November 2008 - Santa Cruz Yacht Clubclub.scyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Spinnaker-Sheet...November 2008 Argggh !!! On Saturday October 11th, pirates gathered at Cowell’s Cove

November 2008

Argggh !!!On Saturday October 11th, pirates gathered at

Cowell’s Cove for the 2nd annual SCYC Pirate PartyRaft-Up. A total of 8 boats rafted for this raucousrendezvous, and were greeted with sunny skies and alight north wind perfect for rafting. The SCYC commit-tee boat Onward skippered by Henry Cassady formedthe central gathering and partying place for our heartyband of buccaneers, who enjoyed good food, authenticpirate grog, and live nautical music by Trond Toft.Many attendees were in costume further enhancing theparty atmosphere. There were pirates, wenches, mateswith their bandanas, and even a cabin girl. CaptainAhab, with his harpoon, and Captain Jack Sparrow also

showed up. Boats present were: Onward, withCaptain Henry Cassady, First Mate Vern Wallace,Hostesses Joan McVay and Kate Riley, Cabin girlSheila Payan McVay, Shanty Man Trond Toft,Meredith Wallace, Gaby McVay, Bridget Binkoand Fred Molnar; Reachable Star Too, with SteveSmardan and Lance McVay; Easy Passage with ElleJollissaint and Dave Rummens; Affinity with BobBenoit; Eowyn, with Dave, Nancy and Aaron Dias;Katrina, with Dennis DeCoste and Ryan Chang;Diver Down with Vance Landis and Tom Sullivan;Zayante with Homer Lighthall, Michael Bini, DanSkwerp. Peggy Drake, Rudy and Liza. As the sun set

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NOVEMBER 2008 SANTA CRUZ YACHT CLUB SPINNAKER SHEET

on the festivities, the crowd was entertained with anautical poem of death and betrayal by Lance McVay.Eventually the pirates knew their fate was to headback to land, and return to sea to pillage and plunderanother day. Reachable Star Too, Easy Passage, andAffinity stayed out on the hook for the night. We would like to thank our pirate hostesses,Joan McVay and Kate Riley, for all their planning,enthusiasm, and creativity that made this party asuccess. Also, we would like to extend a big thank youto Henry Cassady, who put up with all of us rowdypirates to captain Onward. And lastly, to the clean-upcrew of Kate Riley, Vern and Meredith Wallace, BobBenoit and Dave Dias who showed up bright and earlyto help make sure Onward looked as good as she didwhen we got her, a very big thank you. Make sure youstop by the club bulletin board, and look at the pictures.We hope to see many of you at the 3rd Annual PirateParty next year!!

Dave and Nancy DiasCruise Chairs

Vice Commodore Report

October has been a relatively busy month.We’ve had the A-Cat North Americans, Fall SCORE#3, Fall One Design #3, Flying Dutchman NorthAmericans, Last Wednesday Night BBQ on the 29th,and Halloween on a Friday night. Many thanks to allthe volunteers who have been so generous in offeringtheir time to these events. All of us thank each andevery one of you.

We had the premier showing of Morning Lightat the Del Mar Theater on October 16th - the Disneydocumentary about a group of young sailors whotrained and raced the Transpac in 2007. It was adelightful movie and to see the young faces engulfedin this film was amazing. It was so much fun to lookaround the theater, seeing their faces looking up at thescreen, wide eyed and all. Many of our Jr’s werepresent for the opening.

We are currently having some electrical worktaken care of in the kitchen, along with a new panel tosupply the much needed loads of the Club. Thank youto Jim Skinner for all his hard work getting bids,meeting with the contractors, etc. We really appreci-

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ate the time and effort spent taking care of theseneeds!

Well, if this gets out soon enough, you will allknow that the AGM is happening on Sunday, Novem-ber 2nd at 4:00 pm. I hope that you can all attend. Thebar will be open and food will be served. Please comedown, meet your current and prospective BoardMembers, and vote. I look forward to seeing youthere.

