolished so Power Fleet Captain Don Cobleigh
parked his motor home in front of the Club Sea Belles Chairperson
Sheila Comeau used the motor home as a base of operations
for the Thursday burger bashes. The bar was opened amid
the construction debris and it was business as usual.
This summer proved that the members of the Seal Beach Yacht
Club could come together to overcome any obstacle. All three
series of the Pop Tops were held, followed by Indian Summer
Races and hamburger bashes. All during the summer Commodore
Newman kept an almost daily vigil at the Clubhouse. He worked
closely with the contractor, the architect and the developer
to get the project completed to everyone's satisfaction,
on time and under budget. Director Don Wilkins supervised
the installation of the new galley equipment he had obtained
for the Club's use. Donna Reed used her skills in interior
decorating to coordinate the colors and accessories inside
the Clubhouse. Staff Commodore Bill McComas worked with
the developer and the city to keep the project moving.
When the job was done we had a new exterior deck with gas
BBQ's and glass wind screen. A 30 foot long granite topped
bar is the centerpiece of the upper deck, and an elevator
was installed for the use of our members who require assistance.
Two new restrooms were added upstairs and two new restrooms
were added downstairs. The old bar area downstairs was turned
into a general purpose room. The Club's lower deck also
houses the HAMROC Radio Shack and the new and complete galley.
The construction could not have been completed without the
"sweat equity" supplied by many of our members.
The fixing, patching, painting, cleaning and furniture moving
was all accomplished by our volunteer members.
The Club's Staff Commodores organized a dedication ceremony
that was held at the Club on November 18th. The ceremony
was attended by officials from the city of Long Beach, the
developer, neighboring yacht clubs and the membership of
the Seal Beach Yacht Club. At 1:30 P.M. the remodeled Clubhouse
was dedicated for the use of the membership and the Burgee
was raised to the sound of the Club cannon. Commodore Newman,
his flag officers and Vice Mayor Doug Drummond cut the ribbon
on the front door and began the reception and cocktail party
in the new facilities.
Now that the job is finally done, we can all be proud of
the beautifully remodeled Clubhouse. In the past so many
Club members worked very hard to make this long awaited
dream come true. The future now holds the anticipation of
increased membership, attracted by our new facility and
many beautiful sunsets that will be seen from the new upper
deck.
1996 Commodore Bruce Miller assumed command
of our gorgeous new facility for our 35th year. The Commodore's
Ball was held at the Seaport Marina Hotel (ex Clarion, ex
Hyatt Edgewater). Deja vu! This was the hotel that our Club
occupied for many of its early years, 1964 to 1972. Billie
Frazee did an outstanding job of organizing this event.
While the primary reconstruction had been completed, many
of the final details remained to be done. House Chairman
Chuck Riordon continued to display the many burgees that
have been given to the Club along with the trophies and
awards we have received.
A sad note began our year with the passing of Sr. Staff
Commodore Hugh Wherritt. He is fondly remembered by all
who knew him.
Our cruise program prospered under the leadership of Jim
Lium and his team of cruise chairmen. There were a total
of 10 cruises scheduled this year offering a variety of
destinations from marinas up and down the coast to Catalina
and Santa Cruz Islands.
The year began with a New Year's Day Pajama Party and ended
with a New Year's Eve Gala. Our members and guests were
treated to an almost non stop round of parties and social
gatherings. In addition to our many traditional parties
we added the "Not Necessarily Clam Chowder Cookoff,"
a Mexican Fiesta, and held our Annual Photo Contest. The
very popular Sunday Barbecues started in March and continued
until December. Fun Fridays were added with Club members
volunteering to host an evening of catered food. A wide
variety of cuisine was offered and enjoyed by all. Lynn
Woolrage organized our first Women's Mariner Seminar. This
was put on by women for women. It was a great success and
hopefully it will continue into the future. We hosted meetings
for the YRUSC, SCYA, and SCCA. The Children's Christmas
Party provided fun and amazement for young and old alike.
"How did he do that" was heard quite often as
the magician performed his tricks.
Our Race Management Committee headed by Rayma Alexander
worked very hard to provide high quality racing for our
competitors. We hosted three Club races and over 30 other
races for this year. The Outlaw Regatta suffered from a
total lack of wind. No one finished. We were again host
to the PHRF Area Hi Point Series for the year. The Club
Whaler received a complete facelift and a new engine. Maybe
it will make into the next century! Power Fleet Captain
Bob Green organized training sessions for Cruiser Navigation
contests. We developed a good group this year. We should
be ready to do battle in 1997.
Hamroc was active with communications for the Rough Water
Swim and hosted many activities open to all Club members.
Anna Gleckler provided one of their most interesting evenings,
speaking about her cruising radio experiences. Work continued
on the "ham" shack with the christening party
in March. The Club computer found a home there,
Seal Beach Yacht Club continues to expand its support of
outside community activities. Our long standing involvement
with the Seal Beach Rough Water Swim and the Yacht Clubs
of Long Beach Charity Regatta are prime examples. We continue
to work with the Seal Beach Police Department by supplying
quilted blankets and stuffed animals for small children
involved in trauma. For the Long Beach Community Hospital
we provide hand knitted hats/bonnets for the newborns. Beginning
in 1995 and continued in 1996 Carol Miller, working with
the Regional Center of Orange County, brought their Christmas
"Wish Tree" program to us containing names of
adults and children with special needs. It was our privilege
to help.
Mike and Georgia Springer, Dave Smith, and Carol Miller
continued with our Junior Program. They had activities throughout
the year. Our juniors were able to participate in ABYC's
"Learn to Sail" program. The donation of a Sabot
by Howard Newman was greatly appreciated and will enable
those without a boat to sail.
The membership passed the 400 mark this year. Our future
is bright thanks to the efforts of "The Members of
The Best"... Seal Beach Yacht Club.
1997 Commodore Dave Woolrage's theme:
Set your course for fun in 1997 began when a Bag Piper led
over 200 members and guests around the decks of the Queen
Mary to the Queen's Ballroom for the 1997 Commodore's Ball.
Ruthanne Ferreira did an outstanding job of planning and
organizing this event. Staff Commodore Mike Ferreira conducted
an impressive installation ceremony.
The beginning of the year started out on a sad note having
to conduct two memorial services for members that had passed
away in late 1996. The first was to officiate Dick "Red"
Willmore's Celebration of Life on January 4. Next, we said
goodbye to our dear friend and race secretary Ken Bishop.
