Langley 2007

Port Orchard Rendezvous a HUGE Success!

A record breaking 21 boats joined us for a fabulous rendezvous September 7-9, 2007 at the Port of Bremerton Marina in Port Orchard. Al and I were the busy cruise captains for this event. All of our planning paid off as everyone had a great time under beautiful sunny skies.

Somego arrived in Port Orchard just before noon on Friday. The marina saved plenty of slips for us as I had kept them updated on our sign-ups. Al spent Friday afternoon assigning slips and assisting in docking 16 of our boats. We gave each boat a specially prepared packet which included:

1. Copy of the schedule for the weekend, including a list of all participating boats
2. 3 page Photo Scavenger Hunt game details
3. Certificate of Participation in this historic event
4. NYCE Galley page encouraging the contribution of a recipe to be published on the website
5. 2 tickets to Sunday breakfast at The MorningSide Bread & Pastry Company

At 1800 we gathered on the East Breakwater in front of Moseying Around for our Tiddly Time. There were some delicious recipes there, but the best one I heard went like this:

1. Get in your car and drive to Costco
2. Purchase something that looks great
3. Place item in one of your own dishes
4. Serve at pot luck and take the compliments

The other 5 boats arrived on Saturday morning. Most people spent the day at the local market (I saw quite a few fresh flower bouquets on their way back to their boats), antique shopping, and of course doing their best to locate all the bits of photos on our fun scavenger hunt. I admit, it was challenging. The completed answers were due to be turned in by 4pm to Kathy or Al.
I prepared spaghetti in 2 large pots for the evening's pot luck meal. It was wonderful with all the great food contributed by everyone. Because of the prevailing winds dampening the breakwater, we moved the tables in front of Somego which provided a good wind break, and gave us an excellent platform to present awards for the day's activities. (I'm missing my notes here so this will be updated when I find them) soooo... to my recollection, there was a tie for 1st place between Tillicum and CaRico, with Last Mango a close second, and Luka 3rd.

Everyone seemed to enjoy moseying on over to the bakery whenever they got up for breakfast. We stopped by before we left to pay the final bill. Everyone took off after breakfast and by 10am there were only a couple of us left.

This was our first time as cruise captains and we thoroughly enjoyed doing it. Everything went very well (as far as we could tell) and our record number of boaters had an enjoyable and memorable weekend.

Now...... we've got some ideas for next year.

Kathy Felker
Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

Reasons for Not Attending a Rendezvous

Attending club rendezvous is probably the best way to get to know your fellow boaters and to begin to feel like "one of the gang". Al & I have been members of NYCE for less than a year (October 2006). It seems like longer as we feel we have made so many friends in the club.

That said, we will be hosting our first rendezvous September 7-9 at Port Orchard. We are excited about all the fun times we are planning. At the recent Ice Cream Social, held on the Party Dock at Navy Base Everett, we accosted people about their expected participation in the upcoming Port Orchard rendezvous. Much to our consternation, there were many excuses for not attending. This is just a sampling..... (names have been withheld to protect the innocent).

1. I'll be in Hawaii on business
2. Cruising to Canada on their boat
3. Been to Port Orchard recently
4. Will be attending a Wooden Boat Show in Port Townsend
5. Will be cruising on a BIG cruise ship
6. There is a competing rendezvous that date
7. Have their car entered in a car show that weekend

It is good to see that we are all such busy people and that boating is just one of the activities that we enjoy. I am glad that we can all get together as often as we do. Even so, I do hope we will have a good turn out at Port Orchard because I am planning SUCH a fun time :-)

Kathy Felker

Webmaster

NYCEinfo.org

NYCE August Get-Togethers

We attended the August rendezvous in Bell Harbor, downtown Seattle, on August 10-12. It was a great time and we had a record turn out of boats to fill C Dock at Bell Harbor Marina. It was a wonderful event with time to visit Pike Place Market, celebrating it's 100th Anniversary, and great food prepared by Sharilyn Howell, cruise captain. She prepared Frogmore Stew which has to be seen to be understood. (If someone has a photo they can send me of this, I'd appreciate it).

One of our members who rarely misses a rendezvous, claims to have attended by virtue of being near enough to see his fellow boaters. He also claims to have brought the largest boat. See photos.

Bell Harbor has some very nice facilities and is always open for visiting boaters as there is no permanent moorage here. Al & I think we will definately be back here again.