Lena ParkerVice Commodore

Rear Commodore Report (Social)

By the time you read this, Halloween will havecome and gone, along with the month of October!November has some significant events. The first is theAnnual General Meeting (A.G.M.) on November 2nd,

All members are invited to cast your vote for the 2009Officers, have some munchies and hear a brief “Stateof the Club” presentation. This is an important part ofbeing a participating member. See you there.

Next up is the “New Members Dinner” onNovember 16th. Put this on your calendar! This is a funevent and a great opportunity to get acquainted withother sailors and the activities that happen throughoutthe year.

We thought we would write about Decemberbecause our year as Social Committee is going to endin a “Full Tilt Boogie”. On December 4th the clubChristmas tree gets put up. On December 5th, SCYCfamilies are invited to decorate the tree. On December6th, the “Lighted Boat Parade” is always a specialevening. On December 10th the annual “HolidayMixer” will happen, and this year there will be a bandand dancing. On December 14th the SCYC kids gettreated to their annual Christmas Party. On December20th there is a musical Potluck scheduled. At that pointthe club will be closed until the always extravagant,“New Years Eve Party”!

What a way to end the year!! We’ll see youaround the club in November and have a great Thanks-giving!

Steve NiemannRear Commodore

Regatta Appreciation Party

Thank you to all who have helped and partici-pated in our regatta operations in 2008. Volunteers arethe back bone of racing at SCYC and we all givethanks to your efforts in supporting our racing program.

Below is our list of volunteers for 2008. If Iomitted some of you, I apologize. If you participated inrace committee this past year, please come to ourregatta appreciation dinner on November 8th 2008.Please RSVP to the Santa Cruz Yacht club.

Again thanks for your participation.

John Buchanan2008 SCYC regatta chair.

(see list of volunteers next page)

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Lynn Appley Pat AppleyBridget Binko Kristie BlackBarbara Booth Adam BorcherdingChris Borror Dan BorrorHenry Cassady Matthew CoaleLuc deFaynoreau Bob DeWittJan Dewitt Ric DiolaTerry Drew John FraserTom Garside Vikki GilmourEd Goldstein Jack HaltermanDave Joslyn Doug KirkMary Larkin Rick LinkemyerMegan McConville Mike McMahonFred Molnar Nancy MooreWes Musitelli Magdalena NaefHeidi Neggemeyer Steve NiemannKris North Larry PetersonMichael Raabe Charlie RoskoszHoward Ruderman Dee SchuylerRob Schuyler John SiegelBob Simpkins Jim SkinnerGenre Sofen John SuperDick Taylor Allan TeskeLois Van Buren Phil VandenbergFrank Vandigglen Dave WahleBill Weatherwax Larry WeaverGraham Wright John WursterJeremy Leonard Judy

Annual GeneralMembership

MeetingSunday, November 2, 2008

@ 4:00 pmThe bar will be open before and after the

meeting. There will be food served following.Please come to cast your vote, hear a brief “State

of the Club” and enjoy the company of othermembers. This is a very important part of your

membership and your attendance is appreciated.

JAM (non-spinnaker)

The Regatta Committee has approved a JAM(Jib and Main) addition for the Midwinter Series ofRaces. The PHRF ratings for this will be in the NOR.This is an opportunity for boats with high PHRF ratingto participate in this fun series. This is the time to pencilin the 3rd Sat of the month races, starting in November,on your calendar.

ChuckCharles [email protected]

New Members Dinner

*Exisiting and new members please join us!*Sunday, November 16*5:30pm Cocktails*6:30pm Dinner*Program includes introductions, brief history of the

Club and speakers*Bring your sponsors, family and friends*Space is limited so make your reservations early*831-425-0690 or greg (at) scyc (dot) org

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Upcoming SCYCEvents CalendarFlying Dutchman North Americans

Oct. 30 - November 2

Mini-Boat RegattaNovember 1

AGMNovember 2

Regatta Appreciation PartyNovember 8

Midwinter’s #1November 15

PotluckNovember 15

New Members DinnerNovember 16

Thanksgiving - Club ClosedNovember 27 -December 1

Morning Light Movie

The Santa Cruz Sailing Foundation would like tothank the 387 people who attended the special viewingof the new Roy Disney sailing movie Morning Light,October 16th at the Del Mar Theater. I know from mypart, it brought back the memories and the excitementof the preparation, start, seasickness and finish of theTranspac Race to Hawaii. Through the ticket, hat andshirt sales the foundation raised over $3,700.00 that willbenefit the sailing youth of Santa Cruz County. Wewould also like to thank Foundation board member RicDiola for coordinating the event and the many volun-teers who help sell tickets, collect tickets and sell thehats and shirts.

