From the Helm
I was waiting until after Flag Raising to send out the Telltale this month. It was a great time and very well attended. Big thanks to Josh for putting everything together as well as everyone for coming!
Most of what I wanted to say is already in the officer reports that follow, so I’ll leave it to them.
Bob James Memorial Regatta
WRYC hosted the inaugural Bob James Memorial Regatta on May 3, 2025, in conjunction with the annual Flag Raising ceremony and social. Keel boat regattas and keelboat sailing in general at the WRYC have been a topic of conversation and planning for several years. Thanks to the efforts of Joe Morgan, Jim Garrett, and Steve Hanson, the first big boat regatta in decades was an undeniable success! Thanks also go to Jay McGlohn for serving as race committee. After participating in the planning, Steve Hanson joined Jay on the race committee boat as Principle Race Officer (PRO). The planning committee developed a 16.5 mile course which saw the boats start just off the club, reach out the Ware River, sail across the Mobjack Bay to a mark just southwest of New Point Comfort Light and race back to the club by way of the entrance to the East and North Rivers.
Participants included the following boats (listed alphabetical by boat name):
Gone Away, Allied Princess 36 Ketch, owned by Harvey Morgan and skippered by Scott Titus
Hollye Day, Catalina 36, with owner/skipper Joe Morgan
Patriot, Catalina 34, with owner/skipper Jim Garrett
Skylark, Hinckley Bermuda 40 with owner/skipper Bill Morgan
Tranquility Base, Islander 30 owned by WRYC and skippered by Clayton James (son of Bob James)
The sailors were challenged by steady winds with strong gusts then a short period of light winds while the fleet rounded the New Point mark followed by strengthening winds to the finish. The sailing was exhilarating and the crews managed their boats with style and class. After some late race jockeying for positions four of the boats finished relatively close considering the length of the course. Unfortunately Gone Away suffered a dismasting and did not finish the race. Thanks to the race committee for a prompt response to the call for help. Hats off to the Gone Away crew Harvey Morgan, Yelisaveta Cheremeteff, and Chris Smith for their calm and professional response to the incident and their skill in bringing the boat safely to a dock on Wilson Creek with the rig partially down and portions in the water.
The race was scored using the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) handicap system. Corrected results are:
1st Place: Skylark, Hinckley Bermuda 40 (Bill Morgan) - 2h 09m
2nd Place: Hollye Day, Catalina 36 (Joe Morgan) - 2h 21m
3rd Place: Tranquility Base, Islander 30 (Clayton James) - 2h 23m
4th Place: Patriot, Catalina 34 (Jim Garrett) - 2h 55m
5th Place: Gone Away, Allied Princess 36 (Scott Titus) - DNF
Keelboat racing will return to WRYC this fall with the inaugural Harry Sindle Memorial Regatta. The two regattas are named in honor and memory of the two olympic sailors that hailed from WRYC. In the meantime, expect to see the keelboat fleet actively cruising the Chesapeake Bay. Watch the Telltale for more updates and future keelboat plans.
See you out on the water,
Scott Titus
Vice Commodore
The Social Calendar
Just a quick note from your Social Committee to let you know that everything is coming together for our 2025 Flag Raising on Saturday, May 3rd! We're really looking forward to a fun afternoon celebrating our wonderful club, all of you fantastic members, and the official start of what promises to be a fantastic sailing season.
But the fun doesn't stop there! We're thrilled to announce that we'll be sponsoring a series of informal Summer Happy Hours. Picture this: relaxing late afternoons with music, nibbles, and drinks as the sun sets on the Ware. Keep an eye out for more details!
Mark your calendars for the next big get-together: our annual July 4th social, which will be happening the weekend of the 4th/5th. We'll let you know the exact date soon, so stay tuned!
Your support of the WRYC is truly appreciated. We're always looking for volunteers to help with activities or even host a social event. It's a great way to get involved and connect with fellow members.
Finally, show your WRYC pride! We have some fantastic new merchandise available: stylish baseball caps in two colors and burgee stickers. They'll be on sale at the Flag Raising, so be sure to check them out.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at socials@wryc.org.
