Happy holidays, Tiburon Yacht Club Members! My name is Chris Cooper, your newly elected Commodore.

Looking back at the past year, Commodore Dave Anderson and the Board of Directors led us through a difficult year. Dave acted quickly to ensure our membership’s safety while keeping us engaged. He leveraged technology which allowed for a completely new way for TYC to meet, online.  

Before I share a bit more about myself and the new board, I would like to extend my appreciation to David, the members of the 2019-2020 Board of Directors, the Committee Chairs, and all the members of TYC who have volunteered their time and abilities to make a most unusual year an enjoyable time at TYC, even if most of our times together were "virtual." All of these people have worked with diligence to be creative and enthusiastic to keep TYC members together through Zoom meetings and social gatherings, Take-Out dinners, Pursuit races, and an exciting, safely done, cruise on the Matthew Turner.

I am excited to be a part of TYC and to take on this leadership role along with the TYC board for the 2020-2021 year. This month, I will be transitioning into the role of Commodore.

I am truly fortunate not only to have Dave stay on as Past Commodore, but Staff Commodore Tiffany will also remain on the board. We have a strong and balanced group on this year's board, some new and some with a long history with the club. We are all focused on keeping the TYC active and continue to brainstorm on new ways to interact with each other. We will be guided by the best medical information and practices so that we stay safe.

Please welcome the 2020-2021 TYC Board and Committee Chairs.

At the helm is me as your Commodore, Chris Cooper Joining me are: Vice Commodore:     unfilled Rear Commodore:    Peter Shamray Secretary:                  Mark Schumacher Treasurer:                  Patty Cerf Past Commodore:     Dave Anderson| Director:        Richard Cunliffe Director:        Robert Horton Director:        Tracey Schwartz Director:        Cameron Tuttle Director:        Tiffany Townsend  Race:             Mariellen Stern

I have not had the pleasure of meeting many of you because of my work schedule which keeps me busy on Friday nights. I usually tend bar when I’m able to be in the club and have been on the board for a couple of years.

I am a professional French horn player. I have been an acting member of the San Francisco Symphony for many years. Before that I was a member of the Canadian Brass where I toured all over the world, received a Grammy nomination and was given an honorary doctorate from McMaster University in Ontario Canada. My wife Gina is a member of the viola section in the SF Symphony. We have wonderful twin boys, Ed, and Joe who are seniors at Tamalpais High School. Ed will be going into the Navy right after graduation as a machinist’s mate on submarines and Joe will be studying electric bass, hopefully at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

I learned to sail as a teenager in Rockport MA taking Coast Guard sailing and seamanship classes at night. I saved my paper route money to buy my own sail boat, a Flying Tern, when I was 16 and was a junior member of the Rockport Yacht Club. We now sail a Newport 33 named Sunrisa which we keep in the Paradise Cay marina.

I look forward to serving the Tiburon Yacht Membership to the best of my ability and to seeing you all online!