More than 200 boats entered in the 2009 Harvest Moon Regatta, sponsored by Lakewood Yacht Club, left Galveston on October 1, in the midst of strong storms, heavy winds and high seas which continued to plague racers through the wee hours of October 2. Unfortunately some of the boats had to turn back, but for those who continued on, the voyage to Port Aransas was everything they had hoped for and the weekend weather was absolutely gorgeous for the Awards Ceremony and all of the other festivities that were held in conjunction with the regatta.

JM YACHTS was on hand to congratulate our good friends, Terry and Dorothy Hollar and the crew of "Fun Hunter" who took Second Place in their class. Terry worked diligently before the race to paint the boat, make sure all of the systems were in perfect working condition and insure that they would all arrive safely. His efforts were rewarded by how beautiful the boat looked as she crossed the finish line and tied up at City Marina!

We also want to congratulate our customers and many friends from TMCA and TASS who braved the weather, successfully completed this difficult race and celebrated this spectacular annual event with the many awards they won!

Official race results can be viewed at: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=2285&show_manufacturer=1&show_crew=1

One of the pillars of the Clear Lake Boating Community needs our help!

Mike DuBois, founder and publisher of the popular boating publication Telltales Magazine has been battling with multiple forms of cancer for quite a while and is faced with monumental medical expenses. JM YACHTS is participating with the Gulf Coast Yacht Brokers' Association to host a fundraiser to help Mike with these expenses just as he has helped so many people in the past with his generous support of community organizations and activities.

There will be a Bake Sale, BBQ plates for $8.00 each, Music, Silent Auction, Live Auction, Raffles.....Mark your calendars and join us for this fun and very worthy event!

The SouthWest International Boat Show this past weekend was a great success! We had wonderful weather and great attendance. It was a real pleasure to see so many of our friends and past customers and to make quite a few new friends.......and it was terrific to watch people climb aboard one of our Ranger Tugs and instantly fall in love with these adorable mini-yachts. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make this show a great event.

It's Boat Show Season and JM YACHTS is excited about participating in a Florida-style show right here in League City, TX! The SouthWest International Boat Show opens tomorrow, September 24, 2009 and runs through Sunday, September 27, 2009. The show is being held at the beautiful South Shore Harbour Marina. Stop by and board the Ranger Tugs R-25 and R-29 on Pier 14, Slips 27 & 29 and our 2006 Beneteau Swift 42 Trawler and 2004 Sea Ray 420 on Pier 13, Slips 33 and 35.
For more information about the show, contact our office or visit the show's website at www.southwestinternationalboat show.com.

The third annual American Spirit Boat Parade on Clear Lake will be held on Sunday, June 28 and will benefit the Military Order of Purple Heart Chapter 723. The Military Order of Purple Heart Chapter 723 honors those killed or wounded in combat while serving in the United States Armed Services since 1917.
Parade participants, many Purple Heart veterans and their families, will gather along the Clear Lake shore line of Nassau Bay at 3:30 p.m. The parade will travel east toward the Kemah Boardwalk, out into Galveston Bay, and return to the Nassau Bay Marina; a gathering spot for food, fellowship and awards presentation. Several awards will be presented including the best patriotic decorated boat and patriotic swimwear.
Bring your family out to enjoy the parade and celebrate the Spirit of America with JM YACHTS. For additional information on this event, visit the sponser's website at www.moph723.org

We are so excited to announce the arrival of the Ranger Tugs R-29 in Texas yesterday, May 19, 2009! With her striking cranberry hull, she is even more beautiful than we thought she would be and we are looking forward to showing her to you! Call us and ask about demo rides for Qualified Buyers!

Effective today, May 5, 2009, Pam Rice has decided to leave JM YACHTS to pursue other opportunities. We wish her well wherever she goes and in whatever she does.

She's here........the Ranger Tugs R-25 has arrived on our dock. And what a beauty she is! Stop by and board her today or see her at the Texas International Boat Show in Corpus Christi, TX, April 23 -26, 2009. But don't worry, she will be back on our dock right after the show and ready for you to board and make her your own!!!!

