TTL Boats Flipped, Scrubbed, Rigged, and Cleaned!

by Deb Heisler, posted in Member Interest, Social Events

PLEASE NOTE: After reviewing the boat inventories, ASF will be scheduling a REPAIR DAY. Look for that announcement soon. And if you’d like to help with the repairs, send an email to ASF@arizonayachtclub.org

By Bob Naylor, Jr. Staff Commodore

Our annual pre-season boat clean-up was a big success, with 40+ volunteers showing up at the TTL boatyard bright and early Saturday morning on August 19, ready to work! We enjoyed welcoming back our ASU Sun Devil sailors and connecting with our many member volunteers after a long, hot, dry summer.

A few NEW members turned out and worked side-by-side with veterans of past clean-ups, and it was nice to see several children pitch in where they could. Even better was watching the ASU collegiate sailors and AYC folks, including old salts like Commodore Marshall Williamson, seamlessly working together as a community to clean everyone’s boats for the new season!

Low-hanging clouds provided welcome relief from the sun and moderated the morning temperatures. Fueled by Gatorade, OJ, coffee, ice water, dozens of Krispy-Kreme donuts, and fresh fruit, we accomplished a lot. Here’s the list:

  • Nine ASU FJs flipped, scrubbed, rigged, inventoried, and ready to race!
  • Ten Catalina 14.2s prepped for ASF sailing classes and the AYC Adopt-a-Boat program.
  • Twelve ASF Optis inventoried and washed for the new season. (There is renewed interest in these boxy little boats, especially from our ASU sailors!)
  • Five ASF O’PEN Skiffs inventoried and cleaned for our Juniors Program.
  • Two ASF Sunfish were cleaned and on deck for Adopt-a-Boat duty.
Rahul Salla and John Tapernoux discussing progress. Rahul’s son Ray is in the foreground!

Many THANKS TO ALL the volunteers who helped make this cleanup party a big success! We were all able to welcome a few of our newest members, Chao Li and his son, and junior member Patrick Sandoval, as they jumped right in for their first event.

And special thanks to:

  • John Tapernoux, ASF Fleet Maintenance Coordinator, for organizing workers needed to wash and inventory the 29 ASF Boats.
  • Sadie Hoberman, ASU Sailing Club President, for organizing the ASU volunteers and their work on the FJs.
  • Rahul Salla, who will lead the ASF Juniors program this season, for organizing the cleanup and thorough inventory of the Optis and O’PENs.

The small army of volunteers cleaned 38 sailboats in under three hours on a beautiful Saturday morning – what a fantastic start to the season. If Saturday’s turn-out indicates interest in our upcoming ASF Classes and Fall Racing Series, we’re in for an outstanding year!

Event photos can be viewed in this SmugMug photo gallery.
Photos: Deb Heisler

  • Jason Van Doren and Igor Wojewoda moving dirt free C142s
  • Randy Kunzelmann and John Woodrow help with washing, while Kim Stuart takes a break to discuss high school sailing with an interested guest.
  • ASU team getting it done!
  • Ed Austin is keeping cool in his quick dry BDR shirt!
  • Current and Past Commodore’s pitch in.
  • ASU team spirit!
  • Cedric Lorch sports a well designed from his younger years with ASF.