December 2013 Volume 13, Issue 11
The Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma Newsletter
Mainsheet
inside
I GOT NOTHING!— Page
2
Gary Ballentine: The
man who was king—
Page 5
2014 CYCT Race Calen-
dar — Page 10
All is Misplaced — Page
16
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 2 MAINSHEET
Commodore’s Comments 2013 CYCT Officers & Board Members
FLAG OFFICERS
Commodore: Gary Ballentine
Vice Commodore: Steve Ryan
Rear Commodore: Paul Case
BOARD POSITIONS
Recording Secretary: Joy Ballentine
Treasurer: Dana Gage
Membership Chair: Ed and Sue Pinkham
Fleet Captain-Cruising:
Brock and Janice VanRavensway
Fleet Captain-Racing: Billy Carter
Past Commodore: Cheryl White
STANDING COMMITTEES
Club Merchandise: Linda Case
Mainsheet Editor: Ken St. John
Sunshine: Julie St. John
Tyee Liaison: Jo Seward
Web Site: Greg Sandwick & Brock Van-
Ravensway
Social: Ross and Barbara Demmel
Education: Chuck Welter
Historian: TBD
Long Range Planning: Joe Salz
Floating Asset Chair: Jerry Brennan
Publicity: Don McAdams
Trophies: Steve Wagner
REPRESENTATIVES
PHRF Handicapper: Eric Nelson
PHRF Director: Eric Nelson
PIYA Representative: Eric Nelson
Dinghy Program: Brian White
MAINSHEET
A publication of The Corinthian Yacht Club
of Tacoma
5624 Marine View Drive
Tacoma, WA 98422
Email the editor:
Continued on page 3...
Unbelievable! This is the thirty sixth
article I have sat down to write. Been
writing once a month for the three
years as your Vice, Rear and Commo-
dore. Every one of them starts out the
same way. I GOT NOTHING. Then
with a little reflection on the month that
has just passed the fingers start to
move. So here we go.
How about that Commodores Cruise to Gig Harbor? It is always
fun to watch the start of the Lemans Race from the docks. With
the crews starting below deck and the boats anchored, the starting
gun goes off. It is a race from the starting gun to see who can
raise their anchors and sails first. Before you know it they are all
headed for that little, tiny entrance to the Harbor. That was fun to
watch. CYCT was well represented by a hand full of boats and the
shore spectators rooted them on.
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 3 MAINSHEET
Latter in the day the festivities were underway in the party
room at Arabella’s. Everyone was dressed up so nice. We
had mink stoles, bow ties and everything else you would
expect at a Commodores cruise. With the Chowder cook
off, best dressed and games there was plenty of laughter
and prizes handed out. We had a great showing of boats
and for that your Commodores thank-you!
Billy had one race on the calendar in November. It was
scheduled for November 2nd
, which
was a very nasty, windy day. Alt-
hough Billy had a good number of
boats on the course, he made the
right call in calling the race. Joy and
I were watching Romeo Charlie
bouncing around like a toy boat and
all of the boats attempting to prepare
if the race went off. I don’t think
there was a skipper or crew that real-
ly wanted this race to go off.
We had our annual review of the fi-
nances of our club. Dana got to the meeting early and laid
out each month’s receipts with a copy of the budget for re-
view. After the audit team reviewed statements, and asked
lots of questions it was determined that the bookkeeping
was impeccable again this year. I would like to thank our
audit volunteers Greg and Elise Sandwick, and Ken and
Julie St. John. I would also like to thank Joy for the deli-
cious homemade stew she made for our gathering. Nice
job Dana! You have no idea how much we appreciate what
you do for us.
Don’t forget our Christmas Party on the 13th of December.
It is always a lot of fun as we combine a regular General
Meeting with the festivities of the evening. Your current
Chair and Trustee Officers will give their last reports of the
year. And then soon to be Commodore Steve Ryan will
introduce his team for 2014! Who will it be? The perpet-
ual trophies will also be presented to their respective win-
ners. I would like to thank Connie Holbrook for helping
me total up the votes after the November Meeting. I can
tell you that several of the trophies were won by one
vote. We had some great nominees and they all de-
served to win. Then last but not least is the White Ele-
phant gift exchange. During this event there are two peo-
ple we really need to keep an eye on as their presents
always creates some controversy. First of all Dan Walk-
er, whom I was told was presented a Pirates License to
cheat and steal as he pleases. I also heard that Denny
Flannigan will be there. We all remember what he is ca-
pable of from the casino cruises!