We also mourned the loss of Doug Ward and Jack Briscoe later
in the year.
Commodore Woolrage felt very strongly that Club members
should be able to identify their Board of Directors, Flag
Officers and their spouses when they came into the Club.
All 1997 Board of Directors were given shirts with the logo
"Team SIBYC". A group photo was taken and displayed
in the Clubhouse along with the photos of the Flag Officers
and their spouses. Commodore Woolrage started the tradition
of having a Commodore's Burgee. This is a three foot long
SIBYC Burgee made by David Stumpf. It's embroidered with
three gold stars on both sides of the Burgee. It is to be
passed on to the incoming Commodore at the annual Commodore's
Balls.
1997 was the year of fine tuning around the Clubhouse.
Windows in the stairway and behind the bar were converted
so they opened to aid the air flow. Window coverings were
installed on the west side to cut down heat from the afternoon
sun. The Seal Beach Yacht Club logo was added on the windows
and patio windscreens facing the marina. Thanks to a suggestion
made by Sally Dalley, a security screen door was installed
in the galley area that allowed the back door to be open
for ventilation. The electrical outlets were upgraded so
we no longer blow out the Christmas tree lights when the
microwave oven is on. A downstairs office was built and
completely furnished with new furniture, computer, and fax/copier.
A ventilation fan was installed in the Ham Shack and bulletin
boards were installed in the downstairs windows with a moving
message sign that can be programmed to display upcoming
events with room for posted flyers.
The Club established its own worldwide web site, www.sibyc.org.
The site was designed and developed by our own web magician,
Ben Ach. By the end of the year we had over 2,000 hits world
wide on our website.
1997 was also a year of winning trophies, including the
Staff Commodores' at the SCYA Old Timers Night. SIBYC won
attendance awards for the highest percentage of staff commodores
in attendance at the meeting and most commodores in attendance.
This was the first time in SCYA’s history that one
club has won both awards. We ended the year in third place
for SCYA's Yacht Club of the Year award. We are very proud
of this honor since it was the first time SIBYC has ever
entered the "race." We were third out of eight
contestants. We also hosted our first SCYA and SCCA dinner
meetings in our newly remodeled Club and received kudos
from everyone that attended.
The Sea Belles, under the direction of Judy Fellhoelter,
moved their meetings to Saturday, allowing more of the working
gals and those who lived farther from the Club a better
opportunity to attend. Birthday Nights were moved to Saturday
night, which not only produced some great theme parties
but made more attractive events for more people to attend.
Opening Day ceremonies were held May 3. The Opening Day
Parade produced a record number of 48 boats. Our thanks
to Carter Trigg who produced a professional video tape of
all the Opening Day activities and donated copies of the
tape to all members that wanted them.
The Race Management Committee headed by Stacy Jackson worked
very hard to provide high quality racing for our competitors.
We started the Interclub Series of nine races with Shoreline
Yacht Club, Little Ships Fleet, and Seal Beach Yacht Club
participating. The club having the most winning boats takes
the trophy. We hosted three races in the Interclub Series,
and approximately 30 other races throughout the year. We
hosted the PHRF Area Hi Point Series for the Year, the All
Catalina Regatta, and committed to be the host for the Catalina
25 Nationals in July, 1998. The Rites of Spring race was
dedicated as the Ken Bishop Memorial Race. Ken always felt
sorry for the last boat to finish the race, so in addition
to presenting a trophy for the best start, we also added
another trophy for the boat that finishes last.
We did a good job of planning and staying within the budget
for 1997. The Flag Officers put on a Progressive Dinner
in June for over 100 members and we had enough money left
in the budget to provide the annual Adult Christmas Party
free to the first 150 members to send in their reservations.
We also invested $75,000 into a Soloman Smith Barney money
market/mutual fund account.
This year SIBYC's Member of the Year Award went to Jerry
and Sally Dalley in recognition of their dedicated and generous
attitude in helping where needed, such as hosting a Fun
Friday dinner, helping with the Burger Bashes, repeatedly
offering the use of their boat Sea Owl II for Race Committee
duty, resetting race buoy marks inside the breakwater and
being general goodwill ambassadors for SIBYC throughout
the SCYA and YRU yachting community.
Seal Beach Yacht Club brought back trophies from the area
Christmas Boat Parades. The SIBYC Junior Mariners decorated
Don Averill and Debbie DeVarso's Catalina 38 Unplugged and
won "Best in Excellence" trophy in the Naples
Island Christmas Boat Parade. Ron and Kathy Coomber's Carver
33 The Ritz. won 2nd place for "Whimsical Humor”
for a power boat in the Los Angeles Harbor Christmas Boat
Parade and "Best Spirit of Christmas" for a powerboat
over 30 feet in the Shoreline Christmas Boat Parade. Jesse
and Valerie McPherson's Hatteras 48 Freeway won third place
in the "Commercial Powerboat" category in the
Los Angeles Harbor Christmas Parade. Jim and Robbie Nagashima's
Catalina 38 At Ease won "Best Spirit of Christmas"
for a sailboat. Richard Craven's Yorktown 41 Genesis won
first place "Overall Appearance" in the Shoreline
Christmas Boat Parade.
1998 Commodore Don Cobleigh and his first
mate Sheila Comeau kept the momentum going with a theme
of camaraderie and Club prosperity. The mantra for the year
was "Come on down to the Club, join the fun and get
involved." Revisions and improvements to the Club facilities
continued with interest focused on air conditioning, the
elevator, electrical updates, downstairs refurbishing, setting
up the Honor Bar, and getting the new office space fleshed
out by building a resource index of suppliers and a good
general filing system.
The Commodore's Ball was held aboard the Queen Mary with
about 180 folks in attendance. June Holford took charge
of the detailed planning and decorations. It was the first
(and only) time the stunning centerpiece on every table
was a fishbowl with two live goldfish. They were very effective
and well received by all except a few party goers who lamented
a lack of fresh seafood on the evening menu and proceeded
to consume their table decorations! Fortunately, most of
the fishes found good homes to live out the rest of their
lives.
Steve Murphy took charge of the Race Program and Chris
Fellhoelter guided us through a successful year of Club
Cruises. David Smith started an interesting and educational
series of potluck evening meetings titles "Boat Talk,"
which featured guest speakers and a variety of subjects
such as; boat and engine maintenance, wood preserving and
refinishing, fiberglass care, electrical trouble shooting,
etc. Richard Craven started a Singles Mixer group in April
as a way to draw single people into Club activity and meet
each other. Sue Kratzer brought her professional buyer's
experience to our Ship's Store.
