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Denis Michael Thomas

December 22, 1934 - september 14, 2024.

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Soon to give birth to a child of the Raj, the mother of Denis Thomas, Violet, managed to complete a flight from Karachi, then India, to 'Old Blighty' where she gave birth to her son Denis in East Sussex, UK on December 22, 1934. Denis then returned to Karachi with his family and remained there until he started school. Denis attended Karachi Grammar School, Langley School, Norfolk and Imperial College London. Denis began playing rugby at age five and it became a lifelong passion of his. He was a member of the Saracens rugby club London (currently considered the highest level of competition in English rugby), and was team captain for two years. He continued playing rugby even after he was required to wear purple shorts (ages 70-84). Denis was recruited by Boeing in 1966 and intended to stay in Seattle for "just one year". He was enthralled by the Pacific Northwest and made it his home for the next 58 years. He was a founding member of the Seattle Rugby Club, the first independent team in the Northwest. They played against competitors in Vancouver, BC, and traveled back and forth biweekly long before I-5 was completed. In 1995 Boeing offered its qualified employees an "aluminum handshake", which meant that Denis could retire 5 years early. Ever frugal, Denis quickly crafted a radar mount out of driftwood for his sailboat and sailed around Vancouver Island with his wife Pam and dog Shasa. Denis was a lifetime member of the Seattle Yacht Club, where a celebration of life will be held at a later date. He is survived by his wife Pamela Barber Thomas and his beloved dog Nola.

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Yacht Clubs

Seattle Yacht Club

Founded in 1892, Seattle Yacht Club is one of our country’s most active and long-established yacht clubs. With facilities ranging from the historic main station on Portage Bay, to ten outstations located along the shores of Washington and British Columbia, the club offers an outstanding group of properties for use by its more than 2,500 members.

From the Commodore:

It gives me great pleasure to confirm the commitment of the Seattle Yacht Club Board of Trustees and its members to the goals and mission of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Our Fleet Captain Sail, Dave Ferguson and his committee, and Past Commodore, Chris Otorowski, will be working together on the member matching fund program that I expect will exceed the Founding Club level.

We look forward to watching the progress of the NSHOF and its home in Annapolis.

The Pacific Northwest waters, aristocratic pines and views of Mt. Rainier, Baker and the Olympics provided inspiration for Chief Sealth’s (Seattle) native peoples and SYC respects this heritage while developing its own traditions and stewardship. In the 1880s Puget Sound’s Budlong’s Boat House was the locale of the first gathering place of SYC yachtsmen followed in 1882 by the moorage on Battery Street at Brighton’s Boat House. The first Clubhouses built for a formally organized Seattle Yacht Club were in 1892 and 1909 in West Seattle.  Presently the Portage Bay clubhouse (1919) between Lakes Union and Washington offers a colonial style with classical elegance and uncovered and covered moorages. It has been on the National Register of Historical Places since 2006. In addition, there are ten beautiful outstations extending from south Puget Sound through Canadian waters. They are Gig Harbor, Elliott Bay, Port Madison and Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, Henry Island and Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, and Ganges, Ovens Island, Garden Bay and Cortes Bay in Canada. The marine environment is protected by SYC’s Code of Ethics and negotiations with the City of Seattle. Reciprocity with U.S. and international yacht clubs exists.

Since 1928 SYC has participated in powerboat predicted log racing’s annual International Cruiser Race, the Capital to Capitol Race. Hosted by SYC in 1936, the attendance was the highest of any U.S. cruising event to that date. In the 1940s the IPBA made it a family event. Today SYC hosts the IPBA Stimson Cup and participates in other IPBA and local races.

The belief that “everyone who wants to be on the water should be” underlies programs for the community such as the 1935 Shut In Cruise when 50 SYC boats took patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers for a Lake Washington cruise. World War II veterans were taken on similar cruises. Today’s Annual Special People’s Cruise was inspired by SYC women who arranged Christmas cruises for the Fircrest clients. SYC’s Opening Day, modeled in part by the city’s 1911 Potlatch celebration has the largest boating parade and international crew races in the world. SYC sponsors the largest fund raising event in boating, the Leukemia Cup Regatta and the SYC Foundation provides funding for Youth Sailing classes and community boating projects.