The Foundation would also like to thank Bradand Denise Bini for their recent donation in honor ofFred Molnar and Bridget Binko.

Bob SimpkinsSanta Cruz Sailing Foundation

2008 A-Class CatamaranNorth American Championships

The 2008 A-Class Catamaran North AmericanChampionships were hosted by the Santa Cruz YachtClub the week of September 28th through October 3rd.It was a great event to watch 18 foot, 165 pound boatsat their best. The 28 participants included Lars Guck,2007 NA Champion from Rhode Island, Ben Hall,owner of Hall Spars out of Rhode Island, JamesSpithill, helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing currentlyliving in Spain, and Pete Melvin, designer of the maxicatamaran Playstation residing in southern California.

The winds for the event saw light 5 knots to theupper limit of 25 knots and big seas. Another problem

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the sailors faced were the numerous “kelp islands” allover the racecourse. Wednesday’s second race wasthe windiest of the regatta with numerous capsizings atthe windward mark. All of the safety boats werepressed into action assisting boats with broken masts,picking up the sailor who got separated from his boat.SCYC Junior Commodore Max Fraser jumped fromone of the safety boats to a capsized A-Cat in order tohelp right it while barely getting wet. Thursday’s racesaw a very low bank of thick fog cover the racing areaforcing a postponement. Many of the skippers tookrefuge in the harbor for the hour and half delay. Twoskippers enjoyed the break to order up burger and friesfrom Aldo’s.

This year’s winner, Lars Guck, sailed a veryconsistent 11 race series throwing out 2nd and 1st placefinishes. Second place went to Pete Melvin.

SCYC once again showed it can host majorevents for top level sailors. John Siegel was theregattas PRO and was assisted by the followingmembers on committee and safety boats: LarryPeterson, Charlie Roskosz, Dave Wahle, JohnWurster, Phil Vandenberg, John Buchanan, KrisNorth, Wes Musitelli, Henry Cassady, MatthewCole, Rick Linkemyer, Steve Niemann, John andMax Fraser, Jack Halterman, Doug Kirk, AdamBorcherding, Ron and Martha Moore, and Jer-emy Leonard. Regatta registration was managed byLynda Kolb and Annette Edwards. Also helping outon the launching ramp were Georges McCormickand Jack McDonald. These last two gentlemenassisted in getting the boats in and out of the water thecomplete regatta. This was no easy task as the tidedropped and the ramp got very steep. Chuck Hawleydid his typical superb job acting as MC for the awardspresentation.

A special thank you goes to Carol Simpkinswho did a great job hosting a Taco Party for 40 peopleat her home and helping with registration.

Again, thanks to all the volunteers for makingthis another great SCYC event.

Bob Simpkins2008 A-Cat NA ChampionshipsCommittee Chairman.

Sunday Night DinnerSunday Night DinnerSunday Night DinnerSunday Night DinnerSunday Night Dinner11-09-08

$17.25- Pan fried Calamari SteakPan fried Calamari SteakPan fried Calamari SteakPan fried Calamari SteakPan fried Calamari SteakLightly breaded, served in Lemon Garlic

Herbed Parmesan Potato wedgesGrilled Vegetable stackChoice of Soup or Salad

OR$18.75- Roasted Prime Rib Au JusRoasted Prime Rib Au JusRoasted Prime Rib Au JusRoasted Prime Rib Au JusRoasted Prime Rib Au Jus

Twice Baked Potatoes and Fresh VegetableChoice of Soup or Salad

Creamed Mushroom with Sherry Soup

Reservations suggested. Call for menu on 11-23-08831-425-0690 or go to scyc.org (dining).

