Scott Titus 9/2/26 Scott Titus 9/2/26

From the Helm

Greetings and Happy September! We’re one month away from hosting the second big regatta of the season with the upcoming 2026 Albacore U.S. Nationals regatta scheduled for October 10-12, 2026 at the club. The regatta planning team and race committee are already hard at work coordinating with the U.S. Albacore Association to ensure we provide a first class venue for the Class that will see sailors from across the U.S. and Canada (and possible Great Britain) for three full days of sailing on the beautiful Ware River. Thanks to all who are helping make this possible. If you’re around that weekend, please stop by and check out the festivities.

Plans are actively underway to re-energize the Sunday Racing Series. Thanks to Dave Huber for his planning, communication, and coordination. Anyone interested in learning more about Albacore sailing or racing in general please reach out to Dave at Dave.L.Huber@gmail.com.

The Club recently accepted the donation of a Club 420 sailing dinghy from a generous donor. The race ready sailboat is a former Christchurch School Sailing Team boat that was actively campaigned for years. The 420 is an global class that is often the entry point to Olympic and offshore professional sailing opportunities. The 420 is recognized as the premier entry level two-person crewed sailboat for sailors graduating from Opti and Laser classes and moving on to competitive sailing in high school and college. Future plans include increasing the 420 fleet and incorporating 420 sailing in the Sunday Series with the Albacores. If you’re interested in sailing the 420 please contact Dave, Scott, or John Dudley.

Look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming social events this fall and in to the Holiday season. Stay safe out there and see you on the water!

Best,

Scott Titus, Commodore

Layne Brown 9/2/26 Layne Brown 9/2/26

Membership Corner

Hello WRYC Members!

This August, we welcomed new members, Rick and Gail Griffin of Ware Neck. They have been Gloucester residents and members of the Hampton Yacht Club for many years. Having recently settled on the Ware River, and having several friends among our members, they decided to join WRYC!

Rick and Gail are experienced sailors and power boaters. Rick has a lot of experience participating in racing and regattas and hopes to apply his experience in volunteering for our racing events.

They are looking forward to participating in social events and meeting members. Please look for Rick and Gail at upcoming events and welcome them to our club!

Ray Mazzocco

Membership Chair

Layne Brown 9/2/26 Layne Brown 9/2/26

2026 WRYC Calendar of Events

September 12 Pickleball Round Robin

September 16 Trivia Night‍ ‍

October 9-13 Oktoberfest – Albacore Nationals Regatta

November 7 Oyster Roast

December 6/7‍ ‍Christmas / Holiday Social (Host choice)

*Members are encouraged to sign up to host or help organize each event. Co-hosting is

perfectly acceptable – you don’t have to host alone. Please contact Membership Chair,

Josh James, at socials@wryc.org with any questions or fill in your name and number in

the sign-up column above.

Scott Titus 8/5/26 Scott Titus 8/5/26

From the Helm

Thanks to all who pitched in to support the 62nd Annual Virginia Governor’s Cup. The event was, as always, a resounding success. We received tons of positive feedback, with several sailors proclaiming that WRYC is their favorite place to sail every year. The regatta saw a large fleet of Albacores and Hamptons as well as a showing of Buccaneers, Lasers, and Optimists. There are so many people to thank for their efforts so please forgive me for not mentioning everyone. Thank you to Steve Hanson (Principal Race Officer), Joe Morgan (provided committee boat), Tony Villani (Race Committee), Gary Hermanson (Race Committee), Beve Hermanson (Race Committee), John Singleton (Race Committee), Lew Volk (Race Committee), Harry Taylor (Race Committee), Bill Brown (Scoring), Nancy Dykeman (Registration), Paula Volk (Hospitality), Layne Brown (Hospitality), Ray Mazzocco (Hospitality), Jason Holladay (Hospitality), Paul Smith (Hospitality), Ginny Nolan (Hospitality), Cece Brown (Hospitality), LuAnne Knuteson (Hospitality), Jean Garrett (Hospitality), Leonne Arsenovic (Hospitality), Lorna Hanson (Hospitality), Yelisaveta Cheremeteff (Logistics and Shirts), and friend of the club Charles Dunston (Finish Line Boat), Rick Klein (Race Committee), Vickie Bristow (Race Committee). Much appreciation to ALL the other members who manned the kitchen, set up, cleaned up, cared for the grounds, and so much more.

