Commodore Letter - Annual Meeting recap, Thank you Steve!
I want to start out by thanking all of the Club members who attended our Annual Meeting on January 11th. It was a great opportunity to fellowship with other Club members, discuss Club business and enjoy a delicious taco dinner prepared by renowned taco chefs and Board Members, Bill & Dave Brown. As a member driven Club this is your opportunity to have your voice heard, vote in new Board Members, approve the proposed budget, congratulate Club Award Recipients and enjoy each others company.
This being my first correspondence as your Commodore, I would like to take a moment to thank outgoing Commodore, Steve Hanson, for his leadership of the Club these last couple of years. To use a little sailing lingo, Steve has a very “even keel” and I think we can all agree that the Club has prospered under his leadership. While extolling the virtues of our illustrious outgoing Commodore, I would be remiss if I didn't mention his fine writing skills. I am learning this as I write this month’s announcement, that it is not as easy as it reads. Please bear with me as I hone my skills.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the Club for its vote of confidence in me to lead us into the next couple years. I look forward to my term as Commodore and am excited about the plans we are developing for the “Next 50”. As mentioned at the Annual Meeting we will be gathering a Committee to spear head efforts for the Club’s 50th Anniversary and discuss strategies for keeping the Club we love so much thriving over the next half century.
Jonathan Matthews, Commodore
Help Wanted!
It, finally, feels like Winter but , before we know it, the weather will start to warm and activity at the Club will be back in swing with socials, sailing and rentals. In preparation for those activities, we have many projects that need our yearly “tending to” in support of Building and Grounds. All of these projects can be accomplished with the help of our club membership and the proverbial “many hands make light work”, definitely, holds true. We will have our first work day on March 28 - not in April - and hope to have many volunteers to tackle the projects - pruning bushes around the club and bath house, window washing, cleaning of the grills and chairs on the screen porch, thorough cleaning of the kitchen, cleaning paddle fans, polishing the trophies, restocking of First Aid Kit, road maintenance, blowing debris off the roof, etc. We will take our instructions from the Building and Grounds committee.
Our plan is to start around 9am and we will hand out order slips for lunch sandwiches from Nuttall’s kitchen. With a good turnout, we should be finished by noon and will have lunch delivered for all the helpers. These work days make such a difference in the appearance of our facilities for both members and rentals. I hope all of you will consider giving a few hours of your time to help WRYC continue to be the Jewel On The Ware.
Thank you in advance!
Bill Brown, House Chair
The Next 50 Years
The year is finally winding down. We had a fantastic Oyster Roast thanks to our hosts, the Grant Family, and a great group of volunteers including Beve and Gary Hermanson, and the entire Morgan clan who helped move the grill (Joe is leading the committee to figure out a better way to move the grill top next year to avoid scorching hands). We have one final event in 2019 as we ring in the New Year so get your reservations in soon.
With the end of the year, my time as Commodore will end too. Lorna and I deeply appreciate the warmth and friendship that WRYC members have shown us since moving here in 2014, and I particularly appreciate the help I have had from so many of you in my two years as Commodore. I am particularly grateful for our fantastic Board who made my job easy by coordinating club activities and ensuring our facilities were in fantastic shape. I would like to thank Ginger and Clayton James for their outstanding coordination of Summer Sailing camp and the Governor’s Cup, both huge undertakings and key programs for outreach to the community. In addition, my special thanks to a group of talented and energetic sailors who have reinvigorated our adult sailing programs - Jim Garrett, Joe Morgan, and Scott Titus (and a honorable mention to Tom Bernard for his weekly Albacore coaching). Their efforts have been key in fulfilling WRYC’s core mission of bringing Corinthian racing to the community. Finally, my thanks to Layne Brown for managing our rentals, a critical source of funds for the club, and our bookkeeper, Shannon French, for ensuring we keep track of spending and budget appropriately. We owe all these volunteers (and others) for ensuring WRYC continues to be a source of fun and enjoyment for all.
