It’s about time to once again get out on the water in Sequim — and local enthusiasts are here to help.
Whether you’ve had years at the helm, are learning port from starboard or are a confirmed “landlubber,” there’s a place for you in Sequim Bay Yacht Club’s cruising, rowing and sailing programs.
Learn more about those programs and more at the yacht club’s third-annual Opening Day of the boating season, set for Saturday, May 5.
Starting at 9:30 a.m. at the John Wayne Marina, club members will offer free rides in a Flying Scot sailing dinghy (all ages) and learn-to-row sessions in the club’s quad shells for those 18 and older. (Note: youth rowing is available in Port Angeles via the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association.)
Other festivities for the yacht club’s Opening Day include a flag ceremony at 2:30 p.m., followed by a boat parade at 3 p.m. Social hour follows at 4:30 p.m. and a potluck dinner is at 5:30 p.m. (The potluck is $10 per person. Bring sides, salads and desserts; pulled pork sandwiches are provided. RSVP to Durkee Richards at dbrmj@earthlink.net.)
Established the same year that the family of actor John Wayne donated 22 acres at Pitship Point for a marina, the Sequim Bay Yacht Club has for more than 40 years organized boating programs that today include daily rowing workouts and learn-to-sail programs, as well as sailing and crew races, cruises and educational events.
Boat ownership is not a requirement for membership, however, and many skippers welcome volunteers as crew.
The club’s educational monthly programs are open to the public at no charge.
Some programs, such as one about tsunamis held in February, attract more than 100 participants from the Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Rowing, sailing, more
Adult rowing, the club’s newest program began in 2016 after Dennis Miller and the late John Halberg, Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association founder and former University of Washington rower, had spent about a year determining how rowing could be started in Sequim. Halberg agreed to provide a quad shell, and Miller worked with yacht club commodores Jean Heessels-Petit and Durkee Richards to coordinate club sponsorship of the program.
Initiated with about a dozen beginners, the rowing group has now grown to more than two dozen scullers. Some row every month of the year; others participate seasonally.
Sessions are about 90 minutes long, including launching boats, a row of about 8,000 meters, and returning boats to the dock. Rowers share responsibilities as coxswain and chase boat operator.
The club’s sailboat races offer challenges for both hardcore and recreational competitors. Weekly Duck Dodge sailboat races are hosted from April through September on Thursdays, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Starting on Mondays, Pacific Handicap Racing Fleet Captain Alan Clark matches up experienced sailors and those who have completed the Learn-to-Sail program with boats needing crews.
Throughout the year, club members also race on alternate Saturdays. May through August, the club sponsors monthly regattas for PHRF and one-design sailboats. Many members also participate in such regional races as the Swiftsure International Yacht Race in Victoria, B. C.
Sequim Bay is protected by Travis Spit, so the water is often described as “mirror-smooth.” Weather conditions are watched carefully and safety is emphasized, yacht club officials say. Club boats are accompanied by a chase boat run by an experienced boater with a radio to communicate with each boat. Rowers wear personal flotation devices and take float tests at a local pool prior to their Learn-to-Row orientation.
The yacht club raises thousands of dollars each September with the Reach for Hospice Regatta. In 2017 the event raised about $28,000 for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, bringing the club’s total contribution to the community nonprofit to more than $304,000. Rowing and paddling races are expected to be added to the event this year.
For more information about the yacht club’s May 5 open house at the John Wayne Marina or its programs in general, see the club’s website at sequimbayyachtclub.org or check the club’s Facebook page.
