We are fortunate to have a speaker for Monday, June 20th, who will offer you some very valuable information. Melinda Liu, MD, FAAD a specialist in Dermatology, will talk to us about skin care and skin problems. It’s not about beauty, it’s about the exposure to the sun that boaters experience. This, as you know, can lead to skin issues from mild to very serious. She will talk about vulnerabilities and what we should know and do about preventing them. Dr. Liu, recently, was well received in a talk given to the Renton Sailing Center (a program for which member Beth Frisken volunteers). As I am personally currently treating a superficial basal cell issue on my nose, I encourage you to learn more about what Dr. Liu can offer.
Dr. Liu works out of Pacific Medical Centers Specialty Care in Renton and we look forward to learning more about her and this valuable subject.
We look forward to seeing you, Marilyn Michael
ZOOM link will be sent out by Friday, watch your email as it is different this month from the normal ZOOM link.
Find out what’s happening along our shorelines and coast. Listen to Coastal Café radio every other week to hear the latest about cutting-edge marine science and the people who live and work on the Washington coast.
Join us on ZOOM for interesting tales and inspiration from Victoria Sparacino, an active duty officer in the United States Coast Guard. If you haven’t received the ZOOM link by Friday, email lkunion@aol.com.
Victoria took over Command of CGC BLUE SHARK in Everett, WA, in June of 2021. This was her third consecutive afloat tour. Before BLUE SHARK she was the Operations Officer on CGC MONOMOY, a 110’ vessel serving overseas in support of DoD 5th Fleet Naval objectives in Manama, Bahrain. Her first assignment was as a deck watch officer on CGC KUKUI, a 225’ buoy tender stationed in Sitka, AK. She reported to Alaska after graduation from the CG Academy, class of 2018.
A quote fromVictoria: “I went to CGA at 17 years old because I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do with my life, and I hoped to travel and serve. I’m so grateful for that choice now. I love the energy of the hard working people serving with me onboard, and I love being afloat because every single day throws something completely unexpected at me. It keeps me on my toes, and excited about life, even on the roughest days and in the roughest seas. I appreciate being in a Command position, despite the heavy responsibility, because it requires me to think and act out of best interest of something bigger than myself, all the time, in protection of the crew, the ship, and the community we serve. And the crew humbles me every day with their creativity, wit, and power to accomplish anything when the moment calls.”
Victoria is originally from Hanover, PA, and was raised by a mother and father who both served in the Coast Guard. Her mom, Cynthia, graduated from CGA class of 1981, and my dad Richard was “a mustang”, who went from Chief Quartermaster to officer. She is engaged to a very tough and fiery woman named Emma, who is also active duty Coast Guard. Emma is an Officer in Charge for PACTACLET team 106 in San Diego, CA, engaging in counter drug operations on the high seas.
During her 4-year rigorous service academy program she kept fun in her life as the dance team captain, participating in model UN, and playing rugby. Some of her fun today comes from two Siamese kittens who “keep my life interesting by leaving broken things on the floor for me to find when I get home from our patrols!”
State Parks is conducting an analysis to compare three potential alternatives:
· Alternative 1 – No Action. This alternative assumes that no improvements would occur within the marina basin or adjacent upland area.
· Alternative 2 – Reconstruction. This alternative maximizes moorage within the existing marina footprint through a new dredge design and an efficient marina float layout. It improves safety and access within and adjacent to the marina. (I noticed it adds many boat slips.)
· Alternative 3 – Expansion. This alternative expands the marina to the west, expanding the dredged moorage basin to accommodate larger and more vessels. It improves safety and access within and adjacent to the marina. The entrance channel is reoriented to improve sight lines and boating safety.” (I noticed it adds many boat slips similar to alternative 2 plus it expands marina to add commercial docks.)
Here are my notes Diane Johnson’s notes about the project:
Alternative 1: no change to existing marina space, shown below. My experience is that the popular small marina is usually full during warm weather which forces boats to go elsewhere. “If the project area is left as is, the existing … docks… will continue to deteriorate… Over time, the marina would become unusable and potentially need to be closed…” per website.
Below shows alternative 3, including a marina expansion to add more commercial docks. Alternative 3 is same as alternative 2 except for expansion (yellow area). Both Alternatives 2 and 3 add many boat slips into the existing marina space. It costs approximately $15,000,000 more to expand the marina (comparing alternative 3 to alternative 2).
We thank the representatives from RBAW who spoke at our last ZOOM gathering. The meeting was informative. It offered a chance to learn about an organization out there fighting for the rights and concerns of recreational boaters. As many of you don’t necessarily make all meetings, the organization has asked if we could share the following with all of you:
Dear Northwest Women in Boating,
As recreational boaters, you already know how special the waterways of Washington State are, and how important it is to keep them that way. You need someone who will fight for boaters and for the quality of life you enjoy.
