Commodore’s Corner
Commodore’s Communiqué
September 25, 2009
On Monday September 21, 2009, the MVYC Board of Trustees voted to award the Mount Vernon Yacht Club’s Distinguished Volunteer Award to Jim Nelson. Jim is a long-time club member and former board member who volunteers not only his own personal services, but who also donates equipment and labor from his company, Woodlawn Tree Service, to help out on grounds cleanup days as well as other efforts. Jim sends equipment and skilled workers to do special jobs like removing deadhead logs from the launch ramp, clearing brush from the out lot, thinning and shaping trees on the grounds, and working on the flagpole at the point. Recently Jim and one of his employees came to the club in Woodlawn’s bucket truck and worked on securing the Club’s burgee to the top of the flagpole. Jim went up with the employee, and worked on the pulleys, shackles and thimbles until the burgee was able to be raised and lowered easily and was hanging just right. I’ve seen Jim wielding a chain saw the way surgeons handle a scalpel, adjusting heights of pilings around the docks and providing a good aesthetic appearance to the marina. Jim also donates firewood for approved bonfires at the point and recently donated a substantial metal box to secure firewood for members’ use. Jim has never refused a request for help and will not accept any payment for his company services. His generosity is indeed appreciated. Jim and his wife Virginia recently became the proud grandparents of a baby boy, Caden, born to their daughter Rachelle and her husband T.J. Terra. Please join me in thanking Jim for his service to the club and congratulating him on the new arrival.
Bill Gard,
Commodore, MVYC
Commodore’s Communiqué
June 19, 2009
The Board has named Mary Galloway as the recipient of MVYC's Distinguished Volunteer award. Mary is a long-time MVYC member who has contributed her time, effort and materials in a number of ways. For the last several years Mary has contributed design expertise as well as her physical labor to the beautification of the grounds. The design of the flower beds at the boat docks and the gas dock are Mary's creation. Mary also conceived of and implemented the attractive presentation of plantings at the front of the clubhouse and along the driveway entrance. Mary chairs the yearly adult Christmas party, organizing the volunteers and refreshments, and designing and providing the arrangements for the table decorations. Mary also provides the wonderful table arrangements for the Commodore's Ball every year. Please join me in thanking Mary for her efforts when you see her.
Bill Gard,
Commodore, MVYC
Evelyn Hewitt's resignation
June 11, 2009
It is with great regret that I have accepted Evelyn Hewitt's resignation as MVYC Secretary. Evelyn has worked hard and shown great dedication in her role as Club Secretary. Evelyn would like the membership to know that she took on the job of Secretary fully intending to serve her complete term, but personal reasons have compelled her to leave office earlier than expected.
Evelyn also wants the membership to know that, in her words, “…I believe this board is working very hard to address both usual and unusual issues and to make this a pleasant, welcoming place for all. I am in full agreement with the decisions this board has made, and it will certainly have my ongoing support. I will continue, I hope, to be able to contribute in smaller ways.”
I personally will miss not only Evelyn’s contributions to the work of the Club, but also her reasoned counsel in the face of difficult issues.
With the next membership meeting not until September, according to the provisions of the Bylaws I will fill the Secretary’s position as follows:
Peter Esser has agreed to serve as Secretary to fill out Evelyn's term; I have asked Jack Sanders to take Peter's position on the Board as Grounds Chair, and Jack has agreed to that. I have included Jack's biography in this communiqué, and you can see that he is well qualified to serve as an MVYC Board member and as Grounds Chair.
Evelyn has agreed to work with Peter to ensure a smooth transition of office and Peter will do the same with Jack.
Please join me in thanking Peter for agreeing to this transition and in welcoming Jack to the Board.
Also, please join me in thanking Evelyn for her service. We will miss her contributions greatly.
Bill Gard, Commodore
Mount Vernon yacht Club
Jack Sanders biography:
Jack and Brenda Sanders have been members of the club since they returned to the Washington area from Princeton, New Jersey 12 years ago. They live in Yacht Haven and enjoy boating on their 24’ Sea Ray, Great Catch. Jack has served on several MVYC committees, including Grounds, Swimming Pool, Commissioning Day, Nominating, St. Patrick’s Day Party and New Member Party. He has been grounds committee chair and President at the Sycamore Island Club, overseeing their two five-acre islands and clubhouse on the Potomac just above Little Falls. He continues on the board of that club. Jack also volunteers at Haven of Northern Virginia, a nonprofit grief support organization. Professionally, he has been an administrator at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and for a number of years was vice president of the National Association of Independent Schools. Currently he is a management consultant, spending most of his time as executive director of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science and managing their federal agency contracts.
