COMMODORE’S COMMENTS
COMMODORE’S COMMENT

Fellow Members, thank you to all who attended and contributed to an outstanding Opening Day. We are truly blessed to have such a dedicated membership. Please send in your photos so that we may share all the great memories of the parade and ceremony. May is an exciting month for our club. With racing underway and dinners in full swing, we need your help now more than ever to keep the momentum going. Open House this year will be on the First Friday of every month at 5pm. We will be taking prospective members out for a lap around the main channel on club boat Piper, followed by drinks at the club (with dinner available at our neighboring restaurants). Two weeks following on the third Thursday of the month, I will be curating a live music performance by some extremely talented artists from LA and Ventura Counties. May 21, we will have local singer/songwriter Troy Edwards perform with special guests. I look forward to seeing you all back at the club this month!

Eric Swartz, Commodore, AYC

Club Dinners plus Cruising and Social Events beginning May 1st:

MAY CLUB DINNERS (please RSVP)

May 1: - 🍕 Pizza night by Renée Anderson
May 7: Open House - Dinner Delivery (Neighboring Restaurants) May 8: After race festivitiesheri Taylor

May 15: Cinco de Mayo dinner - Dominic and Georgette May 21: Live Music - Troy Edwards
May 22: Enchilada Dinner by Angie & Michael Gram May 29: Dinner by Stacy & Joe

May 29: Cruise to Pelican Cove

I have compiled the info for the 2021 Saturday dinners. I'm working with the email list to send it out to all soon. If you have not been getting AYC email or need updating in the email list please email Secretary, Chris Rogers. To receive all invites and notifications from your active AYC please make sure to get on that list.

As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thanks,
Renée Anderson
805-728-0876 csiderose@gmail.com

UP COMING RACING EVENTS
AYCs Wet Wednesdays are in full swing. This year the Race Comittee and Piper’s maintenance crew is working hard to provide great events on the water for AYC as the premier racing yacht club. Please mark the following dates on your calendar, and visit the AYC Race Calendar on the website (ANACAPAYACHTCLUB.ORG)

May 5,12, 19, & 26 - more Wet Wednesday races!

May 8 - Anacapa to Port (AYC Island Series #2)

Newly added Class “D” is for new racers to hone their skills. See AYC website “Racing” for more.
Welcome to the spirit of competition!

RACE COMMITTEE REPORT

We're back into the swing of things. 4/7 was the first WW of the year, we had strong winds and rough seas. The course was Wes mark to port, Hueneme to port, finish at the starting line. The course was a bit much as most boats finished as the sun was setting. The turnout was good considering the crane in the boat yard was down for repairs and we didn't get our smaller J-boats. Then we hosted the first of our Island series( Anacapa anyway) there were four boats in the A fleet and three boats in the C fleet. I shortened the course because it was predicted to get nasty in the afternoon. A fleet went around Anacapa Island and straight back in to finish. The average time was 5.5 hrs. The C fleet course was Gina to port, Wes mark to starboard and finish. That course was a little short but fun. WW on 4/14 was another windy and rough night( especially on the committee boat) with great turnout. I learned from the previous week, so it was Wes' mark and finish. WW on 4/21 Only had three boats show up to race. Most likely due to the Ensenada race and the crane was still down for repairs. WW 4/28 best turn out so far, ten boats showed up. Crane is fixed!! Another Wes and finish. As far as results go for the races we can post them on the website but I have noticed that our turnout after the race at the club is not what it should be so for now I've decided to hold the results hostage. We still provide the live results of each fleet for those that are present. As we've all heard before YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN! If you have any suggestions to help make the after race better I am all ears. Up N coming races are WW as normal and on 5/8 we have our 2nd Island race Anacapa to port.

Thank you all, AYC RC OUT
Todd Turner, Jr Staff Commodore, Racing Chair, AY

OPENING DAY 2021
Our opening day was April 11, it turned out to be a warm sunny morning, The ceremonies were opened by Eric Swartz our new Commodore who honored all the members who helped AYC survive the COVID Catastrophe. The the flag was raised, the canon fired and a beautiful rendition of The Stars Spangled Banner was sung by fourteen-year-old, Kyra. Dave Gorney our staff Commodore offered gave the traditional poem and remembrances to passed members of AYC.

Ms. Angie Frausto Gram offered the invocation and the gavel was presented to our new commodore, Eric Swartz. He then proceeded to introduce the new 2021 Bridge, Board and appointed officers. Due to the pandemic lapse of last year, a special induction

ceremony to the Blue Gavel was performed for our past two Commodores, Todd Turner and Mike Taylor. Next was the delicious food and fancy bar at the AYC. Much fun conversation transpired combining both past and present for hours.