Kathy Felker

Webmaster

NYCEinfo.org

Major Website Change --- Please READ

Hopefully you have been reading the posted info about upcoming changes to the website navigation tabs. As of today I have removed the redundant tabs in the main navigation bar.

Don't panic... Everything is still there! Check out the MEMBERS ONLY tab which now contains the former pages as follows:

2007 Club Calendar
2007 Cruise Schedule
Newsletters
Reciprocals

Membership list (from the About the Club page)

This will allow more flexibility in adding items of interest to members and will give you one tab to find most things you will be looking for.

As always, I welcome your comments.

Kathy Felker
Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

A Few Noteworthy Website Updates

Whenever I get a spare moment, it seems like there is always a change or two to make to our website. Here are the latest changes:

1. Our Home page is updated to feature a link to this Blog. I want to make sure everyone is reading it. Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of this page and subscribe to the RSS feed so you'll know new articles are posted.

2. The 2007 Cruise Schedule is updated with intrigueing information about upcoming September and October cruises. Be sure to click on the link to the cruise captains to let them know you are coming.

3. There were several minor updates to the Reciprocals page. Don't leave home without it. Note the NEW Canadian reciprocal at Schooner Cove Yacht Club.

4. Under Local links on the Resources page I added a link to my favorite boating blog, BitterEnd written by Capt. Richard Rodriguez of Vessel Assist in Friday Harbor. If you want to see all the stupid things that unprepared boaters can do, check it out. This is real life stuff.

As always, leave your comments below.


Kathy Felker
Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

Where Did July Go?

Have I missed writing a post here for over a month? Guess that means we've been out boating, and so we have. Working and boating, boating and working..... where does the time go?

We were able to get enough time off work to join our July NYCE rendezvous in Deer Harbor where Rico and Carolyn put on a very nice steak and salmon supper and a well planned event. From there the group headed north to several great Canadian ports. Click here for photos. Maybe someone who attended the whole cruise can fill in some details in the comments.

On our way home we stopped off at Fisherman's Bay for a night. We were cruising around the bay in our dinghy when we caught Vessel Assist "Remedy" moving a huge sailboat to the dock. It had lost it's engine and was drifting in the channel into the bay. Capt. Rodriguez of "Remedy" writes an excellent blog called "BitterEnd" that is worth daily reading. I sent him pictures of "Remedy" with the sailboat and he published them HERE.

We just returned from 5 days in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. We joined the Bellevue and NorVan Power Squadrons annual joint rendezvous in Maple Bay. It was our first time to Canada and we had a great time. We met so many new Canadian boating friends. See the map of our trip. As we have a "go fast" boat, this is a long one day, or shorter 2 day trip for us. We stopped at Oak Harbor (in 30 knt winds at 10pm.... what were we thinking?) on the way up, and Roche Harbor on the way home.

Sooooo, 3 days at work and then back in the boat headed to Seattle's Bell Harbor for our August NYCE rendezvous. It promises to be a good one! Hope to see you all there.

Kathy Felker

Webmaster

NYCEinfo.org

New Members Only Page Added to Website

I didn't want to make too big a change to the site. You've all been used to finding what you want on the existing pages. But time for the change has come. Not to worry.... I have not removed any of the pages you are used to seeing (yet). In fact, all those pages, and more, will be easily accessed from one page, for Members Only.

Check out the new page and you will see what I mean. This format will allow me to add additional items of interest to members, such as the 2008 Cruise Schedule, and the article by Lynn Sipkens about how to be a Cruise Captain.

As always, let me know what you think.

--Kathy Felker
Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

Bylaws Updates Adopted

At our last yacht club meeting on June 21, 2007 we voted on and adopted changes to the bylaws. The proposed changes were presented, discussed and duly voted on by secret ballot. Following, for the record, is the confirmation email from our Commodore, Ron Barrow.