Commodore’s Communiqué
May 7, 2009
To all MVYC members and friends:
I am very saddend to inform you that long-time MVYC Member and Past Commodore John Ichter passed away at his home Monday evening after a long illness. MVYC member John Leary, who know John Ichter most of his life, had this to say: "John Ichter had an in-depth knowledge of our part of the Potomac River and loved to share it. He was willing to put neighborhood kids to work in the yard, doing general clean-up, and even tackling light construction work on his property. He and his wife Laurel were like second parents to my brother, sister, and me, and I benefited greatly from their knowledge and kindness growing up in Yacht Haven."
John will be missed, and our condolences go out to his family.
Bill Gard,
Commodore, MVYC
Commodore’s Communiqué
April 22, 2009
"The Board has awarded the latest MVYC Distinguished Volunteer award to Catalina and Mike Holland who took on the task of designing and developing a new MVYC web site that offers new, user friendly, capabilities to the membership. The Hollands continue to work to improve the web site and provide timely informational postings concerning MVYC activities. In addition to working on the web site Mike can always be counted on to contribute physically and intellectually to projects around the club. See the Bosun’s Whistle in May’s BEACON for a more comprehensive list of Catalina’s and Mike’s accomplishments.
The launch ramp has been repaired and several ramp users have sent kudos for a job well done to Marina Committee Co-chairs Jerry Gray and Ron Reinsel.
The club is still looking for a volunteer to help with making up and publishing The BEACON. If you have any desktop publishing experience and can help, please contact Bart Hewitt, Chris Bazel or any Board member.
The Security Committee has submitted its report with recommendations to improve club security and limit MVYC liability. The report will be discussed at the May membership meeting on Thursday May 7. Copies of the report will be available at the meeting.
An MVYC member has requested that the Board either ask members to adhere to the current leash rule for dogs on the property or consider changing the rule. While rules changes are delegated to the Board in the bylaws, this is really a membership issue and needs thorough discussion before any changes are contemplated. If the dog leash rule is of importance to you, please attend the membership meeting so we can get a full range of viewpoints."
This is a busy weekend at MVYC:
Saturday is vessel Safety Inspection Day and Swap Meet at the Marina starting at 9 a.m. and going until 1 p.m.
The Swim Team has its kickoff party at the clubhouse at Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Swimmers, potential swimmers, and their families are invited.
The Brunch Cruise is Sunday with vessels leaving for National Harbor at 10:30 a.m.
Hope to be seeing you at one or more of these activities.
Bill Gard, Commodore, MVYC
Commodore’s Communiqué
March 2, 2009
"We have another confirmed incident of trespassers setting bonfires at the point. At approximately 11:30 pm on Saturday night 2/21/09, a MVYC Board member came across a group of teenagers (one wearing a Mt Vernon Field Hockey Jacket and one stating he was from West Potomac) enjoying a roaring fire at the club. They were not MVYC members. They were notified that they were trespassing on private property and they left. The fire was put out by the Board member. The MVYC Board feels that it is time to involve the police when club members encounter suspected trespassers.
According to Fairfax County Master Police Officer (MPO), Robbie Clift, MVYC members with teenagers should alert their children and their children's friends that club members are being encouraged to notify the police when suspected trespassers are encountered on club property. If the police are called and arrive on the property, unauthorized visitors will be treated as trespassers and will be apprehended.
Some MVYC members may feel comfortable approaching strangers at the point. If you do, ask if they are members. If they say yes, and you don't recognize them, ask for their names. They may give you the name of a member's child and say they are waiting for them. That's not good enough. They should be asked to leave. If they do not, call the police on the non-emergency number (703) 360-8400. The police have been given written permission to enter the property for purposes of apprehending trespassers.