During the first few months of the year, Commodore Cobleigh
and Sheila attended 38 Opening Day ceremonies held by various
yacht clubs throughout southern California. This seasonal
belt buster is affectionately called the "deviled egg
circuit”. SIBYC's own Opening Day ceremony had over
300 people in attendance, standing room only!
On May 30th, a "first' was experienced by the Club
when a SlBYC racing team was chosen to participate in the
San Diego Lipton Cup Race. Pitted against hard core professional
teams our chances of placing were not good, but it was an
interesting experience!
The Club had another "first" when it was given
the honor of hosting the prestigious Catalina 25/250 Nationals
the weekend of July 16 19. Sally Dalley was the PRO of this
five race series event.
On November 14, power boater Commodore Cobleigh was at
the helm of a sail boat in the Commodore's Challenge Race
to Dana Point. Bob Hubbard volunteered his Catalina 30 boat
Dos Amigos, and himself as part of the crew, along with
Harold Alexander, Jim Lincoln, and Tony Rietdyk. Getting
off to a bad start, they found themselves in the infamous
position of DAL, but due to the skills of seasoned racers
aboard, the power boat helmsman was able to save face by
finishing in a more respectable 4th place.
Since 1983 Commodore Cobleigh has been an active member
of the Boat Owners Association, and other yachting organizations
that keep in contact with the City of Long Beach committees
and departments affecting City Marina fees and developments.
Incidents involving personal safety and theft around the
Alamitos and Downtown Marinas prompted interest in the Dock
Watch Program. Seal Beach members participated by reporting
safety problems on gangways, served as Dock Captains and
greeters, and at the same time were good ambassadors for
introducing new members to the Club.
By mid summer an ambitious Marina Development Project was
seriously threatening boaters slips, parking, traffic, noise,
and everything else currently peaceful and tolerable. A
Save Our Bay Program was started and there was no problem
finding eager participants who were willing to fight City
Hall. A City with grand images of tax dollars and a developer
with the money and plans for a large hotel/bed and breakfast
complex were ready to forever change the whole southwest
end of the land surrounding Alamitos Bay and Marina. Marina
folks and yacht club members around the Bay banded together
raising a great din and hue of protests. As the result the
development plans were killed!
Commodore Cobleigh was instrumental in opening channels
and continuing a dialogue with City officials on all subjects
concerning the Marina boating community. Mark Sandoval,
City of Long Beach Director of Marina Bureau, was the chief
contact.
Most senior Club members will remember Cobleigh's first
boat as the Hard Way Four, a 38 foot sportfishing vessel
that gained modest fame as the Club's unofficial Bar boat
for 13 consecutive years at Easter Raft ups. Recently, the
sporting life has given way to the comforts of a 40 foot
trawler named Nauti Lady.
Throughout the year, with grace, energy, and enthusiasm,
Sheila was involved in nearly every Club activity and particularly
the Charity events. Upon retiring to Staff Commodore status
Cobleigh was invited to join the Blue Gavel.
1999 Commodore Harold Alexander - The
theme for Commodore Harold Alexander’s year was “Wine
and Dine in 99.” The wine and dine started on January
1 when the flag officers cooked brunch for those who could
get up. They also served Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s
for those who needed help with the dog that bit them the
night before.
Next came the Commodore’s Ball at the Long Beach
Marriott Hotel. The fun started in the hospitality suite
then moved on to the ballroom for a great meal, the swearing
in ceremonies, then dancing. The festivities wouldn’t
have gone so smoothly without the hard work and organization
of Millie Adams, June Holfeld, Chris and Terry Mewes, Pam
Joy, and Ruthanne Ferreira.
Of course what would January be without “Super Bowl
Sunday,” Jesse McPherson, Jan Schuck, and Ed Pirrell
handled the food service, while Mike and Mary Ellen Murphy
took care of the famous pools. The club was so full it was
difficult to find a place to set down, upstairs, downstairs,
and on the patio. Needless to say the party was continued
well after the game was over.
The Seabelles donated a 120 place setting of china and
silverware to the club. Hooray! No more eating off of paper
plates on party nights. This was perfect timing as it wasn’t
long before we were into our fun Friday dinners and our
Sunday B.O.E. BBQs. Jim and Mary Lium continued with the
caterer that Rayma Alexander found the year before. Members
were served a choice of two entries, salad and desert for
one low price. Friday night was well attended, the food
was great, but the camaraderie around the club was what
brought the people out. Sunday’s were well attended,
people liked boating during the day then coming to the club
where the BBQs were fired up and ready for cooking, the
salad was prepared and the potatoes baked. No need to go
home and mess up the kitchen.
Steve Murphy and his race committee again did an outstanding
job with the races. Because of their skill and dedication
to host a great race the amount of racers increased from
the previous year.
Commodore Harold Alexander proposed a new perpetual trophy,
“Best Corrected time of a SlBYC skipper in the Newport
to Ensenada race”. The trophy was designed, handmade
and donated to the club by Terry Hanna. The participation
in the Ensenada race by SlBYC members rose dramatically,
as a matter of fact SlBYC just missed getting the trophy
given out by NOSA for the most boats finishing by a yacht
club by only one boat.
Before long the club was into the cruising season. Because
of the number of new members who have power boats the number
of boats attending the cruises were up. This gave the new
members a chance to meet some long time members and realize
how much fun our members have, but also how helpful they
can be. Whenever there is anyone who is a novice to rafting
up or anchoring, there is always members ready to help them
get safely rafted up or anchored. Commodore Harold Alexander
was lucky to get Dick and Meredith Swartz to be chairman
of the cruises. They in turn got at least 3 couples to host
each cruise, this made the job easier so no one was overwhelmed.
This worked out smoothly as the cruises had record numbers
showing up. Everyone had a great time.
During the year most of the events were bringing in more
attendance, it was soon discovered we needed some relief
from the heat, so the Board Of Directors got busy shopping
for the best price they could get for an air conditioning
system. By the month of May the air conditioning system
was operational and everyone was enjoying the cool air.
My commodore year was going along smoothly when disaster
struck, my company transferred me to Akron, Ohio. At this
time I became known as the Long Distance Commodore. Thanks
to my Vice Commodore Jim Lium and my first mate Rayma the
club was left in good hands. I was able to set things up
where I was home for board and general membership meetings.
This is not the way I would have liked my commodore year
to go as I missed a lot of fun and a chance to interface
with the members.
