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SAN FRANCISCO MODEL YACHT CLUBNAUTICAL NEWSMailing Address:
S.F.M.Y.C.450 Taraval ST. PMB 235San Francisco, CA 94116
VOLUME 116 JULY, 2014 NUMBER 7
JULY 4-5 LAKE OPEN FOR HOLIDAYJULY 6 SUNDAY 1300 SANTA BARBARA CLASS, COL. BART CUPJULY 9 WEDNESDAY 1300 VICTORIA CLASS, RACE 5JULY 12 SATURDAY 0930 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGJULY 12 SATURDAY 1100 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGJULY 12 SATURDAY 1300 STAR 45 CLASS, RACE 4JULY 13 SUNDAY 1300 SKIPPER’S CUP, ALL-FREESAIL HANDICAP RACEJULY 17 THURSDAY 1300 RX CLASS, RACE 5JULY 19 SATURDAY 0900 SPRECKELS STEAM UPJULY 19 SATURDAY 1300 M CLASS, RACE 4JULY 20 SUNDAY 1300 LAKE OPEN FOR AIDS WALK IN AMJULY 26 SATURDAY 1300 INFINITY 54 CLASS, RACE 5JULY 27 SUNDAY 1300 LAKE OPEN FOR SF MARATHON IN AMJULY 29 TUESDAY 1300 ODOM CLASS, RACE 6
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The Nautical News is published on a monthlybasis by, and serves as the newsletter of andfor the San Francisco Model Yacht Club, aNON-PROFIT, TAX EXEMPTCORPORATION.
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JULY, 2014 Vol. 116 No.7
2014 OFFICERS
Commodore
Jim Forbes
Vice-Commodore
Colleen Stobbe [email protected]
Secretary (acting)
Bruce Ettinger
Treasurer
Jeff Brooks
Power Squadron Officer Craig Carter
Sail Squadron Officers
Freesail: Mike Stobbe
R/C Sail: Rich Styles
Directors at Large
Lee Duvall
Dave Sands
Til Mossi
Steve Ma
Gerry Bowen
Historian
Jeff Stobbe
Nautical News Editor Jim Harvey
The deadline for items for the Nautical
News is the 20th of each month.
Send to Jim Harvey
([email protected]). The editor
reserves the right to edit submissions,
based on space available.
COMMODORE’S CORNER
On Saturday, June 14th
, thanks to Craig Carter, Power Squadron
Officer, Lee Duvall, Event Director and many other members, the club
hosted a very successful “Tug Fest.” Contestants came from as far
away as Los Angeles and all participants put on for everyone’s
enjoyment, an extremely impressive display of tug driving skill and
superb craftsmanship. Nicely done everyone!
The next day, several of us were enjoying a typical early Sunday
morning of playing with our powerboats. Late in the morning we were
accorded a special treat-viewing the maiden voyage of Bob Pearsall’s
meticulously restored model sailing yacht “Emerald.” “Emerald” was
originally built in 1896, which makes her 118 years old this year. I
don’t want to divulge any more information about her, because I asked
Bob to write an article about his treasure, which appears later in this
edition of the newsletter. Suffice it to say we were all gobsmacked. She
is absolutely gorgeous and so graceful on the water. And oh yes, what
Pearsall model would be complete without his trademark bit of
whimsy? There’s a dog aboard.
Bob’s article includes photographs and this is one of those times when
one wishes the newsletter is published in color. Black and white photos
just don’t do justice to “Emerald” and the meticulous work involved in
her restoration. In addition to describing the restoration, Bob’s article
describes a very significant advantage of belonging to a club like ours,
the invaluable assistance he received from other members in the
process. I especially like the last paragraph of Bob’s article and its
closing statement, “Life is good, go play boats.”
The Recreation and Park Department has promised that new signage
for the lake will be the first authorized expenditure for the new fiscal
year starting in July. The new signage, which will update the rules
governing operation of aircraft and watercraft on the lake, coupled with
increased numbers of rangers should enhance enforcement of the rules
and go a long way toward protecting the safety and property of
members and the general public.
Because of heavy vacations and the closing of the park roads for
Outside Lands Concert on our usual meeting date, there will be
neither a board meeting nor a general membership meeting in
August.
Jim Forbes, Commodore
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Power Squadron Report
Upcoming Events July 2014 - Major Closures this month and in August.
Saturday, July 19 The Spreckels Steam-Up – Regional (concours d'elegance style free running)
The Steam Running Area will be segregated and protected from any gas boats on the lake.