As we look to the future, the Board has started to discuss a key anniversary that will be upon us before we know it. Specifically, 2021 will mark WRYC’s 50th anniversary. In our last Board Meeting we began to discuss “what is next” and “how should WRYC shape itself for the next 50 years?” As we enter 2020, we want to use the year to start planning for our Golden Anniversary, and more important, establish the “Next 50” initiative to start thinking about where the Club should be in another 50 years. We are looking for volunteers. We are looking for ideas. Be ready to discuss this in the January Membership meeting!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas.I hope to see all (or at least many of you) at the New Year’s Eve event.Once again, thank you all for the honor of serving as Commodore.And I will certainly want to be part of “The Next 50” project and helping to ensure WRYC keeps bringing people to the joys of boating and sailing into the future.
The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
As I sit to write, it is the Monday before Thanksgiving. I thought I would take a moment to share some thoughts on what I am thankful for (among many other things, as well). I am thankful that I took my dear friend up on an offer to visit a quaint little sailing club down on “the rivah”. I am thankful to live in a county with one of the truly most wonderful sailing grounds on The Bay. I am thankful for keel boats and dinghies, canoes, kayaks, and docks. I am thankful for the Sunday Series and Adult Sailing Lessons. I am thankful for Junior Sailing and the Governor’s Cup. And, I am thankful for friends. Wishing you all a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.
Welcome Alice Bredin-Karney
WRYC extends a warm welcome to Alice Bredin-Karney. She is newly retired and resides in Gloucester. She is anxious to volunteer with Socials and become involved with Adult Sailing.
Welcome Alice, we look forward to many happy times together!
Successful Oyster Roast; New Years Eve!
We had a wonderful Oyster Roast social on November 9th. Thanks to Tish & Will Grant and their hard-working family members, plus Lorna & Steve Hanson, Beve & Gary Hermanson and Joe & Hollye Morgan for everything they did to make this popular annual event a roaring success. The oysters were roasted perfectly, the hot dogs were grilled just right with all of the fixins’, and the dessert bars were fantastic. And, a big thank you to everyone that made their special pot of chili and brought it for all to enjoy.
We do encourage our members to sign up early for socials, as our hosts need this information as they plan and/or work with a caterer to make sure there is enough food, drink, etc. for all attending. A deadline date is always shown on the social invitation, so please call before this RSVP date. It is important!
Susan Voss
Our final event for 2019 will be our annual New Year’s Eve social on December 31st.The theme this year will be “Celebrating New Year’s Eve on Island Time”, and it will begin at 7:00 with a social time, then a dinner at 7:30, catered by Chef Tim Winchester.We will enjoy music, dancing and fun with Susan Voss (from Vossome Music), and the ball will drop and the “bubbly” will flow at 11:00 Ware Neck time (which is 12 midnight Island time).Please see the invitation included in this Telltale and call your RSVP in early.Feel free to invite non-members to join us for a fun night of celebrating Island Style.
Tropical clothing will be very appropriate, so dig out your Caribbean shirt, grass skirt, straw hat and flip flops and come looking festive.Looking forward to seeing you there!
SAVE THE DATE FOR ANNUAL MEETING (Invitation included in this Telltale) – Saturday, January 11, 2020 @ 5:00 PM
Jewel on the Ware
As 2019 is drawing to a close, I have been reflecting on the busiest year to date for rentals at WRYC. I thank each of you that agreed to sponsor a renter in 2019. Rentals are a very important source of income for WRYC. By spreading the word on what a “Jewel on the Ware” WRYC is, you help to keep our club vibrant. Please continue spreading the word in 2020, and beyond, on what a wonderful facility WRYC is.
Dec 6………………..………….Member Rental
Dec 7…………………….Non-member Rental
Dec 31…………………New Year’s Eve Social
Jan 11……………Annual Meeting & Dinner
Successful Octoberfest; Upcoming Oyster Roast!
Cheers to Jane Smith and all our volunteers! Octoberfest was a great success. Despite lots of competition with other Fall events in the area, we still had a good turnout, great food, an open bar (thanks Dave Brown for tending), and enjoyable company.
It is hard to believe that 2019 is just about over. Make your plans now to attend the last 2 Socials of 2019. The ever-popular Oyster Roast, November 9 and the New Year’s Eve Celebration, December 31. New Year’s will be celebrated “Island Style” with themed food and turning our clocks to celebrate the New Year arrival an hour earlier!
The Club’s membership is vital for making our social events successful, so participate, volunteer, host, plan, clean-up after a social. Your Board needs help in any way you can offer it. You can make a difference here at WRYC!
Oyster Roast Menu / RSVP