Protection of maritime waters and racing abound. SYC formed the first Pacific coastal squadron to teach motorboat navigation and to cooperate with the U.S. government in 1916. During World War II SYC’s Flotilla 24, the largest civilian squadron in the U.S., patrolled Pacific inland waters with private small and large luxury yachts. Pleasure boating was dormant but racing continued. The hydroplane races with SYC’s Slo-Mo IV and V won the Gold Cup 1950-1954 and put Seattle and Seafair on the map. The hydroplane era continues with the SYC burgee on winning boats and thousands of spectators watching the races on Lake Washington and on television.

Pleasure boating resumed after World War II. In 1964 SYC was invited to join the Cruising Club of America and continues to host several of their events. The latter’s goal of promoting cruising by amateurs and its interest in seamanship, navigation and handling of small vessel is in keeping with SYC’s philosophy and support of what the juniors call “people who like to mess around in boats”. Boating education at SYC has always been a priority for youth and adult members and non-members. Currently it is provided in Lasers, Vanguard 15’s, and Optimistist dinghies. Pleasure boating for adults, families and the public is provided in Club and private member boats.

Competing in international races in the 1980s again demonstrated SYC’s racing skills. Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals were brought home. The SYC burgee flew on One World in the 2003 America’s Cup Race. SYC women have won world championships in rowing and the Adams Cup for sailing.  World involvement is further demonstrated by hosting of the International Council of Yacht Clubs Forum in 2011. This is the first time it was held in the United States and 14 countries were represented by numerous delegates.

To insure “the most fun for the most of us” the SYC committee system allows for diversified interest groups and activities for all members. The Men’s and Women’s groups have luncheons with speakers and programs to educate and entertain. Parties, balls, dinner dances and children’s events occur regularly. The annual Commodore’s Ball with the Grand Fourteen Yacht Clubs in the area is a gala event. Potlatch, a weekend of water games, races and feasting at Port Madison, is an example of the family centered events for juniors, intermediates and regular members.

Seattle Yacht Club has a tradition of pride in its members who come from every socioeconomic level. Many have made significant contributions to navigational science and member volunteerism is basic to the Club. The 1937 Board of Trustees stated: the club should cater to the average class of gentlemen yachtsman” attempting to please the aristocrats and also the members with small boats regardless of financial position. SYC also has pride in its clubhouse and the city it is named after. The beacon light on top of the Portage Bay clubhouse was installed by SYC members and the Coast Guard and its spire is shown on nautical charts as a private stationary aid to navigation. It beckons you to join the fun of a cultural icon and continue to make history.

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Reciprocity - Visiting PMYC

Reciprocity is first-come-first-serve - do not call for reservations or checking in - sign in at the club house

Port Madison Yacht Club is located in beautiful Hidden Cove at the north end of Bainbridge Island, Washington.  We're easily located: go west of the Seattle Yacht Club outstation and look for the large docks with only sailboats!  This is a very quiet bay for most of the year.  There are no stores near by. There's a phone in the clubhouse to call for a taxi if needed.  Dogs and children are welcome.  Garbage is located at the top of the path to the parking lot.

We have approximately 70′ of reciprocal dock space on the South side of the main dock.  It's available on a first-come-first-serve basis (there's no one to call for reservations and no one to contact for checking in).  Please fly your club's burgee while at the docks so we'll know where you're from.  Access to the dock is from the west end.  Shore-tie will be to port if your bow is pointing east.  Please watch your depth here at low tides:  it is a muddy bottom, but you don’t want to get stuck.   Depth at the dock is approximately 8′ at a 0 tide.  There's a "hump" in the bottom about 25' south of the west corner of the dock, so don’t swing too wide around that corner at a low tide.  Rafting is fine, depth permitting, but please do not block the permanently moored boats to your east.

Power and water are available at the dock, but power is limited to 15 amps.  There is no charge for either.  The clubhouse is located shore-side and includes deck and picnic benches, a full galley and fridge, two bathrooms (no showers), and a wood-burning stove for heat.  It's is truly a cabin at the beach.  If you wish to use our clubhouse, please check our calendar of events to avoid conflicts with PMYC functions and contact our Reciprocal Chair at [email protected] . 

Reciprocity - Visiting Other Clubs

To view the current list of yacht clubs that have reciprocal agreements with PMYC, click on the following link:  PMYC Reciprocal Moorage . This list is provided by Yacht Destinations ( https://yachtdestinations.org .) If you encounter issues viewing the PMYC Reciprocal Moorage list using the link above, go to https://yachtdestinations.org  and create a free account.  