Lake Closures for July
20 AIDS Walk SF / Sharon Meadows / Roads closed Sunday, July 20
Set up and breakdown, July 17-21 / http://www.aidswalk.net/sanfran
27 San Francisco Marathon / 14th
Avenue / Roads closed Sunday, July 27
Also August 8 >10 (and probably the entire week before) will be Outside Lands again so EVERYTHING
will be shut down including all vehicle access and The Lake which will be surrounded by metal riot
barricades so absolutely no boats that weekend.
Contest Director Needed
Mr. Heacock has resigned as Contest Director of Model Boats on Parade so I am looking for a new CD and
manager for the event. We will have to hit the ground running on this one. Get in touch with me or the
Commodore if you are interested.
TugFest 2014
The weather gods were exceptionally nice for the Tug Fest and we had a number of folks up from LA and San
Diego, 14 entrants in all with 28 boats. I would like to thank all who came and to Contest Director Lee Duvall
and everyone who supported and worked to make Tug Fest once again a most enjoyable contest and wonderful
day on The Lake. (ps. We apparently broke even and a little bit more!)
Full results and standings will be posted in the Clubhouse on the Power Squadron Board.
Results
14 Entrants; 28 Boats Standings determined by Points earned.
Top Skipper Troy Waters "Sela"
Small Boats "A" Class (Under 20”)
1. Charles Brown Truckable
2. Markus Strohmeier Hammer of Thor
3. Troy Waters Miss Lisa
Medium "B" Class (20” > 30”)
1. Kay Tillman Daschutes
2. Troy Waters Doug Tug
3. Charles Brown Coos Bay
3
Large "C" Class (30” plus)
1. Bob Pearsall Reliant
2. Til Mossi Kathy
Vintage Class (Single screw, traditional rudder, no modern gizmos or drive systems)
1. Bob Pearsall American Spirit
2. Richard Johnson Little Red
3. Rich Styles "$"
Craig Carter, PSO
R/C Squadron Report
Hey, I'm still enjoying work at my new job, and I'm not reluctant at all to mention it in this column! That's
because I'm working at HobbyTown USA, in the Sunnyvale (my home town) store. You need batteries,
battery chargers, basswood, copper and aluminum tubing, Victoria kits? Or a Vela, like John Super sails? I'm
the guy to see. We're currently working on stocking the entire line of SailsEtc model boat parts, stay tuned.
Well, here we are at mid-season, and everything seems to be running smoothly. In the ODOM fleet, more
than smoothly—between 10 and 12 boats have been racing every Tuesday afternoon, and that's a record
number for recent years. Things are also looking up for the future of the Star 45 fleet, as you'll see below.
And we have several new owners of Santa Barbaras...all good news.
The fourth race of the 2014 season sailed by the ODOM fleet was held on June 3rd
, with a full house. The
skippers finished in this order:
1. Jason Spiller
2. Jim Hensel
3. Mark Jurasin
4. Michael Fischer
5. George Pedrick, Sr.
6. Rob Weaver
7. Jim Harrold
8. Jim Bitter
9. Dean Miller
10. Jeff Brooks
11. David Pollock
12. Mary Rose Cassa
There were some mighty close finishes—indeed, there were tied scores for 3-4, 6-7, and 8-9. Stay tuned for
some great races in the remainder of the ODOM season! As a matter of fact, you missed some real fireworks
on June 24—Once again, a dozen boats were on the water—for a while, that is. Winds gusting up to (and
maybe beyond) 30 knots resulted in three dismasted boats (parted jib swivel, parted shroud, and chainplate
pulled out of the deck,) three more boats out of control, including a split rudder-post thwart on Jason's boat.
Four other skippers exercised discretion as the better part of valor. That left Jorge Morales-Lavorerio and
Mark Jurasin as the last two boats still racing by 1500...
Rob Weaver reports on the Star 45 Race #3: "The third Star 45 races were held on a warm and sunny June
afternoon with light winds. Dean Miller sorted out the mechanical problems on his new boat, Alpha Cephi,
and promptly showed that he is the guy to beat by finishing 1st, less than a boat length over Rob Weaver, in
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the first race. Nancy Barbata challenged Dean all day with Elysian, and would have tied him for overall
points if a breakdown at the final leeward mark had not caused her to retire on the last race of the day. Even
so, Nancy took the total season points lead for the class. Mary Rose Cassa demonstrated that she and Reilly
are still the masters of light air, tallying 4th and 2nd place finishes in the final two races of the day when the
winds began to die down. Steve Ma had a credible day with Pam, generally sailing near the head of the pack
and sending the clear message to the rest of the fleet that when he gets his new fiberglass boat on the water he
will be a threat to the dominance of Nancy and Dean. At the back of the pack, Oscar Koechlin and Rob
tackled the problem of the windward mark with the confusion of two remedial students in a calculus class;
they never solved the problem of shifting winds and more often than not floundered in irons while everyone
else approached the reaching mark. The final results of the day were:
Dean Miller, Alpha Cephi 1st
Nancy Barbata, Elysian 2nd
Steve Ma, Pam 3rd (tie)
Rob Weaver, Katastrof 3rd (tie)
Mary Rose Cassa, Reilly 5th
Oscar Koechlin, Nutcracker 6th
The exciting news for the Star 45 fleet is that we finally received the hull parts to complete the 7 new
fiberglass boats being constructed by club members. With a little luck, some of the new boats will be on the
lake before the end of this season. No matter what, the fleet size is destined to get substantially larger next
year."
