Thursday Night Racing!

Ahoy Thursday Night Racers!

If you’re planning to race on Thursday nights this season, please take a moment to register as soon as possible. You can fill out the registration form at the following link (go ahead… do it now and get it over with):

Register Here

Helpful Hints:

We’re now using the regatta website Club Spot to manage the Thursday night racing program.

TYC members: Register as a guest.
EYC members: Use your Club Spot login to register.

Important: If you don’t see the “Order Complete” confirmation, you have not successfully registered. In that case, contact William Howitt for help or try it again.

Registering isn’t just a formality—it’s vital for the Joint Race Committee (JRC) to plan the season’s RC duty roster and score you throughout the season.

Training Reminder:
All Thursday night skippers are expected to have completed both the Race Committee and Powerboat Trainingclasses and hold an Oregon Boater Education Card. If you’ve never taken the Race Committee or Powerboat Training class or feel like you need a refresher, we’ll be offering training sessions (dates TBA).

Thank you, and see you on the water!

Ted Walkup, EYC Joint Race Chair

William Howitt, TYC Joint Race Chair

TYC Single-Hand Race Set For July 16, 2022

Triton Yacht Club will be holding a single-hand race/races on Saturday July 16, 2022. If you are interested in participating, please provide the following information:

Name

Name of boat

Type of boat

PHRF rating if known

Please meet at Richardson Park marina at noon. We will gather under a shade tree near the east side of the parking lot.  A skippers meeting will be held.

I will then proceed to the center pin to establish a start/finish line using my power boat “ The Dutchess”.

I will try to use the normal Thursday night courses. I will have copies of the course sheet for anyone not familiar with this format.

Please email the above information to jlongmore@hotmail.com or by text or talk at (541) 221-6449 by Thursday July 14, 2022.

Jeff Longmore, TYC member

The 4th Annual TYC Lighted Boat Parade is soon to be underway!

Once again Triton Yacht Club is making sure we have a plan for great Fourth of July fun on Fern Ridge Lake!

We'll miss EYC's awesome firework show again this year, but we invite all their skippers - and anyone else on the water - to join Triton in celebrating Independence Day. I think it's safe to say, we have earned extra reason to celebrate in 2022!

Start Time : Monday, July 4th / On the dark side of dusk (around 9pm)

Parade Leaders : Cap'n Jeff Longmore and family in S.V. Second Wind

Parade Route : Beginning at Richardson Marina, we will follow the western shoreline along EYC and Tri-Pass Ski Club. Then we'll make our way eastwards to Orchard Point, and finish the route along the levy & dam - for maximum visibility to our many land-lubbing fans!

We're gonna beautifully light up the night again this year...

Hope we'll see you there!

A Full Reservoir Will Greet Participants in The Inaugural Dinghy Dash of Derring-Do

Following the success of TYC’s 2021 Dipsy-Doodle Dinghy Dash, the club has added another small-craft casual event to open the 2022 season. While this year’s full water levels are raising spirits (and hulls), the Dinghy Dashes were created as an opportunity to gather for some fun, either early or late in the season, when water levels may not be sufficient for larger vessels.

TYC’s inaugural Dinghy Dash of Derring-Do happens May 21st, 2022. Participating members should gather at Orchard Point Marina at 11:00 a.m. for boat set-up. The race begins at 12:00 p.m.. Racers are in for a sweet treat at the finish line as they will be joining the Coots for fellowship and graciously provided cake at Shore Lane Park.

Be sure to bring your PFDs, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!

Another Season Beginning with Low Water Levels

Here we are again. April of 2021 and the ACE Website showing a lake elevation of 369 Feet. For some perspective: My boat draws 4 1/2 feet of water and my trailer adds a bit over 1 foot to that, so that I consider needing about 6 feet of water at the toe of the ramp at Richardson. By experience, I know that I can get away with an elevation of 370 feet to launch and recover, but 371 is preferable. At 371 I also have adequate depth to get over to my slip and reside there comfortably. At 371 there are some regions within the lake that I can normally go, but will hit bottom such as the south West arm, West side.

For those of you new to the lake or not aware of prior discussion with the Army Corps who manages the lake, here are a few tidbits:

*The Corps operates the lake levels by a predetermined profile and plan approved by congress (in about 1946) and cannot legally depart from that plan with prior congressional approval of a new plan.
* The water that fills Fernridge comes solely from rainwater and waterways fed by the surround hills, including the east slopes of the coast range.
*The primary purpose of the reservoir is for flood control of downstream town and farms.
Secondary purposes include upstream farm irrigation, wildlife and native species conservation, and somewhere near the bottom of the list is recreational boating.
The moral of the story is that grousing to or about the ACE is futile and non-productive. They are following the rules set out for them by congress. Do they make errors in judgement? Maybe. But, they don’t really have a crystal ball to foresee the next week or month of weather and if they err on the side of too much water, they could endanger their primary objective of protecting downstream populations. This they will NOT do.