I would also like to Thank Steve Hucke who asked me to
be your Commodore. He promised to be by my side as I
made this journey. I can tell you that between Tatoosh
and First Dance we had a boat in every opening day
parade in Tacoma and Seattle the last three years!
And no matter which boat was in the parade the oth-
er boat was there to keep them company. We also
had more than one “what do you think” conversation
in the parking lot of the marina, and for that I thank
you. I would also like to thank Joy who made sure I
made it to all of those meetings. My only question
to her was “do I wear a tie to this one”?
Well, I GOT NOTHING, so it is time to wrap this final
article up. It has been my pleasure sitting down
once a month to reflect with you on our club and the
wonderful memories we have shared together.
Heck, we’re just getting started!
See you all soon:
Gary Ballentine
Commodore
S/V Tatoosh
Commodore's report continued...
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 4 MAINSHEET
Vice Commodore’s Comments The Big Blow and the Whisper
Wind
Incredible that we have had such
extremes in weather lately! It all
started with the November 2nd
Browns Point Race…..yes, the
weatherman predicted it would
be windy, but heck, I have a
heavy boat….perhaps I could
finally do well when the winds
picked up!
Heading out of TYEE marina, it
was only blowing a trifle 30 knots, so we reefed the main,
and got the #3 out on the deck (with 20/20 hindsight, it
should have been the storm jib) and headed out. Others
racers were arriving from TYEE and the City waterway as
well (I hear that the wise one’s were on the beach taking
photos of us foolish idiots).
At Browns Point, Billy and the RC had done a great job in
getting a start line established, as the waves were now 2 –
3 feet, and wind gusts were hitting us hard. Anxiety was
rampant as we struggled to get the #3 up (looking around I
should have noticed that no one else was that foolish). We
had to bear off from the line area to get the sail to fill, and
then the 48 knot gust hit! Finally getting the sheets re-
leased to keep ourselves from capsizing, my foredeck
yelled that the genoa was torn! Crap!.....at that point we
noticed that everyone was headed home…had the race
been cancelled? It was so windy that we had not heard
the horns, radio, or taken the time to look at the RC flags!
A wise decision on Billy’s part! Getting the sails down and
getting the boat back into the slip was a challenge! Fabu-
lous crew work resulted in no blood on the boat, a sure
sign of a successful return! Now off to the sail maker for
repairs!
Conversely, the Gig Harbor Lemans race wasn‘t so terri-
fying. Fog and mist in the starting box at Gig Harbor was
the opening scene, and CYCT was proudly represented,
including a good peanut gallery at Arrabellas landing! A
great start by us, but the winds held in the 2 – 5 knot
range for the whole race! Heavy boats like Obsession
were slowly left behind.
Kudos to Gardyloo, Special Purpose and Tigger for
their great performances!
Now, for those of you who saw the movie “All is Lost”,
name 12 things you would have done differently than
Robert Redford! Answers in next mainsheet!
Carve those waves!
Steve Ryan
CYCT Vice Commodore
sv. OBSESSION
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 5 MAINSHEET
Rear Commodore’s Comments
Gary Ballentine, the Man Who
Was King —or at least Commo-
dore
“Go through the chairs and be-
come a past Commodore; that’s
something that lasts forever.”
Denny Flannigan, Celebrity Cruiser
and CYCT Past Commodore
The Commodore’s Ball is the one event we hold every year
that is really only about our club. It’s a formal event, which
is fitting, because we are meeting to show respect for our
club, for each other and especially to the new Commodore.
Often the Commodore’s Ball has been the setting for choos-
ing, quite behind the scenes, the next Rear Commodore
and by extension our Commodore in three years. In 2010, at
the Ball, Gary Ballentine, like many before him, received a
tap on the shoulder and was asked if he would step out onto
the deck.
For Linda and me, Gary and Joy Ballentine have been such
an integral part of our experience with CYCT that we have
always just sort of considered them to be CYCT. It’s hard for
us to imagine our club pre-Ballentine. For us, this interview
took on the feeling one might have listening to their mother
and father talk about their first date. Yes, we know it must
have happened, but how strange!
