The Mainsheet - October 2021

COMMODORE’S COMMENTS
Fellow Members, a big thank you is due to all who helped make Wet Wednesdays a success this year. Many of you volunteered your free time at the club and on Piper and we recognize your efforts! A special thank you goes out to Todd Turner for running Race Committee. October is a special month with Randy and Trish Alcorn hosting Oktoberfest on the 2nd. We also have a very important annual meeting October 22nd where members will vote on our current Bridge and Board nominees as well as revision of Club Bylaws. I look forward to seeing you all at the club and have a happy and healthy Fall season! 
Eric Swartz, AYC Commodore

CLUB DINNERS AND SOCIAL EVENTS:

Here's what's happening at our clubhouse in October:

OCT 01 FRIDAY

Open House

Eric Swartz

OCT 02 SATURDAY

Octoberfest Dinner

Randy Alcorn & Trish Castanon

OCT 09 SATURDAY

Dinner

Jeremy Whatley & Diane Wilkinson

OCT 22 FRIDAY

Annual Meeting, Dinner, & Elections

Stacy Peterson & Joe Pizzuti

OCT 30 SATURDAY

Halloween Party TBD

TBD

Have a good idea? Volunteers are being sought to help with upcoming events. Please feel free to respond.

ANNUAL MEETING: ELECTIONS FOR AYC 2022 BRIDGE AND BOARD

MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR:

Commodore, Captain Angie Frausto Gram:

Angie is retired from a Medical Laboratory career and has currently earned the Captain license (USCG). She enjoys Wet Wednesdays and has been racing with AYC for the last several years on her Ranger 23,“Chubasco” who won first place in this years Wes Golemon Race, competing in Spinnaker Class C. Angie serves AYC this year as Rear Commodore and continues to do an excellent job of supporting club presence on the water.

Vice Commodore, Diane Wilkinson:

Diane is a proud buckeye – born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Her career took her from Ohio to Washington, DC and in 2015, she finally landed in beautiful California.  By day, Diane is a union Labor Representative for the California School Employee Association, but looks for every chance she can get outside of her job to spend time on the water. She is also a retired roller girl who still loves to skate and can be persuaded to do a little running now and then. 

Diane is incredibly excited to be embarking on her sailing journey and delighted to support the Anacapa yacht club and the wonderful events and services that we all enjoy.

Rear Commodore, Michael Gram:

Mike lives in Ventura and is a retired Radiologic Technologist and Imaging Specialist/Teacher. He moved to Ventura in the early 70s and has been racing and cruising all of his adult life. Mike and his wife Angie own and cruise a Hans Christian 38, “Compass Rose”, with plans to do some extended cruising in the future. As the Cruising Chair he has helped plan and facilitate the cruising events for AYC.

Secretary: Currently there has been no nominee for this important position. If interested please contact Commodore Eric Swartz.

Treasurer, Marshall Murphy:

Marshall has done a wonderful job over the years and will continue to do a stellar job managing our club finances.

Directors: Randy Alcorn, Jeff Birdt, Dan De Cesare, Dominic Cortese, Pablo Crandall Plasencia, Mike Taylor:

All bring a wealth of experience in boating and matters thereof.

Wet Wednesday

More Wet Wednesday pirates!

RACE COMMITTEE REPORT

 RACING REPORT 
The Wet Wednesday season ended with a night of Channel Islands pirates on the water in 16 boats.  All crew and visitors were invited to don their best pirate attire for judging at the club awards ceremony and barbecue. The turnout was great and the air was filled with Yo-ho-ho’s. Todd, our race committee chair decided to throw in some early halloween tack-or-treats just for fun! As the course was tree times around the windward buoy, a short distance to windward, the C fleet start had a meet and greet with A fleet on their first lap finish. We passed close enough to pass across a beer. All arrived safely and the best dressed where given awards with much fanfare. There was a rousing round of applause for the excellent job that Todd Turner has done on race committee, including adding last minute marks that have gone missing and his beach combing for our lost Wes Mark!

CRUISING COMMENTS

AYC SEPTEMBER CRUISE

The normally scheduled Santa Barbara race was changed this year due to unavailability of SBYC to do an overnight fun race/cruise to Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island. The cruise over was in medium air and most boats were able to lay Smugglers on one tack, the night was quiet and provided for a good night’s sleep.The race back to Channel Islands Harbor was a “Rabbit” start well executed by Todd Turner on club boat Piper. Light winds plagued the beginning of the race but once out of the slot 20 kts. giving us a quick trip home with Piper moving at warp speed. All had a good time then it was back to the Monday grind.(unless you’re retired)

Michael Gram, AYC Cruising Chair, SV Compass Rose

DID YOU KNOW?

We are heading into the fall season for boating. That’s good because it means the beginning of the end for foggy days. Bad because it means we are entering Santa Ana winds season. These winds are strong Northeast winds that blow from the land to the ocean through the canyons, for us the Oxnard plane. These wind events usually occur from October to April with December hysterically having the highest number. These winds can be, potentially, very dangerous ranging from a light breeze to a 70 kt gale so in-your-slip is the safest place to be. The light ones usually don’t blow far off shore, but the strong ones can travel past San Miguel Island. 

If caught out at the islands you have really only two choices. Almost none if you’re on the back side. Choice #1, run to Chinese Harbor  just east of Pelican and anchor in about 25 feet of water below the steep cliffs. The wind still blows hard but the seas are flat and the bottom is hard sand. These winds are fickle and can stop as quickly as they start. If/when they die out the normal Northwest wind will fill in. If you are riding on a bow hook only with lots of scope it could put you on the beach. Be sure to designate crew for anchor watch. Choice #2, head on a Northernly course toward the city of Santa Barbara where you can use your reciprocal privileges and stay the night. As the winds blow down the canyons they will usually die out at about the halfway mark so you have the option to “beach reach” back home close along the beach where there is no fetch for large waves but still lots of wind. This option is exhilarating and a lot of fun, but do keep an eye on your depth sounder!

These winds are very predictable and your VHF should give yo ample warning. Santa Ana winds usually begin late at night or early in the morning. The usual chain of events will go something like this. A rain storm or low pressure area (doesn’t need to rain) passes through or just north of us followed by a day or two of strong Northwest wind, then a day of warm wonderful weather, (makes you want to take your boat out) then the Santa Ana may start. If you are at the islands or off shore the city lights will look like bright shimmering jewels, millions of visible stars and your sails will feel dry and “crunchy”. This will soon be followed by a heavy ground swell out of the Northeast with no wind. It’s now time to get out of Dodge because you will barely have enough time to pickup your ground tackle and make ready your boat before the fun starts.

I have spent a New Years weekend at Pelican and experienced such an event. We up anchored and cleared the cove just as the wind hit, midnight, about 40 knots. We motored into it full throttle making about 3 knots through square waves and spent the night below the cliffs at Chinese harbor and waited it out, very exciting but not how I planned to spend New Year’s.

Good and safe sailing to you all.

Submitted by Michael Gram, AYC Cruising Chair

We at the Main Sheet would welcome any “Did You Know?” articles you would like to share.

PIPER UPDATE

Many thanks to all that contribute to keeping her shipshape seaworthy!
Angie Frausto Gram, AYC Rear Commodore