Considering that we have Climate Change to deal with now, it would seem prudent for their plan of operation to be reviewed scientifically. When I first began sailing here, every year was the same: 371 feet by April 1, and max fill by April 30 with much water to spare. The last 5 to 10 years have not been so predictable.

I am not even preparing my boat for launch at this point. I will continue to monitor the situation and wait for additional rain even though our chances of that diminish greatly from here on out. Sorry to be a downer, but we must face facts and the facts are not very promising. We can only hope for an anomaly that will consist of several inches of rain in one storm.

I hope to see you on the water, if not in April, then in May.

2021 Sailing Season and TYC

Ahoy there, Triton Yacht Club members... Time for a new (and better) season on Fern Ridge Lake! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

First of all, we'd like to thank our loyal members who stayed with us during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

While TYC was able to host a few events on the water last year, the club was very limited by the safety precautions we all faced during the entire year. Our newly-improved clubhouse sat vacant, and most of our planned activities & events were forced to the back burner in the interest of our members' well-being.

Because of this, I'm very happy to inform our 2020 members that the TYC Board of Directors has unanimously voted to waive your dues for 2021 membership. We're so pleased to welcome you back, and we're already setting dates for all the fun events we had to forgo last year, and more to come!

( If you paid JRC dues in 2020, those will be credited for 2021, as well. )
We sincerely value your loyalty to TYC, and our boating community on Fern Ridge. As the lake fills and the virus abates, let's look forward to making up for lost time with friends & families out on the water!

Fair Winds to All! -- Elizabeth Haynsworth, 2020/2021 TYC Commodore

2020 and 2021 Sailing Season For Triton Yacht Club

Due to COVID-19 and Extremely low water in the 2020 Season, we were unable to host our many events, meetings and outings. Some shallower draft boats made it into Fernridge for limited activities such as the Tuesday Night Fun Races. The club is still operating behind the scenes and plans to return for the 2021 season pending control of COVID Pandemic and adequate water in the lake. We are optimistic that we will once again be able to participate and we will back to a somewhat normal year.

Triton Yacht Club officers and membership look forward to seeing you all on the water come April 2021. Follow us here for updates on resumption of activities in the New Year!

LOW WATER LEVELS PERSIST

Continued Low Water Levels
The ACE is currently showing just under 370 Feet of Elevation for the lake. This is more than 3.5’ short of normal levels and about 5’ short of full pool. The water marks on the concrete in this photo taken on 5/23/2020 show what that looks like. We are usually at or above this level prior to the first of April. There is only about 5’ of water at the foot of the launch ramps. Slips closer to shore may not have enough water for deeper draft boats. Water levels around the perimeter of the lake will not support deeper draft boats. BE CAREFULL!

Permanent Course Marks are in the Water

As of about 2:30PM on Saturday 5/23/2020 our course marks are set for the season. Thank you to Glen Hughes of EYC for running the committee boat to launch them and coming up with the idea of moving the course further north to insure plenty of depth around the marks and their approaches. (The course is centered around where the #1 usually resides.) Thank you to Ron Fish of EYC/TYC joint member for just pitching in at a moments notice. Although not on the schedule to help out, Ron notice we were a bit short handed and pitched in helping me to stage the marks for the boat crew. Thank you to Jeff Longmore and Elizabeth Haynesworth for doing the bulk of the actual launch work dropping them in the water on Glen’s command.

CAUTION: The lake is still very low. There is only about 5 feet of water at the foot of the concrete ramp at Richardson. Launching of deeper draft boats is NOT recommended and everyone else needs to stay informed on the changing depth as the Summer progresses. It is likely that the level will begin to slowly drop as soon as the current rain events end. Please also be aware that the perimeters of the lake will be very shallow and that some stumps protrude one to two feel above the bottom, so even if you think you have adequate depth a stump may surprise you. Both the SE and SW arms of the lake are extremely shallow and it is not recommend you sail up either arm. Neither the Dash nor East marks were set due to the water level.

TYC and COVID-19 (Update May 12, 2020)

We are still under recommendations to remain closed. No change until further notice. The lake levels are slowly rising and if EYC closure is eased, we plan to launch some of the buoys in a modified format to insure adequate depth for activities around them. For instance, a temporary center may be moved closer to the normal position of the #1 and the #1 closer to the dam. Stay tuned for updates, and if you are on the water, please head the cautions for low water with stumps and shoals present.

The Board of Directors for Triton Yacht Club have reviewed the current situation and recommendations from the State of Oregon and have declared ALL TRITON EVENTS ARE CANCELLED until further notice!

Eugene Yacht Club Closed Until Further Notice

From your TYC website editor: I felt it wise to post the following notice as it also affects some of our TYC activities as well. So now, the buoys won’t be place until both EYC is open and the lake level rises.


The EYC Board of Trustees has reluctantly voted to close EYC effective immediately. The State of Oregon has ordered the close of multiple businesses, including social and private clubs. For the safety of our members, our staff, and our community, we ask that you refrain from using the EYC grounds until our state closures have been lifted.

