Rick's Cafe Americain -

or What I Do for Fun

Westsail Owners Association

Built like a brick, sea kindly and beautiful, Westsails have delivered skipper and crew all around the world for three decades. At any given time there are an estimated dozen Westies quietly plying the world's oceans and living the dream. The Westsail Owners Association was formed to keep the Westsail tradition alive. The WOA has frequent Round Ups on all three coasts every year and usually several impromptu gatherings in ports around the world. The association has about 300 families on the roster, most are boat owners, some are between Westsails, some are "in the market" for the first time. WOA members exchange information, write articles about their upgrades and sailing adventures, advertise boats and equipment for sale and keep in touch with one another through our newsletter Windblown($18 US, $20 foreign - USDollar - delivered six time a year).

It is through the newsletter that many members have access to Bud Taplin of World Cruiser Yachts and Kern Ferguson of Kern's Sails. Both are extremely knowledgeable and earn their crust of bread supplying the Westsail aftermarket. Both men are frequent guests at Westsail Round Ups, and Bud flies all over the country surveying Westails for buyers and insurance companies. He is cheaper than most of the local fellows and no one knows Westsails like Bud. For a copy of Bud's excellent Westsail Service Manual send $20 to the World Cruiser Yacht address above.

Seven Seas Cruising Association

The SSCA was formed by cruising couples many decades ago to exchange information, promote fellowship among crusiers, and enhance the world wide image of cruisers.

The guiding principle of the Seven Seas Cruising Station is "Leave a Clean Wake." While this moto certainly includes respect for the environment, it also means much more. It includes never creating situations as you leave a anchorage, port, or country that will make the next cruiser unwelcome or suspect. The concept of Clean Wake includes respect for the rights, religious beliefs, mores, folkways and laws of every culture you contact in your travels. Leaving a Clean Wake means that a SSCA member never ups anchor and skips a yard bill or debt owed in town.

Membership is divided between Commodores - folks with lots of blue water time under their keels and a whole bunch of liveaboard experience. (I think the minimum is still a 1000 mile passage with no stops or a 1200 mile trip with one stop, living aboard for at least one year and recommendation by two other Commodores.) If a Commodore is not living aboard, he or she become Rear Commodores. Only Commodores and Rear Commodores can vote, although all members may fully particpate in the other aspects of membership.

Associate Commodores are people who do not fit into the above category. Many join SSCA for the social aspects of being around cruisers, many are wanna bes or near gonna bes and a few just want to find ways of being helpful to folks who float around. Some join merely for access to the SSCA insurance program.

An interesting sub-category of SSCA membership are those of us who run cruising stations. A cruising station is a local contact - there are dozens around the world - who helps SSCA members. A Cruising Station writes up a piece on local conditions (SSCA sends a sheet with a format) and keeps it on file with SSCA headquarters so that any member can have a copy mailed to them. On arrival, SSCA members often check in with the local Cruising Station. The Cruising Station operator acts as a mail drop for SSCA members, often loans them a car or offers to help them get around, and usually serves as a point of contact and source of local knowledge - who in the area does good stainless welding? where's the best market for fresh foods? which bank sells travellers checks cheap? In return for these services, the Cruising Station operator is often rewarded with a meal aboard and a turn around the bouys, a token rememberance, and the opportunity to make a new and extremely interesting acquaintance. Many of us are also Ham Radio operators and stay in contact with SSCA members as the approach or leave the area. A Cruising Station operator is under no obligation to do anything more than fill out the local conditions sheet, but the fun we've had being SSCA Cruising Station - Guam offsets any slight inconvenience we might have suffered.

NH2F