The Victoria fleet sailed its fourth set of races on June 11th
in pretty breezy conditions (but with the usual
Spreckles variables) and finished in this order:
1. Michael Fischer
2. Dave Gormly
3. Steve Bechtold
4. Tony Dodson
5. David Ogami
6. Charlie Roskosz
7. Peter McElmury
The two Davids and Tony were all sailing their Gold fleet boats, and boy did they look sweet! I predict we'll
see more Golds in our fleet before the season is over. As I write this, four of us—Ed Schoenstein, Dave
Gormly (maybe,) Michael Fischer and I are preparing for the two-day Mad Duck Victoria Regatta on
Monterey's El Estero Lake, sponsored by the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club. www.mpyc.org/
We'll have photos to share with you in next month's report.
We'll soon have a fourth David to add to the Victoria fleet: David Pollock, relatively new member of the
ODOM fleet, is building his own Victoria. And Tony Dodson, stalwart member of the Victoria fleet, just
took delivery of his ODOM kit from George Ribiero last weekend.
The Santa Barbara fleet sailed its fourth race series on June 22nd
in pretty constant, mild (more than gentle)
winds. The skippers of these beautiful boats finished in this order:
5
1. Ryan Schofield
2. Steve Ma
3. Michael Fischer
4. Jeff Brooks
5. Elliot Aldrich
6. Bud Salerno
Watching with interest at lakeside was Jules Heumann, a new member; I am currently refurbishing a boat for
Jules, and he will be on the water with us before the season is over—welcome, Jules! Michael's boat is still
in the shop (my garage) after being holed last month, so he was sailing my #464 in this race—he and Steve
Ma finished with one point separating them, but Ryan (of course) was WAY out in front, except for two
races: Michael came in 1st once, as did Steve.
Finally, continuing our series on SFMYC members who have big-boat experience, here is a photo of Charlie
Roskosz' boat, heading out the Golden Gate on one of the three Pacific Cup races in which he participated.
In his words, "The Pacific Cup is a race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, HI. The race is sailed
in even years. I sailed the race on the Express 37 in 1998, 2000, and 2002. All 3 times I sailed double-
handed. My best finish was 3rd place in the double-handed division in 2000. My best elapsed time was
slightly over 10 days. It always took me 17 or 18 days to sail home. I sold the Express 37 sometime in
2009, and now own a Santana 22, which I restored five years ago. So, the sizes of my boats in recent years
have gone from 37 feet to 22 feet to 30 inches. Expenses have been on a similar curve." This year, Charlie
will be on O`ahu for a month, serving as a judge in the race.
Rich Styles, R/CSO
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Freesail Squadron Report
M-CLASS, RACE 3, May 31, 2014 The M-Class Race three was held Saturday, May 31st under cool, foggy conditions with a really good turnout
of ten boats participating. Jeff Stobbe was racing a very pretty new boat, Aloha, on it’s maiden voyage. And
Jason Spiller borrowed the club’s boat, Georgeiana, for the day, as Warren McMillan’s Lil Bit is still in
drydock with split garboard planks. The wind was rather brisk overall, but inconsistent, and with the usual
doldrums at the west end. It was mostly southwesterly, and quite shifty. Three-boat starts were employed,
which did result in a number of collisions, mostly in Heartbreak Harbor. Ed Schoenstein and Bruce Ettinger
got hooked up late in the regatta and did slow circles for the longest time. Jeff’s new boat went quite well, but
Jason had numerous problems with Georgeiana since the boat hadn’t been used in years, it had weakened
elastic, lines, and stitching. One thing or another was always breaking. Jason aside, however, the racing was
amazingly close. Mike Stobbe eked out a win with a mediocre score, followed by an unprecedented five-way
tie for second place! Applying the usual tie-breaking rule, Gordon Leighton captured second, and Dan
McCormick was awarded third. The complete results are:
1st Mike Stobbe, M-50, Pocahontas 6
th Don Ciucci, M-13, Lulu
2nd
Gordon Leighton, M-54, Elfin 7th
Dave Sands, M-43, Dart
3rd
Dan McCormick, M-17, Emily 8th
Ed Schoenstein, M-25, Iberg
4th
Jeff Stobbe, M-53, Aloha 9th
Colleen Stobbe, M-48, mmm-good
5th
Bruce Ettinger, M-41, Shadow 10th
Jason Spiller, M-1, Georgeiana
Don Ciucci and Bruce Ettinger are ready to go. Photo by Mike Stobbe.
