Cruising News



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  • 10 Oct 2023 1:55 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    9 boats and 14 crew rendezvoused at Winslow City Dock on the beautiful weekend of October 7th and 8th 2023. The boats were: Altair – Sceptre 41, Lolo – J 37, Madrugador – Cal 40, Navona – Catalina 380, Monte Solaro - Beneteau First 44, Outlaw – J 30, Solstice – Norseman 400, Wind Dancer – Tartan 3800, and Lucky Dawg - Mercury DR 620. 

    Saturday was as warm as any summer day – maybe a record for this time of year. Was it really 80 degrees in October?  Saturday had calm air, so we motored across the Sound to Winslow where Solstice and Lolo had arrived the night before.  With the retirement of the dock master, our paid reservation had evaporated, so David Huntsman defended our dock space from the crowd of boats arriving at this popular location.  Even then we overflowed our space, and several of our boats were rafted together.  Before dinner, we met up for a dockside happy hour. 

    My thanks to Peggy Watt for making our Casa Rojas dinner reservation!  We had a fun dinner with lots of fascinating conversations the length of the table including Pacific crossings and races, scuba experiences, and all kinds of explorations around the water.

    At cruisers midnight we returned to the boats for a very calm evening and good night’s sleep.  In the morning, a couple of boats headed out for early returns to Seattle, while 5 crews met up at the Blackbird Bakery for quiche breakfasts.

    The last three boats to leave headed out onto the Sound together, and with a Southeasterly 10 to 14 knots of breeze, reached off across to West Point together.  Solo sailor Mike Irish aboard the acclaimed Madrugador sailed circles around Wind Dancer and Lolo!  We took lots of great photos of each other to share.  Our sail of just over an hour had us back in Shilshole about 12:30 PM to conclude a warm sunny October weekend together.

    Chris McMuldroch


  • 5 Sep 2023 12:23 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Sept 2-4. Once again, CYC, STYC and PSCC collaborated for a long weekend joint cruise. In all 22 people participated in the Labor Day journey to Gig Harbor. The CYC boats took off Saturday midday with the flood pushing anywhere from .5 - 2 knots favorable. The weather was beautiful, but not enough sustained wind to bother raising sails. Red Sky came down from Edmonds and Those Guys took off from Shilshole, arriving in Gig Harbor in the late afternoon and rafting up just outside Arabella’s Landing. Trips to shore for sightseeing were quick and easy with the public dock so close, but ice cream was nowhere to be found! With just 2 boats, it didn’t feel like a potluck, so we cooked separately, but ate together. STYC’s Odysseus had a slip at Arabella and kayaked out after dinner with a bottle of champagne. Meanwhile, 2 PSCC boats got in around 3 pm, asked around and found a CYC raft up and joined them. Turned out it was CYC-Tacoma! STYC boat Yonder and PSCC boat Boog spent the night in Quartermaster Harbor.

    Sunday was cloudy and cool with some rain and some sun breaks - the perfect backdrop for exploring the little PNW harbor village of Gig Harbor. Gondolas passed by on a regular schedule and a great blue heron joined the raft up briefly. STYC boats Keala and Yonder got in around 1 pm and anchored separately nearby. PSCC boat Boog joined the raft up around 3 pm. A gusty (up to 20k or so) south wind made for an exciting sail over from Vashon for those boats. Nine STYC members met up at Heritage Distillery for a reportedly fascinating 2 .5 hr class, tasting and extra cocktail. A hearty lunch at the Tides Tavern beforehand comes highly recommended. Meanwhile, a group of 9 CYC and PSCC members enjoyed a pleasant evening hang out on Red Sky (thank you to hosts Ed & Liz!). We were joined by the crew from Yonder (STYC) after the tasting. The party broke up at about 9:30 pm with everyone retiring to their respective boats.

    Monday’s ebb started around 9 am bringing the 2 CYC boats quickly back north. The wind had once again settled to negligible up the west side of Vashon, but a light breeze in the late morning north of Vashon made it possible to sail for a little bit. All in All - a very pleasant weekend and a great experience cross pollinating with other clubs.


