Greetings, RYC Members:
I hope this November Newsletter finds you well and making plans for the season ahead. The Club's Executive Committee (ExComm) is also planning for the future, with our focus set on two main areas, the Club budget and preparations for 2026.
Our budget planning, led by interim-Treasurer Ken Von Felton and the Budget Committee, represents a major shift in our operations. In the past, a “business as usual” approach contributed to a projected loss for 2025, but thanks to the hard work of Ken and the Budget Committee, RYC's accounting methods and our operations have improved, transforming what would have been a loss into a break-even position. The Club and ExComm are grateful to Ken for his dedication and leadership in this area. Ken, who also serves as our Waterfront Committee chair, has requested to focus solely on that demanding role. As a result, we are seeking a Treasurer to continue advancing the Budget Committee’s progress into the 2026 season. Contact Ken or Commodore Tim FMI.
I would like to give everyone a heads-up that the beginning of the new year brings membership renewal. Over the past four years, our Membership Committee — led by Julie and Russ Moser — has transformed the Club with their superb organization and dynamism in many different areas. RYC would not be doing as well as it is without their hard work and enthusiasm. Membership renewal will be coming up soon, so please keep an eye out for updates from Julie and Russ, and help us save on expenses by minimizing credit card fees and mailing costs. Remember, every member acts as an ambassador for the Club, and we always welcome new faces.
As you may know, renting moorings is an important source of revenue for the Club, helping to keep annual membership dues low. A group led by Dennis Jud and including Lenny Reich, Ken Von Felton, Jesse Henry, Jeff Merz, and myself, has recently completed an extensive rewrite of the Mooring Agreement Contract to better protect the Club's interests in preparation for new requests in 2026. RYC currently owns nine moorings, which have mostly been rented to members over the past four years with good results. We encourage all mooring renters to stay in touch with the Club about any difficulties they encounter, whether with the mooring itself or with other boats moored nearby.
The RYC Cruise Committee, also led by Dennis Jud, is seeking more participation. There has been strong interest in expanding cruise opportunities, so please watch for updates from Dennis about upcoming events next summer.
The Communication Committee, led by Russ Moser, has launched both a Club Store and a Blog. The Blog is a fun space where members can share projects, adventures, and new ideas. You can find it under the "All RYC" heading on the RYC website. The "Store" is a heading there as well. The presence of more RYC merchandise around the Club is a positive sign — let’s continue these efforts, as even small actions can help attract new members.
Finally, from the Commodore’s desk, there's palpable excitement at RYC. Our active, well-run activities, strong race program, and the important Scholarship Regatta all contribute to a vibrant Club atmosphere and also, as you have seen above, there’s a lot happening even in sleepy November by a dedicated group of volunteers. If you're not one of them, there are many opportunities to join in the fun! Get in touch and I'll help you find the best fit for your interests.
Regards-
Tim Woodworth
Commodore
Great Blue Heron standing watchWith profound sadness, we report that two of our members crossed over the bar this month. The Club extends its condolences to their family members and friends.
Cindy Sabina passed away peacefully at home on November 18th. Cindy loved sailing and requested that the Club organize a cruise in her memory early in the season next year. Details will follow as plans to honor her request develop.
Click to view Cindy's obituary
William "Bill" Gallagher passed away November 5th. A retired physician from Bangor, Bill was a member of RYC since 2022. He sailed his Marshall Catboat Lizzie in the Scholarship race and supported youth sailing. Bill also was a regular at the monthly Men's Lunches, from which he will be very much missed.
In Sympathy
I don’t know about you, but I am already thinking about launching in the spring! While I love skiing and traveling in the winter, I always long for that day when good old Gray Lady starts floating again. And cruise/meet-up opportunities for the 2026 season are already shaping up. Along with our regular meet-ups – those being 4th of July, Sweet Chariot Music Festival, etc. – we are pulling together some really fun and interesting themed opportunities.
One of those is a truly unique event at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin the evening of Friday, July 31. It includes a Lobster Bake at the School, followed by a presentation by Dudley Dix, renowned South African yacht designer. He designed the Shearwater 39 – the boat that Heidi and I sailed to French Polynesia. He’s designed many other sailboats, large and small, recently including the beautiful Naskeag 16, with the first one now being built at the Wooden Boat School. He’ll be there the last week in July to wrap up the build project, and he's happy to give us a tour/presentation about the design and construction of the boat right after the dinner. The lobster dinner will come at a reasonable cost, TBD.
The cool thing about the date for this event is that the next day, Saturday August 1st, is the main race of the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, and we’ll be in a perfect place to watch.
The second opportunity we are working on is an August event at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership. The details have yet to be worked out, but options include a presentation, an interpretive hike, snacks, lunch, and/or cocktails. We can use our own boats to get there, but they are also offering transportation from the mainland or Vinalhaven on their passenger boat. This might be a great option for our boatless members as well as non-member friends (who could be future RYC members!).