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36R-CLASS, RACE 3, June 1, 2014
The 36R-Class had their day out on Sunday, June 1st. There was an excellent turnout of thirteen skippers,
which is only been average for the red-hot 36R fleet. We welcomed new-member Dave Pollack to the fleet,
who borrowed Bruce Ettinger’s Beamy Up for his first try at freesailing. Jeff Stobbe was again trying out a
new boat; his latest is called Sunbeam, sporting a bright yellow hull of course. (Did I mention that he
launched a new X-boat this week as well?). It was a chilly, windy, overcast day. Similar to the day before
but more so: the wind was stronger, more gusty, more shifty, more unpredictable. Dave Pollack got a good
introduction to Spreckels Lake! Getting out of Heartbreak Harbor was maddening for everyone, and
impossible for some. On separate occasions, Jason Spiller and Gordon Leighton failed to get out entirely.
Four-boat starts were used, so it was more like a demolition derby than a yacht race. Starting the run, all
four boats often scattered to all points of the compass. All portions of Spreckels Lake saw action, especially
Turtle Bay as many beating boats were lifted by the strong southerly Rhododendron Breeze. Jeff’s new boat
worked pretty well, I guess, as he sailed to first place. Dan McCormick took second with the oldest boat in
the race. Stephen Ma came in third, and Bruce Ettinger fourth. The complete results are:
1st Jeff Stobbe, 36R-62, Sunbeam 8
th Jeff Brooks, 36R-29, Surprise
2nd
Dan McCormick, 36R-17, Frisco Flyer 9th
Ed Schoenstein, 36R-6, Knot Rocket
3rd
Stephen Ma, 36R-37, White 10th
Colleen Stobbe, 36R-31, Grace
4th
Bruce Ettinger, 36R-55, Warp Speed 11th
Dave Pollack, 36R-53, Beamy Up
5th
Mary Rose Cassa, 36R-28, Manzanita 12th
Bernard Price, 36R-49
6th
Mike Stobbe, 36R-48, Judy 13th
Gordon Leighton, 36R-51, Bad News
7th
Jason Spiller, 36R-24, Ruthless Robin
Dave Pollack looks to be in control in his first-ever freesail race. Photo by Mike Stobbe.
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The 36R gang enjoying dinner at the Beach Chalet. Clockwise: Bernard Price, Colleen Stobbe, Jeff
Stobbe, Jeff Brooks, Bruce Ettinger, Vivian Ettinger, Kathy McCorkel, Gordon Leighton, Barbara
Leighton. My apologies to those who couldn’t fit into the frame, Pat and Ed Schoenstein. Photo by
Mike Stobbe.
X-CLASS, the VIRGIL CUP, CLASSIC X, Race 4, June 14, 2014
The X-Class had their turn again on Saturday, June 14, racing for the Virgil Cup. If you’ve never heard of Mr.
Virgil, that’s because the race honors Mr. Gustavino, Virgil Gustavino. Virgil was one of the premier
craftsmen in the club, building many models, including the power cruiser Margie, proudly displayed in the
center of the room. Seven boats raced. Notably absent was Jeff Stobbe. He and Colleen have embarked on a
lengthy cross-country vacation via Labrador, Canada. It was a good day for sailing, although cool and
overcast. The winds were better behaved than usual; generally south westerly light to quite brisk. The
skippers took off in pairs. Nonetheless, there seemed to be an unusually large number of collisions,
particularly involving a certain unnamed individual (hint: waterartist) who seemed to hit nearly everyone he
sailed against. On three occasions, boats heading south passed through the ongoing Tug Fest in Motorboat
Bay. Dave Sands even scored event points for passing right thru two Tug Fest marker buoys. Sadly, none of
the tugs did their job by nudging our freesail boats back on course. Far ahead of the pack, Jim Forbes won the
Virgil Cup by a healthy margin. Virgil would have been pleased, for Jim was sailing one of his boats, the
oldest boat racing, #4, Regulus, built in 1942. Bruce Ettinger took second with the newest boat, Jeff Stobbe’s
#44, Imp, built this year. Phil Durfee came in third, sailing the club’s venerable #8, Molly Brown. The
complete results are:
1st Jim Forbes, X-4, Regulus 5
th Mike Stobbe, X-34, ‘Spearment
2nd
Bruce Ettinger, X-44, Imp 6th
Dave Sands, X-76, Stars & Stripes
3rd
Phil Durfee, X-8, Molly Brown 7th
Jason Spiller, X-21, Storm King II
4th
Dan McCormick, X-30, Big Alma
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The race also counted as Classic X, race 4, with three boats qualifying. The Classic X results are:
1st Phil Durfee, X-8, Molly Brown
2nd
Jim Forbes, X-4, Regulus
3rd
Jason Spiller, X-21, Storm King II
Dave Sands (nearest camera) and Dan McCormick, as seen just before the collision. Mike Stobbe and
Jim Forbes wait to start. Jason Spiller fixes his boat in the background. Photo by Steve Ma
BOAT STORAGE
Members entering the clubhouse will notice a couple of changes have been made to accommodate all the
