October 14 - New Member Open House

October 19-21 - Commodores Cruise to San Francisco Yacht Club

November 3 - Annual  General Membership Meeting

 Club Calendar

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Contents

Commodore's Report

Harbor View

From the House

Social Committee

New Chef Kris Ott

Members Bulletin Board

COMMODORE’S REPORT

During World War 1 there was a famous American fighting force that became known as “The Lost Battalion” who became trapped by the enemy in the Argonne Forrest in Germany. Without belaboring how they survived, I am reminded of the small “fighting force within OYC that has been battling (to some extent with each other but never loosing sight of the objective) but more importantly with the bureaucracy that surrounds OYC’s interest in gaining the endorsements for the OYC Marina Reconfiguration project. Permit agencies alone foster suicidal thoughts, contractors and the like are groups that contribute to madness. Lawyer’s necessary to indemnify the OYC efforts and the list goes on. I can no longer calibrate much less measure the OYC Member time and energy has been dedicated to this effort. I can say: “Hat’s off for the Demonstrated Perseverance”. You may have noticed some boat movement taking place within the harbor which is in concert with what is planned for docks 5, 6 & 7. Related maintenance effort is being attended to and I can advise you that there may well be salvation just over the rise. VC M. Jackson and company may well tie the last few full hitches around the reconfiguration project in early October. How’s that for risked optimism?

Meanwhile September has come and gone, with continued social events past and future, past and future cruise out activities like the Commodores Cruise to SFYC, October 19-21 have been and should provide continued opportunities for the fall season. The Annual General Membership meeting on November 3^rd (Your 20 + day notice) and “Change of Watch” on November10th are barely around the next corner. The cliché “Time Flies When You Are Having Fun” (or is it “Fun Times When Flying Around”) seems to apply.

Least I forget to invite you to introduce yourself to OYC’s new Chef: Kris Ott who formally joined the OYC staff on September 25^th. See Club Manager Craig Wong’s article within for additional details and bon appetite……….
 

Reconfiguration Project

Well, I have some positive news on this subject. The Board of Director’s has approved the signing of two required contracts: the first contract is with the construction company and the second is with a project management company (our bank requested this service). Also approved during the Board’s September meeting was our signing the Letter of Intent (loan description) with the Bank of Alameda. On the subject of our loan, the Prime Rate just dropped and so our loan’s interest rate will be lower too. So, where does this put our project? We are still waiting for the last two governmental permits. Len Cardoza has been in constant contact with the Corps of Engineers and has been assured that their approval and permit is due within the next week or so. The city of Alameda is waiting for some additional detail from an electrical engineer before they are comfortable giving us their approval. We are working to get this information as quickly as possible so the construction can begin. In preparation for construction, we have started moving boats out of their slips on piers five and six and into slips on piers two through the upwind side of five. Brent has begun to remove dock boxes and will soon start removing the electrical pedestals that are on the upwind fingers of pier six. Things are really happening but as you have heard me say before: “We are getting closer ………… but I’ll believe it when I see it”.

Around the Harbor

Last month I reported in this article that we had received a notice from the City’s environmental department telling us that a member was observed “sand-blasting” in our harbor. As it turned out, the culprit was in Marina Village and not in our marina. Craig Wong is working toward having OYC become the first yacht club to be certified as having a “green” marina; this stamp of approval will be great to have and should help in the permitting processes for our future harbor construction. Please continue to be as careful as you can while working in and on your boat.

Nearly every boat in our marina is on a relatively narrow fairway. The solution to the narrow fairways will be addressed as we begin to rebuild our marina in the coming years; but between now and then all of us must be very careful to avoid hitting another member’s boat as we move our boats through the fairways. I’d bet that may of us have found chunks of paint and gel coat missing from the transom of our boats and I’ll bet that most of us have never been contacted by the culprit. If you are put in a position where you can not avoid hitting another member’s boat in its slip, please determine who the owner is and contact them to let them know what happened. This is a small but important courtesy that each of us would expect if it were our boat that had been hit. The office will be happy to help you in any way that they can.

