The Summer that wasn’t
I hope you all have had time this summer to get down to the Ware and enjoy time on the water. I know it has been tough with the logistics of the pandemic to navigate doing so safely. Having said that, I feel like we as a Club have made the most of what has turned out to be a very difficult challenge. We have had great turnout for all of sailing programs and I am beyond proud of our tenacious board for identifying obstacles and safety concerns and mitigating them so that we could enjoy “the Summer that wasn’t”.
Looking forward, please plan to attend our “all in one” social on the 5th where we will celebrate the events we missed due to the pandemic. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you there!
In closing, I would like to thank all those who contributed to salvaging our season at WRYC. These times have been trying for all, but the opportunity to get out on the water or down to the Club grounds have made it bearable.
See you soon,
Jonathan Matthews
Commodore
WRYC Makes it Happen in Spite of 2020!
Greetings, all. As summer draws to a close it is as good a time as any to reflect back on a strange sailing season. The WRYC sailing program faced many challenges this year. However, as always, sailors persevere and get the job done! The junior sailing program morphed from the normal three, two-week sessions to one, three-week session. As they have for the previous decade or so (I think more), Clayton and Ginger (and staff) provided an outstanding camp enjoyed by many young sailors. Thank you to Clayton and Ginger for your years of service. It is time for a rotation of duties as they move on to other adventures with The Club. Anyone interested in a leadership role with the Junior Sailing program in 2021, please contact Clayton and Ginger.
Sunday Sailing took off slowly this year as the fleet monitored COVID-19 related guidance and respected social distancing. Around the time that Virginia moved in to Phase 2, some sailors started showing up on Sundays to tune-up for the shortened season. When Virginia entered Phase 3, sailing on Sundays began in earnest with a healthy showing of boats each weekend. Most excitingly, several weekends saw some new sailors joining the fleet. On at least six weekends this summer we were fortunate enough to have rookie year sailors join the fun. Expectations are high for next year!
Finally, the 56th Annual Virginia Governor’s Cup was held, despite 2020’s craziness. Thanks to all who helped plan, prepare and execute a magnificent weekend of sailing! The regatta was well attended, though travel restrictions and exposure concerns reduced the number of participants by about half the recent years’ attendance. The Albacore Fleet had a strong showing, with Barney (once again) receiving the Governor’s Cup. I hesitate to attempt to name all who helped make the weekend a success for fear of missing a name. So I’ll close with a heartfelt “Thank you, Ware River Yacht Club!”
See you on the water (there’s still time left this year),
Scott
Reminder of the impact of the Jr Sailing program
Sailing Camp
By Harrison Zima
When I arrived at the Ware River Yacht Club, I was feeling very worried. I knew how to sail so I don’t know why I was nervous. Maybe it was because I was shy, or afraid I was going to make a fool out of myself. But there was no backing out now. I decided to suck it up and deal with it. So, I got out of my Dad’s van. My Dad told me everything I needed to know. When I walked in, I met all of the other kids. Then I met the counselors, who were pretty nice.
Once that was done the counselors said it was time to go sailing. We did just that. Then everyone got their boats rigged and into the water. The counselors told us to go to a peninsula called “Windmill Point”. The water looked like emeralds glistening and glimmering as I sailed through the water. When we arrived, the counselors told us we could do whatever we wanted. We played games, talked, and had a great time. The next day was pretty much the same as the first day. We all got to go on the big sailboat. The boat was black with big white sails. We sailed a lot on the pace ship.
We got to begin racing the following days, the counselors told us it was a regatta. They spent 30 minutes telling us the rules of racing and how to do the races. After that we did the regattas. I got a 4th, 7th and a 3rd. the fifth day it was raining so we had no wind. We played a board game called Risk. Risk is a game about conquering the world.
On the sixth day we did more regattas and played in the water. On the last day we had a picnic at Windmill Point. It was sunny, the sand was cool, the waves were peaceful, and all was still. We ate watermelon, cake and other things to eat and drink.
The lesson I learned is not to be scared to try new things. I had fun.
Welcome Aboard
We would like to welcome Carolyn and Mike of Mathews County. They heard about WRYC through boating friends. Carolyn has already come out and participated in the Sunday sailing race series.
We also want to welcome Matt and his two sons from West Point. Matt first heard about WRYC by word of mouth and then followed up on the web-site for more information. If you see someone launching a Hobie Cat from the Club, walk over and say hello. It will be Matt!
