05/12 - 05/14 - Friday Harbor C-Brats Get-Together

We really need to stop having the Friday Harbor CBGT in the middle of winter! Maybe we should try for May or something. Seriously, it is 10 degrees or more colder than it should be, and it rained all night. It is cloudy and cool right now, but hoping it gets better for the potluck and festivities this afternoon.

We left Blaine at 2 pm and made it to the FH Marina in two hours flat, running 16-17 knots all the way in very good conditions, as Sailflow had predicted.

Good to see old friends and make a few new ones!
 
The weather gods were kind yesterday evening for our Saturday night festivities - potluck, trivia quiz, and christenings. The sun was shining and no rain! A lot of fun and good cheer! Last night it started raining , it is raining now, and no end to in sight to the rain for several days, so we will be retrieving in Blaine in the rain when we go back tomorrow. Tonight we are headed for Sucia, and pretty sure we will have the Webasto blasting all night!
 
It was great to meet many of you this past weekend, my family and I really enjoyed it. Wish we could have brought our boat up, hopefully next time.

Best: Meeting a really cool community of people.

Worst: Seeing some cool boats and confirming we're going to want a 25... time to save up :D

- tom
 
Postscript to Friday Harbor - Patrick and Kim on Kim Christine, Brock on Songbird, and Pat and Patty (us) on Daydream enjoyed a wonderful extra day at the dock at Sucia before heading for home today. We introduced Brock to poke (yellowfin tuna marinated in soy sauce and sesane oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds), and Patrick made a wonderful evening fire at the fire pit just above the dock. I think Brock is staying out a bit longer, wish we could have too!
 
Thanks to all the C Brats for making Monica and I feel welcome! We thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie and knowledge of the group. Thank you Pat and Colleen for hosting and of course Alona and Michael Millison for the great food and prizes!
I would especially like to thank Harvey Hochstetter for his guidance on our first outing and help crossing the straight.
Pat and Patty, thank you for blessing our boat and the awesome trivia quiz!
I’m 10 times smarter than I was before I arrived! I can’t wait for the next C-Brats get together!

Warmest Regards,
Monica and Howard Harrow
Dock Holiday
 
A big thank you to Coleen and Gary and all involved for putting on the Friday Harbor CBrats get together. Dori and I had a great time and will be looking forward to the next get together. Hopefully the weather will cooperate next time. After having spent a night in LaConner we cruised home to Port Orchard yesterday with good water most of the way. Now its time to retool and get ready for shrimp season.
Dave and Dori
(SeaWitch}
 
Thanks to all who attended and with contribution to make this years gathering a success. We nearly filled H-Dock with ten 22 Cruisers, six 25 Cruisers, one 255 TomCat, three 23 Ventures and one 26 Venture. There were also four other family units attending without a C-Dory.

Of the 17 vessels requesting the Coast Guard inspection, all passed and got a compliance sticker for their window. Congratulations!

The Saturday evening potluck was a great success. Steve Pettyjohn from Pan-A-C'ya MC'd the event. Upon leaving for FH, Harvey Hochstetter from Sleepy C shared of rescuing two men from a mayday call after their vessel capsized. Wow, what a story Harvey! Thank you for sharing. After the potluck, Pat and Patty Anderson from Daydream led a Trivia game with 34 difficult questions about facts on C-Dory boats and the San Juans. Winners of the game won C-Dory swag provided by NMI reprsentative Michael Millison. Patrick Walker from Kim Christine provided lightly used C-Dory swag and so I think just about everyone took home something. Thank you Michael and Alana Millison for spending the week with us. It was nice to have you represent C-Dory from NMI and to get to know you both personally. Pat Anderson closed off the evening with boat christenings. Thank you Pat. Colleen and I are so grateful to EVERYONE'S contribution to make this years gathering a success. Again, thank you. Have a safe and enjoyable Summer until we meet again. Gary
 
A big THANK YOU to Gary and Colleen of DayBreak for an excellent 2022 Friday Harbor CBGT!!!

Kim and I, along with Sunshine, had a great time and the weather cooperated for us on Friday and Saturday. Pat and Patty Anderson and Steve Pettyjohn put together a really fun trivia quiz. Michael and Alana Millison from the C-Dory factory, Northwest Marine Industries provided awesome C-Dory swag!
I also want to recognize Brent and Dixie Betenson, C-Brats from Loa, Utah, who sent me a box of classic C-Dory jackets, vests, shirts and hats. Thanks to them everyone walked away with a prize from the trivia contest.The real prize is being part of such a great group of folks with similar interests.