I still feel the club had a great year thanks to it’s
great members.
2000 Commodore Jim Lium ushered in the
new millennium with his first mate, Mary. Their theme was
"Team 2000" and that was evidenced by the progress
made all during the year. This was the first year of the
newly created "Race Only Membership." This program
produced 67 members, many of whom converted to regular membership
before the end of the year.
Membership under the guidance of Dennis Braidwood reversed
the downward trend. Our numbers increased by 20% (to over
400 regular memberships).
The Racing Program continued to be very successful with
over 40 races. The Seal Beach to Dana Point Race produced
a new record of entries with over 100. In the Newport to
Ensenada Race SIBYC won 3rd in entries and 2nd in trophies
won. The Pop Tops Series was successfully extended an additional
four weeks.
The social calendar was very full, providing members with
an array of activities including seven major parties, many
other functions, and educational programs. The Sea Belles
Birthday Nights became so popular they were held almost
every month. At the November Birthday Night we also celebrated
Barbara Young's 20th anniversary as a Seal Beach Yacht Club
employee. "Saturday Night Live," a no cover charge
dance with professional DJs providing the music, was introduced
to promote activity on Saturday nights. It proved to be
very popular with the dancing crowd. All of this activity
resulted in the Food and Beverage Operations setting a new
record for net income.
The Cruise Program, chaired by Steve Hollen was very successful.
The Cruises to Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, Catalina Avalon
Golf, and the Island Event were the most popular. The Island
Event was a page from the past. We took our own band over
to the Island. The event set a modem day attendance record
with over 180 participants.
The Power/Sail Fleet Challenge was master minded by Sail
Fleet Captain Terry Hanna. He challenged the Power Fleet
captained by Jesse McPherson, to a contest of "most
members in attendance" on all of the planned Club cruises.
The Sail Fleet won and earned a dinner served to them by
the Power Fleet members. At the annual SCYA "Old Timers
Night" SlBYC won the trophies for the best percentage
of Staff Commodores present, and for the Club with the most
attendees.
Even with all the fun and games through out the year, we
were also active in community and charity efforts. The Charity
Regatta was very successful, raising over $13,000 for the
Children's Clinic of Long Beach. The Sea Belles continued
their regular charity work by making and donating knitted
hats for hospital newborns, and baby blankets distributed
by the Seal Beach Police Department to traumatized children.
Two new events were added. Panthers at Sea offered under
privileged students of Franklin High School an opportunity
to spend a day sailing, and for the first time we were a
co sponsor of the annual Leukemia Cup Charity Race. In July,
we were once again very active in the Seal Beach Rough Water
Swim.
The Juniors Program, under the guidance of Erin Rittenhouse,
rebounded from a few youngsters to approximately 30 members.
Our little armada of small sail boats grew to nine Sabots
and a few other boats. The Long Beach Marine Department
provided a new home for the Juniors' boats and equipment
on Gangway 22.
The downstairs remodeling plan was completed and all new
furniture and fixtures were ordered and some installed before
the year's end. Kitchen improvements were made to lay the
foundation for "Grill Your Own" evenings designed
to replace the Fun Friday catered meals.
Life Memberships were awarded to two couples who have been
historically very active with SIBYC: Jerry and Sally Dalley,
and John and Billie Frazee.
Significant by law changes were made. OD duties were redefined
with stronger participation by Board members now required.
Life Membership guidelines were defined, and a Human Resource
Committee was established. The Ways and Means Committee
was very active as a research arm for the Board. We ended
the year with Sally Dalley being awarded the Yachtswoman
of the Year by ASPBYC. Our holiday spirited members won
five trophies in the area Christmas Boat Parades. June Holford
was nominated as Seal Beach Yacht Club's Member of the Year.
2001 - Commodore Richard Craven
lead the club into the millennium. Activities continued
as busy as ever. A sellout crowd attended the Commodore’s
Ball and was held on the Queen Mary and hosted by June Holford.
It was followed by a well-attended Commodores Champagne
Brunch the next day. The installation officer was S/C Jerry
Dalley. Racing was set up for another year of both Ocean
and Bay Programs continuing the active racing schedule by
Race Chairman Steve Murphy. The club had 33 Ocean races.
25 Bat races were held chaired by Luke Sayer. The NOSA Newport-Ensenada
race was held and our Club won the South Bay Yacht Racing
Club trophy for the most boats entered.
The Sea Belles continued their active support with the
chair combined of three Mary Lium, Maureen Purton, and Diane
Kiefer. The US Sailing Basic Keelboat Programs class continued
with Ken Wiese as Instructor.
A new computer was approved and set up by S/C Jim Lium.
The Quick Book Pro Program was installed. The Board approved
hiring a part time office helper to handle various Club
duties and give service to members. Our treasurer from 2000,
Jim Chester, continued to help the new treasurer and Assistant
Treasurer was combined into one job. George Ballard became
the treasurer. Laura Penwarden-Smith later became Treasurer
and installed the Peachtree bookkeeping system. Jim Chester
was awarded Member of the Year.
In February we began the Grill Your Own for Friday night
dinner which became a quite popular food service system
replacing the various catering companies used in the past.
The program was set up by Rear Commodore Dennis and Edera
Braidwood. In March we hired new people for Food and Beverage
Service. Ruben Lagunas was hired for Food and Beverage service
this year.
We continued the Jr. Program chaired by Erin Rittenhouse.
Bill Hodge succeeded her in July. The club supported the
Leukemia Race in June and various fund raising events chaired
by Lynn Woolrage. We worked with Dana Point West YC and
Bahia Corinthian YC for successful event on behalf of the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We co-sponsored the Catalina
Conservancy Ball which was chaired by Tom Rogers and Edera
Braidwood.
Our Opening Day Ceremony was one of the best, complete
with a bagpiper band and a full size seal mascot “Littlepup”(Mary
Lium inside). The theme was “Sea Odyssey”. The
hors d’ oeuvres were plentiful and were beautifully
presented.
The Club kept its regular schedule after the tragedy of
September 11th. We held appropriate prayers and remembrances
during our various meetings and functions that month.
Various improvements were done on the patio with new tables,
chairs, awning, and improved BBQ’s. The Board approved
a program to allow member name plates on items donated by
them. FDC recommended a study to expand the upper floor
in November. Meetings were held with Bancap and fellow tenant
Scuba Duba. Drawings were done by Loren Uridel. John Goddard,
Membership Chairman reported membership is over 400(438).