  • 7 Aug 2023 11:57 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On August 5/6, nine boats and about 25 people had a fabulous Commodore Gibson race/cruise to Port Ludlow and return.  The weather forecast was for beautiful weather but light breeze, and it was spot on.  Saturday morning was sort of clear / sort of foggy (you could see the sun overhead, but patchy fog on the water).  But more critically there was zero breeze.  

    The Commodore Gibson rules allow a solution to this problem – it allows for a second chance start line at Apple Tree Point (just NE of Kingston) so we all motored there.  There was a modest north breeze there, so we were able to start and have a pleasant sail towards the Foulweather Bluff finish line.  Note the use of the word “towards” rather than “to”.  Even though we had favorable tide, the wind shut off here and there (but held in other places), so that ultimately Charlotte, Those Guys, Wildfire, Altair, and Wind Dancer were able to finish before the wind totally shut down.  The other boats wisely decided to motor the rest of the way.

    Once there, Dave Dumont’s Beneteau 44.7 “Monte Solaro” hosted the group to adult beverages and treats, prior to a potluck dinner in the big tent at the Port Ludlow marina.  Theme music for the evening’s festivities was provided by a Spotify channel that featured pirates singing sea chanties.  Who knew that there was such a thing?  That was followed by the ever-popular white elephant prize exchange that featured a wealth of regifted items from previous years.

    Sunday breakfast featured communal dining for those who didn’t over indulge on “kamikazes” (the prior evening’s beverage of choice).  The first choice start line at Foulweather Bluff had conditions of zero wind and a 2-knot adverse tide (a twofer), so we motored to the secondary start line, which was just south of Point No Point.  This likewise had zero breeze and plenty of adverse current, so we motored to our last chance start line at Apple Tree Point.  Here there was a light south breeze and minimal current, so it was time to go sailing.

    And sail we did, with all the boats making it back to the Meadow Point finish line in lovely conditions.

    Results can be found on the CYC race results webpage – http://racing.cycseattle.org/results/registrants-results.html

    Make sure to mark your calendars to attend next year’s race/cruise on a summer date TBD.


  • 31 Jul 2023 11:55 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    July 29-30.  A light Northerly let us reach across the sound and then run through Agate Pass to the entrance of Manzanita Bay.  There we anchored and waited for our racing crew member who was coming from Port Orchard in her own boat.  Unfortunately no CYC members joined us and so they missed out on a nice day sail and winery adventure. 

    After our crew member arrived and rafted to our boat, we went ashore to the Dock Street public access point and walked the 0.8 miles to the 11 Winery.  The walk is mostly along Day road in the shade, where we saw horses, big trees, and some fierce dogs.  The winery was busy, but we were able to score some chairs and sit under the trees enjoying our flite of 5 of their wines to taste.  Cindy brought some snacks to go with the wine.  For entertainment there was a duo singing South American music and playing guitars.  The woman had a great voice and the man was a phenomenal guitar player.

    The evening started with a light breeze into the bay, but by 8pm it was calm and remained calm overnight and into the morning.  We had the usual grilled dinner on the boat and the special Outlaw blue berry pancakes for breakfast. 

    Returning to Shilshole we motored up-stream against the flood tide through Agate Pass and then encountered a fleet of native canoers in Port Madison.  They were headed down the Sound.  The predicted cool morning and drizzle did not materialize, and the trip was comfortable.


  • 30 May 2023 11:11 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Another fantastic cruise in the books! 9 boats and 5 cars made up the Mystery Bay fleet for this year, 20+ people in all. Sailing on Saturday was gorgeous with favorable winds and tides and a lovely sunny afternoon/evening. Mystery Bay State Park now has mooring balls for a small fee so there wasn't a raft up this year with most boats choosing a mooring ball or a slip on the dock. Participating were: CYC boats Those Guys, Raven, Paya & Wind Dancer; STYC boats Red Hot, Jou Jou & Allegra; & PSCC boats Bardo and Imagine.  A spontaneous potluck broke out on the dock featuring Ken’s fantastic “Seattle Dogs” and a few other contributions.