Thank you to Pat Anderson for christening our Ranger Tug, Kim Christine. It was such a special moment for us. We also got to participate in christening Doc Holiday, C-Wing.

Hope to see many C-Brats this summer and fall!

Patrick and Kim Walker
 
For those who attended the FH gathering last week, we need your photos in the C-Brats gatherings album. On the Home Page under 'Recent C-Dory Photo Activity', click on the Friday Harbor 2022 album and post your photos.

We are just as guilty for not posting yet and hope to do so today. :)

Did someone take a photo of all that C-Dory swag offered at the potluck? Would love to see a photo of that posted. Thanks Michael from the C-Dory factory and Patrick (Kim Christine) for the swag. The combined tables were 24 ft. long and were full of nice prizes going to great people.

Gary
 
Tanya and I also want to thank Gary and Coleen for everything they did to get this put together. We definitely went from C-Curious to C-erious about becoming real C-Brats. We really had the best time there and so fun meeting everyone. Hope we will have a C-Dory at the next gathering. I need to get busy preparing our current boat and find it a new owner.
 
Our gathering is now more than a week past, and I'll long remember the events and conversations we shared.

We began these group cruises in 2001, and without exception they've all been fun. Even the pre-GPS time I got lost in the fog in 2003. The weather hasn't always cooperated--witness May 12th--but like this year warm sunshine and minimal wind reliably join us. Such was the case on sunny Friday when most boats arrived, and again for Saturday's windless potluck.

Speaking of which, a big thanks to all for contributing dinner and dessert, to freelance emcee Steve P., to Harvey for recounting his heroic rescue of two men clinging to their overturned sailboat, and of course to maven quizcaster Patti, whose gentle, 34 question challenge kept her class (mostly) focused and contending for C-Dory swag. (Note to self: next year sit up straight and pay attention. That goes for retired teachers as well).

And a salty high-five to Gary and Colleen, who orchestrated our successful event. You two made our arrival and visit seamless because of your prior planning and contacts. Thank you very much. Should you host another event, know that you can delegate to tasks to others, like professional-grade emcee Steve P., or me, if you dare, for whatever you'd prefer to outsource.

Finally, I was delighted to see a number of new people join us this year. I imagine it was quickly evident we're a friendly, unpretentious bunch, who welcome your energy and experience. In 21 years I've seen, I don't know, maybe 200 C-Dory owners and individuals come and go, so you newbies are vital to successful future events.
 
Well, I have been off the site for a while. I think this was the longest ever with over 240 replies to ponder. Did miss it, just had other issues.

First off, Thanks to Gary and Colleen for hitting it out of the park with their organizing, delegating and weather control. You two are great, and Thank you again for making it a huge success.

Thanks to Michael and Alana(sp) from NMI for spending real time with us this year. (Yup, I know I ribbed you about showing up to a C-Dory event in a SeaSport, but that is one beautiful boat and you have a right to be proud of it anywhere.

It was great to see so many new faces, some with boats and others with expectations. I hope to see you back again and again. Come, and bring friends, and pretty soon they will do the same.

I spent a couple of extra days at FH, thanks to wind on the strait, but did make it home Tues, and yes Tom, it was a very early morning with 5k or less most of the way.

Also, I wanted to put a nice ending on my Sat evening story and cap it off for you all. Last Wed I had lunch with Tom and Soren and we had a very nice, warm and quiet visit. They are both nice guys with considerable boating, both power and sail, experience. When I had talked to them prior to the incident, they had said that when they were ready, they would call on 68 and request hot coffee and brownies. Well, I didn't have them that day, but I managed to find some really good (I checked) chocolate brownies to send home with them. And, to cap off the visit, they each got a brand new, special C-Dory cap.

The 2022 FH-CBGT was awesome. The time with friends there was great, and everyone there is invited back for next time, I'm sure.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

9_Sept_Seq_2019_Cal.thumb.jpg
 
Colleen and I are at Friday Harbor currently. So quiet here. Only a total of three boats on the inside of H-Dock and with no C- Dory boats in sight. Weather is good. Much different than when we were all together. Looking forward to the annual gathering next year.
 
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