requests for boat storage that have come in this season. First, the glass cabinet in the middle of the room
holding the tug, Consultor, with the Margie on top, has been moved about four feet nearer the front of the
room. This has been done to make it harder for members to step back unobserved when our commodore
asks for volunteers. Just kidding. This has made room for four more boats in the Santa Barbara and Infinity
54 fleets. You might also note that many of the X-boats have been moved around. This was done to put
those most frequently used into a more easily accessible position. The Emanon barge now resides between
the two Star 45 tables. This will block a few of the more deeply located Stars, but the Emanon can be easily
moved into the aisle to get temporary access to all Stars. Star sailors may rearrange their boats to put the
least used boats in the back. With some additional cleaning up, moving the Emanon has made it possible to
fit two, and eventually three more Wheelers in the club. This will clear the club storage waiting list for now.
In the future, however, new boats will only get in to the extent that unused boats are removed. If you have a
boat in the clubhouse, but aren’t using it, please consider taking it home.
CALENDAR CHANGE, Star 45 Class
The Star 45 Class will have a make-up race on October 18, to compensate for a rain-out early this season.
Mark your calendars.
Mike Stobbe, FSO
10
US Sailing Store Member Bulk Discounts
[mailto:[email protected]]
Michael Fischer
Shore Leave
An occasional note on nautical museums by Mary Rose Cassa
New Exhibit in San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Visitor Center Beckons You to Enter
High-tech exhibits tell the story of San Francisco's colorful and diverse maritime heritage in San Francisco
Maritime National Historical Park's Visitor Center, housed in the Park’s 1908 historic brick cannery
warehouse. You probably remember the Maritime Museum that was housed in the Bathhouse Building. The
new exhibit, adjacent to the Argonaut Hotel, tells the stories of voyage, discovery and cultural diversity. In the
current “Waterfront” exhibit (opened in February 2012), you can walk through time as you see, hear, and
touch San Francisco's historic working waterfront.
As you begin your walk around the City's edge, listen for the voices of Yelamu natives as they ready their tule
reed canoes for a day of fishing at the Golden Gate. Stroll along Fisherman's Wharf piers in the 1920s, past
trim Italian fishing boats and fresh fish for sale. At the foot of Market Street, touch an anchor or a huge timber
from a real Gold Rush ship recently unearthed by archeologists. Or eavesdrop on sailors trading yarns at a
raucous Barbary Coast bar.
Make your way south to the watery inlet of Channel Street. Not actually a street, today it's called Mission
Creek and it feeds McCovey's Cove at the AT&T ballpark. Here, you'll find hay scows or lumber schooners,
unloading fresh lumber from Puget Sound just over your head, while the clamor of steel shipyards waits for
you further south.
View two slide presentations that are part of the exhibit on wooden shipbuilding on San Francisco Bay and the
coastal lumber trade. A state of the art film takes visitors to the top of Telegraph Hill where you can watch
boats and ships sailing San Francisco Bay from the earliest times to the present.
This exhibit was a labor of love for park staff, who worked with Academy Studios to design a visitor
experience that avoided the walls and cases of a typical museum. It took a year of research and design plus
three more years to complete. Over 360 artifacts from the Park's collection are carefully tucked into ship
facades, store-front windows, and even ship passengers' luggage.
The visitor center is located at 499 Jefferson Street at the corner of Hyde Street. It is open seven days a week
from 9:30am to 5:00pm. For park information call 415-447-5000 during business hours.
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Trolling the Web by Mary Rose Cassa
If you click on only one link this week, make it this one. You don’t have to understand Norwegian to get the
gist and enjoy a little boy’s delight on launching this mini-fleet.
http://www.nrk.no/mr/trebatene-skal-folge-strommen-1.11674247
300 Wooden Boats Will Follow the Gulf Stream
ThorNews on April 25, 2014
On Easter Sunday, about 300 wooden boats were launched on the coast of Sunnmøre, Western Norway. They
will follow the Gulf Stream north and some of the boats may even end up in other countries. The ambition is
to teach children (and adults) how trash and pollution are spread by ocean currents.
