Richland Yacht Club

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The Richland Yacht Club is privileged to be situated at Columbia Point on the beautiful Columbia River in Eastern Washington State. To the north of us, the Hanford Reach has been designated a national monument and abounds in natural scenery and wildlife. To the south of us, the Yakima River empties into the Columbia River at a delta. A few miles farther downstream the Snake River feeds into the Columbia River at Sacajawea Park on the trail taken by the Lewis & Clark on their Corps of Discovery expedition.

The Tri-Cities of Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco is a vibrant and growing community in the heart of Washington wine country with plenty of lodging, restaurants, shopping, and golf courses. We welcome you to visit us when you are in the area and see why we love it here in the Tri-Cities.

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The Club Says Good - Bye - Linda Munson

Sal, Kevin, Laura—
Our hearts go out to you for the loss and sadness we know you feel. We who knew Doug share a portion of that sadness. I have been asked by several members of the Richland Yacht Club to try to convey some measure of the loss, admiration, esteem and sometimes, even, envy felt by those of us who knew Doug through the Yacht Club.
Death is always sad for those left behind, but it is not always tragic. The real tragedy is not to have lived, and Doug lived, making the most of his opportunities. Although we share a common loss with you, we also remember his life with joy and admiration. He was freer than most of us to follow his dreams.
He served the Richland Yacht Club in many positions both official and unofficial. I just learned last week that he was the night watchman for a while. I knew him has Board Member, Parliamentarian and Commodore. He always showed up for work parties, welcomed new members, and shared boating and engine maintenance tips. He and Sal lived on their Gibson Houseboat at the club for several years.
He had worked on docks, the clubhouse and various projects, but one of his most important contributions was seeing the value of the Yacht Club lease and appointing a committee to negotiate with prospective developers. He appointed some well-chosen members to serve on that committee, and long after he was Commodore, that effort came to fruitarian and gave us the clubhouse we have today.
He loved boats and trucks and trains and all sorts of “guy stuff”, but I never heard him use crude language or profanity. Some of the members remember him using his scooter at Fishhook Park to make sure no train passed that he did not see. I remember him waxing eloquent about a restored tug boat, and he almost made me enthusiastic about it.
His knowledge of birds was not as good. After a dingy cruise into the back waters of the mud hole, or (Paradise Cove if you prefer), he was talking about the “giant king fishers”. After consulting a bird book we agreed that he had seen a black crowned night heron. He was curious and willing to learn.
It was impossible to pull into a Yacht Club between here and Astoria where he was not well known and respected.
He and Sal did some amazing cruising in the last several years, cruising San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Delta, the Great Circle Route, down the Mississippi River, across the Gulf of Mexico, up the intercostals water way along the East Coast and across the Erie Canal in New York. They cruised the San Juan’s and Canadian Gulf Islands. I guess that is where the envy comes in. Many of us wish we hadn’t let things stand in the way of our undertaking similar adventures.
He treated everyone well and listened to what they had to say. I guess it goes without saying, he was never guilty of “putting on airs” or trying to be something he wasn’t. Doug was generous, hardworking and respectful of others. He welcomed all and participated fully. He was adventurous, loving of his wife and family and helpful to his friends both the community and the Yacht Club. He was an optimist to the end, even agreeing to a position on the Yacht Club Board this last year.
Doug Stiles will have a permanent place in the history and lore of the Richland Yacht Club and in the hearts of those of us who knew him.
I feel like one should say something like, may God rest his soul, but he had such an inquisitive and adventurous spirit, perhaps we should pray that God satisfy the longings of his soul and comfort us all in our loss.