Help Wanted: First of all, thank you to Layne Brown for your YEARS of dedicated service as the Club Manager. Layne has made the difficult decision to step down as club manager. She has agreed to stay on for a few months to ease the transition. We are actively looking for a new Club Manager. This is a paid position. Please email me at commodore@wryc.org if you are interested. I will send those that enquire a position description and the next steps moving forward to interviews.

Albacore fleet reaching toward the mark during the 62nd Annual Governor’s Cup Regatta (August 2026)

John Dudley 8/5/26 John Dudley 8/5/26

Fleet Scuttlebutt

Greetings sailors and fellow members! I hope many of you were able to participate in or support our 62nd Annual Governor’s Cup Regatta this past weekend. It’s an all-around great event, made possible by the enthusiastic sailors, race committee, and phenomenal squad of hospitality volunteers! Many thanks to all, and if you’ve not already done so, be sure to include next year’s regatta (first weekend in August) in your long-term plans.‍

Our 2026 Junior Sailing camp wrapped up activities on July 23rd, and many of the counselors and instructors were on hand to work the Governor’s Cup junior sailing course – thanks to that splendid team for handling those responsibilities and the entire Junior Sailing program successfully!‍

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Again this month we ask about some of the neglected boats and trailers in our boat storage area – we’ve placed one “Abandoned Watercraft” legal notice in the Gazette-Journal, and we may begin a similar process (involving the DMV) to clear several abandoned trailers. Please let me know if you have a boat, trailer or both that you no longer want. Last month’s Telltale mentioned the Mathews Maritime Foundation, and their donated-boats program. Maybe someone else can give your unwanted boat a loving home.‍ ‍

During the regatta this week one of the participants asked if we knew of anyone interested in selling an Albacore – please let us know if you own an Albacore and would be interested in selling it.‍ ‍

Perhaps a few of you noticed that our club keelboat Tranquility Base remained at the pier during this weekend’s regatta rather than serving as a committee boat. (Thanks to the skipper & crew of Holley Day for stepping up!) This is due to an issue with TB’s Yanmar diesel. We’re hopeful to have this issue resolved soon, but until then our Lasers and Albacores, and Optis for younger sailors, will suffice. (If you have knowledge and experience with small diesel engines, please let me know!‍)

August, September and October are typically among the best months of the year for sailing on the Ware River and Mobjack Bay. If you have younger family members going back to school in a few weeks, don’t let the summer end without another boat ride or two! I hope to see many of you on or near the water!

-John Dudley, Fleet Captain

Joshua James 8/5/26 Joshua James 8/5/26

A Message from Your Social Chair

Hello Ware River Yacht Club Members!

Summer is in full swing, and we have some fantastic events on the horizon:

62nd Governors Cup Dinner – Saturday, August 1st
Don't forget to submit your RSVP! We look forward to a fantastic evening celebrating one of our fine club traditions.
August Summer Happy Hour – Thursday, August 20th
Mark your calendars and join us at the clubhouse to catch up with friends, relax, and enjoy the waterfront.

Labor Day Social Hosts Needed!

We are still looking for member volunteers to host our annual Labor Day Social. Our social events rely entirely on the generosity and spirit of our members—we simply can't do it alone and need your support to make these gatherings happen! If you are interested in hosting or co-hosting, please reach out to Josh directly.

See you around the club!

Layne Brown 8/5/26 Layne Brown 8/5/26

2026 Rentals Remaining

The WRYC Rental Calendar is filling up for 2026. Here are the numbers by month:

August 1- Social Governor’s Cup & Fireball Nationals, 1- Non-profit Rental, 1 - Non-member
September 2- Socials, 1- Harry Sindle Memorial Regatta, 1 - Non-profit
October 1- Social-Albacore Nationals & Oktoberfest, 1- Non-profit, 1- Non-member Wedding Rentals
November 1- Social Oyster Roast, 1- Non-member, 1- Member Rentals
December 1- Social Holiday, 1- Member Rental