13
Important to the Fishing Industry The organizer, Runde Environmental Centre, is an international environmental research station. The project is
cooperation between the centre and shipbuilding group Vard, and aims to give children more knowledge about
shipbuilding and ocean currents.
“The Gulf Stream is important for our climate and the fisheries in Norway,” says Nils Roar Hareide,
researcher at Runde Environmental Centre. Large amounts of nutrients from the sea travel along the Gulf
Stream and reach the Norwegian coastline. The ocean currents also bring fish eggs and larvae from spawning
areas around Runde and the Barents Sea.
The boats will drift northward and be found in the immediate area around Runde, and up to Finnmark County,
perhaps all the way to Russia. It is also possible that some may even travel further.
Yellow Rubber Ducks In 1992, a storm washed several containers off a cargo ship in the Pacific. One of the containers opened and
released 28,000 bath toys, including thousands of yellow rubber ducks. Ten months after the storm, several
ducks appeared in Alaska. Some of the ducks decided to travel even longer. In 2003, a yellow rubber duck
appeared on a beach in Scotland. And in 2007, someone found one on the coast of England.
The 300 wooden vessels launched on Easter Sunday are marked with a name and number. The project will
continue for many years. Runde Environmental Centre will eventually visualize how the boats have traveled
with the ocean currents on their webpage.
Text modified by: Anette Broteng Christiansen, ThorNews
Source: NRK
Photos: Remi Sagen/NRK
14
Emerald: Coming back from the dust By Robert Pearsall
The year is 1896 and the world is changing. New and exciting events are popping up around the nation and
across the world, including; x-rays are discovered, the first horseless carriage rolls into Detroit, Chop Suey is
invented in New York City, Sutro Baths in San Francisco opens, “Stars and Stripes Forever” is written by
John Phillip Sousa, and a modeler finishes building a sailboat (her original name is lost to time, but she is now
known as Emerald).
She is the color of freshly churned butter. Her deck is hand-planed mahogany and stained dark. A small oval
hatch is cut into her deck, just big enough to get a hand and a rag through to check on her bilge after a long
day of racing. She has no rudder, but her keel extends far aft to make up for that. She is a thoroughbred and
she races upwind.
The clock spins forward to 1987. Aretha Franklin is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Dennis
Conner returns America’s Cup to the U.S., and Emerald is found in a basement in San Rafael, CA.
Emerald is not doing well. A gaping hole now stands where her keel once was, her deck is peeling off in two
large pieces, and her frames have come loose from her hull planks. Sections of her deck, where hardware
once resided is now black with rot. The clinch nails that once held her firm have now pulled through her hull
planks as she slowly turns to dust.
Hogged and tired, she sits on a temporary boat stand (cardboard box) as gravity pulls her ends toward the
floor. “I wonder what she looked like when built”, I thought to myself. Off the pegged wall in the garage,
just above Grandpa’s workbench, comes the magic tool to turn back time….masking tape. Strips of tape
surround her hull every six inches, as her shape slowly comes back. Under the strain of many yards of tape,
her deck now lies flat and she no longer looks like a half peeled banana. She’s 71 1/2 inches long and 14 1/2
inches wide. If you cross your eyes, squint, and still believe in the Tooth Fairy, you might say to yourself,
“Wow, that’s a good looking boat”.
Under her deck, in her stern, is an inscription in pencil. It reads, “Built 1896, rebuilt 1936 G. Thomas”. Since
first reading this note, I’ve added two lines with my name….rebuilt 1988 and 2014.
Here is the Reader’s Digest version of her two rebuilds that I’ve done. The clinch nails were cut and removed
to take each of her frames out - one at a time. A sister frame of plywood was copied and laminated to most of
her original frames and then re-installed with epoxy. Two new bottom planks were installed. Fourteen similar
boats were measured and their specifications documented and a mathematical average was produced to
determine placement of the keel, rudder, mast, and hardware location. A new keel was installed and her deck
was pieced back together using salvaged wood from her larger hatch location. To protect here delicate skin,
she was converted to RC and rigged as an RCX class boat. She sailed for one year. Her winch was
inadequate and her standing rigging was crude. She was still brittle.
Her original magic elixir, masking tape, was replaced in 2014 with West System epoxy, and fiberglass. 2014
found her on another garage floor, stripped down to hull and keel. She was gently sanded within an inch of
her life. All of her colors were gone. The emerald green color that I put on her sanded through to white
primer, then butter yellow, and then the soft brown shade of natural wood appeared. I dared not sand anymore
for fear of going right through her thin skin. Hung by a rope to her keel, she was suspended from the garage
ceiling with her deck resting on blocks of wood on the floor. She soaked up West System epoxy like a
sponge. Three coats later, she would get a layer of fairly heavy fiberglass, followed by more West System
15
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epoxy and bouts of sanding. She was now ironclad.