At the SCYA Old Timers Night, we won the trophy for the
Most Commodores Present and Most Living Commodores Present.
Sally Dalley was given an award for 50 Years in Boating.
2002 - Crusin’ thru 02 was
the theme for the year the Club was led by our first female
Commodore, Ruthanne Ferreira. Director
Lynn Woolrage did a dynamic job orchestrating the Black
and White Commodore’s Ball at ‘The Reef’
Restaurant, with Staff Commodore Sam Cunningham managing
the installation ceremonies. 2002 was a busy year for the
Club! Junior’s Chairman Bill Hodge introduced a summer
sailing program for our Juniors, we implemented both a Long
Range Planning and Standard Operating Procedures Committees,
and opened negotiations with City to lease the land and
dock at 233 Marina Drive for a Junior Sailing and Racing
Center. Directors Tom Dougherty, Facilities Development
Committee Chairman and Larry Boyd, House Manager developed
a plan to maintain and begin to replace our now seven year
old facilities, and we made progress by upgrading our electrical
systems, refinishing our once again stunning wood floor
and replacing our worn barstools.
Treasurer Laura Penwarden Smith transitioned our accounting
software to Peachtree and worked with Vice Commodore Dennis
Braidwood to improve our cash management procedures, including
the installation of two upgraded cash registers. August
saw a smooth transition in the Treasurer’s role from
Laura to Pam Joy, with Dan Daly doing an awesome job as
“Treasurer’s Assistant”. Dan re-structured
our membership database and Pam implemented policies and
procedures to improve our membership reporting and communications
around financial issues.
Staff Commodore Jerry Dalley was everywhere- serving as
Election Officer in both 2001 and 2002, as Committee member
on the Race, Audit and Ways and Means Committees, and using
Sea Owl IV as the Committee Boat for the majority of our
races. Early in the year he became certified by SCYA as
a Principal Race Officer, and went on to serve in this capacity
for many Club races and the Mid Winter Regatta. His dedication,
willingness to act as advisor (not dictator) and true friendship
made awarding him ‘Member of the Year’ and honor
well earned.
The Bridge and Board of Directors worked together to manage
the Club successfully through the year. Many of the Staff
Commodores participated on Committees and we saw a rejuvenated
interest from them in Club Operations. A team of Staff Commodores
hosted a beautiful Opening Day, with Ron Hazelhurst and
Mike Ferreira working closely with Rear Commodore George
Wilson to blend humor and dignity effectively into a great
ceremony.
After many years of taking the leadership role in the Charity
Regatta for the Children’s Clinic of Long Beach, and
two years participating with Dana West Yacht Club in the
The Leukemia Cup, the Club embarked on hosting the Catalina
Island Conservancy Ball in the Casino in Avalon to raise
funds and support for the Catalina Island Conservancy. Edera
Braidwood and Director Tom Rogers were co-hosts, strongly
supported by Pam Joy on computers, with help from Secretary
Beth Yates and Joe, Laura Penwarden Smith, Director Scott
and Sonya Hoatson, and Staff Commodore Don Brown and Margie.
The Ball was a rousing success - we were proud of
our performance as the first Club without a facility on
Catalina to step up and host the fund-raiser.
As we ended the year, member Randy Crawford donated a beautiful
perpetual trophy for our top three Junior racers, and we
awarded the ‘Scuba Duba Cup’ for the first time.
Through the year we worked hard together, played just as
hard on Cruises and at Club Parties and had a marvelous
time…Crusin’ thru ’02.
2003 - Commodore Dennis Braidwood’s
mission for the club in 2003 was dedicated to keeping the
club on course financially, encouraging membership involvement
in club activities and making sure that the good times lasted
all year long!
The year began with the Commodore’s Ball held on
the Queen Mary. June Holford organized an elegant event
straight out of 1940. We wined, dined, and danced the night
away.
Although January and February are considered the dead of
winter, which here is not too bad, our racing, cruising,
and Juniors programs were already in full swing, planning
the year to come and sponsoring events on the water.
Our racing program, under the direction of Steve Murphy,
continued to by the ‘place to be’. We sponsored
races starting in January and continuing throughout the
year. The club had 25 boats enter and finish the Ensenada
race. The summer Pop Tops series continued to be a great
way to spend a Thursday and we had weekend races through
out the year.
As well as being on the water in Seal Beach area we were
represented in races around the world. Harold Alexander
with his all SLBYC crew on the vessel Misty came in 2nd
in the Puerto Vallarta Race. David Fell on Gold Digger came
in 3rd. We all kept close track of the Transpac race because
we had two club boats in contention; Andy and Jan Seibert
on Enchanted Lady and John Davis on Pipe Dream. They left
our harbor, but not our minds or prayers. A calling tree
and the internet allowed us to keep daily tabs on their
progress. We were delighted when Enchanted Lady finished
2nd in her class.
SLBYC races were on the water but so were lots of our cruisers.
Under the watchful eyes of Hank Jason and Dave Sieber there
was a cruise every month and sometimes two. We traveled
from San Diego to the Channel Islands.
Our food program continued to flourish and Friday night
continued to be a place that people came for a grill-your-own
after a day at work. It was a place of fun, food and unwinding,
and problems were left at the door with the OD. Although
water is our thing, the club was usually in use for a party
of some kind or another on Saturday nights.
The Juniors program continued to grow and we now had a
weekend sailing schedule for our children, and for the first
time a summer camp during the week. Three days a week children
received instruction to make them proficient on the water
and something for us to be proud of. One of the highlights
of the year was when they presented themselves to the Board
of Directors at the July meeting. Three very “in control”
Flag Officers were taken aback by the emotion of seeing
what a club can do.
The new accounting procedures instituted in 2002 were put
to the test in 2003. The changes worked to substantially
reduce our monthly receivables and stabilize the Club’s
cash flow. Although not the most exciting part of the Club
life, the attention paid to these issues will help us to
remain a viable organization far into the future. By the
end of the year, the mission of implementing these new financial
procedures had proven successful due to the tireless efforts
of Club Treasurer Pam Joy, ably assisted by Dan Daly. It
was with great joy and appreciation that the club recognized
them as member and helper of the year.
We continued to work on increasing our membership and welcomed
many new members. Joe and Beth Yates put together several
open houses and were joined by lots of volunteers who wanted
to show off their club. Sixty three people chose to become
part of the SLBYC family. We enjoyed seeing our new members
getting involved and a good time was being had by anyone
who wanted to have a good time.
