Category: Featured Post

I hope everyone had a great July 1, for those who celebrated Canada Day and July 4th for our Independence Day. I can’t think of anything better than being with friends and family on a Nordic Tug on the water to celebrate both of our great Nations.

Its been just over a Month since our 2023 Rendevous in Sidney and if you ask me I would tell you it was a fantastic event, but we also asked members for your input and you most of you reported that it was a fantastic event. We appreciate the sincere feedback and we will be using the surveys as we plan Vous 2024. Congratulations to Paul Yancey for winning the Survey raffle prize. He will be receiving a gift card to West Marine.

I want to thank everyone that helped make this Rendevous so great. As I mentioned on Saturday night this last year would not have been possible without Sandra Piotrowski stepping up to the Role of Commodore. She was energetic and thorough in taking on the task and I can say she was the Anchor we all want in on our vessels in a storm and this Organization was blessed to have her in charge. I also want to remind everyone how much Jeff Brein contributed by staying in the role of Rendevous director for the last year. Jeff has coordinated several rendezvous and we are fortunate to have him planning such awesome events. Paul and Elaine Bulk as well as Gerry and Barb Guertin also contributed a great deal of time to make this event so successful. BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THEM.

For those of you that did not attend the Rendevous we missed you there and hope see you next year. At our general meeting we had Officer Elections. Sandra graciously nominated me for Commodore. I waited for someone else to be nominated and it didn’t happen. So I have taken on the job. I nominated Paul Bulk, our first Canadian board member, and he won without opposition. Congratulations Paul! We also discussed the financial state of the organization. The treasurers presentation was made to the membership regarding our annual dues and current reserves and an overwhelming majority voted to raise dues to $60.00 a year. This will go into effect January 2024. If your dues are renewed this year before January 2024 you will still pay the $30.00 for the upcoming year. We realize this is a large increase, but believe that the annual amount is still low when compared to other Boating organizations. I am working on contacting some marine vendors to try and secure more group discounts for members.

We heard from several members that they were not receiving our regular emails. We discovered this was due to the data link between mailchimp and member press (our website program). Our current system is only recognizing the first/main email address entered when signing up for PaNNTOA.

If you would like to have a spouse or other member of your family receive our emails please add their information with the link here. SIGN UP ADDITIONAL EMAIL

I thank you for taking the time to read our Newsletter and hope that you find the information important to you as a member of PaNNTOA. I am looking forward to being your new Commodore and hope that I can fill the big shoes left for me by my predecessor. Check out the links on this email for information about a Mini Vous in Friday Harbor and don’t forget to add photos of your fellow tuggers on our Friendships Forum. I hope to see you on the water.

Jeff Redmond
God’s Grace

Let us know if you are interested in more information

Our all-volunteer organization is STILL looking for a new Membership Director.

This is a role easily performed by anyone with access to the website. Our staff wizard has created several automated tools and processes to make the job straightforward.

The membership director provides information to the PaNNTOA board related to membership statistics, reaches out to potential members referred by other members, sends membership lists to sponsors that offer discounts (sponsors must pinky swear they will not send spam based on our supplied list) quarterly, and, if so inclined, thinks about ways to increase membership.

The membership director also works with the Communications director to reconcile bounced emails (did the member forget to renew? Sell their boat? Find a cooler group to hang out with? (Can’t be that!))

If interested (even vaguely), please email the Commodore. Thanks!

As we cruise this year, many of us will leave our slips empty for months at a time. Slip Share allows members to share their vacant slips with other PaNNTOA members.

Just in time for spring, Seattle Yachts Service is offering PaNNTOA members a 10% discount off labor only. If you have questions, contact Joanie Martin, Seattle Yachts Service Writer, 360-245-1326.

Our all-volunteer organization (except the wizard behind the website) is looking for a new Membership Director. Mark Malnes, after serving for several years, is ready to transition the role to a shiny, new director.

This is a role easily performed by anyone with access to the website. Our staff wizard has created several automated tools and processes to make the job straightforward.

The membership director provides information to the PaNNTOA board related to membership statistics, reaches out to potential members referred by other members, sends membership lists to sponsors that offer discounts (sponsors must pinky swear they will not send spam based on our supplied list) quarterly, and, if so inclined, thinks about ways to increase membership.

The membership director also works with the Communications director to reconcile bounced emails (did the member forget to renew? Sell their boat? Find a cooler group to hang out with? (Can’t be that!))

If interested (even in the mildest manner), please email the Commodore. Thanks!

