Dockside Controversy at Richmond Yacht Club during Great Pumpkin Regatta

(Dateline Point Richmond, - October 24, 2009) Controversy broke out at the Richmond Yacht Club Great Pumpkin Saturday, after race beer, when Vice Commodore Dave Rasmussen demanded that a registered participant leave the premises or the police would be summoned. This has been a long time hassle said Mike Bruzzone of the Express 27 Desperado. Rasmussen told me I can race in the event but they’d kick me out if I came to the party. Every other regatta Bruzzone attends at RYC changes from the club’s neutral ignorance of his dockside beer keg appearance and then someone moves the stake back again.

Last year Torbin said he’d handle it, and when he didn’t he said Dave would, and Dave has been waffling and this has been going on for years now. Back and forth since 1989 has resulted in a progressively deteriorating situation. They have a game of come over so we can make an example out of you. Some member observing from behind the curtains sends the messenger over to bust me. I’ve never been willing to play that game which is a waste of after race social time said Bruzzone.

In 1989 Richmond Yacht Club gave Bruzzone the boot for supporting a crew member the week before National’s after being pummeling by another Express 27 owner at a similar RYC after race gathering. One of the two owners of our primary competitor from the infamous Leon Russell said Bruzzone. Our two crews were very competitive. Some members couldn’t understand the intensity of the rivalry. Some of the best Express 27 racing I’ve ever had from a crew that competed with the intensity of pirates. We won two years running and then they got us three straight.

Rasmussen asserts Bruzzone’s expulsion from the club in 1989 gives private membership organizations the right to dictate Bruzzone’s participation in relation to promoted event offerings today. Bruzzone asserted even a non profit corporation has to abide within the frameworks of its business offerings. At community events the Club Built for Fun should provide supporting benefits “as advertised” Bruzzone expressed. Otherwise RYC’s direct promotions and paid space advertisements are simply false advertising he added.

Rasmussen disagreed and like other Richmond members refuses to explain attempts for Bruzzone’s continued ousters. Continuing his oratory to an attentive perhaps polarized audience Bruzzone described laundering of smuggling proceeds and RYC Board refusal to regulate crimes taking place their including through a period of ABC and FBI investigations. Bruzzone focused on the Hitlerion objective by some members to embarrass and make an example out of him at a community event through a constructed defamation. This has built up over a lot of years and I’m glad I said it Bruzzone asserted. I hope the Board heard they have fiduciary responsibilities over so many weasels minding the chicken house.

One stander by noting his membership at Bay View Boat Club objected cautioning criticisms like that could get a boat sunk. Instead RYC failed to score Bruzzone in the Sunday chase race. Bruzzone agreed with the observer that his diatribe was unnecessary in relation to exposing RYC in a public setting. Bruzzone apologizes to any offended by his oral history of Richmond Yacht Club from whom he is a former member from a founding family.

Respectfully Submitted mb