Winter will be here soon and it’ll bring us a couple of things that immediately come to mind. The first is that our Sunday Brunch Racing program starts again in January. This series of races is a bunch of fun, it starts with a great brunch at the Club, then moves to playing with your boat, and ends with explaining to your friends how you could have finished first “if only”. The second thing that comes to mind is the coming winter weather and the winds that will soon whistle through our marina. It’s time for all of us to check the condition of our dock lines. High winds (40 knots+) and strong surge frequently move through and they’ll test how well your boat is secured. Our harbor policy (and good sense) requires that our boats be safely tied in their slips. Please replace any lines that are too old or too worn, and make certain that your spring line(s) are properly tied to keep the boat off the pier and out of the fairway.

The last two items that I need to cover in this article apply to just a few of us. First, if you have a bicycle locked up in the Club’s bike rack, you’ll need to find another home for it for the duration of the reconfiguration project. The rack needs to be moved and it is highly likely that anything left there will be damaged. As soon as we can we’ll put the bike rack back on the pier and if you’d like to put your bike back into the rack please see Craig Wong and let him know. To avoid having the rack turn into a home for abandoned bicycles we need to know to whom they belong. Second, if you have a dingy stored in the Club’s dingy dock PLEASE contact Craig as soon as possible and let him know. Some of these boats appear to be abandoned and in an unusable condition; unclaimed boats may be disposed of in the coming weeks.

We still have some wonderful fall weather coming before winter gets here. The winds at this time of year tend to be a little lighter and it’s a wonderful time of year to get your boat out of her slip and go play on the bay.

Thanks. Stay Happy & Healthy.

Mike Jackson.

FROM THE HOUSE: Carolyn Hooper, Rear Commodore

Fall is upon us and it is time to tighten the hatches and warm up with hot toddies at the OYC bar with your friends, relatives, etc. 

Our chef, Patrick, has left us so please welcome our new chef, Chris Ott.  He is fantastic and I think you will all love his cooking.  He has attended culinary school and has had various internships including an internship in Paris.

We are almost at the end of the current watch and the House Committee thought the members would be interested in some of the accomplishments that have been achieved this past year.  Below you will see a partial list of these accomplishments:

men and ladies bathrooms painted; added picture to men’s bathroom; added picture, mirror and clock to women’s bathroom; hung our club  manager’s picture at the head of the stairs; hung new picture by cash register; bar and bar stools cleaned; janitorial service set up to clean  Regatta Room; added pictures in hall from outside to bathrooms; re-did bulletin boards in nautical blue felt; bar table legs wrapped in line (to be completed); wired plants to keep from falling between bar area and dining room; extended brunch hours on Sunday until noon;  added lox to the breakfast menu; purchased new ice maker; purchased new lightweight dining room tables; replaced broken sliding door in bar area; no smoking rule anywhere inside the club or on verandas was put in place in compliance with the laws; new freezer in kitchen; spruced up yard; fixed barbecue grill; the forestay was finally removed from the back stairs.

We will also be purchasing a convection oven and a dessert refrigerator which is greatly needed for health safety issues and will be a tremendous help to our chef.

The vents above the cook’s line have been cleaned to prevent any potential grease build-up.  This will now be done on an annual basis.

Remember that cells phone are not allowed in the dining or bar areas.  Please go out on the verandas if you must make or receive a call.

Also, don’t forget to have a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary the next time you come to OYC for breakfast.  It has been a fantastic year and I have enjoyed being your Rear Commodore.  Thank you for all your support.

by Craig Wong:

I am pleased to announce that beginning in October the Oakland Yacht Club will have a new chef. Kristopher Ott is replacing the previous chef, Patrick Sanders. The following bio outlines Kris’ prior experiences. I would encourage every member to welcome Kris by stopping by to introduce yourselves the next time you are at the Club.

Born in Oakland and raised in Vallejo, Kris has literally been cooking since he was 8 years old. His first professional culinary job was at Devils Head Resort in Wisconsin where he solidified his interest in pursuing a culinary career. A graduate from the Hotel and Restaurant Hospitality Program at Diablo Valley College, Kris has interned in chocolate and pastry at Aburge du sole and spent a semester abroad at a culinary academy outside Paris, Lycee rene auffrey. Here he was fortunate to work at famed restaurant, Mavro Mattis, in Paris.