For those who missed it, and for those who attended and thought, “Hey, knowing which marinas in Canadian waters have closed or changed hands, is a helpful bit of knowledge,” our eminently useful Vice-Commodore Jeff Redmond, recorded Mark Bunzel’s recent PaNNTOA Webinar. It is available for your viewing pleasure HERE

Our thanks again to Mark, from the Waggoner Cruising Guide, for his presentation. Mark reminds us that the Waggoner Guide contains a link for updates made after the 2023 Guide went to press. Just saying…nobody wants to show up at a marina and find a one-eyed cutlass-wielding seagull and no moorage.

Welcome to the 2023 boating season … okay, the very early, armchair cruising part of the season. It’s the ideal time to start knocking documentation and planning items off the checklist. For example, now is the perfect time to check your passport/Nexus card/other trusted traveler program expiration dates. Crossing the border is pretty much back to normal but there is a bit of a back log if you’re applying for any of these programs. Fortunately, there’s still time to get a passport before our 2023 Rendezvous in Sidney, BC, June 1-3. Waggoner Cruising has a great post related to border crossings (both directions).
 

And speaking of Waggoner, be sure to check out an exclusive PaNNTOA webinar being hosted via Zoom on February 15th. Experienced mariner and author of the Waggoner Cruising Guide, Mark Bunzel, will be giving a seminar on longer cruises in Canadian waters. Whether it’s your first trip or your fifteenth, you’re sure to learn something useful.
 

Before the bright work needs to be polished and the oil changed, while the weather is less than conducive to relaxed boating, visit the PaNNTOA forum topics. Add a question, answer a question, or just share your $.02. You may have already solved a problem someone else has, or maybe you know the perfect destination for an April shakedown cruise. If you have a question, chances are so does someone else. Please share. Your knowledge and thoughts are valuable and valued.
 

Stay warm, stay healthy, and we’ll see you on the water soon.
 

Aloha,
Sandra P., PaNNTOA Commodore (in case you were confusing me with some other commodore)

Using the June 2023 PaNNTOA Rendezvous as a jump off to a longer cruise up north? Or just looking for tips on longer cruises? Join us via Zoom on February 15 at 6:30 p.m. PST for a presentation by Mark Bunzel, Editor and Publisher of the annual Waggoner Cruising Guide. In addition, there will be Q&A at the end of the presentation. Zoom information will be found on the PaNNTOA Events tab.
 

Do you have specific questions? Want to know about marinas, water, fuel, logistics, spares, etc.? Please post your questions on our corresponding PaNNTOA General Chat forum topic. And if you have responses to other member’s questions, please post them too! Mark may adjust his presentation based on the questions posted.
 

Mark is also co-author of Cruising the Virgin Islands, nautical publisher and distributor at the Waggoner Store, and a long time cruiser and leader of umpty-ump flotillas in the Pacific Northwest and points south. You know the guide is great; be sure to check out the super helpful Waggoner Guide website.
 

Looking for guides and nautical books? Waggoner is generously extending a *20% discount to Panntoa members. Mention you’re with Panntoa when placing your order to receive discount. (*Note: discount does not apply to bundles as they’ve already been discounted.)
 

This one hour seminar is a great resource and if you want more, Mark will be teaching a full day seminar, “Cruise to Desolation Sound and Broughtons,” on April 22 at Cruisers College. Mark will also be presenting several seminars at this year’s Seattle Boat Show.

Seattle Yachts is a proud sponsor of PaNNTOA and its Members. We offer all active PaNNTOA members 8% Off Labor at Seattle Yachts Service – a subsidiary of the Seattle Yachts family located in Anacortes, Washington. As many of you Nordic Tug owners are already aware, Cap Sante Marine was recently added to the Seattle Yachts family and is operating under new management as Seattle Yachts Service’s south yard or SYS South.

With our experienced team, equipment, and Travel lift, we are your one stop Nordic Tug service shop. With two service teams, one focusing on commissioning new boats and one specifically for customer boat service, we can assist everyone through every step of their boating life. If you’re thinking about bottom paint, stern thruster, water maker, solar panels, dinghy davits, and more… now you’ll gain an 8% measure of relief on the bottom line.

Veteran yacht technician Nathan Kusler will be your point of contact at SYS South. Nordic Tug owners will benefit from his experience and familiarity with electrical, mechanical, plumbing, paint, and fiberglass projects. Whether it’s routine Tug maintenance, upgrades or repairs, his good communication and personal attention when managing projects, will be much appreciated by owners.

Feel free to contact Nathan directly to get acquainted and talk through any projects you have in mind at nathan@seattleyachts.com or 360 208 8539.

Our Services:

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Seattle Yachts Service

• 2 Full-Service Boatyards – Your Pacific Northwest Nordic Tugs Authorized Service Center
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Anacortes, WA 98221

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360.293.8200

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360.299.0777

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service@seattleyachts.com

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