Linda and I met our current Commodore and Secretary near
their home at the Browns Point Diner. I wanted to find out a
little about Gary and Joy’s early years—how they got into
sailing and our club. I was also hoping that Gary would
share his insights into the Commodore experience.
In 1997, Gary and Joy’s neighbor, Jim, sat with Gary enjoy-
ing a beer on Gary’s deck overlooking the Sound. Jim want-
ed to know if Gary would be interested in becoming a part-
ner and fellow owner of Tatoosh, a beautiful, 36-foot, blue-
hulled Islander. Gary stuck his head though the opening of
the sliding door and called to Joy working in the kitchen.
“Joy, can I buy a sailboat?” “Sure!” Joy called back. We
should all be grateful that Joy loves an adventure!
Tatoosh was Gary and Joy’s first sailboat, and they learned
to sail her in Windseekers. They knew that there was a club
which hosted Windseekers, but they did their best to keep a
low profile—they were in no hurry to join. I asked Gary and
Joy to tell me what brought them into the club. “We sailed
over to Gig Harbor one day and noticed all these boats raft-
ed together. We knew that it was a CYCT gathering. Not
being members, we moored away from the raft-up. A
while later we saw two men rowing over to our boat from
the CYCT group. It was Pat Nelson and Denny Flanni-
gan. As they neared our boat, Denny called over, ‘You
know, if you were in the club you could raft over there
with us!’ They came aboard and drank all our beer! A
short time later, in 2006, we joined the club.”
Soon after becoming members, Gary and Joy had their
first CYCT cruise experience. As luck would have it, it
was a Pirate Cruise to McMicken Island hosted by CYC-
T’s resident pirates, Roger and Judy Anderson. “We did-
n’t know what to expect,” Gary said. “We rounded the
point and saw all these pirate flags and people dressed
up. After rafting up, we found ourselves in a hysterical
treasure hunt that Roger and Judy had put together,
complete with maps and clues. We were hooked!”
Just as Linda and I were getting a handle on Gary and
Joy’s first dates with CYCT, Gary mentioned that when
they began sailing, Bryan and Cheryl White used to crew
on Tatoosh! Linda coughed on a piece of salad while I
interrupted with an involuntary “What? Bryan and Cheryl
of Grace E?” “Yeah, they were great and we learned a
lot about sailing from them. Poor Bryan, he was so in-
tense and the boat, just wasn’t!” Gary said. This was
like learning that before Ahab had it in for Moby Dick, the
fanatical captain was in a quilting group with a friend of
yours. Strange!
Continued on page 6
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 6 MAINSHEET
One of
the most frightening experiences Gary and Joy have had
while sailing happened early-on during a simple trip to
Gig Harbor.
Joy began, “It was really a nice day and then all of a sud-
den a wind came up that was so strong it knocked our
boat over!”
Gary continued, “A rogue gust! I was hanging on to the
wheel but I wasn’t steering! The boat rounded up and we
took the sails down immediately and went directly to the
Tides! That experience taught us a lot. First, the boat
won’t capsize, and second, we can handle it.”
Gary and Joy love racing, “casual racing,” and they really
love Windseekers, but it’s their relationship with cruising
that has a special appeal for them. Gary and Joy de-
scribed raising their two boys on the boat, going on cruis-
es to the San Juans and occasionally bringing along their
sons’ friends.
“Sometimes we weren’t sure about how much fun the
boys were having, but then years later they or their
friends would still be bringing up the fun they had. The
cruises were incredible family time,” Joy said.
As a testament to this, recently Gary and Joy’s younger
son, Sean, came home from the Marines for a few days.
Gary and Joy asked him what he’d like to do and he said,
“Does the club have a cruise planned?”
Continued from page 5 Gary and Joy have been going to the San Juans every oth-
er year for the last 15 years, their favorite spot being Echo
Bay on Sucia Island with Reed Harbor on Stuart Island run-
ning a close second.
“Sailing makes you slow down and really see things; you
really see the islands when there’s no hurry. If you see a
deer swimming between the islands, you can just watch—
it’s amazing,” Gary said.