2004 - Commodore George Frischkorn Wilson
assumed the leadership role in Seal Beach Yacht Club one
minute after midnight, January 1st, 2004 and was formally
sworn in on January 17th, the Queen’s Salon in the
HMS Queen Mary during our traditional Commodore’s
Ball. Our theme for the year was announced at this time,
by the Commodore, as “Romancing the Seas”. Both
June Holford and Lynn Woolrage outdid themselves in presenting
an elegant night.
In consonance with our announced theme for the year, we
selected the Opening Day theme as “Buccaneer Days”.
The Commodore chartered the 73’ wooden hull 1939 vintage
schooner “Dirigo II” as his boat parade review
boat and also honored the Staff Commodores with a cocktail
party on the “Dirigo II” the night before.
Opening Day went perfectly with a large turnout for the
boat parade preceded by the Long Beach Fire Dept Fireboat.
The ceremony and dinner arrangements were executed perfectly
with Jr. Staff Commodore, Dennis Braidwood and Edera managing
the many minute details.
The Racing Program, as always is one of the pillars on
which a Yacht Club builds its reputation. Our 2004 Race
Chairman, Terry Hanna, planned and executed a highly successful
year-around calendar of races. Along with the traditional
races, Terry added the “Ship Rock Race” to and
from Catalina. It should prove to be another tradition with
Seal Beach Yacht Club. Our Pop Tops Thursday night Summer
Series with sixteen (16) races has built up in such popularity
that we have had up to 40 boats competing.
Our Junior’s Chairman, Bill Hodge, has, with the
help of many parents and also our lead Instructor Mike White,
built our Junior’s Program over a period of four to
five years, so that our year-around Program races up to
eighteen (18) Sabots and our participant Juniors are placing
higher each year in Junior’s competition with other
Yacht Clubs. The Summer Junior’s Program is equally
impressive.
Again, within the definition of our theme for the year,
the theme for the Club’s traditional “Island
Event” was “Pirates of the Pacific.” It
was remarkable how many club members dressed (costume) for
the event. A large turn out meant a lot of fun, due again
to the efforts of Dennis and Edera Braidwood and their many
helpers.
Our intrepid Cruise Chairman, Hank Walker, planned a schedule
with thirteen (13) cruises for the year. With great attention
to detail and communication with the receiving yacht clubs
in Newport and San Diego, et. al., and with the creative
minds of the individual cruise hosts, everyone had a fabulous
time.
Making sure that our yacht club area racing associations
continue to represent our club in a myriad of issues confronting
Power and Sail boaters, your representatives, to the Yacht
Racing Union (YRU) and Southern California Yachting Association
(SCYA) as well as our harbor association, The Association
of San Pedro Bay Yacht Clubs (ASPBYC), attended the various
association meetings and managed to make the YRU Catalina
Cruise in July and the SCYA Commodore’s Cruise to
Catalina Island Yacht Club’s facility in Avalon in
September.
Our Food Service Program, begun in 2001 primarily by Dennis
Braidwood and our Food Service “Chef” Ruben
Lagunas, thrived through this year and only in November
when Ruben took his annual sabbatical to his home in Mexico,
were we confronted with regret, as Ruben, at 43 years of
age, succumbed to a heart attach and passed away. All members
of Seal Beach Yacht Club during these years have fond and
affectionate memories of this vital member of our staff.
Our Membership Chairmen Joe and Beth Yates recruited over
70 new members and we maintained a membership level of 350
members during their stewardship. It is always a good feeling
meeting these new members and building new friendships that
will last forever.
For the second year, Commodore Wilson planned, executed
and this year hosted the Military “Dining In”
celebrating the birth dates in November, of the US Navy
and US Marine Corps. Captain Rusty Mirick, USN, flew in
from the Pentagon to address the formally and well turned
out members. Colonel C.A. Smith, USAF (Ret.) also addressed
the assembled, and following “tradition”, after
the many formal toasts, various members of the Mess, were
assessed, by the Commodore, the appropriate penalties for
violating either posted Mess Regulations or general good
order. The result, as always, in a “Dining In”
scenario, was hilarious. The wine, port and cognac did not
seem to dim the wits of the attendees to any particular
degree.
The Yacht Club “season” seems to be less intensive
as the year progresses; however the steady efforts of our
Seal Belles’ Chairpersons Nancy Hanna and Mary Dominick,
to keep our monthly Birthday Night Parties on track is commendable.
These were augmented with other Club parties and together
we have a whole year long “season”.
We finished the year with a “Bravo Zulu” for
our financial planning, chaired by our indomitable Treasurer,
Pam Joy. Our final budget numbers came in on or near targets
established before the year started.
Finally, the job of the Commodore becomes complete when
he or she announces his selection for the Member of the
Year. For 2004, Bill Hodge was chosen for his effective
and dedicated efforts in forming and leading a superb Junior’s
Program.
2005 - Commodore Jim Czarnecki
2006 - Commodore Donald Neff had a vision
to set a course for the yacht club to follow that would
establish growth while also maintaining and expanding the
fun factor in the club’s ongoing events.
During 2006, the plans for rebuilding the Alamitos Bay
Marina were being finalized by the Marina Department. The
Commodore believed that Seal Beach Yacht Club should have
their own slips. The Commodore and Tim van Grove approached
the Marina Department for initial talks. The initial talks
were extremely successful and resulted in the potential
to obtain control of approximately 110 slips. The Commodore
and Judge Advocate Victor Danhi drafted by-laws for the
proposed slips and, with the full cooperation of the BoD,
the by-laws were passed. With the slip usage by-laws in
hand, the Commodore, Tim van Grove and Dean Garland retuned
to the Marina Department to finalize the negotiations. With
the full support of the Marina Department, Seal Beach Yacht
Club has secured 110 slips in Basin 2 right across from
the Long Beach Yacht Club! The plan for slip assignments
was initiated in August.
During the slip negations, the idea for a site to build
permanent clubhouse surfaced. Concurrent with the slip arrangements,
we had the good fortune to discuss several possible building
site locations near our current premises. In the end, a
premier land site for a SLBYC clubhouse was selected adjacent
to the slip area. Dean Garland had plans of a potential
clubhouse drawn up and asked for input from members.
The next step was to educate the BoD and the membership
about our lease situation. We have a great lease for commercial
waterfront property, but it becomes more expensive every
year. The Commodore presented the BoD a graph of rising
facility costs versus time. Over time, it becomes apparent
that it is less expensive to maintain a fixed rate mortgage
than fund a continuously rising rent. That is, our current
and future rent payments would support a permanent clubhouse.