When you're out and about, please remember that you are representing PMYC (remember to fly your burgee!).  Please pay for your electricity if there's a charge, and pay any applicable moorage fees. Local clubs have lost their reciprocal privileges over something as simple as not paying a $5 electric fee. Thank-you cards are always encouraged for an exceptional visit.  If you have information to provide on any of these clubs please email it to [email protected].

The Fourth Annual Seattle Yacht Club (SYC) Women’s Boating Skills Weekend was held April 1-3 at the Portage Bay Mainstation. The 111 attendees enjoyed sunny weather during the day with the rain and wind holding out until just after the close of the last program Sunday afternoon.

Two weeks prior to the event, the committee decided to open the event up to nonmembers, and what a tremendous opportunity that was. Camaraderie between the community and SYC members was astounding as boating stories were shared, laughter filled the social events, and new friendships were formed. The female boating community in the Puget Sound is truly something special and should be celebrated for championing safe boating experiences and women at the helm.

The weekend consisted of 65+ boating seminars and skill-learning sessions, both on the water and on shore. Sessions included Skippering a Powerboat; Tides, Currents, and Wind; Cruising the San Juan Islands; Sailing Lessons; VHF Communications; Diesel Mechanics; Navigation; Boating Safety (offered by the US Coast Guard); plus so many more!

A Greenbox kicked off the weekend event, followed by a Dock Crawl where six members opened up their boats for socializing and tours. The keynote speaker, Captain Sandy Bendixen, first female Washington Puget Sound Pilot, shared her impressive educational background, her upbringing living aboard her family’s boat, her years of experience onboard massive ships all over the world, and how she navigates ships through the waters of the Puget Sound, all while raising a family aboard the same boat that she was raised on.

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Seattle Singles Yacht Club

Seattle Singles Yacht Club is an atypical club, in that it’s primarily for single men and women who love boating. SSYC is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization. They’re’re a great place to meet people and enjoy Seattle, on the water and off. There’s a dance after at least one of their Monday meetings every month, an overnight boat trip every month, and social events nearly every day of the week. They also produce an annual sailing race and auction for charity.

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Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club

The Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) in Bellevue, Washington was founded in 1946.  MBYC membership affords you many boating privileges and social opportunities while gaining an appreciation for the marine environment of the Pacific Northwest.  Although a primary focus is on the boating Read More...

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Address: 2442 NW Market St., #432 Seattle, WA 98107

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• October Racing at its Best: SYC Grand Prix

Seattle Yacht Club’s autumn classic delivers on every level for all three days!

Seattle Yacht Club’s venerable Grand Prix Regatta is really unique in the variety it offers each year — falling in late October over three days, you’re sure to get varied conditions. The committee’s decisions to mix distance and buoy racing nearly always makes it an excellent test of sailors’ skills and versatility. In 2023, conditions could not have cooperated more splendidly, with all race days pairing brisk fall temperatures with sun and, most importantly, breeze! 

As ever, Grand Prix is an event that tends to draw out many of the biggest, fastest yachts in central Puget Sound. That was certainly true this year in Class 1 where I was sailing, with three TP52s — Smoke , Glory , and Mist — and the Reichel/Pugh 55 Zvi . But Grand Prix is not just a big boat event; there were also one design fleets of J/80s and J/105s, and four other classes racing under either ORC or PHRF handicap systems. In all, 42 boats were out for three terrific days of fall racing. 

I have always held that October is the best sailing month in the Pacific Northwest, an opinion I share with many others. And boy howdy if Friday wasn’t perfectly October! Sunshine splashed through broken clouds while 12-18 knots of chilly north wind whipped at flesh we allowed to peek out of our foulies. The northerly was paired with a flood for the afternoon’s race, which kept the water mostly flat. With such ideal conditions on Friday, pre-race rumors were confirmed, and we found a distance course displayed on the board of SYC’s stately Portage Bay committee boat. 

The race committee must have been feeling a little creative, because in all the races I’ve sailed in central Puget Sound, the course was new to me — a trapezoid bringing Class 1 boats upwind to a temporary mark near Richmond Beach, reaching west to a mark near Jefferson Head, downwind to Blakely Rock, reaching back east to Duwamish head, upwind to round the finish mark (presumably to allow for a shortened course, if necessary) downwind to West Point and a final beat across Shilshole Bay to the finish. There were a lot of marks to remember! And a lot of the race was sailed perpendicular to the breeze in trim-to-course reaching mode. 