They also talked about how much fun they had in the old
days taking out their charts the night before and plotting
their course for the next day with an old time GPS.
“The new chart plotters are kind of a letdown; they’re too
easy!” Gary laughed.
“It’s Billy Carter’s fault!” Gary blurted out after putting down
his beer.
He was answering my question about how he decided to
step up and become involved with CYCT’s leadership. Billy
Carter, of course, is CYCT’s Fleet Captain of Racing and a
man who’s logged more hours on CYCT’s race officiating
boat, RC Charlie, than Noah spent on the ark.
“Billy called us up and asked if we would be CYCT’s Mem-
bership Chair. How do you say ‘No’ to Billy?” Gary said.
“We were the Membership Chairs for two years and we had
a great time doing it. We always felt that we’d end up going
through the chairs—Rear Commodore, Vice Commodore
and then Commodore. Still, when they tapped me on the
shoulder, I had to think about it. I knew that on the year I’d
be Commodore, I’d have a son graduating from High
School, and we knew that we’d have to spend a lot of time
taking care of our parents, too. I wondered if we’d have
time for everything that being Commodore would entail? I
asked a number of people what they thought. Denny Flan-
nigan said, ‘Go through the chairs and become a Past
Commodore; that’s something that lasts forever.’ That ad-
vice stuck. I asked my boat partner Jim what he thought
and he just said, ‘Well, somebody’s got to do it!’ That stuck
too. In the end, I found out that the adage ‘Surround your-
self with good people and then get out of the way’ was
true.”
I wanted Gary to talk a little more about his experience of
being Commodore, and he began by telling us about how
great it was to represent our club at events like Opening
Day in Seattle. “You know, at first we were intimidated by
all the pomp and circumstance, but then you find yourself in
a room with all these other Commodores from other clubs
and you start talking with them and you find out that they
are fighting the very same battles that you are. I was
Continued on page 7
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 7 MAINSHEET
surprised
that some of the clubs were represented by Past Com-
modores, and in other clubs the same person had been
Commodore for a number of years because no one
would step up. I realized that our club has a lot going for
it. I’ve been most impressed with the commitment that
our people show. Joy and I used to just show up for a
cruise and have a good time. but as Commodore you
really learn to appreciate how much some of our people
give to our club.”
Next year Gary will serve in the very important position
of Past Commodore while Joy will be our Secretary for
another year. In the distant future, though, they would
love to voyage up the inside passage. I’ve heard this
dream expressed by so many of our club members that I
think we should all go! Make it a cruise and get the club
to pay for it! Gary and Joy will be looking for a bigger boat,
too.
“We want doors!” Joy said.
Gary clarified: “We’re just looking for a little more cruising
comfort.” “The hardest part about buying a new boat would
be leaving an old friend,” Gary said. “Tatoosh has always
started and She’s always got us to where we wanted to
go.”
This seemed so true to me; our boats do become our
friends, if not more.
Thanks for the interview, Gary and Joy, and for your com-
mitment to our club. Thanks for being such good friends.
Paul Case
Rear Commodore
S/V Lucia
Continued from page 6
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 8 MAINSHEET
Commodore’s Cruise
Photos by Gary Ballentine
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 9 MAINSHEET
Cruising Report
Join us New Year’s Eve
for the annual “Un-
Cruise”
Bring some food to share and
your favorite libation and join
us the evening of January 31st
at the Tyee CYCT Clubhouse
Festivities start at around
9:15 PM and go until January
1st
Frie
nds
Singing!
Food
Bev and Lew Channing
S/V Suzanne
www.sailblogs.com/
member/channing/
Dennis and Becky Flannigan
S/V Kokomo
After 10 years of dream-ing we are off. Follow along as we move about the globe fixing our boat in different cultures and exotic places.
