December 5 2024 Minutes

Attached (with pictures) and text below

SAF Station Meeting Minutes for December 5, 2024

By Richard Schaper, Secretary

The December meeting of the San Francisco Station of the Cruising Club of America was the annual festive holiday and awards dinner held this year in the Starting Line Room at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francico beginning at 6:00 p.m.

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE:

Zia Ahari, Don and Joanie Bekins, Mary Crowley, Jerry and Karen Eaton, Bill and Sandy Edinger, Peter English, Bob and Kristi Hanelt, Wyman and Gay Harris, Chuck and Susan Hawley, Bob Horton, Fred Huffman, Terry Klaus, Bill and Joan Mittendorf, Steve Mason and Ginger Sounders-Mason, Michael Moradzadeh, Michael and Susan Proudfoot, Robby and Dolores Robinson, Moe Roddy, Richard Schaper, Rowena Walker. Guests: Kame Richards, guest of Michael Moradzadeh; Harry Morley, guest of Bob Hanelt; Karen Mason, daughter of Steve Mason.  Our guest speaker Dr. Lida Teneva was accompanied by her colleague Laura.

The dinner and meeting were proceeded by an hour of cordial socializing, enjoying one another, the choices of wines and passed hors 'd oeuvres.

As the dinner concluded, Rear Commodore Chuck Hawley rose to thank member Terry Klaus for his role in arranging for this celebration at St. Francis Yacht Club where he serves as Staff Commodore.  He  then asked for guests to be introduced, table by table.

New Member

Membership Chair Moe Roddy introduced our newest member, Jim Lussier, who was present the club tie and burgee to general applause.     Our goal is to add 10 new members to our station this year- and we are well on our way!

New Officers

Mary Lovely was called forward and introduced as our new—and quite distinguished!—secretary.  Mary is earned a Ph.D. in Nursing and serves as an assistant professor at UCSF Medical Center.

 She will serve with Chuck Hawley continuing as Rear Commodore and Synthia Petroka as treasurer. 

Sailing Awards

Former R/C Jim Quanci reviewed the qualifications for a number of different CCA sailing awards, including the John Parkinson Memorial Trophy, Transoceanic Pennant winners, Circumnavigation Award, and our own station’s Robert Van Blaricom Award, which is the highest service award.

Robert Van Blaricom Award

R/C Hawley presented this year’s Robert Van Blaricom Award to Michael Moradzadeh for his truly exceptional and uniquely valuable service as webmaster and communicator both for our station and for the national organization.

Cruiser of the Year Award

R/C Hawley recounted the impressively numerous candidates for this award, including Beau and Anne Hudson, Alex Merhan, Randall Reeves, Randy Repass and Sally-Christine Rodgers, Jeanne Socrates, Bruce and Nora Sladen, Jim Quanci, and Ronnie Simpson.  But, in the end, their was consensus in naming as our 2024 Cruiser of the Year—the later Jim Gregory and his wife, Debby Gregory, together with their sons Christopher and Patrick. 

Chuck noted that it is really difficult to summarize the cruising that this family has done on their lovely Schumacher sloop Morpheus. Starting in the country in which she was built, Morpheus and the Gregorys literally cruised the world, from New Zealand to the San Francisco Bay, through the Panama Canal, to the Caribbean, several Block Island Race Weeks, and trips up and down the East Coast to the Caribbean a few times. Then off across the Atlantic, and up the Spanish Coast to Barcelona, followed by numerous trips between Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, then to Sardinia, Sicily, the Corinth Canal and the Greek Islands. 

All of this is well-documented in an extensive website, showing the gorgeous places the Gregories visited, and the number of people who were able to enjoy the voyages with them. Visiting their website, morpheussailing.com,  is the next best thing to actually being there.

Congratulations, Deb, Christopher, and Patrick!

The Gregory family then came forward together to accept the award and express their  gratitude for this exceptional honor.

In conclusion, Chuck acknowledged the wonderful turnout and arrangements for the evening and bid everyone safe travel and a joyful holiday season.

The gathering was adjourned at 8:25 p.m..

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Schaper, Secretary

Please communicate errors and omissions to the secretary.