If you are not comfortable approaching strangers on the point, call a Board member for help or call the police on the non-emergency number, (703) 360-8400. In order to discourage incidents of unauthorized persons gathering at the Point for bonfires, we want to keep the area clear of any stacked firewood. We are looking at options for storing wood in locked containers for use when recreational fires are authorized."
Bill Gard,
Commodore, MVYC
Commodore’s Communiqué
February 18, 2009
"This month’s Distinguished Volunteers, as acclaimed by the Board, are Chris Bazel and Bart Hewitt. Chris and Bart have been MVYC’s Joy Boys publishing The BEACON for the last three years. Bart cracks the whip to ensure all contributors meet the strict deadline- "The fifteenth of the Month. No Exceptions!"-and he makes sure all articles are readable, in good taste, and consistent with MVYC standards for fairness and accuracy. Bart passes the copy to Chris who does the layout, copy fitting, and graphic work. One of Chris’s special talents is to find the perfect piece of art to accompany an article and illustrate the author’s point. The Beacon looks great and reads well because of these two hardworking members. Next time you see Chris or Bart, please congratulate them and thank them for their contributions.
Now I’d like to mention security. Recently, several club members enjoying early morning walks on MVYC grounds have come across glowing embers in the fire pit, leftovers from pre-dawn fires. We’re not sure who started these fires, but we do know of three confirmed incidents of trespassers lighting fires on the point at night last summer. We know of no MVYC members who start fires in the early morning hours. We’re looking into ways to solve this problem and other fire issues and we’ll report on that effort soon.
To help Security Chair Susan Fitzgerald come up with recommendations for enhanced security, I’ve asked Jim Borches to head a Committee to research options and submit recommendations to the Board for implementation. Please contact Jim or Susan if you have any suggestions or comments about security issues.
Please read the March issue of The BEACON for more details on the security issues."
Commodore's Communiqué
January 26, 2009
In an effort to promote open communications, I will use this email letter each month to summarize pertinent discussions held and actions taken at the monthly MVYC Board meetings. If you are interested in more details of any item discussed here, please refer to the Board Meeting minutes when they get posted on the web site.
The board discussed candidates for this month’s Distinguished Volunteer. Tracy Groff nominated Karan Cerutti for her outstanding service in the social arena and the Board agreed to the award. Karan not only plans and sets up parties, she ensures things go well during the party, makes sure adequate refreshments are provided, and makes sure the clean-up
afterwards is done properly. Many positive adjectives were used to describe Karan’s service
and they can be summed up with the words "effusively enthusiastic." Thank you Karan!
Greg Rehe presented a long list of house repairs under consideration. If you have any items concerning house maintenance issues – long term or short term – please contact Greg or any Board member. If you are interested in the details of Greg’s list, please refer to the January Board Meeting minutes when they get posted on the web site.
In response to some members’ concerns, Greg investigated the operation of the TV in
main floor lounge. He found that the TV works ok – but folks have to be careful to point the
remote at cable box. Operating instructions for TVs and remotes have been generated and
there is a remote in the security room as a spare.
The new pool cover is installed and it looks great. Thank you Alexi.
Mike Holland approached the membership and the Board about allowing Mount Vernon
Citizen's Association to use the point for the annual picnic. After much discussion the Board
declined the request due to safety concerns related to the numbers of people, especially
children, involved (300 or more). We will offer the use of the clubhouse to MVCA for one or
more of their monthly meetings if the association is interested and the schedules permit.
We had a lengthy discussion of the recent problems with bonfires on the point.
There have been fires during the night as evidenced by burning embers found by MVYC
members in the morning and at times there is quite a bit of broken glass in the fire residue. The
need for containment of the fire was discussed. The Board agreed that a raised area of stone
or brick should be erected. Most favored a circular wall with drainage portals. One member has
obtained information off the record that a group of au pairs is using the fire pit during the night. This is a serious security issue.
After being invited to speak, a club member attending the Board meeting talked
about safety issues with fires and asked that the Board enforce the rules regarding fires at the
point. Consensus was that we fix the in-ground fire pit by adding a brick or stone perimeter.
We may also need to build a custom top. A motion was made and seconded to investigate
improvements to the fire pit. Peter Esser will take the lead in this review. If you are interested
in more details of this discussion, please refer to the January Board Meeting minutes when they
are posted on the web site.
See you all at the Membership meeting on Thursday February 5 at 8 p.m.