Club equipment and facilities are especially vulnerable to transmission of COVID-19 because we will not be able to maintain regular sanitation of club facilities or equipment. Places like club restrooms and the clubhouse, and equipment like kayaks and paddle boards have hard surfaces that would need regular sanitation to be used safely.

Please respect the shelter-in-place rules and do not use EYC until we are able to reopen. Our hope is that strict adherence to the rules will allow us to return to normal life sooner rather than later. We are hoping to see our members and friends at EYC as soon as the likelihood of contagion has been reduced.

Please watch the weekly email for more on cancellations and/pr postponements of club events or on the online EYC Calendar.

Low Water Level at Fernridge

3/10/2020 UPDATE:

The current lake elevation is at 364’ or about 3.5’ below the ACE profile for this time of year. To be clear, a keel boat with a 4.5’ draft needs a minimum elevation of 370’ to launch assuming the keel trough is 1 to 1.5’ above the ground when parked on a level surface. There are sources for depth throughout the marina at a given lake elevation. These numbers will help you determine if you have enough water at your slip, but suffice to say, deeper draft keel boats will not be launching anytime soon. (The files on this topic are currently MIA, but I will investigate and get them on our site.)

Keep in mind that the lake water comes from runoff from the coast range and drainage from Amazon Creek running through Eugene. Snow fall is really not a factor. The simple truth is that the dam closure happens February 1st each year and we must get rain in February and March to enable sailing in April. The is still the possibility of additional rain through about mid June, but it must come in a more concentrated from a multi day rainstorms to result in runoff that will add to the lake level. Until the ground saturates, we don’t get much in the way of added runoff. Also, as the lake level rises, it take more volume to get additional depth as the lake surface area increases with depth.

Shallow draft boats and swing or lifting keel boats may still get in without issue if the water should attain an elevation of about 368’ or if they launch at alternate facilities with more water at the launch ramp than Richardson can offer. (Orchard Pt is about 1 foot deeper and may make launching easier.)

Ross Cooley Passing

Fair Winds, Ross Cooley

(Excerpt from the EYC Monthly Notices")

It is with much sadness that we must note the passing of one of our own. Long time EYC member Ross Cooley passed away suddenly, the result of a cerebral hemorrhage suffered at his home on February 20. Ross was a esteemed member of the Santana 20 Fleet 19 based here at Eugene Yacht Club, skippering his Santana 20 Jorie Ann in countless Thursday night races and regattas at home and away. Rosco (as he was known) always represented EYC with pride and unmatched Corinthian spirit. He will be dearly missed.


His wife Marji has indicated that cards and condolences may be sent to 484 Sherwood Loop, Florence, Oregon 97439.


A celebration of life will be held at a later date. More information will be forthcoming.

Editors Note:

I first met Ross in the Summer of 1993 as I was looking for a way to join TYC. At that time, Ross was an officer of TYC and had all of the membership info in his car. I got my first introduction to TYC from Ross and joined that year. Ross later went on to join EYC and has been an ongoing presence on the lake for these many years.

Fair winds my friend, and know that the sailing community in Eugene will miss your smiling presence!

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Racers Take Note

Hello racers!

In January I posted an article titled “The Racing Season Approaches”. In this article, Ted Walkup notes that if you intend to race our Thursday JRC series, you MUST register by March 1st. That deadline is fast approaching, so please take the time, read the message and follow the link to register!

Also, we plan to launch the buoys on Saturday, March 21st. We can always use extra hands, so contact me (Bill Schafer) at billsohana@gmail.com to volunteer.

The Racing Season Approches

Ted Walkup, Joint Race Committee

Ahoy and Happy New Year to all Thursday night racers. This year Thursday night racing starts on April 2. If you are planning to race on Thursday nights this season, please take the time to register as soon as possible. You can fill out the registration form online (go ahead... do it now and get it over with).

One reason we ask you to register is to provide the Joint Race Committee (JRC) the necessary information to plan the Race Committee duty roster for the season. The JRC will be meeting in early March to make committee assignments so please register by March 1.

There are a couple of events that you may want to save the dates for:

A reminder to all Thursday night skippers, you are expected to have completed both the Race Committee and Power boat training classes and have an Oregon boaters card. If you have already attended the training session and feel you need a refresher, May 9th is the time to get it done.

This year Joint Race Committee chairs are Ted Walkup (EYC) and Bill Schafer (TYC). Please share any concerns, suggestions, or thoughts you have about racing with us now or anytime throughout the season.

Emerald Cup 2020 Cancelled

After much discussion and issues with being able to acquire the needed volunteers, it was decided to cancel all further planing for the 2020 Emerald Cup. There is hope that it can be revived next year, and it will be a topic of discussion for future board meetings throughout 2020.

Annual Meeting for Election of Officers

Before we can elect officers, we need volunteers and/or nominations. Vice Commodore position is open and the club is actively seeking nominations. If you are interested or know someone who is, then please forward the names to billsohana@gmail.com and I will forward the information to the board.