Islander 36 Association Celebrates Golden Anniversary at Coyote Point Yacht Club
In 2020 we shared the story of the Islander 36’s 50th anniversary. This year the Bay Area’s Islander 36 Association celebrates its golden anniversary.
On Saturday, November 16, the Islander 36 Association, one of the longest active class-boat associations in the Bay Area, met for its annual fall meeting at Coyote Point Yacht Club. The weather was beautiful: sunny and clear skies as far as the eye could see. It was the perfect day to celebrate the association’s 50th anniversary. Twenty-eight people, representing 17 Islanders, were present to recognize this historic occasion.
During the meeting, the membership heard from the fleet measurer, Kit Wiegman, who is known as one of the most knowledgeable people, if not the preeminent person, with knowledge and history of the Islander 36. Kit spoke to the group about the design changes that were made to the boat over the years. Also present was one of the founders of the association, 91-year-old Lou Zevinov. Lou recounted some of the history of the boat on the Bay. He shared many fun and funny stories about the association, along with the fact that at one point there were about 150 Islanders in the greater Bay Area — one of the largest fleets in the world.
After lunch and the presentations Commodore Rick Egan presented the end-of-season awards:
* The Spinnaker Division Season Championship Ormand Cup went to Dan Knox of Luna Sea.
* The Non-Spinnaker Buster Hammond award went to Rick Egan of Kapai.
* The Perpetual Crew Award went to Justin Hughes aboard Luna Sea.
* The Nationals Trophy went to Kit Wiegman of Cassiopeia.
* The Schneider Trophy for outstanding contributions to the Islander 36 Association went to Dan Knox for continuing service above and beyond.
* And the Commodore’s Plaque was updated with Rick Egan’s name, making him the commodore for this Golden Anniversary of the association.
The following photos are courtesy of Barnett J. Brickner.
At the end of the day, what was most evident is that the association is vibrant and growing. It has a membership that stretches around the world, an award-winning newsletter, a robust and informative website, and, most importantly, an active membership. Their success is a source of pride, naturally, but not surprising.
Designed by naval architect Alan Gurney for Bay Area sailing, the first Islander came off the assembly line in 1971, and over the next 15 years over 770 boats were made by Island Yachts in Costa Mesa, making it one of the most recognizable models in its class. With its fin keel and skeg-hung rudder as well as its sleek lines, sturdy construction, and spacious interior, it provides excellent handling and stability as well as comfort for San Fransisco sailors. It is a timeless classic.
The next event for the Islander 36 Association is the New Year’s Day “’Round Alameda Parade.” Check the Islander 36 Association website for details.
Did you know the Islander 36 is a proven deepwater world cruiser? Four of our West Coast Circumnavigators completed their voyages in an Islander 36: Timothy Brill from San Diego, Gary Gould from Oxnard, Eric Loss from Laguna Beach, and Zac Sunderland from Marina del Rey.
While we’re at it, here’s a throwback to February 1983, when the Islander 36 was our “Boat of the Month.” We leave you with this video of the presentations, by Rick van Mell:
Another Look at the South Bay and Oyster Cove Marina
Our recent trip to San Diego for the Baja Ha-Ha took us over the now-empty Oyster Cove Marina. Tenants were evicted in 2022 to make way for a new electric air taxi terminal that is planned for the former marina site. The images below show the empty Oyster Cove with a few boats anchored out in the nearby basin.
Keeping access to the Bay becomes increasingly challenging as older marina facilities need investment for dredging and dock/seawall maintenance, while land-side development continues to put pressure on the financial viability of the marinas. Adding to this are the problems associated with permanent anchor-outs, which included boats off Oyster Cove that caught fire in November last year.
To the south of Oyster Cove and Oyster Point Marina is the Coyote Point Marina, which is also straining under lack of municipal support for the facilities. The Coyote Point Marina is home to the Coyote Point Yacht Club, which recently hosted the 50th anniversary of the Islander 36 Class Association and is home to active sailing and youth programs. You can read more about the current situation at Coyote Point Marina in our September issue. Several letters appear in our November issue written by sailors in support of maintaining Coyote Point Marina.
Marine facilities around the Bay need support from sailors and their municipalities to keep access to the Bay Area’s best recreational feature — the Bay! The facilities include the marinas and adjacent working waterfront that allow marine businesses to serve all boating activity. We appreciate sailors who are writing letters to their town supervisors, and to us, to make sure the Bay remains accessible to all Bay Area citizens.
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Short Sightings — ‘Merlin’, SailGP, and Latitude 38
The Legend of Merlin Continues
Woody Skoriak was overseeing a haulout in KKMI’s Richmond boatyard, right next door to Bill Lee’s legendary Merlin. The boat is now owned by Chip Merlin, who raced her in the recent Rolex Big Boat Series and placed third in ORCA.