Of course, a fund raising drive and gifts would have to
be undertaken. Growth always takes a little effort, but
that’s how the club got to where it is today.
Some members see the virtue of slips and a permanent facility
as necessary for the continuation and growth of Seal Beach
Yacht Club. Some members oppose these growth ideas. Each
view has merit, but to me, if you’re not growing,
you’re falling behind. Regardless, the ideas have
sparked healthy conversation and debate over the club’s
future direction. If the Club decides to move forward, we
have secured a prime location.
The Commodore was in the fortunate position to inherit
a juniors program that was guided by very involved instructors.
The Commodore challenged and funded these motivated instructors
to stretch. There were several goals; 1) Introduce Olympic
class boats to our fleet - done. :Laser class was
added. 2) Make our kids competitive - done. Podium
finishes in Newport Harbor against higher quality boats.
3) Have fun - done. As evidenced by the growth in
the juniors’ membership. Robin Stout arranged an agreement
with West Marine to donate a percentage of a weekend’s
sales to the Junior Program.
Well, enough high level conversation, lets get to the fun.
One of the Commodore’s main objectives was to have
the lights on in the club. This means that, if you were
driving by, or on a whim stopped by the club, something
would be happening and, some of your friends would be there.
To this end the club was open, aside from other events,
every Thursday through Sunday night. Full bar service with
professional bar tenders was provided and a true “Cheers”
atmosphere developed.
Dinners were served every Friday night and the salad bar
was upgraded. Do to overwhelming positive response from
the members, our locally famous roast beef was served twice
a month. Saturday nights were Sea Belles and Club party
nights and on Sundays the Grill Your Own tradition continued,
although some members started calling it, “Burn Your
Own”. Also on Sundays, a brunch was served from 10am
- 2pm.
Seal Beach Yacht Club’s cruising tradition continued
in 2006 under the extremely able direction of Edera Braidwood.
During prime cruising season we had two cruises a month.
In fact, several members of other Yacht clubs joined SlBYC
because of our cruises.
Racing is one of the premier foundations of our Yacht Club.
Under the watchful direction of Jack Day, our tradition
of professionally-run racing events continued. Adding to
the bar-side racing while awaiting the official results
was the addition of videos of the evening’s race displayed
on the big screen by our overhead projector. What a great
social event on Thursday nights and more and more non racers
started to attend to enjoy the fun, food and camaraderie.
Besides podium finishes in the Newport to Ensenada Race,
Seal Beach Yacht Club won the trophy for the most boats
entered.
Once again our Charity Events for the Children’s
Clinic set yet another record for donations.
Unfortunately, in July my employer decided to move our
corporate headquarters to Nashville, TN. This meant flying
in for some Board meetings and teleconferencing others.
All in all, I had planned on finishing out my Commodore
year achieving more for the Club rather than relocating
to another state. Thanks to the hard work of the Vice Commodore.
Hank Walker, and the Board of Directors along with the membership,
the Club never missed a beat.
From the beginning Commodore’s Ball arranged by Jane
Danhi through the end of my term, it was a year of change
and growth for the yacht club. I thank all our members for
continuing to make Seal Beach Yacht Club the best yacht
club in Southern California.
2007 - Commodore Hank Walker
2008 - Commodore Steve Hollen began
the year with a theme for everyone to “Get her out
of the slip”, which was followed through with some
of the largest number of cruises and race events in club
history. Some Thursday nights after a Pop Tops race there
were over 150 racers crowding for space at the bar. Food
service was brought back to profitable levels not seen in
years under the stewardship of Vice Commodore Sheila Comeau.
Cruises went to every corner of Southern California including
Mexico and the Channel Islands. Short cruises to Marina
Pacifica drew hundreds and others to distant locals gave
members every choice they could imagine under the capable
hands of Rear Commodore Jeff Dawson and his wife Cynamon.
One big item on Steve’s agenda for the past several
years was to redo and complete the compass rose in the club
house lobby. Late into the night before Opening Day’s
festivities, it was completed and added a final touch to
the clubhouse. In the Office, we installed a complete DSL
based computer wireless network which added not only to
the Treasurer’s capabilities but also quick race results
postings upstairs at the bar and online as well. In addition,
it allowed members’ the ability to enjoy Wi-Fi access
within the clubhouse.
2009 - Commodore Sheila Comeau
2010 - Commodore Jeff Dawson The
club began 2010 with the awareness that we had to meet the
challenges of a tough economic climate head-on. Three major
objectives were set at the beginning of the year; stabilize
our finances, increase our membership, and enhance member
benefits and activities.
Achieving financial stability first involved finding areas
where cost-cutting could occur. A careful review of all
club programs resulted in spending reductions where the
members’ enjoyment of the club would not be affected.
Importantly, a proposal was made to our landlords to give
the club a reduction in rent until the economy improved
and membership levels increased. After months of negotiations
and hard work by our Judge Advocate Victor Danhi, a 2 year,
40% rent reduction was agreed to by our landlords and the
City of Long Beach. This agreement alone achieved a $72,000
savings for our club.
Adding new sources of club revenue was a 2010 priority.
One untapped area that we identified was rental of our facility
on days when there were no club activities. Our Calendar
Chairperson Beth Yates worked very hard in booking outside
events such as weddings, receptions and business meetings.
As a result, the club was rented many nights by non-members
and members alike, adding an additional revenue stream.
The next objective was to increase membership. A good membership
team was assembled, chaired first by Darlene Martin then,
because of work commitments, taken over by Robbi Nagashima.
Both ladies had a lot of new and great ideas and had set
a year full of membership events to attract new members.
The club enjoyed wine tastings, beer tastings, booths at
outside events and various other activities that attracted
many new candidates to our club.
We also worked in 2010 to enhance the club’s benefits
to our members. A major addition was our boat slip program.
Control of slips in the marina is important in attracting
and retaining boat-owning members. It’s an advantage
long held by our yacht club neighbors. To ensure that SlBYC
was given similar abilities, the Long Range Planning Committee
consisting of Commodore Jeff Dawson, Rear Commodore Jim
Hanna, Staff Commodore Dwight Reed, Judge Advocate Victor
Danhi and Director Roger Gripe submitted a proposal to the
marina requesting control of current members’ / future
slips in Alamitos Bay. The proposal was accepted by the
marina with immediate control of 130 slips and future control
of up to 250. The program was immediately implemented and
over the course of 2010 placed over 20 members in slips
with 30 more on the waiting list. To date this program is
responsible for bringing in over 25 new members.
