Clear Lake Update

While the Valley Fire continued to rage in devastated Lake County, we checked in with our contacts at Konocti Bay Sailing Club to see how they were holding up, and to learn if the fire had altered their busy sailing schedule.

"The South County disaster is everything you have seen on the news," responded Bradley King, vice commodore of KBSC. "I’ve been through the ’71 San Fernando quake, the ’82 Santa Cruz floods, and far too close to other major disasters; this was as bad as all that. Fire Service personnel are not just stunned at the unprecedented speed this fire spread but are concerned this may be the new normal. After three major fires in this small rural county, we are most thankful the loss of life has not been worse."

"The kids in Middletown are particularly hard hit, and yet, with the schools surviving, I think they are recognizing how special a community can be, both among their peers and their county," said King. "The support we are seeing, both locally and from our friends in the Bay Area, is spectacular.

"The Lake County Wine Alliance has been fundraising for Lake County for years. Their effort toward the fire will be just as efficient and effective. See
www.facebook.com/lakecountyrising. The same can be said for North Coast Opportunities, a regional player in focused support for our community. See
www.ncoinc.org/about-us/news/donate-to-the-lake-county-fire-relief-fund.

"All of that from a simple question about sailing — I guess you can see that I’m not confused about priorities. Yes, we are still sailing. We as a club have only one family that lost their house. The lake still has a month of warm weather sailing, and we try to — what was the line from The Right Stuff? — ‘maintain an even strain’. Thanks for keeping us in mind."