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!