Under sunny skies, we got underway and charged upwind in some of the day’s more moderate breeze. For this race, and throughout the weekend, the general consistency of the wind meant that on Glory we spent more time evaluating which side of the race course had more breeze or current advantage, and less time playing shifts. This generally paid on Friday, and we had good speed, rounding the top mark in first and bearing away to the reach. As soon as we were making westward progress toward Jeff Head, it was clear we were going to have a close call with a southbound commercial ship. We had to trim upwind for a minute or two, and cut narrowly behind the massive freighter before bearing away again and hoisting the kite around the mark. 

The run was as pleasant as it gets with some of the best breeze of the day, 14-18 knots. There was a small compression breeze advantage the farther west you were so, as the fleet made its way down the Sound, that was the game. 

Glory and Zvi stayed tight through the run, while increasing a slight margin ahead of Smoke and Mist . We waited until the last second to get the kite down at Blakely and didn’t manage our best douse or transition to the next reach. 

It was an uneventful trip east to Duwamish head, where we were met with more commercial traffic at the turn, necessitating an immediate tack around the mark to avoid a tug and tow. The trip north through Elliott Bay got very fluky. Big shifts, surprising holes, and monster growlers coming through the Interbay cut. For the first portion, it didn’t seem to pay to be well inside, but by the time we neared Elliott Bay Marina, the closer to shore you were, the more favorable the current, breeze, and shifts. On the final lap in Shilshole Bay, Glory was able to extend a bit on the competition, taking line honors and the first race of the long weekend. 

With the distance race in the books, we knew we’d likely be sailing buoy races the rest of the weekend. We headed out on the water for the second day of Grand Prix, and found zero breeze. After a brief postponement, things got cookin’ again with a cold northerly hovering around 10 knots and sterling visibility. The day’s courses were set long — at least one as long as 14 miles in total for Class 1 — but the race committee was able to score three excellent races for all fleets. The committee really did a great job, with square starting lines and fair courses. 

Saturday’s Class 1 battles saw TP 52 Smoke find good form and consistency, sailing cleanly to finish the day with the best score line. They carried a one point lead over Glory into Sunday.

The second day of Grand Prix saw a few great battles brewing in other fleets. The group of boats in Class 2 has seen some of the tightest, most fun racing all season long, and this event was the latest in a riveting string of closely fought regattas. By the end of the day, Iain Christenson’s Farr 36 Annapurna and Abbey Norris’ King 40 Hydra had traded leads atop the class, and were each looking formidable. As Regan Edwards commented after a full day of racing on Farr 30, Nefarious , “We sailed until the sun went down. Literally.”

Sunday dawned with more of the same: autumn sun and champagne sailing in a brisk northerly breeze. With two more well-run buoy races on the docket, there was still lots to play for and it was moving day in many fleets — with boats ascending to podium positions thanks to double bullets. In fact, six of seven classes saw the same boat win both races on Sunday. These top performances launched J/105 Peer Gynt from third at the end of Saturday to first overall in that hotly contested one design class, and helped Farr 39ML Absolutely and Sunfast 3600 Rush secure the third podium spots in their competitive classes. 

In Class 1, Sunday was a tour de force from Smoke . They started well, positioned themselves perfectly, had plenty of speed, and just didn’t give Glory or anyone else a real shot at their regatta lead. They sailed very well and deserved their win — hats off, Smoke team! 

In the end, it was a classically great weekend of autumn racing at what is always one of the best events of the year. In addition to Smoke , around the fleet class wins went to Annapurna , John Hoag’s 1D35 Shrek , Dan Randolph’s Farr 30, Nefarious , Paul Viola’s Peer Gynt in the J/105 fleet, Herb Cole’s Melges 24 Judo Chop taking the top spot in PHRF Class 6, and Lek Dimarucot topping the J/80 one-design class on Underdog . 

Full results here . 

Title background photo by Ben Towery. 

Joe Cline has been the Managing Editor of 48° North since 2014. From his career to his volunteer leadership in the marine industry, from racing sailboats large and small to his discovery of Pacific Northwest cruising —Joe is as sail-smitten as they come. Joe and his wife, Kaylin, welcomed a baby girl to their family in December 2021, and he is enjoying fatherhood while still finding time to sail, make music, and tip back a tasty IPA every now and again.

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