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Recreational Boaters of California

As mentioned in October’s newsletter, theproblem with invasive species, such as the quagga andzebra mussels, are beginning to impact boating through-out Northern California freshwater waterways (luckilyfor Santa Cruz harbor, the mussels cannot grow in saltwater). New boating restrictions and inspectionprograms are being rolled out everywhere by govern-ment agencies. The best summary of all the newregulations for California waterways is at the Dept ofBoating and Waterways website at http://www.dbw.ca.gov/BoaterInfo/QuaggaLoc.aspx. It isHIGHLY recommended that you check the newregulations before you arrive at a freshwater launchfacility as you could be turned away…or worseyet….your vessel could be impounded if it is suspectedto be infected!

We are starting to see reports of sailingregattas being canceled at certain freshwater venuesdue to inability of the regatta organizers to comply withnew regulations. In addition, fishermen and otherboaters are being affected at Lake Tahoe and SantaClara County reservoirs.

Our own SCYC Junior Program is in peril dueto possible boating closure of Pinto Lake. RBOC willwork with the SCYC Junior Program to advocate withthe Watsonville Parks Dept. for practical alternativeswhich will ensure the future of the Junior Program andstill meet the need to prevent the spread of the mus-sels.

For more information about RBOC, visit thewebsite at http://rboc.org/.

Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association

The PICYA calendar of events is windingdown for 2008. On October 4th, the Fall ManagementConference was held at the Benicia YC. Presentationswere made on club management, finance and legalissues. Guest speakers included the Coast Guard RearAdmiral Paul Zukunft and representatives from the CADepartment of Boating and Waterways and Recre-ational Boaters of California.

On November 3rd, the PICYA Annual AwardsDinner will take place at the Encinal YC. We havereceived advanced notice that the SCYC will bepresented with a rather special award! CommodoreGripenstraw and Ernie Rideout will attend this event toaccept the award on the club’s behalf. Next month’s

issue will provide the details of this special award.For more information about PICYA, visit the

website at www.picya.org.

Friends of the Harbor Group

By the time you read this, it is likely that theNovember elections are behind us (finally!!). OnOctober 10th, FOHG published the replies to its ques-tionnaire received from all 4 Port Commissionercandidates. FOHG will keep the Candidate Q&Aavailable on our website homepage.

FOHG is now focusing its attention on theongoing negotiations between the Port District and theArmy Corps of Engineers to update the federal cost-sharing agreement for the maintenance of the harborentrance channel. Since 1986, the Port District hasreceived zero federal matching funds for dredging; ourharbor is one of the only harbors in the US not receiv-ing matching federal funds. Escalating dredging costsdue to more restrictive state and federal environmentalregulations have increased costs to our harbor consid-erably since 1986. The 2007 Water Resources Devel-opment Act (WRDA) contained language by Rep. SamFarr which directed the Army Corp to renegotiate thisagreement. The WRDA bill, which was 7 yearsoverdue, had been vetoed last year by President Bush

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but the veto was overwhelmingly overridden by theHouse and Senate. FOHG will continue to advocate insupport of the renegotiation and will let you know if/when letters of support to government officials may beneeded.

Lastly, FOHG is beginning work on developingan online survey for harbor users focusing on variousharbor issues. The results of the survey would beshared with the public and presented to the PortDistrict. If you have an idea about a survey questionthat you’d like to be considered, email us [email protected]. We will keep you posted as this surveyproject progresses.

For more information about Friends of theHarbor Group, visit the website at www.fohg.org.