We are looking forward to meeting everyone at the up-coming socials!
Fall Rentals and Upcoming Events
It has been quite the year for change and flexibility. We have all had to adapt in some way to our changing world. WRYC adapted and successfully held the 2020 Governor’s Cup. It looked a little different but fun was had by all that participated.
Despite all the changes there are still things happening at WRYC this fall. WRYC has missed several of your annul events this summer, so it was decided to wrap them ALL into one BIG EVENT. Mark your calendars for September 5 for our annual Labor Day Event. It will be a BIG EVENT.
Summer on the Ware
Greetings from Seaford! I hope this message finds you all in good health. Summer is in full swing and there is no better place to spend it than on the grounds and surrounding waterways of the Ware River Yacht Club.
I have spent the last several Sundays sailing in the Sunday sailing series and would love to see more members come down for fellowship and good times on the river. You don’t have to be a seasoned to sailor to enjoy. We have several knowledgeable skippers who can get you out on the water and introduce you to small boat sailing/racing, or bring some lawn chairs and watch the races from the shore. My wife and daughter kayak while watching everyone race and have a great time!
As I mentioned last month, we have decided to move forward with our plans to host the Governor’s Cup which is our Annual Regatta. The dates for the event will be the first weekend in August, 8/1 and 8/2. In an effort to make this a successful and safe event for all we will be changing the format a bit. All events/activities will be held outside. We have secured the VA Blue Crab Co. food truck as our caterer for lunch and dinner, and as previously stated our awards ceremony will be held outdoors. Due to the pandemic we are expecting a smaller than average fleet, but we still need help from the membership to make this event a success. We will need a finish line boat, mark boat, safety boat, as well as on-shore support. Come on down and enjoy some sailboat racing and a nice meal! Meals range from $10-$15 a plate.
A Notice of Race is posted on the WRYC webpage and registration and payment information can be found there as well. If you are interested in lending a hand, please reach out to Clayton and Ginger James or Fleet Captain Scott Titus. Let’s all get together and make this event a huge success!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Matthews
Commodore
Sailing is in Full Swing
Despite the extremely warm temperatures, the Junior Sailing Program has provided opportunity for the up and coming next generation of sailors to get out on the water. The instructors have done a fantastic job both on and off the water. Thank you to all of the adults who have come out to oversee the camp and ensure the kids have a safe environment.
By maintaining proper social distancing rules, by wearing face covering shields, and more importantly by staying outside and on the water, WE WERE able to hold our abbreviated 2020 summer sailing camp program. Thanks to staff and volunteers, we manage more than 30 campers and successfully continue to share the joy of sailing with all participants. We feel extremely fortunate to have been able to offer this camp again this season and now we are hopeful To RETURN to a more normal 2021 Sailing Camp Program.
Some new news on the fleet this month. First, the Scout 175 powerboat that was donated to the club has been sold. The money from that sale will go towards a skiff with outboard and trailer. The skiff will be used to support Junior Sailing and the Sunday Series as a mark/safety boat. Second, the Catalina 27 is still for sale. The boat, numerous sets of sails, and an assortment of spare parts will make a great PHRF racing boat or coastal cruiser for someone willing to put in a little elbow grease. Proceeds from that sale will be put towards improvements to the fleet boats. Finally, WAGTAIL is back on her mooring at the club. Minor repairs are still ongoing while the boat is in the water. A brand new mainsail has been ordered. Thanks to Steve and Dave for all the hard work getting WAGTAIL cleaned up and ready for the shortened season; and thanks to Jim for the electrical work.
Finally, the club has four new moorings, complete with new helix anchors and complete chain rode. Thanks to Jim for taking the lead on procurement and diving with me during the install. Also, thanks to John for supporting from the power boat on the surface, we could not have done it without that support. The helix anchors provide much more holding power than concrete anchors. We are anticipating the boats will stay put a lot better now than before. We did leave one of the old moorings near the swim platform. That mooring should only be used by boats utilizing the swim platform and only while people are with the boat (not overnight). The new moorings are marked one through four. Moorings two and four will be the permanent moorings of the club owned keel boat fleet. Moorings one and three are available for club members use.
Hope to see everyone at the 2020 Governor’s Cup! See you on the water.
Scott