March 2025

Commodore Clawson

Ahoy SYC members,

February 8th was Casino Royale Night at the clubhouse. Thanks to Rod and Kara Moore and Ken and Jame Witzel for hosting this fun event, and to everyone who helped! I know that everyone who attended had a great time.

We could use more hosts for fun events just like this one! Some upcoming events without hosts:  Family Cruise to Roche Harbor on 7/11-7/13, Shipwreck Days at Cap Sante on 7/18-7/20, Octoberfest on 10/18, and the Fall Membership Meeting on 11/8. If you have questions or concerns about hosting an event, please contact any board member and we will get you the details and information that you need for a fun, successful event!

We are looking forward to the New Member Breakfast hosted by the SYC Board, and the Spring Membership Meeting hosted by John and Sue Krogman on March 8th . We hope to see you all there!

See you on the water or at the clubhouse!

 Tyler Clawson - Commodore
 NJoy More 

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Vice Commodore Jensen

​Swinomish Yacht Club: Bring a Friend, Bring the Fun!

Ahoy, Swinomish Family!

It’s that time again—time to fire up the engines, crank up the fun, and bring in some fresh faces to the club! Yes, our Membership Drive is officially underway, and we need your help to spread the word. After all, what’s better than one boat? Two boats. Or three. Or ten.

Here’s why YOU should recruit your friends to join the Swinomish Yacht Club:
1. More Boats, More Fun! Let’s face it—one boat is good. But when you’ve got a fleet of boats cruising together, it’s like a floating parade of awesomeness. The more the merrier! And let’s be honest, we need more people to laugh at our questionable boating skills. It’s a team effort!

2. Fellowship, We’re all about good times, great company, and a little bit of motorized magic. The only thing better than cruising with your best boating buddies? Cruising with even more buddies! The more folks we have, the more dockside laughs, tailgates, round ups and impromptu dingy cruises we get to look forward to.

3. New Faces = New Stories (and New Jokes!) Remember when you first joined and learned all those funny boat terms? "Port" vs. "starboard," anyone? Now it’s your turn to introduce newbies to the yacht life lingo we’ve mastered over the years. Plus, with fresh members, we can expand our joke repertoire (because we really need new material).

4. Exclusive Access to the Best Club in the PNW. There’s no better way to say, “ARRRR!” than being part of the Swinomish Yacht Club. Not only do you get to hang out with the coolest group of people, but you also get exclusive access to the best boating community on the water.

So, rally the troops, dust off your best “join the club” pitch, and let’s grow our Swinomish family. Our membership drive is in full swing, and we really want your friends to experience what we have: laughter, motorboats, and friendships that make every trip on the water unforgettable.

Happy boating!

Aaron
SYC Vice Commodore 2025

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Rear Commodore Witzel

​First off, I will again say thanks to everyone who helped with the Casino Royale evening.  Fun was had by all, everyone’s competitive side came out a bit, and we raised over $500 for the club. 

In January I spoke a bit about my volunteerism, so I figured I’d take a moment and give you a brief history about how we joined a boating club when I have such a big aversion to water.

As a child, my family would go camping in the wilderness on horses. We often camped around lakes where my sister and I would try and catch Snapping turtles, or we would see snakes swimming underneath us. If we weren't in the woods, we were camping on San Juan Island where my dad would catch fish and let us dissect them as a science project. When we were home, we spent many days and weekends at my Grandparent's house on the mouth of the Samish River.  While all my cousins and sister were swimming in the river, I avoided it because of all the seaweed and not knowing what animals were lurking beneath.

Then I married a man who grew up vacationing and playing around water. As a young married couple, Ken and I would go camping and boating with Aaron (our Vice-Commodore) and Shelly. For many years, we would travel to Banks Lake with our boats and play in the warm water where I was happy as long as the water was clear. With all these issues (yes, I know it's a problem) one could ask why we bought a bigger boat. Ken had been asking to get one for a while and I always said no. Once he gave me an out if I didn’t like it, I consented. 

After the decision was made, it took us 4 hours to find and make an offer on a 30’ Tolly. While we didn't end up getting that boat, it didn't take us long to find the boat we have now. At the end of our first summer of boating, Aaron and Shelly invited us to join the SYC Wagon Wheel at Kiket Bay which showed me how fun this club is.

While I can't say I love boating, I know Ken does and I love the friendships and socializing that comes from joining this club.  But don't worry, you won’t catch me swimming anytime soon cause I know there are animals lurking beneath. 

Cheers,
​
Rear Commodore Witzel

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​Sue Krogmann, our amazing photographer, has gone through all the pictures from the Commodore Ball. She edited and resized them to make them easier to view.  If you have pictures to add to that event or any other event, please do so.  If you need assistance with this, please reach out to her.

John Krogmann said that he had reached out to a few companies to fix the broken window.  After the board reviewed and approved one, John scheduled the repairs done.  We are happy to report that the window is now fixed along with the smaller window and the missing metal trim.

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      Open Board Positions!

We are still looking for a Communications Director and a Web Content Director.  Both these jobs sound like a lot of work but can be rewarding.  As the Communications Director you would get to create the Newsletter and event flyers (as needed).  As the Web Content Director, you would work with our Webmaster to keep our website up to date and invite the public and our members.  Please reach out to anyone on the Board if you would like more information on either position.

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Flag History & Protocol ​

​I was recently asked to review the protocol and order of the flags flown at our clubhouse. The most recognized authority that I found in my research was the United State Power Squadron.  They conducted research among various yacht clubs, The US Coast Guard Auxiliary and the US Navy.

Most yacht clubs use a flagpole with a cross tree and a gaff.  The gaff extends aft of the flagpole. The location of the gaff then defines the Port and Starboard Yard arms. Convention requires that the Burgee of highest rank is flown from the end of the starboard Yardarm.  The other officer flags are then flown in sequence across the yardarm.

It should be noted that while the Immediate past commodore is a voting member of the board, they are not considered to be an officer.  Their burgee is considered to be a personal flag and not a flag of their office.  This results in a sequence of flags on the yardarm as follows: 
​·         Commodore
·         Vice Commodore
·         Rear Commodore
·         Port Captain
·         Secretary
·         Treasurer
·         Fleet Medical officer
·         Immediate Past Commodore​

​We also fly the US Flag, the Washington State Flag, a Courtesy Flag for Canada and our own Yacht Club Burgee.
The tradition of flying the US Flag from the Gaff developed in the days of sailing ships.  If the US Flag was flown from the highest point of the ship – it would not be seen thru the sails. Therefore, the place of greatest honor was the gaff at the aft end of the ship.  NO other flag may be flown above the US flag on the gaff halyard. The US flag should be raised first and lowered last.  If flown at night it should be illuminated.

Tradition says the yacht club burgee flies at the top of the flagpole.  Foreign Country courtesy flags are to be flown outermost on the starboard yardarm.  I found no references to the state flag as such it has been placed on the outermost end of the port yardarm.

Reference marks have been added to the flagpole to show the proper halyard for each flag and a copy of this diagram is included with the flags.

As always – If you are hosting an event and I am not available to raise and lower the flags please ask someone on your team to take on this responsibility.  If there are any questions, please let me know.

Fair Winds and Calm Seas,
​
Your Port Captain

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MEMBERSHIP DRIVE GOING ON NOW!!!

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​Upcoming Events

Click below to see all of our upcoming SYC events and make sure to RSVP!

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