Mike & Dana Blumberg are from Milwaukee and met at Milwaukee Yacht Club; they’ve been married for 26+ years. Dana grew up sailing, starting on a Sunfish at her grandparent’s cottage in Michigan. She raced on Lightning’s with her family, sailing both locally and nationally. She was on the Huffer’s sailing team at UW-Madison, then served as an instructor for many years at a camp in Northern Wisconsin. Mike campaigned a Soling nationally for 9 years, crewed on an E-boat, Melges 24 and has raced Lasers for seven years. Together they’ve sailed many Chicago-Mac races on a Soverel 33, J/35, Mumm 36 and Nelson-Merek 43, cruised on Lake Michigan and in the BVI. They’re not fully settled in Arizona yet and expect it to take up to a year to do it. Mike is starting a new business selling equipment to manufacturing companies here in the Southwest. Right now Mike is in Green Valley and Dana is still in Milwaukee. We look forward to seeing more of them as their move progresses.
Sheila and Jeff Gordon. Sheila’s sailing experience began at the age of 18, sailing a sunfish on an inland lake in Michigan. At 25 she moved aboard a 1940 Atkin Eric double-ended cutter, where she lived for the next seven years. She and her partner cruised the Florida Keys and Bahamas extensively before selling the boat and building a log cabin in Michigan. There they captained and crewed on a Columbia 36 in Lake Huron, the North Channel and Georgian Bay until purchasing a Tartan 26, which they sailed from Au Gres, Michigan to Mackinac Island many times. Sheila raced only a little, but has been crewing with Larry Green on Lake Pleasant aboard Bonne Chance. Jeff is new to sailing and hopes to learn the basics and the jargon. They hope to spend part of their retirement on a boat in the Caribbean.
Marco Hidalgo is new to sailing. He took Start Sailing Right in the spring of 2012. He says he’s enjoyed meeting all of the friendly AYC members and learning about sailboats and racing. Marco is a competitor and was an avid racquetball player. He moved to Phoenix from Albuquerque where he was captain of the University of New Mexico’s Lobo Racquetball Team. He’s crewed here on a Buccaneer and a Viper and looks forward to more AYC sailing and the upcoming race series.
The Love Family, Jesus, Andrea, Isabel (age 8) and Ian (age 6), are new to sailing. Andrea grew up in Rhode Island and has been around and on boats for years but never took sailing lessons. She’s looking forward to lessons now that she lives in the desert. Since Jesus grew up along the Sea of Cortez and loves the water, he’s also eager to learn. Isabel can’t wait for her Opti I class to start in a few weeks. The Loves say they’re excited about getting involved with AYC, being active members, learning the ropes, and getting out on the water. If anyone needs a novice crew, the Loves are your team!
If you’re a new member and have not been introduced through Compass Points, please send a brief write-up about you (and your family) to membership@arizonayachtclub.org.
Brenda Shears and Thom Dickerson
Arizona Yacht Club Membership Directors