Buckeye Lake Yacht Club Selected to Host I-LYA Travelers Series Kick-Off Regatta
Once again this year, BLYC will host the first regatta of the season for the Inter-Lake Yachting Association’s Junior Traveler Series. The regatta will be held on Saturday, May 31st and will attract nearly 100 youth sailors from around the region sailing in four different classes – ILCA4, ILCA6, Club 420, and Optimist on two separate race courses.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Hosting an event of this magnitude takes a lot of volunteers and the BLYC membership never fails to provide. We will need help in the following areas and more…
This past Saturday, June 1st, Buckeye Lake Yacht Club hosted the kickoff to the 2019 I-LYA Traveler Series. Seventy-five youth sailors, aged 6-17, made the trip to Buckeye Lake, east of Columbus, and enjoyed a great day of racing. Buckeye Lake, after several years of low water, was back in top form with comfortable temperatures and steady southwest winds blowing 6-15 knots. Spectators lined the piers of BLYC and the new North Shore bike path to watch the racing up close, visit north dallas maid service. The series continues next week at Alum Creek Sailing Club in Lewis Center, Ohio and will continue throughout the summer with the finale at Hoover Sailing Club in August.
Thank you to all of the BLYC volunteers who made this event successful. It was truly a team effort and the comments from competitors, parents, and other visitors were very complimentary of the Club and the event.
We started the day off by launching our new Club 420 sailboats for the juniors at Liebs Island. BLYC members joined in to help escort them as they paraded the new boats down the lake to BLYC. Upon their arrival, the PHRF fleet launched along with several of our 2018 sailing camp participants in Optis. All sailed around the front of the Clubhouse where Father Mike blessed the fleet and it was time to race!
We had good wind and the RC set a nice long windward leeward course for the PHRF fleet – the new 420s sailed by Matthew Davis & Bryor Burke and Katy Schroeder & Olivia Smith sailed with PHRF and were handicapped along with them. The Optis were sent on a smaller triangle course and… well they sailed and had fun.
It was a great day as the girls, sailing C420 #8612 were off the line like a shot and took a commanding early lead which they never lost – finishing a full 6 minutes ahead of Big Girl and 7 minutes ahead of the other C420. A promising look ahead to our 2019 BLYC Sailing Team!
Last week’s Rabbit Flag winner Chuck Bendig presented the girls with the the coveted award for this week – a great day of adults and youth sailing together and having a great time on our beloved lake.
Thanks to the generous donations of many BLYC members and friends, Buckeye Lake Junior Sailing, Inc. was able to purchase two new Club 420 sailboats this summer. These boats, manufactured by Zim Sailing, were used for the US Sailing Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championships for the Ida Lewis Trophy in Mentor, Ohio in late July and again for the Chubb US Sailing Junior Doublehanded Championships for the Bemis Trophy in LaSalle, Michigan the first week of August. They have only been raced twice! As a result of Zim’s loaner program for the Championships, the boats are made available for sale to junior sailing programs at a discounted price.
These boats will significantly improve our junior sailing fleet and provide additional opportunities for our youth sailors too learn, race, and be competitive. The last time we purchase new boats for the program was in the early 2000’s. The youth sailors, and everyone around the Club, is excited about the opportunities that these new boats will offer and are looking forward to seeing them on the water.
On Sunday, September 2, we plan to launch the boats for the first time on Buckeye Lake. The Juniors will launch at Lieb’s Island and parade the boats down the lake to the Club where BLYC Fleet Chaplain Fr. Mike Gribble will offer a fleet blessing for the new boats and for our junior sailors. All BLYC members, friends, and members of the Buckeye Lake community are invited to join us – along the north shore or at BLYC – to celebrate this growth in our program and welcome the new additions to our fleet. More Information to Come…
We are still accepting donations for the program and to help fully fund the purchase of these new boats. Please contact Mike Bruckelmeyer for details.
We’re back on the water and looking forward to another exciting season of junior sailing at Buckeye Lake!
This year, we will hold two sessions of junior sailing camp for children and grandchildren of members. The details and costs are still being worked out, but mark your calendars!
Session 1
June 11-15
Session 2
June 25-29
Following the conclusion of camp each week on Friday evening, we will be hosting “Dive-In” Movie Nights at the pool. Come one, come all – all youth at BLYC are welcome!