Be sure to make note of these events in your calendar and stand by for news about our cruise-planning meeting coming up sometime in the early spring to get ideas and schedules for a multi-day cruise up or down the coast.
So, for now, Happy Thanksgiving, and see you at our Holiday Party on December 6th!
Dennis Jud
Cruise
2025 - Because of cost-saving actions related to launch operations during the second half of the season, we finished up 2025 without having to draw from the Club's Reserve Fund. A big "Thank You!" to everyone who helped.
2026 - The Finance Committee is working on the draft 2026 budget, which will be finalized in December. More to come on that next month.
In addition to chairing the Waterfront Committee, I've been filling in as RYC Treasurer because Yvonne Smith was unable to continue. I can't really do justice to both jobs, so we would like to find someone to take on the role of RYC Treasurer. If you have an interest in finance, this is just the opportunity you've been looking for! Please reach out to me or any member of the Executive Committee. THANK YOU!
The Waterfront Committee pulled together some data on launch operations from this past season to plan for next year. Here are a few numbers you might find of interest:
- 4173 passengers
- 920 non-member passengers
- 2219 trips
- 65 rides, most in one day
- 7 great drivers
We are reviewing our mooring rental process as well as the size of the mooring blocks and chains to ensure they support the best boat lengths, given the moorings' locations. That should allow us to maximize mooring rental income in coming years.
Ken von Felton
The 2026 RYC Calendars have arrived! If you voted for favorite pictures and/or indicated you'd like to order a calendar, you will receive a separate email. If you're interested in purchasing a calendar, they are $20/each.
Caroline Stetler has the calendars for distribution.
Options to get one:
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Grandson really likes the RYC calendar, and daughter has to tell stories about all the picturesYour kids don't know what to get you for Christmas? Your birthday? Problem solved! Direct them to our store for some great RYC swag, and the Club gets 15% back on all sales. OR, if your kids are in a really generous mood, how about paying for your RYC membership? One of the best gifts of love we have seen demonstrated came from our Laura and Vanessa Shields-Haas. They gifted an RYC social membership to their mother and father so mom and dad could be part of the activities and fun.
We will be headed into the membership renewal period beginning the 2nd week of January. During the holidays, please share your experience of being an RYC member. One-on-one, word-of-mouth expression is powerful. Help grow the Club! Please let us know if someone would like more information about membership even if they can't join for a year or two. We have members joining this year who first contacted us two years ago.
We will be collecting used batteries, computers, and ink cartridges. Staples has a program that gives points for recycling. We then use the points to offset the cost of supplies for printing the annual member roster. It adds up quickly, and our hope is that if everyone helps in the effort, we can cut the cost by half or more. Please see the link below on what Staples will accept. So far we have $176 towards next year's supplies. (This is just recycling toner and buying from Staples). We will have a crate in the clubhouse for drop off, or you can contact us after we return to Maine in March. This is a win for the Club and a win for the environment!
Staples link Click Here
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
The RYC Membership Committee will be at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, for Thanksgiving.
Membership Committee
Julie Moser
Russ Moser
Membership
Our Holiday Party this year will be held at Caroline and Mark Statler’s new home at 11 Beech Street in Rockland on Saturday, December 6th, 4:30-7:30 pm. Caroline is planning a “family favorites” theme and asks that guests bring a family Holiday favorite as a dish and its recipe to share with everyone. Those who would like to participate in the Yankee Swap should bring a wrapped gift of value $20 or less. See you there!
Next year’s planning is already in the works, including a new fun sailing race in July, followed by a luau, using the Club's "authentic" Tiki bar. We are also looking at having several guest speakers on sailing/boating topics as well as hosting old favorites such as the Spring Fling, Solstice Race festivities, and Lobster Bake. If there's a social event you would like us to put on, or you want to get involved with a particular event, please email me at bigblackpoodle@gmail.com.
Liz vonFelten
Social
"Eight Bells" for our own Bill Gallagher, skipper of the catboat Lizzie. A devoted RYC racer, Bill passed away on November 5th, 2025. He was an incredible support and source of information for me as the new Race Committee chair, and I so appreciated his stories and his racing skills. Lizzie, a Marshall 18, was a regular Scholarship Race participant, and she took top honors in 2024 in the cruising class under Bill’s steady hand. I will miss him greatly.
Save the dates!
While our boats are safely tucked away on the hard for the winter and we begin to contemplate our off-season projects, now's the time to pencil in dates for the 2026 season!
As we look ahead to the 2026 racing season, the Race Committee will be considering a number of topics to enhance the racing experience at RYC:
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or concerns.
Laura Shields-Haas
Race
🎄 RYC Holiday Party — December 6th (Saturday)
🕓 4:30-7:30 pm
Share Holiday Cheer with Club members — Fellowship, Recipes, Sea Stories - some might even be true.
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🕓 Second week of January 2026
Look for renewal information for the 2026 season via email.
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