By David Ellis (#490)
It was with a degree of serendipity that the Association Newsletter Editor, Martine Roudier, met with us, Heather and I, at a Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra concert commemorating Ray Charles (Robinson) and Quincy Jones. It made us talk about Dorin Robinson. Dorin was a very fine and accomplished jazz keyboardist, whose first job after graduating from college, was playing Hammond B3 Organ at Seattle Civil Rights rallies. About the only movie Dorin ever went to, and according to him, his favorite, was with me to see the movie “Ray” about Ray Charles’s music career. Over the years Dorin played in his jazz combo, “The Classics”, and many of his recordings have been used on various PNW Classic Yacht Association videos as background. asking how they were doing, what was happening with their boats, what cruising plans they had, and even what favored form of communication they preferred.
Dorin was a true renaissance man. Classic Yachts, Classic Cars and Motorcycles, Classic Jazz, a Classic proponent of human interaction and communication, especially as such communication and interaction is exemplified in the strengths and purposes of the Classic Yacht Association. During his second time serving as PNW Rear Commodore, Dorin stressed the importance and value of members actually “associating” with one another. A great fan of assigning pages of the roster to various willing members to call, or at least contact, every member of the PNW for every event on the calendar, he even went so far as to have individualized communications logs created for every officer in the fleet so they could keep track of their communications with fellow members,
Dorin also was instrumental in putting together and supervising “recruitment cruises” whereby members in dinghies would cruise marinas looking for possible qualifying Classic Yachts. He suggested and encouraged having a brochure with photos created to place on prospective member’s vessels. Port Captains of the fleet were all encouraged conduct their own local cruises. As Historian Margie Paynton pointed out in her fine article about him, Dorin was responsible for sponsoring countless new members over the years. A small photo of each boat he sponsored over the years would fill more than an entire newsletter. Steve Moen, Orba, once told me that if a person wanted a PNW CYA Rendezvous to succeed, all one would need to do was get Dorin involved and the thing would take off. Great advice that worked well. Even at international meetings hosted by the PNW or Canada, If Dorin got involved, things could happen. One year, as Past Commodore Mike Oswald, Freya, could testify to, he talked a group of fellow members into dressing in tuxedos and performing a song for the COW Banquet.
Cruising with or even passing by Dorin at the helm of Cle Illahee was a fun adventure. Early on Heather and I, on Patamar were cruising along on a beautiful day on the Salish Sea when getting close in so I could take some photos of his beautiful Classic when Dorin opened his pilothouse door and introduced us to the “Lunar Salute,” with great laughter on our part. I was soon to learn the the Canadians too would so honor us in passing, always to great hilarity.
Dorin was a stickler for having things, everything, look right. Cle Illahee was and is a beautiful example of a bridge deck cruiser in every aspect. As such, Dorin was never known to sully Cle Illahee’s decks with mud or debris from a messy activity that putting down the hook could entail. Dorin was an accomplished and skilled skipper talking others to put down their anchors. This could occasionally lead to unexpected adventure. One memorable instance occurred when he talked us into putting down Patamar’s very adequate Danforth so that he could raft to us in Andrew’s Bay on Lake Washington. Of course, Cle Illahee always drew a crowd, and before we knew it, there were eight Classics on the raft, in 30 feet of water and plenty of scope. We didn’t count on a gale coming up from the south that night, and about three in the morning Dorin rapped on my pilot house door saying, “Hey David, you might want to come up and see this.” I already learned to never ignore Dorin’s recommendations, so out of the bunk a arose to discover the entire raft of Classics had broken anchor and the entire entourage had floated half way to the floating bridge, anchor dangling well clear of the ground in about three hundred feet of water. It was actually quite serene as the wind had died down and the other skippers were still fast asleep. We hated to awaken everyone, but alas, it had to be done, and all was soon well.
When our first son was born we asked Dorin if we could use his name. From then on they were “Big Dorin” and “Little Dorin”. Now “Little Dorin” is grown up and is the skipper of the Mitlite. His close friend also asked the “Dorins” if he could use the name for his son - so the name lives on. I miss Dorin, The Ancient Mariner, every day with fond memories and gratitude for one of the reasons The Classic Yacht Association has been such a valued organization.
-excerpted from Pacific Northwest Classic Yachting, Summer 2025