Lorenzo RotaRBOC/PICYA/FOHGHarbor News

There’s a lot going on around the harbor inspite of the dearth of fish being caught. Much of it hasto do with the effects of the national and internationalfiscal crisis. This means all harbor businesses arenegatively affected to some extent….some muchworse than others. But, no one can escape it. Theresult is a significantly reduced revenue stream for theHarbor….not good news at all for our budget outlook.Although our budget for Fiscal Year 2009 whichbecame effective on April 1st 2008 was a very conser-vative one in terms of revenue projections, the magni-tude of the crisis was not anticipated. So, its being dealtwith as best as possible without causing any undueheartache to our tenants, fishermen, and our sliprenters. This column will keep you posted as planningbegins in December for the FY 2010 budget.

Meanwhile, there’s an election coming onNovember 4th that includes the Port District Commis-sioners. As you may know, Jim Thoits has chosen tonot run for re-election. So, his seat will be available aswell as two others. There will be 3 seats up forelection.….Jim’s, Bill Lee’s, and Ron Merrall’s. Billand Ron, both long time SCYC members, are runningfor re-election as incumbents for another four-yearterm. Both have considerable experience in the harborand are keenly aware of the needs of the harbor and itsvaried users. Please consider both of these menfavorably when you go to vote.

SCYC Editor

Membership Report

Fall has arrived and we are still enjoying greatSanta Cruz weather and lots of club activities. YourSanta Cruz Yacht Club won the Veeder Cup, (matchrace between MPYC and SCYC) and on behalf of ourmembership I congratulate the Skipper and Crew,GREAT JOB!

I’m still looking for help and we need to growour membership. I continue to challenge each of you toidentify one person who would make a good addition toour family. Our Junior’s program is growing rapidlyand I encourage our Juniors’ parents to join our cluband become a part of your children’s boating future.

Your Board has voted in favor of new juniormembers Ludmila Martinez, Jake Thomas II,Griffin Lay, Kai Hawley, Sasha Hawley, AvaHawley, Skyler Schipper, Nicholas Lenz, JohnZaiser, Robert Hodges, Devon Northcott, MatteaJones, Eric Von Seesten, Eric Hu Cao Lacombe,

(SCYC’s Animal and crew just beat out MPYC’sBustin’ Loose to win the 2009 Veeder cup.

Congratulations and way to go!)

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Bradley Lacombe, Joseph Green and NathanCoelho, AWSEOME job Juniors. I extend our club’smembership in welcoming you to your new club and thankyou parents.

Pictured is Dominick Marietti with ViceCommodore Lena Parker and myself, when you seeDominick around the club, please extend a warm SantaCruz Yacht Club welcome.

As always, keep your eye on the Calander andlook out for email notifications for up coming events. Newmembers, I encourage you to come on in to your galleyfor a Friday or Sunday night dinner, a great way to meetclub members and enjoy some terrific food.

Please introduce possible new members to meand I will take care of the rest, we need your assistance.Continued thanks, fair winds and we’ll see you around theclub.

Michael WoodMembership Chairman

Pippin Seales Remembered

SCYC Junior Member Pippin Seales crossedthe bar on October 11. He had just turned 11. Pipjoined SCYC in 2005 to sail in the Pinto Lake El ToroProgram. He was one of the “Big 7” along withMackenzie Cook, Wilson Fletcher, John Marlett,Mike Pacholski, Patrick Tara, and David Yang-Murray who formed the initial core group of theprogram. Pip not only sailed at Pinto, but also inregattas at Lake Merritt, Lake Elizabeth, and Rich-mond. And he participated in this year’s and lastyear’s Stockton Sail camp. When not racing his Toro,Pip sailed with his parents, Conrad and Anne Sealesof Santa Cruz, aboard their Drascomb Dabber, arecreation of a traditional English workboat. Pip andConrad could often be seen sailing their Toros at theharbor on Friday evenings.

Pip’s first two El Toros were chartered fromthe Club. Initially he sailed the Sailnetics Enterprise,but then moved up to the Molnar Defender. Pip had adry and unique sense of humor; in August 2007, hisfamily obtained a Mk II Moore, 11460, which henamed Toro Serpiente. In July of this year, at the ElToro Junior North Americans, Pip sailed his boat tosecond place in the Silver Fleet, one point out of first.Pip is the Club’s 2008 Pinto Lake Yachtsman of theYear

Pip was not only a good sailor but also awonderful human being. He loved helping other juniorsand working on boats. Respected and liked by all, hewas bright, fun, insatiably curious, and had never met aball bearing block or multiple part purchase he didn’tlike. A voracious reader, he fully appreciated the

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importance of seamanship and the rich nautical heritagefrom which our sport comes. He was an outstandingcredit to SCYC and junior sailors everywhere.