http://
www.kokomosailing.com/
CYCT Abroad
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 10 MAINSHEET
Racing Fleet Report
MONTH DAY EVENT Race Type
January 18 Quartermaster Harbor Mid Distance
February 1 Tramp Harbor Mid Distance
February 15 Gig Harbor Mid Distance
April 2 Racing Rules of Sailing Seminar RRS
April 9 WS SPRING #1 Wednesday Night
April 16 WS SPRING #2 Wednesday Night
April 23 WS SPRING #3 Wednesday Night
April 26 Spring Singlehand/Doublehand Mid Distance
April 30 WS SPRING #4 Wednesday Night
May 7 WS SPRING #5 Wednesday Night
May 14 WS LATE SPRING #1 Wednesday Night
May 21 WS LATE SPRING #2 Wednesday Night
May 28 WS LATE SPRING #3 Wednesday Night
June 4 WS LATE SPRING #4 Wednesday Night
June 11 WS LATE SPRING #5 Wednesday Night
June 14 Fun-On Saturday Buoy Race Regatta
June 18 WS SUMMER #1 Wednesday Night
June 25 WS SUMMER #2 Wednesday Night
June 28 Fun-On-Saturday Too Buoy Race Regatta
July 2 WS SUMMER #3 Wednesday Night
July 9 WS SUMMER #4 Wednesday Night
July 16 WS SUMMER #5 Wednesday Night
July 23 WS LATE SUMMER #1 Wednesday Night
July 26 Manzanita Margarita 3 hour tour #1 Mid Distance
July 30 WS LATE SUMMER #2 Wednesday Night
August 6 WS LATE SUMMER #3 Wednesday Night
August 9&10 T Town Sailing Championships Buoy Race Regatta
August 13 WS LATE SUMMER #4 Wednesday Night
August 16 Vashon Challenge Singlehand/Doublehand Mid Distance
August 20 WS LATE SUMMER #5 Wednesday Night
August 23 Maritime Fest 3 hour tour #2 Mid Distance
September 6 Awards Race 3 hour tour series #3 Mid Distance
September 20 Point Beals Point series #1 Mid Distance
October 4 Command Point Point Series #2 Mid Distance
October 11 Sailors Memorial Singlehand Mid Distance
October 18 Point Defiance Point Series #3 Mid Distance
November 1 Browns Point Point Series #4 Mid Distance
2014
Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma
Racing Calendar
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 11 MAINSHEET
Saw it on facebook Sunshine A get well card was sent to Steve Hucke
who had foot surgery.
Please be sure to contact Julie with any
sunshine items!
Julie St. John
253-632-3273
S/V Naughty By Nature
CYCT has a facebook page open only to
members of the CYCT! To join, search for the
group “Corinthian Yacht Club Tacoma” and
request membership.
GADZOOKS!
Happy Birthday to our CYCT Members
Bev Channing December 2
Sarah Earl December 5
Steve Stambaugh December 7
Ken St. John December 8
Jack Harris December 10
Don Kimball December 10
Jack Hovey December 15
Marilyn Thordarson December 19
Julie St. John December 20
Elena Wagner December 23
Brock VanRavenswaay December 26
Donette Parry December 31
Karen Walker December 31
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 12 MAINSHEET
Check CYCT.com for additional information on meetings and races
December 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
NO GENERAL MEETING
Winter Vashon Race
9:00 AM Skip-per’s Meeting
Christmas Party Totem Yacht Club
Un-Cruise At Tyee Marina
CYCT Clubhouse 9:15 PM
CHRISTMAS
January 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
7 PM General Meeting
(Johnny’s)
6 PM Dinner 7 PM Board Meeting (Johnny’s in Fife)
Quartermas-ter Harbor
Race
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 13 MAINSHEET
Basic Rules
You must be a CYCT member or sponsored by a CYCT member to post an item.
Each month the CYCT posting member must submit their items for sale before the last week of each month (send your post to
Items must be submitted each month or they will not be reposted.
You are responsible to sell your item so you must include your contact information (items without contact information will not be posted).
The CYCT Boatyard
Gardyloo Consulting LLC
Eric Nelson - Manager
253-380-3947 [email protected]
Residential and Commercial New and Renovation Work
Construction Management and Estimating, Constructability Reviews, Site
Planning, Work Scope Development
Erosion and Sediment Control Design, Review, and Monitoring
2014 CYCT calendars are being printed now and I'm hoping I will have them to sell at the Christmas Party next Friday. They will be $20. All proceeds go to the club at the discretion of the board. I have 20 to sell, but can order more!!
Contact Cheryl White
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 14 MAINSHEET
Secretary’s Report CYCT General Meeting
Month: October 14, 2013
Meeting was called to order at 7 pm, by Gary Ballentine
Motion was made by Joe Salz and seconded by Deb McAdams to approve the prior month’s minutes as posted in the
Mainsheet.
