Welcome Chris and Yolanda!
We would like to welcome new members Chris and Yolanda of Purcellville and their four daughters; Maia, Naomi, Mattea and Noelle to WRYC. All four girls are enrolled in summer sailing camp and we are looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of you!
Beve Hermanson
Membership Chair
Commodore's Comments
Hopefully everyone got to enjoy the snow we had last week. For me it was the best kind; beautiful and gone the next day. Having said that, we will soon flip our calendars to March and will be one month closer to Summer. I am looking forward to Sunday racing on the Ware, leisurely cruises on the Mobjack, grilling with friends and family, and enjoying the beautiful sunsets our Club has to offer.
Our annual Club workday is scheduled for March 28th. Please mark your calendars and plan to lend a hand. These workdays ensure that our Clubhouse and grounds are in tip top shape for the upcoming season. Whether landscaping and outdoor work or housekeeping and indoor work, we have a job for you! As the saying goes, “many hands make light work”. I hope to see you there.
Preparation for the “Next 50” is underway. This planning committee is open to all members and I would encourage all who are interested in the future of the Club to consider attending a meeting.
With sailing season right around the corner, do not forget that our Club offers Adult Sailing Lessons every Saturday, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Contact Steve Hanson or Scott Titus for more information. This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce your friends and family to WRYC.
The Junior Sailing program will return this Summer with three sessions. For those parents and grandparents of children 8 and up. Sign them up for what is sure to be an opportunity to create lifelong memories .
Commodore
Jonathan Matthews
Off Season Activities Abound
Gabi arrives at Severn Yachting Center for the off season.
All three keel boats are safely tucked away for the off season. However, being tucked away doesn’t mean they are being left alone during the cold winter months. The fleet committee is actively working on tasks identified by the club’s sailors. Wagtail and Snagglepuss are on the hard at Holiday Marina. Wags is undergoing some rig work as well as electronics and cosmetic repair. Snagglepuss is resting comfortably with a clean bottom. More work is needed on Snags, but that is being scheduled for later in the year. Gabi is across the river from her sisters at Severn Yachting Center. Crews there are working on her propulsion issues. The goal is to have Wags and Gabi back to the Club for flag raising. As always, there is more work to do than there are hands to do the work. Please contact me if you are willing and able to help out.
Thanks to Joe Morgan and Jim Garrett for their preparation and coordination for the 3rd Annual Sunday Series kickoff meeting earlier this month. The meeting was well attended and interest continues to grow. The fleet currently consists of ten Albacores, three of which are club owned. If you missed the meeting, don’t fret, you can still get in on the fun. Sailing begins April 19th, with racing scheduled to start the first Sunday in May. We have launched the WRYC Albacore Fleet Facebook page this year, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/593952764790640/?ref=bookmarks. Please join in the conversation and fellowship. The WRYC Albacore Fleet page is intended to help communicate goings-on and news in a timely and effective manner. We’re stepping up from random text messages, join the page to find the latest Albacore Fleet and Sunday Series news.
See you on the water (very soon),
Scott Titus
Fleet Captain
WELCOME!
We would like to welcome our newest members to WRYC.
Harry Taylor & Autumn Pittman
Harry was in the Jr. sailing program as a child, during the time his grandfather, Robert Farrell, was a member.
Chris Smith, Ryan Babarsky and their daughter, Linnea
Chris is a contributing host for Bonnie Boat Sailing Podcast. He looks forward to the Sunday Racing Series and is excited to share his passion for sailing with friends and family.
Johnathan West and Karla Oliver
Johnathan and Karla are avid sailors and both are actively involved with the York River Yacht Club Racing Program.
Lastly, we would like to thank Jonathan and Erin Matthews, Joe Morgan and Mike Mastracci for sponsoring our newest members AND ushering in the next generation of sailors to the WRYC.
Beve Hermanson
Membership Chair
Sprucing up the Jewel / March & April Calendars
The busy rental season is about to begin. Please mark your calendars and plan to participate in the WRYC Clean Up Day. Scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2020 beginning at 8:00 am . It is a great morning of fellowship and much needed “sprucing up” of our great facility inside and out. Bring yard tools if you prefer to be outside working. Lunch from Nuttall’s will be provided by WRYC.
Please continue spreading the word what a wonderful facility WRYC is.
Layne Brown
WRYC Rental Manager
Ware River Yacht Club Social Calendar for 2020
January 11 Annual Meeting and Dinner
February 16 Valentine Social (Host choice)
March 14 St. Patrick’s Day Social
March 28 Spring Work Day
May 2 Flag Raising/Derby Day
June 22-25 Junior Sailing Session 1 Week
29-7/2 Junior Sailing Session 1 Week 2
July 2 Junior Sailing Banquet
4/5 Independence Day Social (Host choice)
6-9 Junior Sailing Session 2 Week 1
13-16 Junior Sailing Session 2 Week 2
16 Junior Sailing Banquet
20-23 Junior Sailing Session 3 Week 1
27-30 Junior Sailing Session 3 Week 2
30 Junior Sailing Banquet
August 1 & 2 Governor’s Cup and Junior Regattas & Awards
September 5/6 Labor Day Social (Host choice)
October 3 Anchor on the Ware OR Oktoberfest
November 7 Oyster Roast
December 19/31 Christmas Social OR New Year’s Social (Host choice)
Wesley C Morck Award - Jeffrey Wettig
From L to R: Chris Smith, Scott Titus, Jeffrey Wettig, Joe Morgan, Jim Garrett
The WRYC has long been a way for sailors to get together and enjoy the sport of sailing in and around the Ware River, Mobjack Bay and lower Chesapeake Bay and tributaries. In recent years the club has increased efforts to make sailing accessible to as many people as possible. Adult sailing classes, the youth sailing program, the Sunday Sailing Series, and access to three keel boats make sailing very easy to access for club members and the community as well. Why then do we rarely see sailboats on the Ware and Mobjack? That and many other topics were taken up during a recent podcast interview featuring the Ware River Yacht Club.
At this year’s WRYC Annual Meeting, the 2019 WESLEY C. MORCK AWARD was presented To Jeffrey Wettig, host of the Shooting the Breeze Sailing Podcast. The Wesley C. Morck Award is presented in recognition of contributions to sailing on the Bay. Jeffrey’s podcast features interviews from a range of guests, but started as a way for Jeff to tell the stories of fellow sailors around his club, Hances Point YC on the northern Bay. Many of his episodes have featured sailing adventures on the Bay and serve to highlight local Chesapeake Bay sailors.
When Jeff was down at the WRYC to receive his award, he graciously offered to feature the club on his podcast. Joining Jeff and I were Joe Morgan, Jim Garrett and Chris Smith. Chris is a Gloucester resident and fellow podcast host from the Bonnie Boat Sailing Podcast. We were later joined by Jonathan and Erin Matthews. For a couple of hours, the group discussed everything Ware River Yacht Club. The conversation covered club history, the local sailing grounds and the future of sailing for the WRYC as well as the local area. One of the topics we focused on was continuing to make sailing accessible for all. Jeffrey has done the club a great service by publicizing all the WRYC has to offer. Please take some time to take a listen. The podcast can be found via Jeff’s webpage or on any podcast app.