Harbor Lights

APR 2026



Spring has Sprung

And the Rain has Gone!

General Membership Meeting



APR 14th @ RAZZiS Pizza

4:30 Social

5:30 Dinnen

6:30 Meeting

8523 Greenwood Ave N.

Seattle, WA

Hope to see you there!

Commodore's

Message

Rick Nolte,

"Scoutabout"

Ahoy HHYC!

At this point, I expect most of us have been toiling away on preparing our trusty vessels for the coming cruising season. With that assured preparation, the first HHYC event of 2026, a Hawaiian Luau, was a great success, and Kim and I are grateful to all who contributed to a truly wonderful weekend. Our next planned event will be the Tacoma Yacht Club Daffodil Festival April 17^th to 19^th. All yacht clubs and individual boaters are welcome to attend any or all the weekend’s festivities. Kim and I will do our best to honorably represent the HHYC faithful; and will appeal to Poseidon for fair seas and sunny weather (not a typical Daffodil occurrence, but an expectant aspiration).

Following Daffodil, up next will be Seattle Yacht Club’s always grand Opening Day event. This year’s theme is “World Regatta” and celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s traditional international friendships and charm. Seems a bit contrary to official American stances these days, but as a citizen of a free country why not indulge in a little playful subterfuge? Whether or not you choose to bring your yacht, this is always a great experience that includes decorated boat parades, commode cup races, Windermere Cup rowing competitions, and, of course, the Friday Dock Zero blast. We will be there representing HHYC, me in full skunk hat regalia, for the various club ceremonies, and I hope to see many of you reveling in the week’s merriment.

With all of the fun and celebration going on, we may forget that boating is also serious business, and requires advocacy to officials and legislatures to monitor, maintain and improve conditions for recreational boaters across the Salish Sea. The recently completed legislative session for 2026 resulted in some important wins for the recreational boating community. Somes examples:

• ·        HB 2199: This legislation is intended to continue improvements to Washington’s ability to address derelict and abandoned vessels and was passed and signed into law (Yay!). The new law strengthens tools available to agencies working to protect our waterways, shorelines, and boating infrastructure. Importantly, a $5 million planned budget reduction did not happen; so one of Washington’s most effective environmental and safety programs can be preserved.
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• ·        Mind The Zone: The state approved $250K in funding for expanding outreach and education to promote responsible boating and reduce conflicts on the water; primarily on Lake Union but also including Andrews Bay and other busy freshwater boating destinations.
• ·        Lake Bay Marina: The progress on restoring and improving this long derelict Key Peninsula marina is progressing well, largely driven by the RBAW Marine Parks Conservancy. The plan for Lake Bay is to raise enough private funds to complete extensive improvements, and in cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, establish it as a permanent part of our Marine Parks system. This is similar to what was done years ago for Sucia Island, which remains a truly magical destination. If any among the HHYC family might want to contribute to this worthy initiative: https://www.rbawmarineparksconservancy.org/. While HHYC as a club is not a sustaining member of RBAW, many of our colleagues are individual members, and your faithful commodore encourages our members’ support.
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• ·        San Juan Buoy Replacement: The anchor replacement project in the San Juan Islands is complete, making all 112 mooring buoys in the San Juan Islands operational, including 70 with new anchors. In all, WA State Parks maintains 259 buoys in 40 parks

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This is all good news for us avid cruisers and should help to enhance our collective enjoyment of our waters this year, and long into the hopeful future. Kim and I look forward to enjoying this year’s cruising season with our Hidden Harbor Family, and to seeing many of you at our next dinner meeting, again at Razzi’s in Greenwood on Tuesday, April 14^th. With our 50^th anniversary celebration ongoing through 2026, I hope to include some fun, history focused activities at our in-person gatherings throughout the year. In the meantime, we wish you all good health, good spirits, and safe cruising.

Cheers,

Rick & Kim

Vice Commodore's

Message



Steve Rittereiser,

"Dock Holiday"

Well, what a weekend that was!

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each of you who made it to Eagle Harbor for our March fleet captain event. The Queen City outstation, Eagle Harbor city marina and Seattle Yacht Club moorage provided excellent space for our boats and short travel distances on foot to attend events and socialize. And honestly, the weather could not have cooperated more beautifully. Dennis told me there is usually one good weather weekend in March. I think we found it.

The Friday evening Luau included a spectacular spread of food and drinks our members brought to share. We were also entertained with hula hoops, games, and a celebration of Tiah’s birthday, which included cake and a wonderful Happy Birthday song led by Brynn and followed by the HHYC chorus. Saturday evening, we gathered at San Carlos Restaurant for an excellent meal and signature service. It made for the kind of weekend you find yourself still talking about on a grey Tuesday morning. These memorable moments are exactly why we joined HHYC (thank you Gary and Carla) in the first place — not just for boating, but for the people. And what a fine bunch of people you are.

To those who couldn't join us this time — you were truly missed. The conversation wasn't quite complete without you, and more than a few folks were asking "where's so-and-so?" as the weekend wound down. Life happens, we know — but we hope you'll make it next time, because these memorable moments are too good to miss.

While we visited, I learned that Hidden Harbor was featured in a regional boating publication, Nautical Northwest. It is a wonderful magazine with feature articles and bright, beautiful pictures. And there we are, featured on pages 18-19, complete with photos and an accompanying story written by Chuck Gould. Many of you may recognize Chuck from his involvement in Queen City and other boating circles. The article speaks very highly of our club’s social focus and welcoming environment. Chuck wrote, “Hidden Harbor has more than enough fun to go around.” I think he got that right.



Fair winds ahead, everyone — Wendy and I will see you on the water!