Shannon & Doran Jones
Member III
Thank you to everyone who sailed, biked, drove and dropped into the 2022 Pacific NW Ericson Rendezvous!As a new(ish) owner, I have always appreciated the ericsonyacht.com website for information, discussion, and ability to connect with like-minded people. This year’s long anticipated Pacific NW Ericson Rendezvous expanded the connection from a screenname and type of Ericson boat to the people, the couples and families who benefit from the knowledge sharing and experience provided by ericsonyacht.org. We also had the opportunity to meet our cherished webmaster Sean and his lovely partner Meeta and learn the history behind the website.
Events started early on Friday as boats arrived and greeted each other like extended family with no awkward small talk, but lively discussions about hull shape, sail size and stories of diving off the boat and mystery wires. Guests came from as far south as San Francisco (by accident) and Jackson, Wyoming to a little more local from Nanaimo, Victoria, Seattle, and Bellingham including new owners, some with a few years of ownership and some long-term owners. Everyone who participated shared their passion for Ericson sailboats and their stories. Oh, the stories. From the number of times Frank seemed to be in the water to the endless projects that make us smile and those that bring out the sailor. After an evening of sharing stories, we retired in anticipation for the next day’s activities and the coveted blindfolded dinghy race.
The next day, skippers were up early preparing for the Ericson Classic Boat Show and the opportunity to showcase their pride and joy! Each boat was so similar, yet different but the pride of ownership shined through from the newest to the most experienced owners. Every boat had something unique to discuss and left each owner walking away wondering how or if they could incorporate that one thing to their boat. Later in the afternoon, we were all considering how to incorporate lithium batteries and expand our power needs after a fantastic presentation from Hans (Sagres). Thanks to everyone for opening your boats and Hans for presenting.
Ah the blindfolded dinghy race… The goal was to use nautical terminology to guide your rower (aka spouse) around a mark and back to the finish line. The boats lined up and Sean sent us off with a blast of the horn. Then, to be honest I have no idea what happened. We were tied up with Quincy (Jim and Christine) as the other boats left us at the start line. When we finally untangled our oars and were on our way my husband asked me “are we in the lead?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him we were at the back of the pack… The race ended with many laughs and first place going to a new Ericson 30+ owner, Lori and Hans from Sagres in his faithful dinghy Prince Hal. With such a mighty name it is no wonder they won! In second place, Blitzen (Phil and Janice) were in fine form and pulling into third place was Morning Mist (Frank and Karen). Now that I think about it was the racers of the group who placed. Hmmm maybe we need to get in a bit more racing.
Saturday ended with a lovely potluck, more stories and sharing of our favourite anchorages and discussions for next year. Thank you to everyone for participating this year! It was truly a weekend of fun. I know we will all be keeping in touch and look forward to sailing together in the years to come.
Thank you to Jim and Chris, our co-organizers. Thank you to Genoa Bay Marina for providing an amazing location and to Butchart Gardens for supplying a door prize of two tickets to the gardens.
I also want to thank Sean Engle. The ericsonyacht.org website originated from Sean’s frustration in finding information on Ericson sailboats resulting in a website that not only has information, but links past, present and prospective Ericson Yacht owners. Thank you @Sean Engle for all you do and for each and every member who contributes!!!
Shannon & Doran (SV Eden)
PS: Hans did mention he has the plans for “Prince Hal” if you need a winter project
