2017 SEASON AWARDS GATHERING

This post about sailing awards accompanies the 2017 season highlights post that proceeds it.

Following the last race of the season we docked our boats, tallied the results and gathered as usual at the Truex's patio to dine on great pitch-ins, award trophies, medals, and tokens of gratitude.

Remember we just got back from a race.  So here we see our sailors critiquing their strategies and tactics and otherwise re-living the race.  These are weighty matters worthy of discussion and contemplation.

Meanwhile guests showed up like....

Marissa and Steve, hosts of the Memorial Day Breakfast, 

Many-time gourmet Committee Boat volunteers Jack and Sandi,

Beth, bearing gifts, 

Mimi and Julia, upbeat as usual,

Jim Riffle sporting port and starboard eyeglass floats

We celebrated Tom's milestone birthday.  Here he blows out the candles. Sure, go ahead and count them and do the multiplication (times 5).

 A very heartfelt toast:

We began the awards presentation with an acknowledgment that although we enjoyed the racing season, it was bittersweet because of the loss of three mainstays of the Yacht Club, first Wayne Truex, then Joe Voelz, one of the founders, and then John Sohn. We knew that we were enjoying the company of a wonderful group of people like they really loved to.  We raised a toast to their memory, knowing they would have appreciated it.

We thanked our  Committee Boat volunteers, event hosts, good Samaritans, and others.  Here Beth hands out a memento to volunteer Randy Clark.

Here the "Ghost Sailor" trophy is held up for display.  It was awarded to five sailors who were with us in spirit, but not in a boat, at least not as much as we wanted them to be.  To be fair to the various winners,  the trophy will be traveling on an established schedule from home to home for display.

The Booby prize is marched out and awarded to Matt Bartlett, captain, and Jim Riffle, crew of the M-Scow that capsized and turtled in the epic winds of the June 24th race.  Matt's scribbled sketch of the event on a post-it-note (below) was enlarged, laminated and displayed in cylindrical form inside the pedestal mounted chamber pot trophy.

Then the serious race trophies and awards, won based on points were awarded by Race Chairman Kevin Preuss.

The holiday weekend "Trophy Race" trophies were awarded, one for each of the holiday weekend races according to tradition (times have changed though, so we avoid having races on holiday weekends)

Jim Voelz won the Memorial Day Trophy Race.  The trophy is now a "double-decker" monument because of the age of the club and the number of past winners

Tom Jennings displays the July 4th stained glass trophy he won.

The Labor Day Trophy got some special attention this year.  Several years ago, Wayne and Arlene Truex had a beautiful stained glass trophy made to replace the "chamber pot" trophy that we now use as the "booby prize".  Wayne hated that chamber pot trophy because it is so ugly (then he and Bob Orben won it the first year it became the booby prize).  Since the GYC was so important to him, Wayne's brothers wanted to memorialize him in some meaningful way.   So they had a very beautiful stand made for the Labor Day trophy with an engraved plaque in Wayne's memory. 

Peggy Voelz won the Labor Day Trophy Race and  displays the trophy and stand in memory of Wayne Truex.

Then the 1st 2nd and 3rd place trophies and medals for the 3 classes of competition were awarded (Lasers, International, and Crew)

Jim Voelz won 1st place in the Laser class

Laura Garret won 2nd in the Laser class

Tom Jennings won 3rd in the Laser class.  Sorry no picture

Peggy Voelz won 1st in the International Class

Tom Schroeder won 2nd in the International class

John Auld won 3rd in the International class.  That is his crew, Paul Hass to his left.  You'll see him again in a minute because.....

Paul Hass won 1st Place in the Crew class

Arlene Truex won 2nd Place in the Crew class

There was a three-way tie for third in the crew class which included:

Ben Cartwright

Elizabeth Hale, &

Gediminas Ramanauskas

Then some special overall awards were presented:
Ben Cartwright won the "Rookie of the Year" trophy (sorry no photo)

and Finally,

OUR OVERALL 2017 SEASON CHAMPION,

JIM VOELZ

Jim accumulated nearly 70% more points than the next-closest competitor!

We are expecting another great season in 2018.  See you then!