William H. Hand, Jr. is one of my favorite boat designers. His 1902 Racing Sloop, also drawn as a yawl,
would be the inspiration for what Emerald would shortly become. She would get a cabin, a new rudder, new
mast/booms, and would come back as a yacht….gloss white in color, and lots of brass and gleaming varnish.
Sr. Member Til Mossi supplied some clear pine, which was cut into planks for her deck. Bob Heacock would
teach me the new skills I would need to rig the boat. Her old standing rig was stripped for its usable hardware,
and Ken Valk of Wet Goose Marine would supply her yacht fittings. Rod Carr would produce a new suit of
sails, including a signature “E” on the mainsail for “Emerald”. New turnbuckles would arrive from Model
Yacht Fittings, and Worth-Pekabe Marine supplied the rigging wire and bousies. Servo City supplied her new
winch, and Futaba supplied the rest. She was now like a box of instant cake mix…..just add water.
Father’s Day, 2014 arrived and my wife, Lin, asked me what I would like to do. I wanted to go to Spreckles
Lake and sail Emerald….she was ready. With family and close friends, we arrived at the lake to find building
conditions as the wind freshened to a good blow. Emerald was rolled out the back of my little SUV and her
rig went up and was trued. My son, Tyler, and I gently lifted Emerald into the lake as a good friend christened
her with a bottle of water (soft plastic bottles don’t mar the white finish). “I christen thee Emerald. May you
sail forever”, she said with a tap of the bottle on Emerald’s bow. A quick radio check, followed by a gentle
shove, and Emerald was in her element. This is where she belongs.
Long gone are the days of sitting in a basement. The cardboard box boat stand gave way to a rolling cart. The
bamboo pole that originally guided her has been replaced by radio gear. Even through all these changes and
with the passing of many years, the dream of sailing a boat on a pond remains unchanged. “Life is good, go
play boats”.
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Fleet Captain Proposal
Summary It is proposed that a major organizational change be made to the SYMYC. To wit: 1.) The club ceases to
have separate Freesail Squadron Officer (FSO) and Radiosail Squadron Officer (RSO), and return to its former
state, with just an overall Sail Squadron Officer (SSO). And 2.) Each sailing class fleet shall have a Fleet
Captain. This would require a small change to the bylaws, which currently specify both a FSO and RSO. The
intent of this proposed change would be to reduce the scope of responsibilities for the SSO, such that only a
single person would be needed, and to improve the individual fleet activities and reporting thereon. The SSO
would continue to be a board member. The Fleet Captains would not be on the Board; not that they couldn’t
be useful contributors, only that if they were, the Board might become so large as to become unwieldy and
inefficient. There would be eight or nine fleet captains.
This proposal would not affect the Power Squadron, which would continue to be represented by the PSO. If
the Power Squadron also wanted to designate specific fleets, that would be up to them.
Responsibilities of the SSO The Sail Squadron Officer would continue to have the following duties:
1.) Create the season calendar for club racing; amend as needed.
2.) Prepare the sail squadron annual budget estimate.
3.) Order the engraving for the seasonal races and perpetual trophies.
4.) Maintain the waiting list and be in charge of all aspects of the clubhouse boat storage, including
the admittance of new boats, the removal of “dead” boats, and the arrangement of the boats in the
clubhouse. Make and apply the soluble stickers. Maintain and post a current list of all the boats in
the clubhouse.
5.) Responsibility for leasing of club-owned boats.
6.) Stocking racing forms and score cards.
7.) Stocking refreshments for regular club racing.
8.) Attend Board meetings.
9.) Standing member of the Wooden Boat Committee.
The Sail Squadron Officer would not have the following duties:
1.) Prepare club race results and write-up/pictures for the Nautical News.
2.) Organize special regattas outside of regular club racing (i.e. nationals, etc.).
Responsibilities of the Fleet Captains Individual Fleet Captains would be responsible for:
1.) Reporting on the fleet’s seasonal races, and preparing articles for the Nautical News on their
fleet’s activities.
2.) Maintaining a current running total of the seasonal race results for their fleet, posting of the same.
3.) They would be the “point person” responsible for organizing special regattas for their fleet, such
as nationals. They wouldn’t necessarily have to plan the events themselves, but would be responsible
for making sure that the events are staffed. Liaison with the SSO and Board for any special regattas.
(The text for this section depends on the decisions to be made by the Board regarding regional and
national regattas which should happen on June 14th.)
4.) Resolution of any internal questions or conflicts within their fleet as may occur. Neither the SSO
nor the Board need be involved.
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5.) Liaison for fleet activities with the SSO, such as the need to find a make-up date for a rained out
race, for example.