Pip, you were one of our best, and will besorely and permanently missed. Fair winds and follow-ing seas.

Paul TaraPinto Lake Director

Back in the old days…

Back in the old days this was sometimes thelast month for boating in Santa Cruz until the harbormouth received its annual, one-time dredging in thespring. From its opening in 1964, until the harbor boughtits own dredge in 1986, the entrance sometimes re-mained silted and too shallow for safe passage fromNovember until May.

The Port District used to rely on an outsidecontractor to arrive in the spring to clear the channel.The funds for dredging were often not even determineduntil October when the Federal budget was allocated.

Luckily for Santa Cruz boaters the harbor wasestablished in the beginning with the entrance channelunder federal ownership. Additionally, it was mandatedin the bill that created the harbor, (HD 357 passed in1958), that the Port District would eventually receive apermanent sand bypass system.

Even today, sand is carried down the coast allyear long and the shape of the west jetty naturallycauses sand-rich currents to wrap around the tip. Thiscreates a swirl that naturally deposits sand and silt inthe harbor entrance. This “downhill erosion” effect isaccelerated in the winter months as the rain-swollenSan Lorenzo River mouth becomes more active. Silt,

sand and debris both from up-river and up-coast—including sand and silt from the Santa Cruz Moun-tains—are brought down-coast and continually dumpedin the harbor mouth.

There is no natural tidal action or geographicalfeatures to keep our harbor entrance deep and safefrom breaking surf—it must be dredged by man. Westill have rough years when the harbor mouth willcompletely shoal up, but at least now we have our owndredge and we don’t have to wait until spring forsomeone else’s dredge to clear a channel for us.

One of the first winters after the harboropened, dangerous conditions were experienced in theharbor mouth and recorded in an article in the SantaCruz Sentinel. The article appears in a column writtenby Norma Nelson on November 28, 1965. Theexcerpt reads:

Harbor LightsSmall Craft Warnings—All Harbor Can Do

When Neptune rises to whoop-him-a-chanty,sailboats respond with enthusiasm. After the dancesome of them had to pay the fiddler Sunday after-noon.

Jack O’Neill brought one (boat) in by wayof the beach. Norman Lezin’s fuel line broke andhe had to make emergency repairs. The stoveaboard Bert Snyder’s “Cortship II” danced ahornpipe around the galley before landing on thedachshund.

Eric Petersen’s eight-meter ‘Angelita’ wentaground in the harbor entrance. Petersen said,“There is no question in my mind but that ‘Angelita’would have been lost had it not been for the mag-nificent effort of Mr. Jack Wahle and his son Dave,and the crew aboard their yacht ‘Robinette’.”

Small craft warnings were out. Over thepublic address system the port office announcedthat warnings signals were up. However, it is a freewaterway and all the harbor officials can do is passalong Coast Guard warnings. The rest is up to theyachtsmen.

My family moved here in 1971. We soonowned a 16 foot fiberglass motor boat and I rememberone spring day my brother, dad and his cousin decidedto launch at the harbor and go out fishing for theafternoon. I was with them as we waited in the harbormouth for a few big sets to pass. Finally, my brother

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This fishing boat is hard aground in the channel whilefisherman watch and a surfer rides a wave across theentrance. The east jetty is visible to the left with the

west jetty out of the frame to the right.(undated SC Port District photo)

punched it, but there was “one more wave” in the lastset. We got launched and went flying over it. Luckilywe made it, but that was the last time we went boatingin our little motor boat out of Santa Cruz Harbor.

(Author’s Note: The juniors might find itinteresting that in the early 1970s we used to launch ourlittle motor boat over at Pinto Lake. Along with manyother speed boats, we would water ski around the lakeand then run the boat up on the beach for an afternoonpicnic.)