    Sunday started out overcast with a 10:00 am 3 part tour of the fabulous Mystery Bay goat farm including the milking portion given by the youngest member of the goat farm family, a young boy of about 9 yrs old. The other 2 portions were cheese-making & pasturing. Around noon, a small tractor parade started this year with just 6 tractors but lots of spirit! Once again the kids were invited to ride in the bucket loader of the Mystery Bay Farm tractor. A sunny afternoon was spent at Marrowstone Winery sampling 7 different varieties of their best wines and with a lovely spread of appetizers. Most everyone participated at one point in a never-ending game of bocce ball in the tall grass. 4 dinghies, 1 paddle board and one kayak participated in the human-powered dinghy race, with prizes for all! Sunday concluded with another potluck on the dock and then a small campfire in the park. Cruisers from CYC, STYC and PSCC had a lot of fun together.

    Positive tides for the entire day on Monday meant that our departures were staggered. Winds and tides were from the south all day Monday, but another beautiful day out on the water. All-in-all a terrific year for our annual Memorial Day cruise. Join us next year!



  • 8 May 2023 3:58 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Four intrepid boats and crews made the epic voyage to Beautiful Langley-By-The-Sea this past weekend (May 6-7) for a delightful cruise.  Boats and sailors were Charlotte (Jane & Al), Outlaw (Cindy & Derek), Pacifica (relatively new CYC members Alya & Vasilii), and Wind Dancer (Jennifer & Chris). Saturday was mostly an exercise in motoring.  We did see the STYC RTS fleet dead in the water on the west side of the sound, and felt that motoring to Langley was the better choice.

    It wasn't exactly summer, but it was quite pleasant.  We had pre-dinner snacks on the dock, then headed uptown to find a place for dinner.  Langley is a lovely little town, somewhat frozen in time from the 1920s.  We had a delicious meal at Prima Bistro, then post dinner beverages and dessert on Wind Dancer.  Many sea stories of epic voyages past and other lies were exchanged.

    Sunday morning offered a bit more wind for part of the trip back, so Outlaw and Charlotte got to get at least a few miles of sailing in before finishing out the journey under power.  Other boats had better sense and just motored back.  No whale sightings, but Outlaw and Charlotte did get a close look at the remains of some of the ships that were beached north of Picnic point, and then burned for scrap metal on the beach there in the 1920s through 1950s.  A bit of local history.

    All in all, a marvelous weekend cruise.  Be sure to join us next year.

    Best regards - Al & Jane Johnson aboard Charlotte


  • 2 May 2023 1:33 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    For 25 participants, CYC had a great cruise to Kingston the last weekend in April. We had nothing but sunshine with a moderate breeze all day Saturday. Then on Sunday the breeze was perfect for sailing, we had plenty of sun in the morning and afternoon, but around 1:00 pm it rained for perhaps 20 minutes before clearing again. Just long enough for this writer to put his foulies on, and then catch the rainbow. 

    We had nine boats make the rendezvous including Scott and Linda Seefeldt’s brand new Targa 37 motor vessel Apex. Ron and Peggy Watt on Solstice, and David and Gyung Huntsman on Lolo arrived a day early, and Friday evening at the Kingston Cove Yacht Club house we enjoyed meeting members of the Emerald Rose Yacht Club that was also having their April rendezvous at the Kingston marina.

    Saturday, the marina staff grilled hot dogs, onions, and buns for us as their way of saying thanks to the visiting two yacht clubs. Many of our boats got in early Saturday, and all commented on their nice sail. We had Karen Arndt and Erik Noonberg arrive by Washington State Ferry, plus Hans Reinhardt on Eté was able to get outside crew support both Saturday and Sunday by taking advantage of the alternative transportation available via the Kingston ferry. By midafternoon Saturday all our boats had arrived, and we had pre-dinner snacks and drinks on the dock in the gazebo adjacent to our slips. We were inspired by the neighboring Rose Yacht Club’s Annual Margarita Challenge.  A tradition I think we may adopt during a future CYC cruise.