Reports:
Vice Commodore: Steve Ryan –Planned Speaker had to go out of town.
Rear Commodore: Paul Case—No Report
Past Commodore: Cheryl White—Not Present, Holiday Party December 13th at Totem Yacht Club. Cheryl may
want some help with the ham and turkey.
Treasurer: Dana Bachellerie Gage—Income exceeds expenses. Racing program is paying for itself.
Secretary: Joy Ballentine—No Report
Membership Chair: Ed and Sue Pinkham—Announced Birthdays. Buy raffle tickets. Talk to your friends to join
the club.
Fleet Captain Cruising: Brock and Janice VanRavenswaay—Thanks to the Holbrooks for hosting the October-
fest cruise. Next Cruise is a Commodore’s cruise, it is a mandatory cruise. November cruise will be at Arabel-
la’s. It’s like the Commodore’s ball but more tacky. Call Arabella’s for reservations
Fleet Captain Racing: Billy Carter—9:55 first scheduled warning for the race this weekend. J-30s will be there.
Education: Chuck Welter-Not Present
Social: Ross and Barbara Demmel—Not Present
Club Merchandise: Linda Case—2nd
order is going in, They were able to get the discount.
Mainsheet: Ken St. John— Keep articles coming
Sunshine: Julie St. John—Sent a card to Tom O’Hara for back surgery.
Webmaster: Greg Sandwick—No Report
Historian:
Long Range Planning: Joe Salz—Handed out voting ballots to people who hadn’t voted yet.
Floating Assets: Jerry Brennan—Not present
Publicity: Don McAdams—No Report
Women’s Sailing—We had a successful oil changing party. Need to have a fireball seminar, November 30th
around 3pm at Red Splash at Johnny’s Dock.
Trophies: Steve Wagner—Bring perpetual trophies to the next meeting.
Racing Protests: Eric Nelson—No report
PHRF Director: Eric Nelson—Going to a PHRF meeting on November 3rd
.
PIYA Representative: Eric Nelson—No Report
PHRF Handicapper: Eric Nelson—No Report
Dingy Program: Brian White/Dana Gage/Chuck Queen—Eric Nelson and Brian White have been working on a
place to keep the dinghies. They will bring it to the board at the next meeting
Commodore’s Report: Gary Ballentine—Cruise, Trophies, and Vote
Old Business--None
Continued on page 15
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 15 MAINSHEET
New Business—Ed Pinkham brought his remote control sailboat. The kit is about $350.00. Group races in Seat-
tle, Bainbridge Island. Boats are made by Tippeecanoe boats. T37 is the one to buy. Get a big group together to
watch the New Robert Redford Movie “All is Lost.”
10 MINUTE BREAK
Raffle Prizes:
Jack Daniels: Friends of the Sandwicks, Red Wine 1: Julie St. John
Red Wine 2: Steve Ryan Red Wine 3: Don Kimball
Red Wine 4: Ken St. John given back, Julie St. John given back, Jerry McKay finally won
Red Wine 5: Don Kimball given back, Gary Sandwick
Red Wine 6: Dan White Red Wine 7: Janice Vansravenwaay
Halloween Display: Ken St. John
Vice Commodore to introduce Guest Speaker—Not tonight
Motion to Adjourn Meeting was made by Janice VansRavenswaay and Seconded by Debbie McAdams.
Joy Ballentine
Secretary
S/V Tatoosh
Secretary’s report continued...
November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 16 MAINSHEET
The View From the Rear (Musings of a Casual Racer)
All is Misplaced
"I'm sorry. I know that means
little at this point, but I tried. In
my usual half-assed way I tried.
To be true, to be strong, to be
kind, to love, to be dynamite
and out of sight. But I wasn't.
All is misplaced."
Day 1: The Straight of Juan de
Fuca. Alone. It seems I’ve been out here for weeks. I’m below,
answering the call of nature, reading Three Sheets on my iphone
when BAM! Water is pouring in to the cabin. Throwing aside
the companionway slats I see that I’ve struck a crab float. Turn-
ing I remove the companionway slats and go below to stuff my
wife’s throw pillows into the hole.