Josh James WRYC Social Chair
Rental Report
The WRYC Rental Calendar is just about full for 2025. Here are the numbers by month:
April 1 Member Wedding Rental
May 1 Social, 3 Non-member Wedding Rentals
June 3 Non-member Wedding Rentals, Jr Sailing Camp Starts 6/23
July 1 Social, 1 Member Rental, Jr Sailing Camp Continues
August 1 Social Governor’s Cup, 1 Non-member Wedding Rental
September 4 Non-member Wedding Rentals, 1 Member Rental
October 1 Social-Harry Sindle Memorial Regatta & Oktoberfest , 3 Non-member Wedding Rentals
November 1 Social Oyster Roast
December 1 Social Holiday
Building & Grounds Update
April was a busy and productive month for Building and Grounds!
First, I want to thank Gary Hermanson for installing the new floors in the women and men’s
bathrooms. Also, I would like to thank Layne and Bill Brown, Wayne and Joan Jackson, Ray
and Katherine Mazzocco and the Woodward’s for funding the purchase of the flooring.
On March 29th we held our annual spring workday. We had a good turnout and accomplished
many of the tasks on our list. Thank you to everyone that volunteered and worked hard to
improve and maintain the building and grounds.
Lastly, the shoreline project was completed. The project included removing the deteriorating
wooden bulkhead and replacing it with stone. The project was completed by Jeff Wakins and
his company Shoreline Structures, LLC. Jeff and Nina Wakins are long-time members of the
club and his company did a great job on the shoreline work.
Jim Woodward, Buildings & Grounds
Fleet Scuttlebutt
Greetings sailors and all club members! Last month’s Telltale went to press as preparations were finalized for our annual club workday, which was on March 29. Thanks to Jim Woodward and many enthusiastic club members, we are in great shape for the season with a clean and well-organized sail loft as well as renewed landscaping. Thanks again to all participants!
Our keelboat, Tranquility Base, has fresh bottom paint and lies moored off the club, pretty much ready for another season. There are a few minor maintenance and up-keep items that need attention, but those can be tackled while the boat is at the club.
In mid-May we will begin sending bi-weekly emails to club members interested in sailing on both the keelboat as well as Albacores and Lasers. The email address list contains about 30 names, most of them from last year. If you wish to be included and are not sure if you’re on the list, send me a message through the website and I will add you. My every-other-weekend schedule doesn’t begin to exhaust the potential of our fleet, so check in with me early in the season to get familiar with our boats in order to use them without being limited by my schedule.
Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you on or near the water.
-John Dudley, Fleet Captain
jdudley5@triad.rr.com
WRYC 2025 Calendar of Events
May 3 Flag Raising / Bob James Memorial Regatta
June 23-26 Junior Sailing Session 1 Week 1
June 30-July 3 Junior Sailing Session 1 Week 2
July 3 Junior Sailing Banquet
July 4/5 Independence Day Social (Host choice)
July 7-10 Junior Sailing Session 2 Week 1
July 14-17 Junior Sailing Session 2 Week 2
July 17 Junior Sailing Banquet
July 21-24 Junior Sailing Session 3 Week 1
July 28-31 Junior Sailing Session 3 Week 2
July 31 Junior Sailing Banquet
August 1/2 61st Governor’s Cup & Junior Regattas & Awards
August 30/31 Labor Day Social (Host choice)
TBD Anchor On The Ware
October 11 Oktoberfest / Harry Sindle Memorial Mobjack Bay Regatta
November 8 Oyster Roast
December 6/7 Christmas / Holiday Social (Host choice)
Fleet Scuttlebutt
Fleet Scuttlebutt
Greetings sailors and all club members! As this goes to press we are finalizing planspreparing to organize the sail loft as part of the club clean-up day on the 29th. Many thanks in advance to those who’ve signed up to take part!
As noted last month, we’re planning some further dates (April 7 – 9 and April 18 – 22) for seasonal maintenance on Tranquility Base, our keelboat, and perhaps follow-up work on dinghies as needed.
We expect to have our keelboat in the water before the Flag Raising and Bob James Memorial Mobjack Bay Regatta on Saturday, May 3. Tranquility Base is slated to compete in the regatta, and while sailing regattas sometimes get a bad rap from a spectator standpoint, this one should provide some opportunity for entertainment and amusement. For more information, and a link to the Notice of Race, click here.
Looking forward to the summer months when water temperatures are comfortable, we’re hoping to get more time aboard our dinghies. If you or someone you know is interested in some informal instruction or experience aboard our Albacores or Lasers, please let me know. Sailing is one of the best mental-health maintenance strategies!
Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you on or near the water.
-John Dudley, Fleet Captain