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Islander 36 Association |
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Islander 36 Association |
Fall Meeting & Winners' Dinner
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Come help celebrate the Islander 36, and the Association's 41st year of sailing, racing, and cruising all around San Francisco Bay, and beyond. It's also a wonderful way to wrap up the year, getting dressed up a bit and enjoying the company of the skippers and crews you've sailed with all year. It is time for Owners, Crew, and Special Guests to celebrate at the Islander 36 Fall Meeting, Saturday evening, November 7th, at the Oakland Yacht Club. Our racing and cruising skippers will be recognized, and the racing winners and devoted cruisers will get their special awards. We also have a special Guest Speaker and Presentation. Natasha Cruise, West Coast of Vancouver Island, June 19th to July 24th 2013By member Bert Vermeer. Bert sails his Islander Bahama 30 Natasha out of the Sidney, BC, just north of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada. His cruising adventures have taken Natasha through the fabled ports and passages of the Salish Sea (Georgia Strait renamed) and around the outside of Vancouver Island from Victoria at the south end to Cape Scott at the north end. This sailing ground has some of the most treacherous waters in the world. The breath taking beauty of the mountains, rushing waterfalls, 8+ knot currents, white-out fogs, and giant whirlpools are followed by the serenity of an evening meal safe at anchor in a tranquil pool while eagles soar overhead and marine life breaks the water's surface. From Orcas to sea otters, salmon to sandpipers, they are all abundant for the keen observer. Bert taught himself to sail in a home built dinghy as a youth, dodging freighters & tugs on the Fraser River near Vancouver, BC. Eventually graduating to larger boats, he and his wife Carey and daughter Nicky (and now granddaughter Natasha) have sailed extensively along the BC coast for the past 30+ years. Multiple trips to Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa Inlet and a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island are included in their sailing history. Retired from public service, Bert now repairs and upgrades boats to supplement the sailing kitty, but only in the off season! The presentation for the Islander 36 Association is the 2013 sail up the outside of Vancouver Island, an area that includes the prime cruising grounds of Barkley Sound and the village of Ucluelet, the town of Tofino, famous Nootka Sound beyond dangerous Estevan Point, and beautiful Esperanza Inlet. Through fair weather and rain, strong winds and foggy calms, the 55 minute video is a fair representation of what it's like to sail these waters. Here's your chance to look at charts and ask someone who's "been there, done that" what cruising the Gulf Islands and Inside Passage of Canada is all about.You may notice that our venue has changed. We had originally scheduled the Fall Meeting for Richmond Yacht Club but they recently informed us that they will be unable to host us because of the start of major renovations to their clubhouse and kitchen. We are delighted to return to Oakland YC where we have have many memorable Fall Meetings. Because of the short notice we will be doing things a little differently this year. We will be sharing cocktail hour and dinner upstairs at the bar and main dining room at OYC with the regular membership for a Saturday night. We will have hors de oeuvres available during cocktail hour. We will be ordering off their regular ala carte menu. Assistant Manager Elaine Mendes is working on the best way for us to place our individual dinner orders. We will adjourn downstairs to their Regatta Room at the end of the evening for our Prize Presentation and Business Meeting. Docking is available at Oakland Yacht Club for thse that would like to arrive by boat. Check in at the OYC Office when you arrive. Saturday Evening Approximate Schedule 5:30pm - 6:30pm Cocktails (no host bar) in the main dining room 6:30pm - 8:00pm Dinner in the main dining room - the bar will remain open. 8:00pm - 9:150pm Vancouver Island Cruising presentation by Bert Vermeer - main dining room 9:15pm - 10:00pm Prizes and Business Meeting - downstairs in the Regatta room. Some boats may choose to come over on Friday evening for a potluck or just to gather early. Owners, mark your calendars, fill in the reservation form below, and then tell your spouse or First Mate this is the best way to say "Thank You" for putting up with you all season! Then, forward a link to this page to each of your crew. Crew, here's the deal. If your Skipper's other boat is a Farr 40, then the skipper should pay for all the long, wet hours and (maybe) verbal abuse you endured so the skipper could get the glory. On the other hand, each of you might consider the yard bills, entry fees, lunches, new sails & gear, and broken gear (you didn't have anything to do with the way that pole snapped) that your skipper swallowed so you could say you race on San Francisco Bay. Then you, dear crew, could collectively pick up the tab for your Skipper & First Mate. At the very least, you should bring your own best friend and attend Dutch Treat - after all the skippers couldn't have gotten the boat around the course without you, so you deserve recognition too. Besides, just think how much fun it will be to talk with other crews and find out what kind of a skipper that other guy really is anyway. Other Islander Owners & Non-Resident Members, here's your chance to visit the Bay Area and have some fun. You've been talking about, maybe even promising your spouse or First Mate, that, "One of these days, we ought to go to San Francisco and experience one of these things." Well, procrastinate no longer. If you ever wanted to come, this is a good one. Tourist crowds are gone. Hotel rates are reasonable (remember all those friends who said, "Come out and stay with us," - bring them.) A convenient place to stay is the Marina Village Inn located right next to the Oakland Yacht club. Arrive Friday evening - it's easy coming west. Enjoy Saturday morning doing the tourist thing along Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and don't miss the Hyde Street Pier with the square rigger Balclutha on the San Francisco side, then tour Jack London Square on the Oakland side before coming to the Oakland Yacht Club (on Alameda Island!). OK, enough of the glitz. If the weather cooperates (it could be nice in the mid-60s) we'll get you sailing on San Francisco Bay in sight of, or even under, the Golden Gate. Then settle in for a great dinner and entertainment. Got your attention? Here are some links to web sites with the unvarnished truth about the local waterfront: Oakland Yacht Club , and Jack London Square , and http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sanfrancisco/a/sffishwharf.htm. Now, make a reservation and we'll see you there. For additional details or questions, please feel free to contact event Coordinators Vice Commodore Nina Riehs at nina.riehs@gmail.com, or Commodore Van Mell at vanmells@ix.netcom.com . |
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