January 12, 2024
Happy New Year SLTWYC Membership!
Let me start by thanking everyone for being patient with my lack of communication. I know a letter to the general membership has been LONG overdue (it’s been six months since I last wrote one of these, but who’s counting?).
2023 was a successful year for our club! The membership grew to 107, of which 38 are couples, 28 are singles, and 3 are single associate members. On that note, the board is working on renewal notices for 2024. Expect those to show up in your inboxes soon.
Last year’s race season was also quite productive for our club. We saw the return of our beloved race committee at nearly all Tahoe Cup events. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to spend their Sundays sitting at anchor (especially to the poor souls who had to endure the torture of eating freshly-baked brie aboard Lov’n Life while watching other sail boats round marks).
2024 is already shaping up to be a busy year for the race fleet. As many of you know, our Rear Commodore, Sam Corso, has been hard at work organizing a Roadmasters event for the Moore 24 fleet. Please, please, PLEASE reach out to Sam if you can contribute to his special event committee; this is a big event, and we could use all the help we can get! Details about this event and the broader race schedule will be published on our club website and in your inboxes in the coming months.
The results of your Executive Board election for 2024 are in! By a unanimous vote from 27 respondents, the 2024 slate of nominations has been APPROVED by the general membership. Thank you for your participation!
A note about invasive species: in August, a new invasive species, New Zealand Mudsnails, was discovered offshore of the Tahoe Keys. This species is tiny (about the size of a grain of rice), rapidly reproduces, and is easily spread through contact with the lakebed.
For the coming boating season, please avoid anchoring along the shores of South Lake Tahoe. Also, if you are recreating in this area, the current guidance from TRPA is to freeze or bleach any equipment or clothing used in the water. TRPA will be providing the public with more detailed recommendations in the coming months. This is an upsetting development for Tahoe’s ecosystem so let’s do our part to prevent any further spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).
Thank you all for your continued support of our club, passion for boating on Lake Tahoe, and stewardship of our region’s shared natural resources. I look forward to seeing (and racing) all of you in 2024!
Sincerely,
Richard Panuschka
Commodore
South Lake Tahoe Windjammers Yacht Club