Woody commented, “Even on a dreary, rainy day the boat looked in beautiful shape to me, especially considering how old it is. And out of the water one can see how deep the keel is, with a huge bulb at the bottom. Nice to see a famous vintage race boat is being kept up so well!” She was launched at the same time as Latitude — April 1977. How many people have raced on Merlin since then?
New Zealand Wins First Season 5 SailGP Event
Peter Burling and the New Zealand SailGP team led most of Season 4 before being beaten by the Spanish in the finals on San Francisco Bay. The first event of Season 5 was held this past weekend in Dubai, with New Zealand starting out the season right where they left off last year, at the top of the leaderboard. The big surprise for the weekend was seeing TeamUSA coming in on the podium in third place after taking first in the very first race of the season. The three-boat finale finished with New Zealand in first, Emirates GBR in second and the United States in third. Three-time SailGP champion Tom Slingsby and Team Australia finished the weekend in fifth place.
The next event will be in Auckland on January 17/18, 2025. Full results are here.
The J/105 Whisperer on the Waterfront
We stopped by West Marine in Sausalito to pick up a couple of items and ran into Lindsay Browne in the back of the store where they hide Latitude 38. (Why do they make it so difficult?) While chatting with Lindsay, he let on that he’s known as the J/105 “whisperer” who helps tune up the fleet’s competitive boats. Chris Weaver has written a December story on the winners in various one-design fleets where we saw J/105 fleet champion Tim Russell of Ne*Ne give a shout-out to Lindsay (and others) for helping him get to the top of the fleet. You’ll see the December issue coming out a week from today on Monday, December 2.
Latitude 38 sales manager Nicki Bennett was recently touring the Bay waterfront and caught up with Cree Partridge of Berkeley Marine Center. He was by the magazine rack where he has free copies of Latitude 38 on display for you to pick up.
If you’ve been trapped inside during the recent rainy weather, it’s worth going down to your local marine business and picking up a copy of Latitude 38 to bring a little sailing sunshine home with you. You’ll likely run into a friendly face and a sailing story from folks like Lindsay or Cree.
Type your location in the address bar of our distribution map and you can find where to pick up a copy near you. Send a photo of yourself at your favorite Latitude 38 magazine distributor to [email protected].
Inspiring Singlehanded Cruiser: If Dustin Can Do It …
Two weeks in the heat of Apia Harbor, Samoa, dirty with the grit of construction around the bustling commercial port, put me in the mood for a fresh sea breeze and blue water. Up came the anchor, and soon our Pacific Seacraft 37, Pamela, was bouncing through a boisterous sea on her way to Niuatoputapu, a remote island in the Kingdom of Tonga, 180 miles to the southwest.
Not many folks visit Niuatoputapu, “the Sacred Coconut.” It’s the northernmost of the Tongan islands, far from Vava’u, which most South Pacific cruisers visit.
The wind was howling as we made our way through the pass and inside the reef. Our broken transmission cable made the anchoring procedure a nerve-racking trial. But what a relief to be gently swaying in flat water, protected by the reef of Niuatoputapu! We spent the following day drying out our clothing and the interior of the boat, then sleeping like a pair of fallen coconut palms.
After a bit of rest, I dinghied ashore to meander through the village and explore the sacred coconut groves. I was returning to the dinghy landing when I met a young man who was just coming ashore. From a distance I saw him land, tie up his boat, then hop up onto the landing. He was putting on his knapsack as I approached, and something about his movements seemed asymmetrical.
“I’m Dustin,” he introduced himself. He had just arrived from Hawaii by way of Pago Pago and appeared to be going solo.
“Singlehanding?” I asked.
“Literally,” he replied.
It was then I noticed he didn’t have a left arm. Or a left leg, for that matter. Below his knee was a steel-rod prosthetic with a weather-beaten tennis shoe attached. His left shoulder pointed up and down in gesticulatory agreement when he waved his right hand. He was in his late 30s, solo-sailing his 35-ft Alberg 35 Rudis. Yet he had no problem stepping ashore and tying up his dinghy. His demeanor seemed completely at ease, calm, and remarkably self-assured. We chatted for a bit while I stared in utter disbelief.
“We’re on Pamela, the green Crealock. Once you’re settled, will you join us for dinner?” I asked.
“I’d love that,” he replied, then bounded away to explore the village.
“What does rudis mean?” I asked him during dinner on board Pamela, sitting down to a hearty Oaxaca mole with a loaf of whole wheat bread that my wife Pam pulled hot from the ship’s oven.
Tune in to our Good Jibes podcast to learn more about this story’s author Dennis Maggard, and about Dustin Reynolds.
Free Vessel Check with Every Haul Out San Francisco Boatworks
