It's the most wonderful (and windy) time of the year!

We weathered last week’s windstorm with little damage to the marina, but the harbormaster’s house took a beating! Those north winds, sustained at 32mph with gusts up to 63mph, wreak havoc for sure. Batten down the hatches and hold on, as the prediction is for a stormy winter. Just a reminder to be sure your boats are secured and bilges are working!

The dock project is underway and being completed in 80’ sections. Thank you for your cooperation last month as we moved the docks into the water. For now, the guest dock is closed. The next stage is to install the electricity and water lines. For you own safety, please stay out of the construction area.
Congratulations to all of the berthers who participated in the Lited Boat Parade this past weekend. Terry Leavitt won the Best of Show and Joe Sabino won the Judge’s Choice Award. Other winners included Nick Rassussin, 2nd place 35’ and over and Jim and Cheryl Davi, 2nd place under 35’. Also Driftwood Yacht Club members, Steve and Heather Ingram, of Delta Discovery Cruises, took 1st place for over 35’.

In partnership with Delta Discovery Cruises, Driftwood Yacht Club is hosting a New Year’s Eve party this year. For $69 per person, you will be welcomed aboard the Island Serenade for a 2 hour Cocktail and Appetizer cruise on the delta and return to the Yacht Club for dinner and dancing to live music. The boat departs Driftwood Marina at 7pm. Please contact Delta Discovery Cruises for reservations (see link on our homepage). Everyone is welcome to attend.

In addition to our winter hours (the office is closed Tuesday and Wednesday) I want to remind you that the office will be closed at noon December 24th and all day December 25th as well as January 1st.

Kathy and I want to wish each of you a very happy holiday season and thank you for your goodwill this year.

Fall is here!

Just had a nice visit from my son Steve and his family, who live in Texas. We celebrated my grandson, Hunter’s 2nd birthday while they were here.

We will be starting the Winter Hours on October 1st. Note the no staff will be available on Tuesday or Wednesday. All business you have with the harbor must be done Thursday through Monday until April 2010.

Weekends in October will be very busy:

Driftwood yacht club will be holding their annual Make-A-Wish fundraiser on Saturday, October 3rd. This event raises tens of thousands of dollars each year for the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation. Please stop by and support this great cause.

Sadly, Driftwood Yacht Club will say farewell with a Celebration of Life for one of its founding members and a past commodore; a woman Kathy and I consider its matriarch, Diane Barnard, on Sunday, October 11th at 2pm. I expect many boats to come in early that day and will moor at the guest dock, so those of you in C shed, who wish to move for the day, let me know. We are expecting a large turnout, so please, also, be patient with traffic in the parking lot.

Beginning mid-October, we will start our winter harbor improvement projects. Specifically, Saturday, October 17th and Sunday October 18th there will be limited access to the east side of the marina as we move the concrete docks. On Monday, October 19th there will be NO ACCESS to the east side, while the docks are moved into the water.

On Sunday, October 25th Lauritzen’s will be hosting jet ski races again. This is a great spectator event and for safety, our berthers will be escorted in and out of the harbor. Please pay attention to the buoys and do not cross into the course.

Some of you may have noticed we have had some trouble with the hot water in the restrooms, but I am pleased to say we have a brand new 75-gallon water heater that has just been installed, so no more cold showers!

As you begin to hunker down for the winter, pull in your inflatables, and begin your winter maintenance, please be sure nothing is impairing access to the walkways. For safety and insurance reasons, we need to keep the docks clear.

I know many of you will be participating in the multitude of fishing tournaments that are being sponsored in the area over the next few months. We would love to include reports and photos on our website, so please send them my way. If anyone is interested in becoming the “official fishing reporter” for the website, let me know.

Enjoy the best time of year on the Delta!

It's been quite a summer!

We just returned from a great, restful vacation. No phones, computers, TV or e-mail! Kathy and I are now looking forward to our grandson, Hunter, visiting from Texas, to celebrate his 2nd BD. It’s about time for Papa to teach him to cast a fishing pole!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who came out to Delta Marina, in Rio Vista, to support the Shrine Yacht Club fundraiser on August 1st. We had 19 boats spend the night and served over 120 dinners. It was a very successful event, a lot of fun and something very close to my heart. Again, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! The next one is scheduled on Saturday, August 4, 2010.

