Welcome Mark and Bobbi!

We would like to welcome our newest members, Mark and Bobbi to WRYC. Mark and Bobbi live in Ware Neck and have visited the Club on numerous occasions. They will be familiar faces to many and we look forward to welcoming them in person! Hopefully that will happen soon.

Beve Hermanson
Membership

Rentals at WRYC

At this writing there are 16 rentals booked for 2021. Many of these have been rescheduled from 2020. Therefore, I truly hope all renters will be able to hold their special events.

Remember as a WRYC member you may use the grounds at any time. Bundle up and stop by to view the water or stay for a beautiful sunset. It’s your Club enjoy it .

Layne, WRYC Club Manager

A Bright Future

With a new year upon us I am excited for a new season at the WRYC. One of the bright lights of 2020 was the influx of new members and I can’t wait to meet all in person and assIst in any way I can helping them to enjoy all that our Club and the Ware River has to offer. 2021 will not be without its challenges, but I am confident that our dedicated and competent board will meet these challenges head on and overcome. In summary, and with great optimism, let’s all meet down at the WRYC and enjoy time together on the water and off at one of the most beautiful places I know.

Jonathan Matthews
Commodore

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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.