"As you are aware, we voted on the changes to the by laws at last Thursday's general meeting. 48 people were present and voting. The by laws require a simple majority of those present and voting to be passed. Accordingly, all changes proposed were passed with following results:

Proposed change 1: Navy Yacht Club Everett is a branch of the United States Navy Sailing Association
In favor 42 (87.5%)
Opposed 6 (12.5%)
Proposed change 2: Require associate members to be sponsored by a regular member
In Favor: 48 (100%)
Opposed 0
Proposed change 3: Eliminate the requirement for annual review of associate members.
In favor: 45 (94%)
Opposed 3 (6%)
Proposed change 4: Eliminate guest membership.
In Favor: 48 (100%)
Opposed: 0
Proposed change 5: Allow one of the three flag officer positions to be filled by an associate member
In favor: 35 (73%)
Opposed: 13 (27%)
Proposed change 6: Allow the Rear Commodore to cosign checks.
In favor: 45 (94%)
Opposed: 3 (6%)
Editorial Changes
In Favor: 45 (94%)
Opposed: 3 (6%)

I appreciated candid comments from the membership. The revised by laws will be posted on the website.

Thanks,
Ron Barrow
Commodore"

The new bylaws are now posted on the website, along with updated versions of the Membership application taking into account the applicable changes.

--Kathy Felker
Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

Friendship, Comraderie and Mutual Interest

That's what comes to mind when I think of Navy Yacht Club Everett. We enjoyed another weekend with our yacht club friends, anchored out in Penn Cove at Coupeville this last weekend. This was a little different than the usual rendezvous, as we were all anchored (or on a buoy). There were 9 boats that made the trip, including new members Ed & Sylvia Mangold with their boat, Stars and Stripes (check it out some time and you'll know where the name came from).

Cruise captains, John & Lynn Sipkens, arrived on Saturday morning due to work conflicts. They put on a wonderful potluck on the wharf with lots of Hawaiian Luau decorations and some excellent ham. There is no shortage of good cooks amongst our members and several people actually made the drive over for the Saturday evening meal. We were threatened by rain, but managed to miss all but a few errant drops. A Washington wine tasting event was held on board The Last Mango which was really fun. Sylvia Mangold was the big prize winner for the best Hawaiian costume as well as the best white wine (way to go, newcomers!) Wally Davis had the best red wine. We saw a few of our members at the Kneed & Feed for breakfast on Sunday morning, before they all headed out.

We had the days free to see all the goings on in Coupeville. Besides our Hawaiian themed cruise, there was a big pirate festival w/pirate ship courtesy of Oak Harbor Yacht Club, steamships on the dock (only 2 small steam boats plus a cute paddlewheeler) and even an old car show (where only 2 cars showed up).... lots to see. Since we spent most of Saturday visiting, Al & I hung around on Sunday checking out the events in Coupeville and dodging rain squals and some serious wind.

Captain Al picked a perfect window for us to head home around 4pm. We made the trip without incident (for us, anyway). We did attempt to rescue a "30' Grady White" supposedly on the rocks near Gedney Island. We couldn't find them and the weather was threatening so we headed for port. We heard later that they were picked up by Vessel Assist.

If you are an NYCE member, or thinking about becoming one, be sure to join us for the next rendezvous. This is a great way to get to know people and have a wonderful time among friends.

--Kathy Felker

Webmaster
NYCEinfo.org

June Website Updates

June and July are patriotic months. June 14 is flag day and then, of course, there is the 4th of July. So I hope you like our Home Page graphic which is appropriate for the season.



Recent updates to the site include:

1. Membership spreadsheet makes a comeback


2. Free and nearly free Wifi spots accessible to boaters


3. June NYCE newsletter


4. 40 pages of updates added to Reciprocals


5. NYCE Reciprocals Rules for visitors added

Membership spreadsheet is available on the About the Club page. Microsoft Excel and your NYCE password are required to open this. I know lots of you will be glad to see this up again as a part of the site.

Free and nearly free WIFI sites is a new spreadsheet (MS Excel) created by Wally Davis. This is a great new resource for all of us. It is located on the Resources page.

The June newsletter (in case you did not keep the copy you received in your email) is available on the Newsletters page. You will also find the last 6 months or so newsletters here.

The Reciprocals page is updated frequently with new information, so be sure to check here for the latest info prior to heading out on your cruise. Barb Bader has dilligently checked over each page and, as a result, 40 pages have recently been updated with more current letters. She also suggested that we add our own Regulations for Visiting Boaters using our reciprocal moorage at Everett. You will see this linked at the top of the Reciprocals page.

As always, please feel free to leave comments here on this blog; or email me any time. Just remember when you tell me something in person, please also send me an email. This helps remind me what needs to be done when I sit down to make several updates, and gives me a way to notify you back that the changes have been made.

