I am truly honored and excited to be addressing you as your Commodore.   The job ahead of me this year is not without challenges but I am ready to take them on.  

I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little about myself as I have officially been a member of the TYC Board of Directors for three years and some of you may not know me as well as you do some of our veteran board members.

My late husband Eric and I joined the Tahoe Yacht Club in 1992.   We were just barely passed the newly wed stage, had recently bought a sailboat and were becoming very active in the Wednesday night Beer Can Events.   We became close friends with Michael and Cissy Rosenauer and it was because of their encouragement that we became members.   In 1996, Eric was elected to the TYC Board of Directors.   As with everything Eric did he gave 110% of his time and energy to the Club.   We truly loved being part of such a wonderful group of people.   Our original interest was sailing and it continues to be a passion of mine.   Since those early years our interests have grown to include the Wooden Boat Week, O.T.B's, Penguin Ski Days and many of the numerous social events on and off the water.   While Eric had the official title of a director I was intimately involved in everything he did at the Club.   Our relationship was a very successful partnership in all aspects of our lives.   Over the years that followed, our dedication to the TYC only grew.   As some of you have witnessed our two little boys, Ryan (10) and Blake (6) have literally grown up at the Clubhouse.   On October 8, 2004 tragedy struck our family.   Eric was killed in what can only be described as a bizarre tractor accident.   At that moment he had been your Vice Commodore for only one month and was looking forward to the year ahead as well as taking on the responsibilities of being your Commodore the following year.   Then Commodore Paul Cunha and the rest of the directors had the unenviable task of attempting to fill the void left by Eric's death.   I was honored and humbled when the TYC Board of Directors asked me to come on as Port Captain.   I will admit it seemed like a daunting task at the time; however I knew it was the right thing for me to do.   It is nearly impossible for me to believe that it has been 3 years.   Those years have absolutely flown by.  

I have learned a great deal more about the Tahoe Yacht Club as I have climbed through the ranks of flag officers; the rich history of our Club and this area of Lake Tahoe I call home.   These years have taught me many things, one of which is that my dedication to the club has grown even stronger.   As I mentioned earlier I will face many challenges this year as all Commodores before me have done.   I am also aware of the unique responsibility I have of being the third woman commodore in our Club's long existence.   As I have witnessed and through the wonderful stories that have been shared with me from our great group of Staff Commodores; I will deal with the challenges and over come them with the help of our many dedicated members and our fantastic staff at the TYC.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Commodore, I will do my very best to live up to your expectations. I have entered into this position as Commodore with my eyes wide open and absolutely no agenda.   However when your board members meet nearly every month we do have an agenda and that is to make sure that the Tahoe Yacht Club is the best social experience that it can be for its members.   We are constantly striving to not only encourage new people to join the TYC but most importantly give our current valued members what they want.   Do not hesitate to contact any of us, and that includes our tremendous staff or your Board of Directors.   We value your opinions and look forward to hearing your ideas and comments.

Sincerely,

Stacy Conner, Commodore Tahoe Yacht Club