Day 2: Although two miles from
Port Townsend, I head back into the
straight placing the boat on a port
tack. The heel lifts the hole above
the water line so that I can affect
repairs. Making a past from pan-
cake mix and using past issues of
48° North, I am able to patch the hole using papier-mâché.
Day 3: With the hole patched, I must get rid of the water. The
bilge pump is dead. All electrical is dead. I toss aside the slat
boards and go above to search the lazerette. Tossing aside two
buckets and a portable bilge pump I find a bailing sponge. Per-
fect! Later I feast on a giant bar of chocolate won on the last
club cruise.
Day 4: I try the iPhone, but there is no signal. I decide to climb
the mast looking for
more bars. I make it
as far as the boom.
Still no signal, but a
rain cloud appears on
the horizon. Looks
like a blow. Tossing
aside the slat boards I
go below and eat
more chocolate. An
hour later the rain
begins to fall. I con-
sider closing the companionway hatch but it is too late for that.
The cushions are already wet.
Day 5: A sleepless night listening to the steady rain, being
tossed by the waves. I don’t know how much more I or the
boat can take. I should put up some sail, but not when it’s
windy. The mast is bound to come down sooner or later. I rea-
son that sooner would be better. Tossing aside the slat boards
I attack the shrouds with a rigging knife. Failing at that, I grab
the hack saw. This will take all day so using pliers, I pull the
pins and free the wires. The keel stepped mast will still not fall.
This is desperate.
Day 6: The holding tank is full. Rain continues to fall. Realizing
that I need a ditch bag, I upend a West Marine
bag full of flares and a new air horn. This will do
nicely. First in, a place mat that shows common
rocks in the San Juan’s and a compass, still in the
package. In the locker, under the life jackets I find
a bag of party favors from a cruise that we’d spon-
sored. Perfect! From the cupboards I grab a giant
chocolate bar, three Alaskan Ambers left behind
by friends and sunscreen. Finally I throw in my
Kindle, a laminated guide to shore birds of the
Pacific Northwest and a copy of the Washington
State fishing regulations. Tossing this all into my
inflatable, I reluctantly abandon ship.
Day 7: The rain has stopped and the sun has come out. Frus-
tratingly, the boat is less that 50 feet away. Waiting for it to
sink is agony. Taking the compass from the package, I try to
make sense of where I am on the place mat. I can’t. Thirsty, I
open an Alaskan Amber but after one swallow I decide to pour
it out and use the bottle to collect sea water. Thank goodness
there is no shortage of that.
Later in the day I spot a bulk carrier in the distance. I take a
party popper from the bag of party favors and pull the string.
The ship continues on and I am covered with confetti. The gay
colors cannot overcome my growing hopelessness.
Day 8: A seagull has stolen the chocolate bar.
Day 9: Consulting the com-
pass, I think I have reached
the soup stain on the place-
mat. Hungry I lick the stain
off and set to fashioning a
fishing rig using yarn from my
sweater, the clip from the
compass and confetti for a
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November 2013
WWW.CYCT.COM 17 MAINSHEET
lure. A bite and I catch a ling cod. Consulting the guide I find
that the season for ling cod is closed and I return the fish to the
water.
Day 10: I am out of sunscreen and what was a nice tan is be-
coming a burn. My chocolate is gone. My sweater is gone. I
lost the placemat overboard. My will is fading with the daylight.
But wait. I see a ferry. I yell but the bells on the Port Townsend
number 2 red buoy drown me out. I search the bag for another
popper but I had pulled the string on the last one in a lame
attempt to cheer myself up. I do find a
box of birthday candles. Using the mag-
nifying glass on the compass and the last
rays of the sun, I light the candle and
from the candle, I light a crumpled pile
of the fishing regulations that I’d piled
high on the laminated field guide. The
ferry is not noticing. I go to blow out the
candle but it’s one of those gag candles; that kind that won’t
blow out. I had not counted on this. I set the candle on the Kin-
dle but there is confetti everywhere and it erupts into flames.
Choosing drowning over dying in a burning boat I jump over-
board.
Hey! I can stand up here.
Ken St. John
S/V Naughty By Nature
On the Cover
Jeopardy, Obsession,
Special Purpose and
Tigger
Photo by Ken St. John
