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Commodore's
Message
Rick Nolte,
"Scoutabout"
Ahoy HHYC!
Joy! With the passing of this week’s Seattle Yacht Club sponsored Opening Day event, the 2026 Salish Sea boating season is officially upon us! Again…Joy! Kim and I have been to about five Opening Day events over the years, and by far, this year’s weather was the best we’ve experienced. As always, SYC, along with sundry other yacht clubs, did a magnificent job hosting hundreds of boaters from around the globe (literally: this year’s theme was “World Regatta”).
Our trusty water steed, Scoutabout, was the very first boat Med-tied to the famous “Dock Zero” midday on Wednesday. From there a 4-day extravaganza of fun, frivolity, and jolly light raillery ensued. Friday afternoon featured a seriously rocking Dock Zero party, where many yacht clubs positioned along the 1000-foot-long floating party offered victuals, libations, and persiflage aplenty. For our part, we set up a HHYC information table along the crowded party route. Karla and Gary Wood, as well as Vic and Kari Portolese joined us to advocate for HHYC; and indulge in the day’s pageant of enrichment.
Your faithful Commodore also proudly represented HHYC at the Opening Day Commissioning Ceremony on Saturday morning, along with dozens of other yacht club luminaries across the Salish Sea. And with the firing of the cannon at the conclusion of the ceremony, the 2026 Boating Season is now officially underway!
Our next event is in Kingston on May 29th-31st. Terry and Dane along with Paul and Patty, have a fun filled weekend planned; and if you haven’t yet signed up, time is getting short. Our May dinner meeting is planned as a virtual meeting, and the Zoom link can be found on the club calendar. We will reconvene in person again on June 9th at Razzi’s in Greenwood. We look forward to seeing many of you virtually, in Kingston, and/or in June…as well in the coming cruising months.
Speaking of the upcoming cruising months, there are shiny new Canadian rules related to Southern Resident Killer Whales (SKRW) that we should all comprehend. Effective June 1, 2026, Canada will implement a 1000-meter distance rule for SRKWs. “Vessels must stay 1,000 meters away from Southern Resident killer whales in southern BC coastal waters between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet until May 31, 2027.” This new rule replaces the 400-meter rule in these waters that applied to all killer whales, not just SRKW. In summary, the new rules in Canada are:
- · Stay at least 200 meters away from all Killer Whales in all Canadian waters.
- · New! In addition, stay 1000 meters away from SRKW between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet. Note that Ucluelet is just south of Tofino on the western coast of Vancouver Island; so that means pretty much anywhere most of us are likely to go.
- · Stay at least 100 meters away from all whales, dolphins and porpoises at all times.
- · If you find yourself close to a whale (i.e., if your vessel is not in compliance with the approach distance regulations), place engine in neutral idle and allow animals to pass
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There is good news! Whale regulations for BC and Washington are now similar! Maybe some folks in DC can look at this model and be inspired! For Washington, the rules remain the same as last year:
- Boaters must stay 1,000 yards from Southern Resident killer whales.
- Boaters must go slow (<7 knots) within ½ mile of Southern Resident killer whales and move away perpendicular to their path if safe to do so.
- For more info here’s a handy link: https://www.bewhalewise.org/
Smart boating is safe and happy boating! Kim and I look forward to spending time with our HHYC cohorts in the coming cruising months, and wish all our families calm seas, good health and hearty appetites for fun!
Cheers,
Rick & Kim
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