Westlake Yacht Club in the News

Conejo Valley Life, Nov 12, 2004 Yacht Club Members Welcomed Worldwide If you're in Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Honolulu, San Diego, Marina Del Rey, Santa Barbara, or Ventura, a Westlake Yacht Club membership card will open the door to a delicious meal, a refreshing drink, and a beautiful view at almost any yacht club. Yacht clubs around the world extend their hospitality to each others' members. Joining Westlake Yacht Club is almost like becoming a member of thousands of yacht clubs in beautiful places worldwide - "almost" but better, because you don't have to pay their dues. Although Westlake Yacht Club is situated on a calm, beautiful lake, its members can enjoy the excitement of the deep blue seas through its Blue Water Fleet. This is one of WYC's four fleets, established to promote activities in different areas of members' interests. Fleet Captain Pat Adams says "our purpose is to introduce WYC members to the reciprocal privileges available to them at yacht clubs on the ocean". Pat and husband Jerry regularly lead fleet members down to the sea. On a recent trip to Channel Islands Harbor, Captain Pat arranged a "progressive dinner". Members enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the Adams' yacht "Raindrop". They then boarded several electric boats and cruised to a harbor restaurant for a delightful dinner. After dinner, they returned to "Raindrop" for desserts and drinks. A favorite annual event is the Parade of Lights at Channel Islands Harbor. Blue Water rented two adjoining hotel suites on the water, enjoyed cocktails and Pat's famous chili (keep a drink handy), and watched beautifully decorated boats sail by. Coast Guard and Navy entries have received an especially warm welcome in recent years. On a trip to Santa Catalina Island, eleven couples spent two dreamy nights in a hotel just steps from the beach. Several members took the 75-foot Blanche W on a cruise to the Isthmus for dinner, and chased the flying fish back to Avalon. Others took tours of Catalina's interior, Seal Rock, the casino, and the underwater world seen from a submarine's porthole. Some enjoyed golf at the Catalina Country Club, while others brunched at the Inn at Mount Ada (formerly the Wrigley Mansion). Pat said the $20 brunch consisted of "a few bucks worth of food and a million dollar view." The Blue Water Fleet boasts 90 members and 147 feet of ocean-going yachts. "Raindrop" is a 39-foot motor cruiser, ideal for long distance yachting and fishing; the Adams love fresh salmon. Sue and Paul Artof's Catalina-36 is named "Mystic" after Sue's favorite chick-flick "Mystic Pizza". Geri and Jerry Schneider's 30-foot sailboat is named "4mished aquila" a Yiddish/Spanish fusion meaning "Mixed-up Eagle". Co-owned by USC & UCLA alumni, its standard features an eagle holding the two school pennants in opposing talons. Bill Baker bought his 42-foot sloop in New Zealand. Sailing lore forebodes calamity to anyone renaming a ship. So he enlisted the magical charms of a Maori warrior and re-christened her the "Grey Eagle" in honor of his father's retired pilots association. The Blue Water Fleet just completed a Yachting Racing Union cruise. Thirty boats with sixty sailors competed for points in the annual Yacht Club of the Year contest, which Westlake Yacht Club won in 1998. Teams vied in essential seafaring skills such as blindfolded dinghy rowing, skits, and hors' d'oeuvres making. WYC logged the most full circles in blind rowing; unfortunately the objective was to go straight. But WYC won gold and silver in two events because of great team spirit. Adhering to this year's theme "Doctor-Doctor", former pharmacy director, Jerry Schneider delivered an impressive performance as a witch-doctor to win second place skit, while WYC's cirrhosis-of-the-liver pate, a cantaloupe skull with liver pate brain matter, won first place in hors d'oeuvres. (Remember "4mished"). Blue Water anyone? For more information about Westlake Yacht Club call 818-700-5257 or visit www.westlakeyc.org. -- Robert Piccioni, Rear Commodore