During the years that I worked at O’Neill YachtCenter I saw many close calls and many boats end upon the beach in front of the Crow’s Nest. One day aman in a Boston Whaler died in a tragic accident

involving a huge wave and bad timing.Surfers were often blamed for groundings and

near misses in the entrance. I used to surf the harbormouth, but the only times when the waves were supergood, were when it was super unsafe to go boating.Even so, we surfers used to look out for boat traffic—itwas in our best interest to stay clear of slow, heavysailboats or fast moving motor boats with spinningpropellers.

The first winter storm of 1971 closed thechannel by Thanksgiving. This storm dumped enoughsand in the harbor entrance to create an awesome surfbreak. With only 4 feet of water left across the harbormouth, the harbor became useless for boats, but greatfor surfing.

That year the beach inside the west jettyextended 40-50 feet into the channel and all the way toAldo’s. On very low tides one could walk across theharbor mouth in waist-deep water. People would hangout and have picnics on the sandbar and an occasionallyan impromptu football game would break out.

In the February 1972 Port District newsletterthe following article explains the problems with dredgingthat year and the headaches caused by relying on anindependent contractor to clear the channel. Fromthe Port District newsletter:

An All-Out Effort

The long-awaited dredge for a permanentsand by-pass plant, promised for delivery November19, finally arrived January 7. It is a good dredge,but…

The whole plant was ordered on a perfor-mance specification basis wherein the dredge andassorted equipment (workboat, mooring wires, pipe,anchors, etc.) were required to do the job underlocal conditions. This allowed the contractor somelatitude in selection of the equipment. The contrac-tor delivered equipment to Santa Cruz that in hisopinion would do the job but which has subse-quently proven inadequate.

For instance: The workboat is not the typeexpected by the Port District. It has hydraulicsteering problems and lacks maneuverability. Theanchors are too small, the mooring wires are 300feet long and have to be replaced with 500-footwires. The Corps of Engineers is in the process ofacquiring anchors and wires.

Other problems encountered are with the

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discharge pipe which has a habit of coming apart.Also some mechanical difficulties have been en-countered on the dredge such as swing wires jump-ing out of the fairlead sheaves and the failure onthe cutterhead clutch. Basically the dredge appearsto be a good piece of machinery and can be ex-pected to do the job when we are able to keep it inposition and the discharge line properly connected.

In the meantime the weather has not been onour side. Large swells have been running in thechannel entrance at times making dredging impos-sible even if everything else were going well.

If you are feeling frustrated about all thisdelay, consider the men who are working well pastquitting time in a determined effort to get the en-trance channel open. They are giving it their best.

Present Channel Depth

The easterly side of the channel has aboutfour feet of water at Mean Lower Low Water. Useof the channel is dangerous at low tide or whenlarge swells are running.

(Author’s Note: The east side of the channel is alwaysthe last area to shoal. Even today it remains thedeepest part of the channel in most cases. This meansthat according to the 1972 Port District newsletter thedeepest water in the channel was four feet at MLLW.)

The March 1972 issue of our yacht club bulletinrefers to the shoaled entrance that season by statingthat, “The active SCYC racing program will com-mence when the harbor entrance is safely pass-able.” In April 1972 our newsletter says, “MaryDuffield reported that the opening day has been setback from May 7 to May 14 because of the silting atthe harbor entrance.”

Needless to say the winter of 1971-72 was arough one with the harbor basically shut down fromNovember until May. It took another 15 years, butthrough the tireless efforts of the Port District, itscommissioners and Brian Foss, we finally got our owndredge in 1986.

Backing up a bit, in 1980 the Port Districtbegan really pressing the Corps of Engineers to imple-ment their federally mandated solution of a cost-shared,harbor-based dredge. The district started expandingharbor services to increase revenue and they startedsaving money from the budget to pay for our share of apermanent dredge. By 1985 the port district had setaside almost $800,000 and in 1986 federal funding wasauthorized.