The Recreational Boating Association of Washington (RBAW) is that fighter. RBAW stands up for you and amplifies your voice on issues that impact recreational boaters – expanding boating opportunities, focus on limiting the taxes and fees that we pay while ensuring they are used as effectively as possible.
Did you know that Sucia Island in the San Juan’s is part of RBAW’s legacy – RBAW purchased Sucia and donated it to the state in the 1950’s to keep it accessible to the public for boating enjoyment. Our 501(c)3 Marine Parks Conservancy continued that legacy and with the purchase of Lakebay Marina in South Puget Sound to keep this boating jewel in public hands for coming generations.
Please consider joining RBAW today – protect the life you love and add to the Sucia and Lakebay legacy!
If you don’t receive the email with the ZOOM link today for tomorrow evening’s meeting please email lkunion@aol.com (different from the normal gmail address)
The Recreational Boating Association of Washington (WWW.RBAW.ORG) is important for all Northwest boaters and a valuable group to consider joining. The RBAW actively represents the nearly 240,000 registered recreational boaters in the State of Washington. Our speaker saw the value of the organization and stepped up to not only join, but to volunteer. She plays an active role as Vice President of Administration involved with communication and membership activities.
Over 50 boating organizations (about 8000 club members) and 1300 individual boaters belong to the RBAW. As a unified group, they’ve been able to convey positions important to boaters to the State legislature and to regulators much more effectively than any individual or single group could do. To help fulfill that goal they have a professional lobbyist in Olympia, who makes sure a collective voice is heard by state lawmakers. Their main focus is state boating issues.
And did you know…In the mid 1950’s, one of the first goals of the organization was to purchase land on Sucia Island and donate it to the State for a Marine Park in an effort to stop plans for development of the area for vacation cabins. The organization raised $25,000 which was reported to be half the value of the island in 1955!
About our speaker
Growing up in Florida, Andrea enjoyed water skiing with her family developing a love of the water. She and her husband own a 65′ Nordland powerboat (built by a small company in Tacoma). They do extensive cruising throughout the Northwest. Moving here from jobs in technology start-ups in Colorado, the goal of buying boat emerged, she said, when they looked out of the planes window over Seattle when arriving here. Andrea is now involved in volunteer activity serving on several boards regionally. She’s been an officer with RBAW since 2019.
The Newsletter from Center for Wooden Boats offers many events to kick off the season, among them Friday, April 15th NWWB member and board member at CWB, Diane Lander, will be speaking. Their current newsletter is below.
Dear friends of CWB,
At long last it’s time to kick off boating season at CWB! The sun in the sky, wind in the sails, and cherry blossoms all around mean it’s time to come out of that winter (or, you know, two-year pandemic) hibernation and get outside. If you can’t tell, it’s my absolute favorite time of year–and we’re going to celebrate with a month of events!
To start, the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club is hosting the Carol Pearl Memorial Blakely Rock Benefit Race to support CWB’s youth programs on April 9th. Following that our Third Friday Speaker; current CWB board member and former commodore of the Classic Yacht Association, Diane Lander, joins us to talk about her experiences owning and cruising in wooden boats. The next day on April 16th we’re hosting our first- ever Free Boating Day for the general public; this is our gift to everyone for supporting and enjoying CWB. All boat rentals and of course museum entry will be free, some of our charter captains will be taking people out on boat rides on our larger vessels, and we’ll have toy boatbuilding for the family–plus a few other fun elements. I hope you come down!
Operating CWB and providing the depth of programs that we offer is only possible with the support of our community. On April 18th, our annual Online Auction will go live for one week. This is a great opportunity to get some good maritime swag or experiences while supporting us. The online auction will end on April 23rd with our first-ever, in-person Rendezvous on the Docks! Come on down in your best “dock attire” and celebrate together with friends. We’ll have local chefs hosting food pop-ups all around the docks, serve cocktails from some of our historic vessels, and toast some bubbly while slurping oysters after raising a paddle to support CWB. We’ll be highlighting many of the cool projects we’ve been working on the last few years, so this is a great way to learn about all CWB does. Grab a ticket here. I hope to see you all this month!
The Women’s Group at the Seattle Yacht Club is offering anyone interested from NWWB an invitation to a dinner evening with a program at their facility on Thursday, March 31st.. The Presenter will be Marilyn Michael who will offer more cerebral and humorous looks at the benefits of boat owning and boating, also, thoughts on dealing with inevitable fears and frustrations that arise. The cost for the evening is $30. If you’d enjoy a social evening with a dinner featuring Beef Stroganoff and some relaxed entertainment, the SYC appreciates an early RSVP by calling their front desk 206 325-1000
Northwest Women in Boating 