Dear Fellow Yacht Club Members

Well I don’t know about all of you, but I am certainly ready for high season and a change in the weather!  August and September have been very slow at the club as those of us who claim to live here “year around” took off at various times to get out of the heat and visit family and friends up north.  Still though, a lot has happened that you need to know about.

First of all, the bad news; Back in June, Paradise Village attorneys presented us with a new lease agreement for the yacht club facility increasing our monthly rent from $2,000 US to $2,400 US.   During our meeting with Sr Graziano Sovernigo we learned that he intended this to be retroactive to January, 2009.  After presenting to him some of the events that the club is expecting in the upcoming season and their impact on Paradise Village, i.e. increased hotel bookings and increased food and beverage sales, he agreed to delay the increase to November 1, 2009.  After careful consideration and analysis, the Board of Directors has come to the conclusion that regretfully, we need to increase our monthly dues from the current $675 pesos to $800 pesos.  This increase will take effect with the November dues payment.  Any dues that have already been paid in advance will remain as paid with the member receiving no increase to the balance of months already paid as of this writing.

For many of our members, this means a yearly increase of $40 - $60/year for the 4 to 6 months they are in the area.  For those members who are in Vallarta year-around we are offering an opportunity to pay 10 months in advance with an additional two months credit.  The Board felt this was a fair way to treat those individuals who continue to support the club during the absolute slowest time of the year while they also try to escape the heat for a week or two here and there.

The Board regrets having to make this decision and we recognize that this will make some members unhappy.  This is the first true increase in dues we have had since the club began, almost 8 years ago.  This is also the first real increase in rent we have had while Paradise Village has provided tenant improvements over the past few years such as the additional deck space with overhead covering on the deck, storage space for Junior Program equipment, a trailer for storing race equipment as well as dry storage space and an area within that space for a crane.   This was all done with no increase in rent.  So I hope you can all understand the position we are in and find a way to accept this decision.

On a lighter note, Jerry Siggins and his House Committee continue to work on the acoustics of the club, and will hopefully have some positive results.   I think we will all appreciate his efforts in that regard.

Nick Rau, Vice Commodore has been working with Rudy on a number of improvements.  This year they decided to add Sunday dining services!  The club will be serving “off of the menu” from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm on Sunday.  After the kitchen closes, the members are welcome to have their usual members’ potluck.  I hope you will all come out and enjoy your leisure Sundays on the patio with a Bloody Mary and breakfast!

Additionally two anonymous donors have provided the club with 4 “lounge chairs” for use near the lending library.  This should provide members an opportunity to come up to the club and read a book or magazine and enjoy the atmosphere with a cold beer!

The Junior Sailing Program is thriving, having had 2 summer camps (beginner and intermediate) for local children interested in learning to sail or improving their skills.  This summer Dan Green added CPR and snorkeling to the curriculum for each of the 2 weeks. Maria Elena worked long hard days with the kids in these incredibly hot and humid conditions to ensure they enjoyed their experience and developed new skills along with a sense of pride and independence.

The new and improved and far more reliable Wi-Fi system should be up and running by the end of October and should provide members with seamless access to the internet.

This year there is a new event on the bay called Copa Mexico.  This racing event will include Mexorc and a J24 Class week-long race both held out of Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz, a Kite Surfing competition out of Bucerias and WesMex-Copa Mexico, hosted by Vallarta Yacht Club.  Of course there are still many, many details to work out on Copa Mexico and one never knows when the issues will all be resolved.  Additionally,  San Diego Yacht Club has their bi-annual race to Vallarta, finishing at Vallarta Yacht Club.  The “Selfish Sailors Society” headed by Mike Danielson continues to meet on Wednesdays to plan the upcoming seasons on-the-water activities.  For those of you who are not up to speed on what’s going on here is a summary of some of the major events both on the water and ashore:

10/31  Opening Day at Vallarta Yacht Club:  Flag Raising Ceremony by the Junior Sailors; Dinner with live music
11/14-16 Regata de Revolucion – 2010 National South American - Eliminatories for Optis

11/21    Junior Sailing Program Spaghetti Fundraiser

12/3-5    Banderas Bay Blast – A 3-day fun cruise around the bay

12/5    Cruisers Annual Chili cook-off

2/26-2/28   San Diego Yacht Club to PV Race Welcoming Events

2/28-3/14   Copa Mexico

3/16-3/20   Banderas Bay Regatta

5/1-5/3    National Junior Olympics

Tom Coster has agreed to perform again this year with 5 concerts, once per month starting in December.  Check out the calendar for specific Monday dates…of course you’ll also be getting reminders about this great concert series.

Mary Ladner, as Membership Director will continue to host the “New Members Welcome Reception”.   I encourage everyone to attend these events, welcome the new members and meet new friends.  The first one will be October 29th.  So if you are in town, please plan to join us.  Of course, the usual poker, Baja Rummy, beading and bingo events will be happening along with the fishing frenzy and Yachtsmen’s Luncheons.  It will be a very busy season with something for everyone!

I look forward to seeing you all soon at VYC –and don’t forget, Opening Day is October 31 with live music; and since it is Halloween, the theme is Tropical!!

Sincerely,