The month of June kicked off at BCYC with all kinds of on-the-water activities. By the time you read this article, our Taco Tuesday Race Series will have completed seven Tuesday nights of racing for the 17th year, managed by our Race Committee under the guidance of Sail Fleet Captain Paul deCapua. Paul and his committee, and the PROs, plot a great course for both Harbor 20s and PHRF boats. Remember, you do not need to be a racer to enjoy the Taco Tuesday buffet each Tuesday night of the series.

Friday Family Nights are underway on the pool patio. Also, if you didn’t know, BCYC is the only yacht club on the bay with a swimming pool, and it was built by a member.

BCYC also hosted the annual Cruiser Navigation Rally on June 1. This event has roots from the early 1970s. For the 2024 rally, BCYC had two entries. First-year entry aboard Bonne Chance, was skipper Dave Foster and his crew of Dave Lis and Mark Craig – the team placed fourth. Aboard Kahala, skippered by Secretary Bob Sachs, with his support team of Vice Commodore Mike Means, Rear Commodore George Hampton and daughter Abby, secured fifth place. This was an improvement as we were not last! The winning boat was skippered by Commodore Cindy Barlow, Hollywood Yacht Club. We were joined by other participants from SYC, CIYC, HHYC, TransPacYC, SCCA and CBYC. This rally is a contest where each skipper attempts to most accurately predict the time it will take to navigate a specified course, published in the race instructions. Based upon feedback from other members who were not here to compete, they plan to do so in 2025, as we would like to increase participation from BCYC members.

Our marina is very active. Camp Corinthian kicked off with a full contingent of young sailors-in-training and will conclude July 26. It is great to listen to the sails flapping and the kids having a great time in a marina full of activity. The Junior Room is under refurbishment to upgrade the experience for our visiting sailors/coaches, improving the BCYC brand amongst the sailing community.

Walk through the boatyard and see what is taking place there, and venture into the marina. Dock refurbishment is underway as well; see what goes into maintaining the docks due to the stresses of salt air and water. There are many members who are always on their boats enjoying the scene – introduce yourself.

Michael Means, Vice Commodore

Let’s begin with a little Jeopardy trivia…Answer: Charlie the Tuna. Question: What was the name of Starkist Tuna’s mascot in 1961? You knew that one? Well, try this one. Answer: Premia. Question: Who was Charlie the Tuna’s girlfriend.

And now the segue to sailboat racing. While most of us associate red-white-blue with our American flag, there is another red-white-blue flag that Race Committee uses frequently…the “C” or Charlie flag. We use the “C” flag at the start of the race to signal that boats assigned to the “C” class should begin. Later, we may use the “C” flag to signal that the course to the next mark has been changed.

Signal flags are a key requirement in the sport of sailboat racing because it’s how Race Committee communicates with the racers. Not everyone has their radio on or are within shouting distance, so we use a variety of signal flags to provide directions to the racers.
July racing is mostly about Taco Tuesdays – we get to run five Taco Tuesday races this month, so we are extra busy. For those of you who may not remember or didn’t know, we run two separate venues each Taco Tuesday evening; one for Harbor 20s and one for the PHRF boats. This means double the number of Race Committee boats and Race Committee staff on duty. Scheduling so many people for 15 weeks is a challenge, but Lynn Drury, assistant race chair, handles it with a smile. Like me and all members of Race Committee she enjoys what she does, particularly the on-the-water part.

The other race in July is the tune up for the Windward/Leeward venue of the PHRF Championship Regatta, which BCYC is hosting in August. The Tune Up is free and there are no prizes. This is just an opportunity for wanna-be PHRF Championship racers to test their crew and boat preparation before the August two-day event.

Paul DeCapua, Sail Fleet

As we enter summertime and enjoy the warmer weather, fireworks and barbeques, the Las Commodoras ladies are cooking up a very fun event: the Chili Cook-Off competition July 13, from 3-6 p.m. We hope you either sign up to compete or just come enjoy an afternoon of tasting. The contestants will not only create themes for their spaces and costumes, but they also sometimes even have fun games and raffles to enjoy. We hope to see you there for a fun-filled afternoon.

If you missed the Sunset Wine Social, we had an enjoyable time listening to jazz/blues singer Celeste Barbier. The wine, champagne and Chef Georges’ amazing cheese trays made for a nice evening to sip and socialize at sunset. We had wine-themed decorations, raffles and enjoyed relaxing on our newly renovated mid-patio. The patio’s renovation was partially funded by a donation from the Las Commodoras’ board during Barbara Eden’s presidency, for years 2020 and 2021. We hope to see you at the July chili event!

Tara Kraushaar, Las Commodoras

Summer is here and activities at BCYC are coming fast! Since Opening Day, there have been an abundance of activities and events at the club. The Cruiser Navigation Rally (formerly the Predicted Log Race) took place on June 1, and two BCYC boats and crews participated in the competition! Taco Tuesday continues to be a well-attended event every week and runs through Aug. 20. Our ever-popular Art Show, June 6, saw several member artists display their beautiful creations throughout the club in conjunction with Prime Rib Night. Camp Corinthian kicked off with the first of six Friday Family Night barbecues. We celebrated Father’s Day with a fabulous brunch and car show, followed by the Las Commodoras-sponsored Sunset Wine Social, June 20. We ended the month with The Gala wine event for the benefit of Bahia Sail Racing Association (BSRA).

Make plans to be part of the Bucks for Ducks fun on July 27. Clambake 2024 will be Aug. 8-11, with Tuscany on the Terrace coming to the club Aug. 24.

BCYC offers so many opportunities to “get involved” and “come together” with other members at the events organized by the various committees! I think you’ll find “getting involved” a rewarding experience!
 
Cleve Sproule, Commodore

You can’t open what is not closed, so Friday evening, the club was closed (overnight) with plans for Opening Day to follow on May 11! The brief ceremony gave Executive Committee members the opportunity to thank committee chairs for their hard work and dedication to the club.

It hardly seems possible that we have celebrated another Opening Day at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club! More almost three hundred members and distinguished guests observed the opening of BCYC’s 66th yachting season with a formal ceremony. The First Marine Division Band Brass Quintet entertained us before and during our Opening Day – it was very impressive! This was also a time for presenting awards to the winners of the morning boat inspection — a presentation by NOSA and BCYC Staff Commodore Mary Bacon — and the coveted perpetual Edward F. Kenedy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the individual who has significantly contributed to yachting in Southern California. This year, this award was presented to Staff Commodore Rhonda Tolar.

We then rocked the docks with the music from the M Street Band all afternoon. The theme of the day was the Beatles “Come Together,” which we did by visiting members’ boats and partaking in their hospitality. We also enjoyed complementary hot dogs, pizza and draft beer provided by the club. This was a day to celebrate all that makes BCYC a very special place!

Commodore, Cleave Sproule