Christine Kanach
Whether she’s mixing up your favorite Manhattan, pouring a glass of wine, waiting on tables, or greeting you at the top of the stairs, make no mistake about it, Christine Kanach is not only happy to see you, but she’s ready to be sure you have a great time at the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club.
Christine, who was raised in Middletown and now lives in the Belford section, is the Club Steward for the club situated on the second floor of the Shore Casino building in the Municipal Yacht Harbor.
Multiple Roles
As such, not only does she bar-tend and wait tables, but she literally runs the club…..scheduling events and employees, assisting Chef Tom Drake in ordering foods or working with local vendors, ordering supplies for the bar, handling the payroll, whatever it takes to keep the historic Club running smoothly and its members and guests content.
Life’s a Juggle
As the single mom of four adults, with two of her three daughters still in college, Christine works full time at the Club as well as part time as payroll manager for I AM Fitness gym in Middletown where her smile and friendly disposition are also always present.
The Yacht Club
While she readily admits she likes both jobs because of the people with whom she works and those she meets, it’s clear her heart is at the Yacht Club.
“I’ve met such amazing people and learned so much from all of them,” she enthuses, starting with the members of the club as well as the boaters and sailors who dock or moor at the Marina and come up to the club for dinner, snacks, a drink, or simply the entertainment and camaraderie of other mariners.
She not only remembers the names of just about all of the club’s almost 200 members, but for those who come in on a regular basis, she also has their favorite drink ready and waiting between the minute she sees them and the minute they sit down at the bar or at one of the nearby tables. That’s pretty formidable, when you consider the Yacht Club offers eight beers on tap and another 12 to 15 varieties in bottles.
“These are really the best people I know,” she explains as her way of citing the reasons why she loves her job. “And the visiting guests as well,” she continues with enthusiasm, “I’ve met people from all over the United States and from so many different countries. They all have interesting stories to tell and are always so generous in sharing them.”
This Yacht Club frequently also welcomes a lot of members from other yacht clubs in the area since it is open year-round, while many others are only open seasonally. In most cases, a membership in a yacht club any place in the United States comes along with the privilege of visiting every other yacht club simply by showing a membership card. For boaters who spend a lot of time on the water, or those traveling the Intercoastal waterway to points south, the Atlantic Highlands club is an easy and convenient stop along the way.
Graduations
With a son and one daughter off on their own, Christine is looking forward to two more college graduations, when one of her identical twin daughters graduates from the University of Minnesota and the other from the University of Iowa next year. “That’s why I’m working,” she grins, in explaining that she meets the expense of college educations for two by holding down two jobs.
Pour Me a Drink
Christine has been at the Yacht Club about six years, or, as she puts it, “I have to count the commodores I’ve served with!” and started out as a waitress. When there was a need for a bartender one night, she decided to give it a try, found she liked it and could learn easily. Like everything else she has done throughout her life, Christine said she is “self-taught in bartending.” She has waited on tables since she was 18, and admits that after the Yacht Club steward position, “that’s my second favorite job.”
Christine has to think hard to come up with what she doesn’t like about her steward’s position but finally says “if there’s anything bad about it, it’s that I never have any time off. Working two different jobs, it really is hard to find time to just sit down and do nothing, or travel anyplace for any length of time. But still, “she laughs, “the jobs make it worth it.”
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