Thank you, WRYC Sailors
Scott, Veta and Jim enroute to the Mobjack Bay from White Stone.
As my term serving as WRYC Fleet Captain winds to a close, please accept my heartfelt thanks to all who have participated in sailing related activities over the past three years. I can only hope that the work the fleet committee has accomplished over this time has done justice to the sailing program. It does not seem that long ago that Joe invited me to the cottage to discuss the duties and responsibilities of the Fleet Captain. Joe, thank you for the mentorship and continuity you provided during the transition. I’d considered naming each of the individuals who have assisted with the care and maintenance of the fleet, but for fear of inadvertently leaving someone out, I decided rather to offer my thanks to the sailors or WRYC. For those that spent time working on motors, cleaning boats, replacing lines, putting sails up (and then down again), moving boats hither and yon, winterizing (then re-commissioning), and chasing down our wayward and wandering keel boats (on more than one occasion), my sincere thanks. Maintaining the fleet is certainly a team effort. There are a few people I would like to thank by name. First, my amazing wife, Veta. Thanks for understanding and patience through all the trips down to the club. Also, thanks for the memories, like paddling the dingy out to Snagglepuss in the dark (in the winter) to secure it on anchor. Next I’d like to thank Jim for all the help. An especially memorable project was the lovely zero visibility diving adventure setting the new anchors. Couldn’t ask for a better dive buddy. Finally, thanks to Steve for the countless hours messing about with boats. Had a lot of fun and I think we even managed to fix a few things. There are many more folks who helped out and please forgive me for not calling all by name. The board has made a commitment to preserving a functional fleet of keel boats and dinghies that will serve the WRYC membership well in to the future. Finally, thank you to all the board members I’ve served with. I appreciate you all and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with you. I’m not going anywhere, and will be around the Chesapeake Bay watershed as much as possible. Pictured above is our new to us 1967 Alberg 30. If you see us out, shout out and say ahoy. We hope to cruise in tandem with the WRYC keel boat fleet this coming year. Give the new fleet captain a ring and get checked out to take the keel boats on a long weekend and we’ll meet up.
Fair winds,
Scott
Meet and Greet - Jim & Cheryl
Ware River Yacht Club would like to welcome Jim and Cheryl of Gloucester, as the first new members of 2021. They will be familiar faces to many of you and they are both looking forward to sailing and socializing in the coming New Year!
Hopeful in 2021...
As of the start of 2021 WRYC has 19 rentals booked. With all the cancellations necessary in 2020 I am hopeful for a GREAT 2021 rental year. Please continue to share with friends and family the beautiful venue we have tucked away on the Ware River.
Layne, WRYC Manager
Jr. Sailing Series - Breck
When I was asked to write this article, so many different funny times, traditions, memories, and friendships immediately came to mind. So as I’m sitting here writing this article, I started to remember all the crazy times, friendships, and memories I have created at sailing camp. Not only has sailing taught me some very valuable life skills, but it has also given me a second family.
The Junior Sailing program is one giant family in my mind. Everybody comes from different places with different stories, backgrounds and we all are there just trying to have a good time, and let me tell you, we have a good time. My father, who is now 48, sailed in the WRYC Junior sailing program when he was my age. My father made many lifelong friendships through the camp and to this day, he still talks to some of them. Just like him, in my second year at the camp, there was a boy from Sweden, he and I had nothing in common except for a love for sailing. Through this, we became best of friends and we were inseparable. We sailed together every day and although he has moved back to Sweden, I still consider him a close friend of mine.
Every family has its own set of weird traditions and the junior sailing camp family is no exception. I know of so many weird traditions that have been passed down throughout the decades. Some of these weird traditions were the funny awards we got at the end of the camp or the shows we used to get in the morning. At the end of the two weeks, the counselors would give out funny trinkets that remind them of you. For example, one individual got the knotty sailor award because she was obsessed with knot tying. However, my favorite tradition was the performances. If you forgot something of yours at the club and the counselors found it, as camp tradition, they make you perform for the group whether it be singing, dancing, acting out a skit, or even telling some funny jokes. There was also a daily weather report given by one of the older campers. It was typically about how the earth getting closer to the sun is causing the sharks to become controlled by aliens and come after us.
The Junior Sailing Camp at The Ware River Yacht Club has given me an experience like no other. I have met kids halfway across the planet, created lifelong memories, and danced in front of many to get my water bottle back. I hope you consider joining me and many others, and as Captain Jack Sparrow said from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, "That's what a ship is, you know—it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs. But what a ship is, really is, is freedom."
