The Orcas Island Yacht Club honored Betsy Wareham and Burke Thomas as “2010 Visionaries” at its annual winter gala, the Commodore’s Ball. Wareham serves as the club’s official handicapper; Thomas as the middle and high school level junior sailing captain.
Betsy Wareham
“With nothing but her skill and vision she began the Round the County Race in 1988,” said newly appointed commodore Len Rickey. “The race is a challenging two day October Regatta circumnavigating the islands of San Juan County.” Thirteen boats sailed in the very first race.
Now, “it has grown to a premier Regatta in the Salish Sea,” Rickey said. “70 boats participated this year. A year’s planning, 30-plus volunteers, and Betsy’s unstoppable enthusiasm and determination has made this Orcas Island Regatta a major success.”
“The race is right up there as one of the top three races in the Pacific Northwest, like the Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s Swiftsure,” said Bob Brunius.
Wareham also won “Sailor of the Year” this year for best performance in local races, winning the June, July and August series.
“Betsy is very tough to beat,” Brunius. She grew up sailing with her brother Ian (also tough to beat) on Lake Washington, and moved to Orcas in 1984, where her family had purchased the West Sound Marina in 1974. She and Ian rescued a derelict Santa Cruz 22 from Blind Bay and began sailing it. Betsy has won many victories with the Red Eye Express, including the Vic Maui ocean race to Hawaii in 2004, the Alice E Cup and the Bob Schoen Trophy. She served as Commodore in 1994, and has been named Orcas Island Sailor of the year in multiple years. She is currently junior sailing director for Sail Orcas.
Burke Thomas
Sail Orcas began in 2002; coach Andy Saxe was called to active duty in Afghanistan two weeks later. Thomas was the stand-in, and ended up coaching the new team of 10 high schoolers. Still coaching, Thomas is now also president of the Northwest Inter-scholastic Sailing Association(NWISA). This year the sailing team took second place in the district, won the Island Cup and the Port Townsend Regatta, and took first in the A fleet of the George Prater Regatta.
“Three district championships later, 25 sailing team members per year with a middle school exploratory program serving 16 students per quarter, Burke has touched many lives,” said Rickey.
While Sail Orcas is a separate entity, a 501(3)c nonprofit, yacht club members are heavily involved in supporting the organization and the program uses the club’s docks and picnic shelter.
Sail Orcas coordinates the junior sailing program and adult sailing lessons each summer, and high-school competitive sailing, with an exploratory school program for middle schoolers year-round. The fleet is 48 boats strong, from beginner boats to adult racers.
This past year Burke chaired the Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association‘s (ISSA) National Regatta, the Baker Championship in Seattle, and was awarded the 2010 President’s Award for exceptional service by ISSA President Tim Hogan.
“He’s run some excellent regattas,” said past club commodore Bob Brunius.
Thomas also grew up sailing with his family on Lake Washington and began sailing competitively at a young age.
Burke Thomas receives his award from new commodore Len Rickey.
Parents and kids say…
“To say that Burke was probably the most significantly influential person in my son’s adolescent development – yes, maybe so. Thank you, Burke,” said Jim Wester.
“Burke Thomas has done so very much for our two children,” said Jim and Kari Schuh. “It has been Burke’s leadership, knowledge, sense of humor, connections with all the other sailing coaches, incredible kindness, willingness to give freely of his time, and uncanny ability to herd a group of teenagers that makes this program SO strong. For a group of kids from a tiny little island to actually make it to Sailing Nationals is quite the coaching feat!… We can only hope our children will follow Burke’s example and give half as much back to their community as he has so generously given to our community, the kids, and the future sailors of Orcas Island.”
Perri Gibb also thanked Thomas’ wife, Barbara, “who pitches in herself in innumerable ways. Burke is selfless in devoting his time, energy and resources to the sailing team, and that wouldn’t be possible without her generosity. She shares in Burke’s honor. Barbara, thank you for sharing your husband with the young people of this island. Thank you, Burke, for making a difference in my son’s life,” she said.
Her son Lee, a high school senior, wrote, “Thank you for all of the years on the sailing team and showing me how to sail. Ever since you threw me right into my first regatta, when I joined sailing, and Barrett elbowed me in the jaw, I knew this was an intense sport I was going to stick with… I have always liked how you treated me (especially when it was my birthday in California for Anteater!) and you were always interested in what I wanted to do for college. When we talked about music in the truck on the way to regattas, you always listened to my opinion. So what I am really saying is thanks for being an AWESOME coach and thanks for being like a friend.”
2010 Orcas sailing team. Photo courtesy of Burke Thomas.
Orcas Island Yacht Club
The club was established in 1956. Members are invited to bring friends to monthly events including a crab dinner and a salmon barbecue, as well as Friday night summer sailboat races, group cruises to Victoria, and the annual Commodore’s Ball. The club donates proceeds from its October Benson Cup to Children’s House childcare center, and occasionally sends a work crew to Sucia and other state park islands to spend a couple of days helping with building or needed repairs. Each year members also organize a day cruise for elderly shut-ins. Annual membership costs roughly $200, and $200 to join. For more information, call Len Rickey at 376-4533 or visit the club’s Web site.