In another move to improve the club, Jane Danhi volunteered
as our Club of the Year Coordinator and the club was entered
into the running for the SCYA Club of the Year Award. In
order to win, clubs compete against other clubs for points
awarded for various activities. These activities include
racing, cruising, juniors programs, charitable donations
and community involvement. The biggest benefit in competing
for this award is the required involvement; all of these
activities were good for the improvement of the club and
its members. It gave the members more activities to choose
from and increased our involvement in the local community
and charitable organizations. As the year closed we did
not win Club of the Year however we were very close, only
three points away! We did however win the Commodores award
and the benefits to the club by participating in this great
event.
The last major objective was to just make the club fun
again. Many, many activities were planned for the year with
an emphasis on new ideas, getting new members in, getting
new members involved and getting old members back at the
club. The following are just some of the happenings inside
and outside the club for 2010.
The Commodores Ball was held at The Reef in Long Beach
and was hosted by Jane and Victor Danhi and Staff Commodore
Dwight Reed was the installing officer. It was an elegant
event and was the start off of the clubs 50th year of boating.
One hundred and sixty people including over twenty Past
and Staff Commodores came out for the event. To commemorate
the clubs 50 years, Jane and Victor created a 45 minute
slideshow of Seal Beach Yacht Clubs history containing pictures
of members and events throughout the clubs history. The
slide show was shown at the event and was given to all attendees
on a DVD. It was a huge hit and it really showed the fun
times that this club has had over the years.
We held over 20 house and Sea Belles parties throughout
2010 and all were very well attended. Our Sea Belle’s
Chairperson Dee Fether did an excellent job and planned
the year out in style. Many members stepped up to host events
ranging from Super bowl to birthday to Halloween parties.
We enjoyed great food, great music and good times. Attendance
was up and it was really nice to see all of the new faces
getting involved.
We bolstered our Friday night dinners throughout the year
under the leadership of our Vice Commodore Bob Schweitzer.
With an improved menu and a lower cost, increasing numbers
of members joined us for the delicious Friday Night dinners
with their friends.
Our Cruising program started up in March with our traditional
short cruise to Marina Pacifica. We coordinated this event
with an open house to try to attract new members. We had
an outstanding turnout, over 15 new members joined due to
this event and everyone had a blast. The balance of the
year we had numerous cruises scheduled from a trip to Santa
Barbara Island, numerous trips to Catalina to all the way
down to San Diego. Our main cruise, The Island Event was
hosted by our members Cindy Brooks and Karl Reithmaier.
Along with their own homemade beer they threw one heck of
a party and made a lot of people happy.
Opening day was held on Saturday, May 1st and was another
memorable event. Our Maintenance Chairperson Jerry King
did an outstanding job readying the club for its special
day and it was ready to be seen by all. The ceremony was
held in the morning with over 250 officials from other clubs
and visitors. After the ceremony we had our traditional
and very well known reception and appetizer contest hosted
by Jan Sibert. The members out did themselves again and
the reception was a hit.
Following the reception we held our annual Commodores review
of the fleet organized by Sail Fleet Captain Andy Sibert
and Power Fleet Captain Hank Walker. The theme of the parade
was Caribbean Carnival and 37 boats were decorated to their
finest. After the parade all of the participants joined
up with other members and had a dock party. Later that night
a Caribbean dinner was served at the club and members danced
to a great Reggae band. The club was officially opened in
style.
We had a wonderful year with our race program under the
leadership of our Race Chairperson Terry Hanna, our assistant
Race Chairperson Bob Hubbard, PRO Joe Yates, the race committee
and our volunteer committee boats. Seal Beach Yacht club
has always had a reputation of having an outstanding racing
program but some how this group made it even better. 2010
was an outstanding year for race participation, in every
one of our race series we experienced more boat entries
and much more of the racers at the club afterward celebrating
and watching race videos taken by our Burgee Editor Kelly
Walsh.
In addition to racing at the club many of our members did
pretty well bringing in first place trophies up and down
the coast. Tom Brott on Electra, a J109 and our Port Captain
John Neff on Meand’er, a Catalina 36 both brought
in a first place finishes in the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta
in San Diego. For the Newport to Ensenada race, Sail Fleet
Captain Andy Sibert on Enchanted Lady won first place in
the Cruise Gennaker as well as Cruise all Boats classes
bringing back both the Blue Gavel and the Secretary of Foreign
Relations - Mexico perpetual trophies. Another winner was
a new member Daniel Kriz on Tugtub that had a first place
finish for the Cruise Non-Spinnaker class. Tom Brott doing
it again in San Francisco for the Rolex Big Boat Series
winning both the IRC D and Keefe-Kilburn perpetual trophies
as well as a first place finish for the Santa Barbara to
King Harbor Race.
Our juniors program was still going strong under the management
of our Juniors Program Chairpersons Kim and Brad Bergeron.
We had over 30 kids in our program sailing every weekend
in the spring and daily in the summer. Our kids enjoyed
great instruction from our coaching staff, sailing and racing
as well as parties on 4th of July and Christmas.
At the end of the year it was now the holiday season and
time to celebrate. Along with the annual Christmas parties
at the club our Whaler Captain Ken Kozuch and his wife Ceilia
organized the clubs entry in to the Belmont Shore Christmas
Parade. A great float was constructed and members of our
club along with the flag officers enjoyed riding on the
float and celebrating the holiday season with all of the
people that came out to see the parade, it was a memorable
night.
Closing out the year meant one more award to give out,
the Seal Beach Member of the Year Trophy for 2010. This
trophy was awarded to Jane and Victor Danhi for all of their
hard work, dedication and support they have given to our
fine club over the years.
All in all I think 2010 turned out pretty well, we did
not quite get the membership I was hoping for but we have
turned the finances around. By the end of 2010 we made a
profit of over $20K and were able to add an additional $30K
into our FDC fund. Other than the finances I also think
our members enjoyed our club this year, we had a lot of
fun events and I saw a lot of smiling faces.
As your Commodore for 2010 I would like to thank all of
you that supported my wife Cynamon, my daughter Madison,
my son Jack and myself throughout my years on the flag.
We made a lot of new friends at this club and it is very
close to our hearts. It was a truly amazing experience being
your Commodore and I appreciate the opportunity and the
trust you all gave me. Hopefully, I have served the club
well. I will never forget all of your help and support…
Thank You.