Closer to home, Kris has worked at several notable restaurants. In 1999 he was working with Paul Bertolli at Oliveto in Oakland – the year it won the James Beard Award. He later helped open Acote in Oakland and Downtown in Berkeley. Kris was the Sous Chef at the Black Cat in San Francisco and at Gregoire’s in Oakland. Most recently he was overseeing the Butchering Dept for the Dining Facilities at the Corporate Headquarters at Google.

Having a broad culinary range, Kris ties it all together with one common philosophy. “I believe that food is best in its simplest form; great ingredients don’t need a lot of work, just the correct technique and care to help reveal their flavors.”

Kris is looking forward to working at OYC. “Building relationships with my customers is very important to me. The interaction helps drive my creativity as I work to prepare an enjoyable dining experience.”

Social Report October 2007
– Anne Jacobson & Maria Murray

Lawn Party and Ice Cream Social

It was a dark and stormy morning with rain drops falling, but King Neptune took care of that and by 4pm we had warm weather and blue skies just in time for the Lawn Party, organized by Maria Murray. The Steel Drummer, compliments of the Membership Committee, was the perfect accompaniment for this fun, casual event. There was enough food to be considered dinner so the ice cream dessert with all the toppings scooped and served by Mindy, Diana and Monica members of the Membership Committee, was a great finale to the day. See the photos.

Several people from the private event upstairs came outside to listen to the Steel Drummer and of course the Commodore took that as an opportunity to recruit potential new members. Feedback from attendees suggests it was a very successful afternoon and something that should be repeated in the future. And, we didn’t have to worry about sinking one of the docks! Of course pictures tell the story best!

Change of Watch

Plan to attend the festivities at the Change of Watch on Saturday November 10^th from 6-11pm. This is the time to celebrate the successes of the present Commodore, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs and introduce the new Commodore, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs and wish them well in their coming term.

5 pm Directory Photos as assigned
6 pm Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
7 pm Dinner
8 pm Change of Watch Program
9 pm Dancing to the music of Apollo

Black Tie
$65 per person
Sign up will began on October 10.

Put us on your calendar – there are still great things happening for the rest of the year.  Events in Bold below require reservations. 

This last weekend, Past Commodore, Denis Mahoney, suffered a brain aneurysm.  On Monday, September 17, Denis passed away around 8pm.  Denis is not currently a member of OYC, but in addition to being a Past Commodore, he continued to have ties with the club and the membership. 

The family is in the process of  making arrangements for Denis’ final resting place, which will  happen  sometime next  week. However, we would like to invite you to a  celebration of Denis'  life on Saturday, October 6th, 2007.  The Celebration of his  life will be held at Encinal Yacht  Club in Alameda from 1pm-3pm. The family requests  that in lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Encinal  Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program. 

The Mahoney Family

Assault At the Club

It troubles me to have to report that on Friday, September 21, 2007 a woman was assaulted at the yacht club. Fortunately she was not seriously injured, but the event was extremely traumatic and it could have ended very badly.

The woman was a guest of a member and was spending the night on his boat. At around 1:45am she left the marina, stopped at her car, and headed towards the restrooms. A strange man started to approach her. She successfully avoided him, but he followed her to the club restrooms. She made it safely inside, but then realized that she did not have her cell phone.

She waited, for what she thought was an appropriate amount of time, but when she opened the door to leave, the man jumped out in front of her and pushed her back inside the club. As reported in the Alameda Journal, “He pinned her against a wall, forced her to the ground and tried to remove her clothing. He also exposed himself. The woman struggled and escaped,” getting back into the safety of the marina.

The Alameda Police responded immediately. They searched the area but could not find the assailant. The police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information can call the Alameda police at (510) 337-8340.

Craig

Members Bulletin Board

Staying Connected...Oakland Yacht Club members past and present are just one big extended family!