The Mainsheet - September 2026

The water calls all sailors

The Commodore’s Compass

 Wes Goleman was known throughout the Southern California sailing community as Mr. Anacapa, with good reason. He was the guy who kept the club operating smoothly and was instrumental in keeping our race marks floating in their proper positions. The Wet Wed mark most commonly used on Wednesday races is named in his honor, Wes Mark. Likewise ,our Island Series Races end with a race named in his honor as well. This year's race was the best of the series.

    Sixteen boats this year participated on a breezy Saturday August 22,  All classes were sent around the island to starboard on the 35 mile long course.  For a change there was fresh wind on the backside of the island and all boats were back in their slips before 6.  Warm water and warm winds created a perfect day of sailing. All boats, except one, took Wes Mark to port to tip their hats to Wes and finished at Mandalay. Forty two dinners, with free dinners for the skipper, followed the race. Marinated skirt steak carne asada style cooked up by the commodore and our race committee of Dan and Alan,  with Cheyenne behind the bar slinging out grog to thirsty crew. Series winners were, Rival class A, Gumbercules Class B, and Velero Class C.  This day was AYC at its very best.

    Our Santa Barbara City race is coming up last weekend in September.  Many thanks go to Mike Taylor for coordinating this event. It's a herding cats kind of work to get the paperwork and funds in order to get our slips reserved in SB. Thank you Mike! The Tequila Derby on the 27th back home is the highlight of the event. The club will be open on the 27th after the race serving grub, grog and live music as well.  Tables will be set up outside for racers and diners, music inside, commodore's home made bison chili, burgers and street tacos will be on the menu. Come on by the club ,racers, non racers and musicians all are welcome.  Bar open at 3, Music starts at 4, Dinner served at 4:30 until 7. 

    Pirate Night is our last Wet Wed. September 23rd.  Lusty wenches and cut throat pirates in full regalia will be celebrating our last Wednesday race of the year.  Prizes for best costumes and the usual race results are on the schedule. You might want to plan on sleeping on a bunk on board that night.

    I want to encourage members to step up to club leadership for next year. We have a need for fresh leadership and folks to take charge to build a better and stronger AYC. Talk to current board members and myself about what you can do to keep the fun rolling forward at the AYC.

Vice Commodore's Comment 

From: Butuan, Mindanao, Philippines

I had a small moment last month that I think a lot of you will recognize, even if the setting was unusual. I was driving south from Butuan to San Luis, dead certain - gut-level certain - that I was somehow heading north. Noon sun, no shadows to read, a river valley that curves more than you'd expect, and my internal compass just quietly gave up and started lying to me.

I knew better than to trust it. I checked the map, confirmed I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and kept driving. But it got me thinking about how often that same thing happens on the water - fog rolls in, night falls, you're tired after a long leg, and suddenly your gut is insisting on a heading that your instruments flatly disagree with.

It's the same lesson every time: trust your instruments, not your gut. That's why I run electronics and back them up with paper charts and parallel rules - not because the old ways are more romantic (though they are), but because dead reckoning doesn't care about vertigo, cloud cover, or a coastline that doesn't line up with what your body expects. 

I've noticed the same instinct-versus-experience shift happening with racing here. More young Filipino sailors are getting pulled in, and racing has a way of deepening that connection to the water that casual day-sailing doesn't - reading wind, current, and competitors all at once, until a lot of them find themselves reconnecting with a heritage that runs back to outriggers and balangays. It's a strange, specific sport - I still can't make heads or tails of soccer - but once racing gets its hooks in you, it's for life.

So consider this an invitation: get your boat out, talk to other sailors on the dock, volunteer for a committee boat shift. It grows the fleet, and it grows the community around us.

Pete Turpel, Vice Commodore

CLUB DINNERS AND SOCIAL EVENTS

Planned for September:

Wednesday- 2 - Wet Wednesday Race

Wednesday-9 -Wet Wednesday Race

Thursday-10 - Bridge and Board Meeting

Wednesday- 16 - Wet Wednesday Race

Saturday- 19 - Oktoberfest Celebration Club Dinner - Randy Alcorn

Wednesday - 23 - Last Wet Wednesday Race - PIRATE DAY

Sunday - 27 - Open Mic & Tequila Derby Return Dinner - Chuck Manley

Three women, two doggies and one Classic Wooden Boat Race

Kym’s MORNING SONG visits King Harbor Yacht Club

Life has a funny way of working, and it’s always delightful when things happen by chance. That’s exactly what happened when three women from our local sailing groups—Anacapa Yacht Club and CIWSA (Women’s Sailing Association)—decided to attend the LA Yacht Club event - the Ray Wallace Classic Wooden Boat Race. Traveling on MORNING SONG, a beautifully crafted Lyle Hess designed Cutter with just 10 years under her keel, after her first launching 2016. Our crew of three, along with our two little dogs, Levi and Sandy, decided to drop by Redondo Beach at the lovely King Harbor YC. We moored up, and we all had a good night’s sleep in the mooring field.

The next day after we rounded Point Fermin, our stout little vessel quickly learned about the local afternoon condition which occurs in “Hurricane Gulch”. It was a bit of a surprise, as a friend of ours had left out this important detail in their detailed sailing directions. We experienced the afternoon phenomenon with breezes up to 18-20 knots while sailing under full sail. Luckily for us, the small dogs, Levi and Sandy, - who were wearing their PFD safety gear - could easily be moved around in the cockpit like little suitcases being handled at the airport.

Los Angeles Harbor was a wonderful place to stay, and we chose the “long dock” near LA Yacht Club for our two overnight stays. After meeting up with our local experienced crew, we ran the course the race committee had chosen. The wind was light—a complete contrast to the conditions we had experienced the day before in the exhilarating Hurricane Gulch, which included white caps and several potential collision points within the harbor including tankers.

After the race and a lovely dinner, seeing some beautiful competitive yachts like Sally, Manukai, Painted Lady, Serendipitous, and Zapata II, we headed back home. It truly was an exceptionally smooth and fun experience for our newly formed crew!

On our way back, we popped into King Harbor again and found out that AYC had reciprocal privileges at this amazing yacht club. The Commodore was so kind and let us stay overnight at their dock with a key, just in case we needed to use the facilities after hours. This meant our pets could easily answer the call of nature and also take a nice walk around the perimeter of the grounds. It was much easier than bringing the boat off the mooring for our pets’ comfort. So thankful for the reciprocal privileges provided by the AYC membership. In our case we really experienced  that membership has its privileges!

The trip was a blast, and the weather was absolutely lovely. As we rounded Point Mugu, we had a lovely sail with a 10-knot breeze into Channel Islands harbor, our final destination.

Rear Commodore’s News

The last Wet Wednesday in August…