Commodore's Message

I hope your 1998 boating season has been safe and enjoyable. Year-to-date we have had four Club cruises including voyages to Anacortes, Inati Bay, Friday Harbor and Blakely Island. I believe the July cruise to Oak Bay on Vancouver Island will be the highlight of the year. This week-long outing will be for the Pacific Rim Challenge 1998. Teams from our Sister Cities in Japan, Australia, Russia, Canada, and New Zealand will be competing on Martin 242 sailboats. Each country will have two teams racing daily. The Bellingham cruising fleet will be providing observation boats and be involved with evening programs. If you'd like to be part of this world-class event for a day or the week, call Gretchen Erga at 676-8088.

Our Clubhouse has been repainted thanks to Prism Painting. The new paint and roof (1997) give the building a first-rate appearance. Thanks again to the Building and House Committee and Chair Mike Minge for maintaining our building.

The two senior Western Washington students, Curtis Allen and Shawn Parker, presented the finding of their consulting project at the June 5th Friday's at Five (at six). These two young men gave us material to help volunteers with Club projects. They felt that our best method of building membership is to get volunteers productively involved with Club projects, and the material supplied will assist with that objective.

I have been concerned with future funding of Social Security with a smaller work force being asked to fund a larger group collecting retirement benefits. After seeing Curtis and Shawn in action, I know today's young people will be perfectly capable of keeping Social Security well funded. Thanks again to Curtis and Shawn, Western Washington University, and the Small Business Institute Director, Lynn Trzynka, for an excellent service for the community.

It is hard believe we are already starting our planning process for next year. The Bellingham Yacht Club will be changing in the coming years just as every other institution and industry has changed. It seems change is the only predictable component of the 1990s. Help us make these changes with your ideas. Let next year's Commodore, Chuck McCord, or any of the Board members, have your thoughts for the future.

Hope to see you at Pacific Rim Challenge!