NOTICE: PG&E WILL BE TURNING OFF POWER TO OUR MARINA ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Please be sure your bilge pumps are on a battery backup!

We are getting ready to begin some new projects. Watch for some improvements around the marina to take place over the fall and winter. The minor inconveniences will be well worth it! Also, the office will be closed and no staff will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday, when we return to winter hours in October. Please plan accordingly, for your administrative and fuel needs.

I want to extend a long overdue welcome to Eddie Brassfield, our new relief assistant harbormaster who will be in when Mike and Jim are away. He is an avid boater and will be great addition to our team.

Driftwood YC Make A Wish fundraiser is coming up October 3rd. Tickets are $60 per person, which includes a 2-hour yacht ride, barbeque, and admission to the other festivities. It is open to the public so please participate and remember the yacht club serves the best dinners on the delta on Friday Nights and all you can eat Taco Tuesdays…check out the link on our web page and click on galley news for the latest menus.

On a political note, please write/e-mail to your state politicians to stop the legislation on the peripheral canal, which the governor has vowed to sign before he leaves office…It will greatly impact our water quality, fishing and boating recreation. We need everyone’s help to be heard.

Again, I must remind boaters and jet skiers about our no wake zone:

• When leaving…no wake until past the opening/house
• When entering…no wake at least 100 feet before the opening/house, and no wake while inside the marina!

Wakes cause erosion, which lead to very expensive repairs and you know who will end up paying for them…

Finally, Jasper continues on his diet…so far he has lost 22 lbs but still has a ways to go. Thanks for your continued cooperation in not feeding him anything. As with all of us, the spring in his step is beginning to return with the weight loss.

As we head into September, October and the first of November, we will have the best boating weather of the season, so use your boats, be safe and be proud to be a boater!

I’ve turned another year older, have a brand new grandson and had to put Jasper on a diet.

Well, never mind about the birthday, but my new grandson, Dean Scott Carroll, was born March 24th and I’ve already bought him his first boat (albeit for the bathtub)! Thanks to those of you who made sure I was “fed and watered” while Kathy was off doing her “grandma thing” for two weeks.

Jasper is dangerously overweight, so please help him out by not feeding him anything (no food or, bless your hearts, no cookies!). Also, he has to swim more, if that is possible, so please watch out for him when you are exiting or entering the harbor.

Lauritzen’s recently hosted a jet ski race and did a great job setting the course so it did not impact our harbor much. They made sure there was plenty of room to safely escort our berthers in and out of the harbor. There will be a few more this year and I encourage you to come out and watch . It is great fun.

The Yacht Club has several cruise-in’s planned this year on the following dates: May 1 – 3rd, May 22 – 25th, June12 – 14th, July17 – 19th , August 7 – 9th, October 2 – 4th, and October 16 – 18th. Those of you who plan to use your boats those weekends, and may be pinned in due to your proximity to the guest dock, can move to a temporary slip prior to the visiting club’s arrival. Just come up to the office and talk with me the week before and I’ll find a place for you.

Also, Driftwood Yacht Club is having a Mother’s Day Lunch on Mother’s Day. Reservations are a must, so please call Patti Grosz at (925) 846-0467, if you wish to attend. She will give you the details.

Congratulations to berthers Jim and Cheryl Davi, owners of the Cheryl D, on winning Best of Show in the Opening Day boat parade.

Spring is just around the corner!

Spring is just around the corner and we just had our first large cruise-in of the year. Caliente Yacht Club came in with about 18 boats and several members drove in, too.

The Yacht Club put on a nice weekend for them with meals, music and games. It sure was nice seeing the guest dock full and people out there using their boats. We also saw some of our berthers who belong to different clubs using their boats for their cruise outs to other clubs.

We are continuing to get the marina back into shape for boating season. Let us know if something has been overlooked in your area. It’s that time again to take pride in your “neighborhood”. There were some beautiful gardens planted last year near the dock entrances and we would love to see them again this year. We plan to feature them on the website with full credit to the gardeners.