Just the other day, a customer that we sold a boat to a couple years back called and asked if we knew anyone who could do trailerable boat transport from Port Isabel, TX to a yard in Seabrook, TX.......we were at a loss to help him. But now that has changed! JM YACHTS has partnered with Texas Boat Transport by Hot Headz Marine to offer affordable boat moving to destinations along the Gulf Coast. For more information or to get a free quote, click on the Boat Transport page on our web site or call your broker at JM YACHTS.

It's official! JM YACHTS is now the sales arm for Ranger Tugs/Texas. Just in case you are not familiar with these boats.......Ranger Tugs are trailerable trawlers, available in 21', 25' and 29' models, that expand cruising potential to include any destination that you want to explore. They have been designed to offer comfort, fuel efficiency, versatility and affordability! We expect the 25' model to arrive on our dock on or about April 1 and the new 29' model to arrive sometime in May. We are looking forward to sharing our excitement with you as you board these fine little trawlers on our dock or at the Texas International Boat Show being held in Corpus Christi, TX from April 23 -26, 2009!

It is with deep sorrow that we must announce the passing of a long-time member of the Clear Lake boating community, former business owner in League City and, most especially, a friend of JM YACHTS. Ellie Weeden lost her battle with liver cancer yesterday, March 15, 2009. She and her husband, Tim, have been active in TASS (a local sailing association) for many years and Ellie has served our community with donations of time and money for numerous worthy causes, such as Bay Area Turning Point. She was the former owner of Laguna Beach Tans in League City. Ellie was loved by many and her presence in all of our lives will be greatly missed. JM YACHTS is proud to have known Ellie and called her our friend!

There is a rumor going around that JM YACHTS is moving our main office from Watergate Yachting Center to Port Aransas, TX. We want to let all of our customers and friends know that this is definitely not true! JM YACHTS is firmly committed to the Clear Lake boating community and no plans are in the works to relocate our main office. What is true is that we are planning to expand our business at our Watergate office and hope to open a satellite office at Island Moorings Marina in the foreseeable future. In fact, we had hoped to take possession of our Island Moorings office on March 1, 2009, but circumstances changed and we have put this plan on hold temporarily. We will continue to have a strong presence in the Coastal Bend market with the help of our two brokers, Dave Hamilton and Jules Roels, who reside in the area and have done a great job of working with both Buyers and Sellers from Rockport to the Rio Grande Valley for the last two years. JM YACHTS is very fortunate to have professional brokers in two unique boating communities and a terrific relationship with both Watergate Yachting Center and Island Moorings Marina. We look forward to seeing our customers and friends on the water or in either of our marina "homes"!

Please join all of us at JM YACHTS in welcoming our new broker, Darrell Cottle to our team. Darrell is new to yacht sales but not new to the boating community. I know he won't mind me sharing this, so we want to tell you a little about how he came to JM YACHTS. Normally, when a broker is looking for a job, he submits a resume, the brokerage interviews him/her and if it is a good fit, then the job is offered and accepted. Not so with Darrell, he decided he wanted to pursue a career change as a yacht broker and went out, visited almost every brokerage in the Clear Lake boating community and "he" did the interviewing to decide who "he" thought was a good fit for "him". Darrell was offered three positions, but he chose JM YACHTS and we are really glad that he did! Stop by our Watergate office to meet Darrell - he is there most days from 9 AM to 5 PM.

2009 is here and JM YACHTS is is positioning itself to have its best year ever! With the help of Pam Rice and Dave Hamilton working in Port Aransas and Jules Roels working on North Padre Island, we are becoming more active in the boating community in South East Texas. JM YACHTS is now officially a member of the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and is looking forward to participating in promotion of this island paradise. Pam has also been elected as the Vice President of the newly formed Port Aransas Chapter of the International Parrothead Club. Dave and Pam are continuing to work closely with the management of Island Moorings Marina to enhance our relationship with them, especially since both of them are live aboards in the marina and they are telling all of their friends and clients about the wonderful amenities this marina has to offer.
Our main location in Watergate Yachting Center has returned to full operation in the office and on the dock - thanks to the management of Watergate and the commitment which they have shown to restoring our marina to be even better than it was before Hurricane Ike!