Viking Sailing Club

1959 - 2016

The History of your Club

During summer of 1959 a few pleasure vessel owners based at Redondo Marina welcomed everyone else contemplating developing a household oriented sailing club to attend a meeting at Redondo Marina. After a number of formative meetings, a "name the club competition, " etc. The Viking Yacht Club came to be. ELDRED PILANT, who had previously been the principal "wheel mover", was chosen the first Commodore. Of this more or less 30 charter people forming the club, just one, last Commodore SHELL TUCKER, however keeps a working membership. Shell Tucker served as Commodore in 1968 and again in 1978. (layer Tucker happens to be dead)

The reality that the majority of the Charter users had outboard boats from 16 to 22 feet demonstrated their particular enthusiasm and determination to cultivate by calling the club a "Yacht Club." Perhaps they also respected a boaters built in need "just for more space." This need is generally called "two footitus." Under Commodore Pilants' way good collection of by-laws was enacted. This can be obvious for the reason that some 40 years later on the by-laws show remarkably small change.

Because Commodore Pilants first term was just a few months, (our financial 12 months operates from Nov. through Oct.) he had been reelected to a second term. The actual only real Commodore, currently, to offer two successive many years.

In October 1960 the very first regular monthly newsletter had been printed, a competition happened previously to name the publication. "THE LUR" ended up being the winner. THE LUR ended up being title of a lengthy flat horn used by the Vikings, from Norway, to call their rings collectively as well as send emails from a single team to a different. So that it would appear "The LUR" ended up being well-named. While the club expanded it became obvious the club needed more room for their group meetings, ideally residential property of one's own. Space and services had been restricted in the marina.

After two bum prospects and false hopes the VIKINGS found with the "Tacoma Beachcombers" have been small boat focused with desires and intends just like those of the VIKINGS. They had progressed further, for the reason that that they had a "layer" of a clubhouse built on residential property had by Harbor Marina in Tacoma. The economic and private tension of volunteer work to build the club had depleted their particular account to all just a few of this hard core people. These were happy to merge using the VIKINGS have been financially capable believe their debts and eager to finish the building. Therefore in belated October 1962 the VIKING YACHT CLUB'S dream of their particular clubhouse emerged true.

During the winter of 1962 and summer 1963 many projects had been done and completed to get the club "simply the way we desired it." By autumn 1963 the club believed, since Tacoma ended up being our residence port, we should become involved in community projects. It had been made a decision to enter a float within the next Tacoma Marine daffodil Parade that has been held during the early April every year.

The 1964 Marine Daffodil Parade entry had been the VIKING YACHT CLUB's first float. We'd a lively group, and club member Don Bangert was a talented float designer. Our float won the "Sweepstakes honor" or most readily useful float within the parade. In 1965 we once again won the "Sweepstakes Award." Everybody in the club ended up being thrilled once more. No club had previously won the "Sweepstakes Award" THREE years in a row. The VIKINGS had been determined to be USUALLY THE ONE. Float preparation, by Don Bangert, just who designed all of our floats, began straight away. Float building started in early January. While the finished product passed the reviewing stand radio stations and TV announcer reported, "it had been as effective as any float ever into the land parade by far the very best he would ever before present in the aquatic Parade." A great number of of your COMPETITORS expressed comparable thoughts. Unfortuitously the JUDGES don't notice it by doing this. The VIKING float was awarded second place. Throughout the after that 15 years the VIKINGS had been considered "the club to conquer." The club won even more "Sweepstakes Awards" during this period than just about any club had ever won formerly. By 1977 the expense of making and decorating a float proved excessively together with club elected to drop-out for the parade. With Don's planning and artistic ability we originated floats having 3-D, three edges decorated, precisely scaled, proportioned and shaded making use of dyed daffodils to get the desired coloring. All marine floats formerly have been billboard type. We could went to that, to reduce the cost, as most clubs had been performing. The club decided whenever we couldn't get first-class, with a float is proud of, we would favour nothing. When you look at the fall of 1964 Ken Wilson had been Rear Commodore, and chairman of Cruise committee. He thought TACOMA should have a "XMAS SHIP" and possibly a decorated CHRISTMAS SHIP PARADE to cruise the Tacoma harbor and nearby communities playing Christmas music from a vessel embellished as a Christmas tree. Ken's study suggested Tacoma had not had a Christmas ship since before WW II whenever Henry Foss after that president of Foss introduction and Towboat Co., had made use of their boat THEA FOSS (1st Thea) to transport neighborhood high school choirs along Tacoma's shorelines singing Christmas time Carols when it comes to pleasure associated with regional residents.

The people in the VIKING YACHT CLUB believed it was a very good way to complete one thing the good associated with the neighborhood. Invite letters were delivered to all neighborhood yacht groups requesting them to become listed on us in establishing a lighted, decorated xmas Ship Parade, Similar to Seattle's Christmas Ship Parade, which was well-known for quite a while. The invite letters had been followed with individual connection with another clubs in your community but none were contemplating sponsoring a Christmas Ship. It was not until 1978 the Mayor of Tacoma, MIKE PARKER, persuaded the Tacoma Yacht Club and city council to jointly sponsor a Christmas Ship Parade along Tacoma's waterfront. It absolutely was largely the Mayors energy of persuasion that got the various groups began participating.

The VIKING YACHT CLUB account decided to carry on because of the project and sponsor a xmas Ship. On weekend before Christmas 1964 the EL DONDEE a 33' Chris Craft possessed by Don & Dee Bangert made the maiden voyage because the VIKING YACHT CLUB Christmas time Ship.