Jr. Sailing - Facilitator Job Announcement
The Junior Sailing program is looking for a facilitator for the 2021 summer. Junior sailing is a great way for youngsters to young adults to learn how to sail and race. WRYC has offered a Junior Sailing Program for as long as we’ve existed. Our counselors are mostly alumni, and seek to teach sailors basics of rigging, launching, sailing and racing. We offer three sessions throughout the summer, but they fill up fast. The minimum age requirement for these camps is 8 years of age by the start of the session.
JOB TITLE: Junior Sailing Facilitator
SALARY: Commensurate with experience
OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, December 16, 2020 – Until filled
LOCATION: Ware River Yacht Club, 5992 Ware Point Rd., Gloucester, VA
POSITION DESCRIPTION: The Junior Sailing Facilitator (JSC) will assist in coordination and execution of the Ware River Yacht Club’s (WRYC) Junior Sailing Program. The JSC will operate under the guidance and direction of the Junior Sailing Committee. The JSC will ensure a safe environment, oversee the camp counselors, provide on water support, facilitate effective communication between campers, staff and the Junior Sailing Committee, and provide a safe, fun, and educational environment.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 18 years of age or older, Dinghy sailing experience (preferably Lasers and Optimist), sailboat racing experience, knowledge of the US Sailing - Racing Rules of Sailing, First Aid and CPR certification, coaching/training/facilitating experience
To apply - please send resume / cover letter to wareriveryc@gmail.com. Must include preferred method for contact.
The Holiday Season
I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Despite the challenges of 2020, we have a lot to be thankful for. With events for the year at an end, I don’t have much to report, so I would just like to sincerely wish all of the membership of the WRYC a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am excited for 2021 and look forward to seeing all of you soon.
Jonathan Matthews,
Commodore
Welcome to December
Welcome to December! I wish I could say that since this is the last month of the year, the upcoming year is going to be back to normal! Alas! That is not going to be my message! I do however want to thank the membership for being supportive of the few socials we were able to have…with the last one in September becoming our Grand Finale!
At our last board meeting we made the decision that our Annual meeting could not be held under our present guidelines. We will be having reports and the budget and hopefully a zoom meeting to go over these items. Also, at that same meeting, we have decided to form a social committee to oversee our social functions. I am agreeing to stay on the board one more year to be the liaison for the committee. Alice Bredin-Karny and I have set up responsibilities to spread among the group.
Board member – (myself currently)
Attend board meetings – this can be via Zoom
Telltale Social Update Article (once per month)
Oversee host sign-up sheet
Get cash box and make reports
Submit receipts
This person would set-up the room with simple decorations (there are a variety at club) A subcommittee could be formed. This set-up can occur Friday (if club is not booked) or Saturday morning. Set-up a clean-up crew. Most of the time our members help with taking care of the trash on their tables.
If there is no host signed up for social, basically call the caterer (we have names), get people to cover the door (1 usually), and the bar (2). Also, call the ladies that help in the kitchen (again we have names). Help with clean-up crew. If there is a host signed up, help with person number 2.
If there is a host signed-up, they have the option of contacting a caterer or doing the social with another couple. They also take care of getting the person for the door and the people for the bar. Person #3 would still call the girls to help in the kitchen if host requests them.
Our club has many helpful members, and to run smoothly, it requires passing the helpfulness around. If the same people have to do most of the work, then we over work them! We will have to go month by month to see when we can have socials, but with everyone’s cooperation, we can keep our club active!
Anyone that is interested in the above committee, please get in touch with me through our wareriveryc@gmail.com
Thank you,
Jane Smith
Social Chm.
Giving Thanks
It’s Thanksgiving weekend as I sit to write this. The events of this week, including family dinner yesterday, provide a logical starting point for this month’s Fleet Captain’s report. I’ve been considering recently all the things I’m thankful for (regarding sailing) and wanted to share. First off, I’m thankful for all the new friendships that club membership has allowed. Without exception, the membership of the WRYC is the kindest and most welcoming group of people I’ve been associated with. Second, I’m thankful for the absolutely stunning sailing grounds we have been blessed with. I’ve sailed a lot of different waters over the years, and none compare. Whether gunkholing around the Ware, the North, the East, the Severn or one of the dozens of small tributaries, there are endless places to explore. Stretching our wings a bit, the waters of the Mobjack Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, and Hampton Roads expand the opportunities exponentially, with hundreds of new places to explore. I’m thankful for the peace of mind that sailing provides. Be it a weekend on one of the keelboats or a Sunday “racing” with friends on the Albacores, we’re afforded an opportunity that many don’t even know exist. So, at the risk being redundant, for those that read last month’s soliloquy, I’m thankful for the sailing friends and opportunities that membership with the WRYC has provided, and look forward to many more sailing adventures.
See you on the water,
Scott