On April 1st, the marina switches back to summer hours and the office will be open 7 days a week.

Opening day for yachting season in this part of the Delta is April 4th. Anyone who would like to decorate their boat and join in the parade can contact one of the four yacht clubs, (Driftwood, Bridge, Ebony or Pittsburg) or myself to get information. The theme is Legends of the Sea and Sportsmen’s Yacht Club is hosting the event this year.

Last week several of our berthers caught legal sturgeon, but unfortunately no photos for me to post! We're also looking for more boats to feature on the main page of the site so send you boat pictures too!

Lastly, a few boating reminders:

As the 2009 season gets underway, be sure to check that your life jackets are in good condition. I prefer all children and non-swimmers to wear them while on the docks as well as on the boats. Remember, a boat does not have to be moving for someone to fall overboard.

Also, when returning to the harbor please remember boats leaving the harbor have the right of way, so please yield to them (as well as to Jasper when he is swimming!).

Winter is here!

Here we are in February and winter is finally here! Some of you might not know it, but we have been working on some projects to improve the marina. We have installed new security cameras. If you visit our web page, you can now see a live picture of the marina and the river via our new web cam with current weather conditions. We had a few problems when we first set things up, but have them resoved now. We would like your feedback, if you have some suggestions or are having problems logging in. We continue to update things and add pictures and would like you to keep viewing the website and please send us some pictures you might want to add.

We have also started pruning some of the trees around the marina in order to keep things looking nice. The trimings are going into the dumpsters when room is available, but we need you to be sure all of your trash is in the dumpsters too....there are several around the marina so if the most convenient one is full, please put your stuff in the next closest one. Trash left out just gets blown around and makes the place look messy....and the trash company won't pick it up if it is not in the dumpsters. Remember, your batteries and old oil need to be brought to the area next to the office for recycling.

If you have not been to your boat for some time, you may want to pay a visit because the wet weather has finally arrived and you need to check on your lines, batteries, bilge pumps, etc.

Although it has been wet, the wind has been down and you can still get out there and fish. According to the reports, they have been picking up some sturgeon along with some stripped bass. Get out there and send me some photos!

We have moved in several new berthers so welcome you new neighbors and if you want something to do, visit the Yacht Club and ask about becoming a member. They have lots of ongoing events like Taco Tuesdays (with live music) and Friday night dinners. This month they have a Crab Feed on February 21st and I have been told tickets are still available (reservation deadline is February 14th) Click on our link to Driftwood Yacht club and you will find information to make your reservations.

One final reminder, we are still on winter hours until April 1st.

Happy 2009!!!

The hubbubs of the holidays are behind us, the decorations are down, and we look to updating our calendars for the new year. Most of the Yacht Clubs have held their Change of Watches and the cruising schedules and calendar of events are being posted. Duck season is drawing to a close, and excitement for the Sturgeon Derby sponsored by McAvoy’s, January 30 thru February 1, is growing. The weather has temporarily turned warm and many of you are out using your boats again. It’s good to see you. Feel free to stop by for coffee when you have a minute. Also, bring those great catches by for a photo. We would love to post some of your prize fish on the web site.

I want to remind everyone that the gate is closing at 9 pm now, so be sure you have your gate cards with you. Our new security cameras and web cam have arrived and we are in the process of installing them. Keep watching the web site so you will be one of the first to see the web cam in action! With these upgrades, also note that we now have wireless internet service.

Driftwood Yacht Club has some great energy going on this year. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Commodore Lucy Anthony and her great board of officers, I am sure you will find some awesome events, food and fun at the club in 2009. The next event is the Superbowl Sunday Potluck, February 1 at 2:30 pm and on February 24th they will be having a Crab Feed that is beyond fantastic!!! The crab feed is by reservation only and you can reserve a place for yourself and your group by contacting Rolf Powers at 925-437-5373 before February 17th. And don’t forget, dinner is served on Friday nights around 7pm. The food is yummy and it is a great way to begin your weekend. Check their website for the menu at www.dycweb.org