6.) Notification via e-mail, etc. any needed communications to all fleet members.
7.) Publicizing or “boosting” their class yacht, social events involving specific fleets, etc.
Fleet Captains would not be responsible for:
1.) Attending Board meetings as they would not be Board members.
Remarks Fleet Captains could be chosen by any method acceptable to their fleet members. The same person could be
Fleet Captain of more than one fleet. If a fleet or “quasi-fleet” (i.e. Classic X, RX, and or Wheelers) had no
Fleet Captain, it would suffer a lack of visibility, as the rest of the club and public at large (through the
Newsletter) wouldn’t hear anything about it.
Fleets wouldn’t be given any budgets. If they needed funds for some purpose, they would have to apply to the
Board. It is likely that with only one fleet to be concerned with, that the Fleet Captain’s submittals to the
Newsletter will be larger and more detailed than is currently the case. One aspect of this proposal is that there
will likely be more work for the Newsletter editor, and increased size of the Newsletter. He will be receiving
submittals from many more people than he currently does. There may be a financial impact, with increased
printing costs, etc. However, these difficulties could be partially mitigated by having the newsletter editor
outline guidelines and limitations for the Fleet submissions to the Newsletter; i.e. for example, up to but not
exceeding half page for text and race results and 1-2 pictures only.
Mike Stobbe, SSO
SAN FRANCISCO MODEL YACHT CLUB GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Saturday, June 14, 2014
ATTENDANCE
Members of the Board present were—Commodore Jim Forbes, Vice Commodore Colleen Stobbe , Treasurer
Jeff Brooks, Secretary Bruce Ettinger, Sail Squadron Officer Mike Stobbe. Members-at-large Dave Sands.
The meeting was called to order at 11:05am. 16 members were present.
MINUTES
Of May 10 were approved as published.
REPORTS OF OFFICERS
Commodore Forbes reported the following:
1. The Board met with Keith Roberts today. He is the Golden Gate Park gardener responsible for the
Spreckels Lake area. A number of our concerns were addressed. Specifically:
A. Landscaping- 2-3 dead-dying pine trees will be removed from west end of Lake; tall hedges
there will be severely trimmed; some small trees will be planted. B. Water level: Currently Park engineers control the Lake water level. Keith will attempt to get control of this
under his gardening group and will aim to keep lake full. Cleaning Lake and water’s edge: Keith has taken
note of our needs. Signs are planned to say “don’t feed the birds”.
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C. Reducing weeds and algae: an enzyme and coloring agent will be used.
D. Signage: New posted speed signs should be produced in July (money will become available then
and signs are first priority) Eric Anderson is responsible. We would like a sign saying “boats
crossing” where sailors and their boats cross the road from the clubhouse side to lakeside.
E. Security: 6 new park rangers are being hired. One will patrol our Lake area on weekends.
F. Bench: we requested an additional bench be placed at the east end of the Lake.
2. By moving the display case 4 feet forward, additional space has been opened up for 3 boats.
3. Present the required steps leading to submission and consideration by the Board. Regattas/Events
cannot take place without a proper submission and subsequent Board approval.
Treasurer Brooks reported the following
The club remains on a sound financial footing. Revenues exceed expenses this year.
The treasurer’s report was accepted.
New Members: Approved for membership were:
1. Jules Heumann- RC sail
2. Dave Misunas- ODOM, wheeler
3. Magnus Berglund
This brings to total of active members to 172.
Free Sail Squadron Officer Mike Stobbe:
Mike reported that free sailing continues to draw many participants. The next race is X-class today.
NEW BUSINESS
We have on display an antique “prisoner of war” ship model carved from bone. This was donated by Drew
Marshall and is in a display case. A plaque should explain what this is. Wording acceptable to Drew has been
developed. Therefore, a plaque should be made that explains the special history of this item. Approved
GOOD AND WELFARE
Dan McCormick and Dave Sands are organizing a group of members to clean and organize our library.
The problem with some members not receiving the Nautical News persists. Several members offered
suggestions. Fixes will likely be varied, depending on whether the e-mails are not accepted by the member’s
server or whether individual e-mail security prevents it from coming.
Ed Schoenstein suggested we have a series of short (5minute) Bay Area maritime history presentations. He
offered to do the first one.
Copies of the AMYA magazine featuring our club are available in the clubhouse and should be given to
appropriate visitors.
MaryRose Cassa noted that Golden Gate Park improvements are being made. This is very encouraging sign.
The Star race was rained out. The procedure for rescheduling was clarified. First the fleet sailors decide on a
new date. This is submitted to the Sail Squadron Officer for scheduling.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:00pm. Respectfully submitted, Bruce Ettinger, Secretary
