Alan Test is the Current Commodore of IYFR San Francisco Fleet, one of more than a hundred fleets of Rotarian’s who are part of the International Yachting Community.
About the San Francisco Fleet
The alphabetical list of yacht clubs that IYFR SF members are affiliated with is:
- Benicia Yacht Club, Est. 1977
- Berkeley Yacht Club, Est. 1939
- California Carver Club, Est. 1987
- Emeryville Yacht Club, Est. 1989
- LaBelle Yacht Club, Est. 1878
- Loch Lomond Yacht Club, Est. 1962
- Los Angeles Yacht Club, Est. 1901
- Low Tide (New Bedford MA) Yacht Club, Est. 1932
- Marin Yacht Club, Est. 1935
- Oxbow Yacht Club, Est. 1980
- Richmond Yacht Club, Est. 1932
- South Beach YC, Est. 1988
- Sausalito Yacht Club, Est. 1942
- Tradewinds Sailing Club
- St. Francis Yacht Club, Est. 1927
- Tiburon Yacht Club, Est. 1955
- San Francisco Yacht Club, Est. 1869
IYFR-SF has 3 delegates to the Pacific Inter-Club Yachting Association who meet monthly with delegates from the 105 Yacht Clubs who participate in P.I.C.Y.A. In the world of yachting, once you are actively involved as a racer, cruiser, boater, in a leadership position or as a member of a Yacht Club, it is common to meet members of PICYA Member Clubs who share interests sailing, boating and the world of yachting. PICYA member delegates from IYFR-SF have contributed to PICYA and recreational boating leadership over the past years. Long time IYFR-SF Delegate to PICYA, David Breninger, is past President of Recreational Boaters of California and board member and secretary of PICYA Foundation and Current Board member and Secretary of International Order of Blue Gavel Delta District 19.
IYFR-SF is an Association member of PICYA. PICYA member delegates from IYFR-SF have contributed to PICYA over the past years. Past IYFR-SF Commodore Karen Lile arranged for a USPS Special Postal Cancellation Commemorating the 97th and the 100th PICYA Opening Day On The Bay with Special USPS Global Ocean Stamp Plaque Presentations. And our past Commodore Jeff Kasper applied for and received IYFR International grants for the 2014 and 2015 to be donated to the Annual PICYA Margo Brown Wheel Chair Regatta/ The Wheel Chair Regatta, a worthy annual service project, benefits our disabled veterans and is hosted by PICYA in cooperation with the United States Airforce, United States Army, United States Marines, United States Navy and United States Coast Guard. See photos 2014 Annual PICYA Margo Brown Wheel Chair Regatta.
IYFR-SF members (AKA Rotary Mariners) are dedicated business executives, owners, board members, government officials and community leaders who associate in friendship to serve their local and international communities through their local Rotary Club; and who also enjoy the recreational activities of the yachting world in their leisure time.
IYFR San Francisco Fleet’s members include past IYFR International Bridge Members (listed alphabetically) Mary Azavedo, Remsen Barnard, Vera Barnard, Bev Collier, Beri Kasper, Jeff Kasper and Karen Lile. All of these International Bridge Members served under the leadership of International IYFR Commodore Clint Collier from 2011 to 2013, guiding the 3 Area, and over 100+ Fleet Commodores worldwide in the International affairs of IYFR. These past International Bridge Commodore and International Bridge Members are entitled to wear their silver stars for life, in commemoration of their service to the International Bridge and its 100+ fleets.
Tall Ships in the IYFR-SF Fleet
In March 2016, four Tall Ships joined the San Francisco Fleet. Interim Executive Director, Brandi Bednarik of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority brought two tall ships to the IYFR-SF Fleet: the Lady Washington, a 112Õ Sparred length Brig that is reminiscent of Privateer Vessels that were part of the American Revolution and the Hawaiian Chieftain; a 103Õ Square-Rigged Ketch. Both tall ships visit about 50 ports annually and have extensive youth training and education programs. Alan Olson, Founder of Call of the Sea, brought two tall ships to the IYFR-SF Fleet: Seaward; an 82′ Staysail Schooner and the Matthew Turner a 132’Sparred Length Modern Brigantine under construction in Sausalito to the Fleet. Call of the Sea has extensive youth training and education programs. On April 23, 2017, Commodore Karen Lile, flew the IYFR-SF Commodore’s flag from the Lady Washington in a ceremonial battle sail against the Hawaiian Chieftan opening and closing the 100th Anniversary of the Pacific-Inter Club Yachting Association. The United States Postal Service issued a Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation commemorating the event and recognizing the event and the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain.
STAR (Sail Training and Rotary), a partnership between Sail Train International (an organization representing more than 200 Tall Ship Sail Training programs in countries all over the world) and Rotary International (which has over 1.2 Million members in 3300 Rotary Clubs around the world) have a collaboration going back to 1972. Hal Barstow, another Rotarian and current Commodore of IYFR-Newport Fleet is a board member of LAM top sail organization (which owns the Tall Ships Exy Johnson and Irving Johnson in San Pedro Bay), originated the STAR partnership and sits on the National Advisory Board for Tall Ships America.
About IYFR
The International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians, formed in 1947 in Great Britain, is recognized as the oldest of the Rotary Fellowships. It was to become the first of many recreational fellowships formed with the World Fellowship Activities of Rotary International.
In 1947, Rotarian John G. Barrett of the Brixton Rotary Club of London, England, conceived the idea of flying a burgee bearing the Rotary emblem on the masthead of his vessel. He enlisted the help of fellow Rotarians from his own and neighboring clubs and proposed a new yachting association of Rotarians. Rotary International approved this new Rotary recreational fellowship under the name “The Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians.”
This fellowship quickly spread all over Great Britain and then throughout the world.
In 1956 at the Rotary International Convention, the first International Commodore from outside Great Britain was elected. Bob Stuart of Chicago, Illinois, USA, took over the helm. It was also about this time that the fellowship name was changed to “The International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians.
The first international rendezvous of IYFR was held in 1964 in conjunction with the Rotary International Convention of Toronto, Canada. Since that time, the fellowship has expanded greatly with new fleets being added under the enthusiastic leadership of the many Past International Commodores who have been elected from a diversity of countries within the world of Rotary.
The Golden Anniversary of lYFR was celebrated in 1997 at the RI Convention in Glasgow, Scotland. Past International Commodore Andrew Mitchell authored, produced and distributed copies of the ‘Golden Jubilee 1947-1997’, a book commemorating the fifty years of IYFR history.
An IYFR trophy which is presented to each incoming International Commodore, “The John Barrett Bell” was made by one of the founding fellowship members, Denis Dalby, and presented to the fellowship in honor of our Founder, Commodore John G. Barrett.
Today, we are not only the oldest but probably the largest of the Rotary fellowships, according to Rotary International. Over time, we have lost some of our earlier established local Rotary yachting fleets, however we constantly continue to charter new ones.
There are 126 active Rotary yachting fleets in 44 countries (as of June 30, 2017) throughout the world: Argentina, Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China (Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Crimea, Croatia, Czech and Slovak Republics, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mali, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay and the USA.
IYFR has a world wide membership of nearly 3690 members who are “enrolled” in the said 126 Fleets and in the World E-Fleet, created to connect the mariners that have no other fleet that they can join.
For more information about IYFR visit: http://www.iyfr.net