The boat parade around the harbor was a great success, all AYC vessels flying their AYC burgees! The Harbor Patrol led the parade starting near the Coast Guard station, the Commodores Boats followed in alphabetical order; AYC, CIYC, CIWSA, and PCYC, and all the parade boats trailed in single file. After rounding the harbor once the commodores boats made a 270 degree turn and lined up alongside each other. The commodores and parade participants saluted each other as parade boats passed their bows.
Special thanks to the AYC volunteers for Turn Boats - NO COMPROMISE(J105, Dave Gorney), RAGE(Columbia 30, Randy James), and once again, the bridge and board thanks you all for your support of this great yacht club!

In closing, I remind you that the cruise to pelican on memorial day weekend promises to be another GREAT time on the water. Please see AYC website under Cruising for more upcoming events.

Michael Gram, Cruising Chair AYC. aboard SV Compass Rose

DID YOU KNOW?

Anchor Etiquette: Nice sail over to Pelican Cove on Santa Cruz Island, it’s about 3:00 PM. The cove has about 10 boats in it spread out pretty evenly, let’s see, where to anchor? I personally like the west side outside the kelp line in about 25 feet. It’s fun to use lite, tackle a two pound kelp bass can be a challenge. Looks like a lot of people have had the same idea.

As you enter the cove you notice most of the anchored boaters are sitting in their cockpit watching your moves intensely (is this guy a moron or does he know what he is doing)? Your hailing port usually provides the first clue and this is when the local entertainment usually begins.

The Wrong Way: You selected a spot midway between three boats two in front and one behind all at about 150feet distance. You tell the wife to go forward and follow your instructions. Most seasoned boaters will have a well planned and practiced a series of hand jesters and do very well communicating at a distance with the engine running, some don’t. You get to your spot and you holler “DROP IT NOW” she replies to you as well as the rest of the neighbors “I am not a cow” and showed you her newly made up one finger hand signal. The boat is moving slowly forward and she lets the windlass run free. Letting out 15 seconds of chain all pilling on top of itself as well as the anchor, no backdown or set check, motor off. A quick check of boaters heads sees them all shaking their heads no, it’s going to be a long night.

Things to consider: The first boat in the Anchorage determines if she will anchor bow and stern or swing on one, by maritime law. In a small Anchorage, common sense says use two anchors as room is limited. In a place like Smugglers there is all the room in the world it usually doesn’t matter. Make a pass through the cove carefully weaving around the boats taking note of the direction their anchor lines are going, keeping a safe distance. At this time it is nice to have all your fenders stowed, main (if a sailboat) furled neatly and the dingy brought in close showing some nice floating polypropylene line”, Pick your spot and as you move by greet your neighbors and indicate your anchoring intentions, ask if they have any objections? You're not actually asking permission but it’s a professional and courteous thing to do. My wife and I sail a rather large and heavy displacement boat “Hans Christian 38” full keeler and your first choice for dropping better be the correct one. We also have a secret weapon, we call them “marriage savers” if you haven’t considered a pair you might.They are two way head sets with built in microphone it fits around your neck so perfectly they are hard to detect from a distance, it allows you to carry on a discussion that nobody can hear, just talk in a soft voice. It’s a lot of fun to come into a crowed Anchorage and pull off a perfect anchor drop with with the helmsman and foredeck seemingly “ignoring” each other. The only bad side if you are breathing heavily as in pulling anchor or cussing, it comes across.

Remember always determine the depth you are dropping on ”depth sounder” and wait until the boat is slowly backing down. Let the anchor hit the bottom and “slowly” pay out the correct amount of rode in a straight line and coax it into the bottom, mark each 50 feet with zip ties, one for 50 two foot 100 and so on. Don’t cut the ends so you can feel them in the dark. If you just back down hard it will probably skip. IF YOU ARE NOT TOTALLY HAPPY WITH YOUR SET, RE-ANCHOR. better now than three in the morning!
One last thing to consider when determining another boats anchor position on the bottom. Such it is in Pelican Cove the swell and the wind bend around the point at different angles so you can’t assume a vessels anchors, bow and stern may not be parallel with the midline of the ship. At times it is more comfortable to place the stern anchor to one side or the other so the boats stern can be taken in facing it into the swells unaffected by the wind reducing rolling. (See picture) If all the the other boaters go below, you’re probably OK. If not better check and see if you missed something. An anchor marker is a great idea, more on that later.

I once watched a boat poorly anchored on a single
far out in the cove drag anchor in toward the shore taking our three properly set boats, what a tangled mess, and yes it was 3 AM. Be prepared to attach a fender with a length of line to the end of your anchor line, bitter end attached to the anchor well with a length of webbing so you don’t loose it and can be easily cut and picked up when the hollering settles down. Safe boating.

By Michael Gram, Cruising Chair, AYC (icnugram@aol.com)--- Questions, comments, or suggestions are very welcome!

PIPER UPDATE

Piper was used as the committee boat to start Wet Wednesday races and Anacapa Anyway race in April with success. Care on Piper continues to be worked on diligently by the Bridge, Board and maintenance crew. All can appreciate the importance of her seaworthiness.

Thanks,
Angie Frausto Gram, Rear Commodore, AYC

The Mainsheet - May

The Mainsheet - June

The Mainsheet - April