    Our club’s Saturday dinner was at the Kingston Ale House where 19 of us met. Later that evening, most of the adults met on the dock’s gazebo where we enjoyed drinks, more snacks, and witty conversation until at least 10:00 pm. Sunday morning many enjoyed having breakfast in the gazebo, and probably an equal number also visited the local creperie for breakfast.

    The boats not already mentioned in attendance with crews include Altair, Sea Elegans, Whale Shadow, Wind Dancer, and Outlaw. On their return cruise, crew on at least three of the boats were blessed with orca sightings. With beautiful weather, a star-filled evening, lots of social interaction, and orca sightings, this April Kingston cruise proved to be a wonderful event for many. 

    - David & Gyung Huntsman
    S/V Lolo


  • 20 Mar 2023 1:16 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    If you were on the water in Puget Sound on Saturday, you may remember it being a light wind day. It certainly was when six boats “sailed” over to Port Blakely. There was an amazing view of downtown Seattle back lit by the Cascade mountains while the resident J-pod swam east from near Blakely rocks. Later that day a transient pod swam north out of Colvos Passage. While the sailing may not have been great, the whale watching was classic.

    Six CYC member boats rafted up for the night: S/Vs Monte Solaro, Altair, Gusto, Sola, Caza Viento, and Whale Shadow. We were also joined by M/V Call Back, possible future CYC members. 

    In standard cruising style, the afternoon and evening was spent relaxing and socializing. Gusto provided their sailing dinghy, Little Wing, for enjoyment and many people sailed around the bay in her. Everyone that sailed the dinghy seemed to return as their younger and perhaps best self. It's almost magical, what a small boat can do for a person.

    All of the anchors held firm for the night. In the late morning, many people took a walk along the forested trails in Fort Ward park. The raft up started to split up around three with four boats returning to Shilshole after five.

    (Only six boats obviously pictured … but if you zoom in through the shrouds of the blue hulled boat — Whale Shadow — you’ll see one more coming in to join the raft up. William Bonner took this photo with his drone. He also filmed this video — https://youtu.be/OYKI-3FckoY. I believe he said this was his favorite photo.)

  • 6 Jan 2023 9:17 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The January Land Cruise was a success with 25 cruisers, including 6 kids and 3 prospective CYC members. We met at Woodland Park Zoo to see the Zoo Lanterns. This year the temperature was 56 degrees, and dry other than a welcoming sprinkle and a departing rain shower. We enjoyed wandering the trails together to see all the lantern animals, birds, and insects. This time one of our favorites was the interactive, talking, giant-sized parrots. It was fun to connect with each other after the holidays. Following the lantern tour, we moved on to dessert at nearby Al La Mode Pies!

  • 5 Dec 2022 4:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    On Saturday, Dec 3rd, CYC cruisers visited Kingston for the annual tree lighting in the marina park. Crews from 4 CYC boats met up on the Edmonds to Kingston ferry.  On arriving we had a brief listen to the annual ‘Elvis’ impersonator, checked out the KCYC lighted boats on the guest dock, and watched the one, brave, lone boat dinghy parade, before heading to dinner in a nice warm restaurant - a short walk up from the ferry landing in Kingston. With too small a table reservation made too far in advance, the group had to forage along to the next available restaurant finding a nice, quiet place, and tasty meals at the D’Vine restaurant. Following dinner, the group toured the fascinating illuminated flora and fauna in the park. Then we walked back to the ferry for the ride home before cruiser’s midnight. We had a short and enjoyable December ‘cruise’. Our next land based ‘cruise’ is to Wild Lanterns at the Woodland Park Zoo on Thursday January 5th.

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