-- Kathy Felker

Webmaster -NYCEinfo.org

Port Ludlow Rendezvous - Wagon Wheel

What a fun time we had over Memorial Day weekend! We gathered near the back of the bay at Port Ludlow, arranging our boats in a circle, stern in, and all tied together. It is a Wagon Wheel and so much fun. We could walk from boat to boat for the most part, with just one opening big enough for the dinghies to pass through. Click HERE to check out our photo album.

Mike and Shirley Allert did an awesome job as cruise captains, with lots of activities to keep us busy over the 3 days. There was a hike, various games with prizes, and even a movie after dark (Chicago), projected on Restless' sail. As expected, Tiddly Time (appetizers passed from boat to boat) was great. Lynn even baked cookies one afternoon. Mike and Shirley gave us a wonderful breakfast on Sunday morning and even led a chapel service aboard Restless for anyone who was interested.

For something different, Al and I arrived in separate boats. Al drove Somego and I drove the "dinghy" Absinthe (a 12' Rendova inflatable w/40hp Yamaha). We have had Absinthe since before we even had Lowego (our previous cruiser) and taken this very sea worthy boat all over Puget Sound, including Deception Pass, Anacortes, and camping out in Bowman Bay. So we could not understand why people were so amazed that I drove it a mere 25 miles from Everett to Port Ludlow. Really, it is a very fun boat to drive, like a little sports car (@33mph max). But maybe it needs a different name when it is being used as a dinghy to Somego; like how about Inflated Ego? OK, maybe not.

We can't wait for the next rendezvous. Going cruising on our own is lots of fun, but there is something nice about enjoying our favorite activity with a group of like-minded friends, members of the yacht club.

---Kathy Felker

Webmaster

NYCEInfo.org

Opening Day at Navy Base Everett Marina

This weekend will finally arrive - OPENING DAY! Rico & Carolyn have lots of fun activities and food planned for the weekend. Check out the weekend schedule published on the Cruise page of the website.

Recent updates to the website include:

1. Our August cruise will be to Bell Harbor instead of Paulsbo.

2. New reciprocal letter has been received from the Ladysmith Yacht Club in Canada.

See you this weekend!

- Kathy Felker
Webmaster

Perfect (Chilly) Weather in La Conner

We just got back from the NYCE cruise to La Conner. That is about a 40 mile trip from our slip at the Navy Base Everett Marina. Everyone had a wonderful time. Be sure to check out the photos to see how happy (& chilly) we all look. Still, it was beautiful weather and MUCH warmer than our January trip to Langley. If you haven't heard about Somego's embarrassment at having to be towed the last 10 miles home by the guardian angels of Wildest Dream, then you'll have to ask us at the next meeting. Chuck and Geri were wonderful and saved us. A clogged fuel line was our undoing. Isn't having an older boat fun?!! We went home and purchased the Vessel Assist Gold package. I'm sure we may not be so lucky as to have fellow yacht club members nearby to assist us the next time (and we ALL know, there will be a next time).





I just finished updating the website. I added the March newsletter, updated the home page with some timely graphics, and inserted a link to the NYCE Opening Day Agenda for the weekend of April 20-22.

I can't wait for the exciting Opening Day activities. I hope everyone will come. See you there!

- Kathy Felker, webmaster

Setting up the blog, and other housekeeping

This blog is going to provide a list of changes to the Navy Yacht Club Everett (nyceinfo.org) website, as well as ideas and thoughts, or perhaps suggestions for improving our website. Feel free to contribute.

Various housekeeping changes were performed this weekend. I went through every link on the Resources page which hasn't been touched in a while. 2 links were deleted (no longer available) and one link (US Coast Guard) was updated.

I created a Word document to detail all the pages and sub-pages on our current site. These are the facts I found:

Our web has 11 main pages and 164 sub-pages hosted on our site. Most of the sub-pages are either pdf files (77 on the Reciprocals page alone) or jpg files (56 on the Yacht Registry page).

My goal is to create a better organization of the website so that public and member information is separate and readily accessed. I have looked at other Yacht Club websites and am starting to gather ideas.

Setting up this blog is a way of communicating what is happening to the site, as well as an avenue for sending feedback to the webmaster. Check back often.

Kathy
2/25/07 4:19pm