Finally, after 20 years of outside contractorsdredging the harbor, the Port District set about purchas-ing our own dredging equipment. The Port DistrictCommissioners who were “at the helm” in 1986 were;Jack Meehan, Joseph G. Townsend, Bill Lee,Jack Keran and Ed Flavell. Norm Lezin and AlanSimpkins also had a lot to do with the process, buttheir tenure from the commission had expired in 1986.

The total cost of the system was about 2.3million dollars with 80% of the funds coming from thefederal government. Having our own dredge is abeautiful thing and it allows us to maintain a navigablechannel in all but the most extreme winter and springconditions.

These days the harbor entrance is seldomclosed all winter long as opposed to how it once was,Back in the Old Days…

Niels KislingSCYC Historian/Director

Aldo’s Beach seen from the west jetty often extendedwell into the channel and was a favorite place fordogs, Frisbees and sometimes impromptu football

games. This photo was taken by GeorgesMcCormick in 1971 when the harbor entrance was

shoaled from November until May.

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Tahoe Maritime Museum

Located on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, theTahoe Maritime Museum’s mission is to stimulate aninterest in and an understanding of Lake Tahoe’s richmaritime history through the highest standards ofhistoric preservation, innovative interpretation and publiceducation.http://www.tahoemaritimemuseum.org/ The Museum hosts a vast collection of photo-graphs and objects that span Lake Tahoe’s maritimehistory. Our memorabilia reach back into the latenineteenth century, with displays of the opulent steam-ers that once ferried passengers, mail, and freightaround the Lake.

The Tahoe Maritime Museum’s boat collection rivalsmany maritime museums in the nation. Currently thereare over 25 vessels which are historically significant notonly to Lake Tahoe but to the maritime community ingeneral. Many of the boats are lake-worthy and seeservice on Lake Tahoe’s crystal blue waters during thesummer.

Also on exhibit are the days of gentlemen’sracing which began on the Lake as soon as there wereboats with internal combustion engines and ended in the1960s due to increased legal restrictions. Other exhibitsfeature such boat manufacturers as Chris-Craft, GarWood, and Stephens.

In addition to the history of maritime craft inservice at Lake Tahoe, the Museum is also home to thelargest collection of outboard motors on the WestCoast. On display are models from the late teens aswell as an outboard motor made by the Indian SilverArrow Company. An Evinrude C Service racer, whichprovided a low-cost entry level boat for “every man”, isanother interesting display.

Aquaplanes and water skis are also on exhibit,showing the progress from the earliest models made ofbarn doors and rope to ones that evolved into morefamiliar sizes and shapes, such as a 1960 Maharajah.

Fishing is another sport and pastime withhistorical roots at Lake Tahoe. Our fishing displayfeatures a wooden Dunphy boat and antique fishingpoles and photographs that reach into the early twenti-eth century. Fair Winds, James C. Calcagno, DDSwww.drcalcagno.com

Manager’s Report

With what little space I have for my article I wouldlike to thank all the contributors to the Spinnaker Sheet. Ittakes a lot of time and effort to write the articles and Iknow it is very much appreciated. I would especially like tothank Niels Kisling for his Back in the old days articles.

On behalf of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club Board ofDirectors, Members and staff we would like to send ourdeepest sympathies to the Seales family. Pippin will besorely missed.

On a brighter note I would like to congratulate theOwners, Skipper and crew who successfully challenged theMonterey Peninsula Yacht Club and kept the Veeder Cup inSanta Cruz for another year.

With Fall comes more activities. Don’t miss theMini-Boat Regatta, AGM, New Members Dinner, TreeTrimming, Lighted Boat Parade, Holiday Mixer, Children’sX-mas Party and Potlucks.

Sidney says a big hello to everyone and thanks youall for your kind thoughts and wishes. From my family toyours have a terrific Thanksgiving.

Greg HawsClub Manager

Documents

November 2008 - Santa Cruz Yacht Clubclub.scyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Spinnaker-Sheet...November 2008 Argggh !!! On Saturday October 11th, pirates gathered at Cowell’s Cove