We are planning to dispose of all remaining abandoned boats in the Laser racks next to the Junior Shed. The old racks will be disposed of as well, and new storage for the club’s 420s will be installed. While the “Laser Graveyard” has a certain rustic appeal, we will end up with a much neater and useful space.
Unclaimed Lasers are available for club members to take, but must be removed from property by December 13th. Please note that these boats are going to need a lot of work and most have hull integrity issues.
We have winterized Mr. Roberts, closed the Bathhouse, and shut off the water to the docks, ramp and yards. Jackson Creek Docks' power will remain on.
The Clubhouse will be closed down by Friday, December 11. Unfortunately, the Clubhouse will be closed until ceiling work is complete.
Fannie's will remain open all winter. The front door will remain locked for security purposes. But you can access the building through the key-coded porch door on the Jackson Creek side of the building.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and stay warm.
Even though "real sailors" are still out on the Chesapeake's waters, many of us spend the winter to regroup, work on boats and plan for the next sailing season. So now's a good time to share some stories about your board of directors, especially for new members.
We start with our club historian, George Burke.
George, wisely, embraced his wife Lyon's, childhood love of sailing. Lyons had sailed at the Hampton Yacht Club as a junior, but George didn't step aboard a sailboat until he was 40 years old. Long-term FBYC member Tony Sakowski, invited him to crew on a one design boat and taught him the fundamentals of sailing. They soon became members, initially to teach their two children …
While some were eating turkey or putting boats to bed, other members were keeping our club looking beautiful. Especially during the winter months, there's always work to be done. Whether it's clubhouse cleaning, dock repair or lawn clean-up, there's always something to be done. Thanks to Susan Roberts and Margaret Montgomery for ushering in fall at FBYC.
This year we had great participation in the Laser Series with 55 total sailors taking part in either Standard or Radial racing. The standards sailed 19 races over 4 days while the radials sailed 14 races over 3 days. The 5 day series consists of one spring, 2 summer, one fall and one frostbite race days. Only the first summer race was canceled for lack of wind. To qualify for series scoring, a sailor needed to participate in 50% of the races in the series.
The holiday lights are up & that special season is around the corner - Winter Decom season!
We will be decommissioning the facility & boats for the Winter over the next couple weeks. Barring any unusually cold weather, we will be closing down around December 7th. Our 2020 decom list includes:
Haul & winterize all Race Committee boats
Winterize select Junior Coach boats
Close & lock the Bathhouse
Close & lock the Clubhouse 1st floor (Upstairs will remain open)
Shut water off to the Jackson Creek Docks (Power will remain on)
Shut water off to the Fishing Bay Ramp
Shut water off to the Junior Yard and One-Design parking areas
As usual, Fannie's will remain open all winter. The front door …
But there was plenty of cruising, racing and welcome fellowship in between. This past Saturday, FBYC held its Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation. We welcomed our new Flag Officers and other members of the board who will help us navigate 2021, we hope NOT on Zoom, but in person. In addition, our annual awards were presented to those members who have excelled on the racing circuit, supported our cruising and junior divisions and arranged for numerous safe and socially-distant events.
Hear a recap of the year, learn about our future plans and recognize all those who worked so hard to move FBYC forward in 2020.
I'm please to announce we've hired Ben Boone as the Club Custodian. He'll be helping out around the club, making necessary repairs, & performing small miracles!
Please say hello & welcome Ben to the Club when you seen him!
Sunday was the final day of the Laser Series and the the final event of the One Design schedule for 2020 and it was a perfectly light day to end on. The forecast all day was for nothing and it was delivering. Those who sailed Saturday had the same forecast and knew the wind came in around 1 and so we waited. Sure enough an easterly breeze of 4-7 came in and we were able to sail 5 races with 9 boats right up in Fishing Bay just off the docks.
Mike Toms had a great first race – getting a lead and not letting it go. In the 2nd race James Jacob lead the fleet around the course while …
Make plans to "attend" FBYC's Annual Meeting this Saturday via Zoom. Although this event won't be part of the Commodore's Ball as in the past, the meeting is important for all members to meet the new Flag Officers, learn about the financial health of our club, anticipate plans for the 2021 sailing season and recognize our award winners.
Members will all be emailed a Zoom Invitation link soon.
So grab a Dark 'n Stormy, belly up to your computer and let's close out 2020 with cheer!
Should you require a slip prior to or after the parade, there are limited slips available on Carters Creek for early registrants. Please register your boat by November 14, 2020. Email your docking requirements to me at LightsontheCreek@gmail.com
Begin the Christmas season with a colorful boat parade!
The weather was lousy, but the oysters, food and physically distant fellowship was outstanding! FBYC's Annual Oyster roast was a great success last Sunday with more than 100 members and guests participating in our Oyster Tailgate. All wore foulies which we stripped off and tossed into warm cars once we had our fill of roasted and raw oysters. Thanks to Social Chairwoman Carrie Russel and her crew for pulling off a memorable event.
In spite of challenging conditions having nothing to do with wind or weather, FBYC's Cruising Division had a stellar season. Boats, circumnavigated the Delmarva Peninsula on the outside and traveled from Baltimore to Norfolk on the inside--all the while being physically distant yet socially close. A number of our boats are currently traversing the Big Ditch for the winter, including Commander Nancy Powell and husband Chris Lindholm aboard Bolero. Others are enjoying the Bay's fall winds or laying up for the winter.
To put a fork in this season (or fid if you prefer!), join your fellow cruisers on Zoom for our Closing Cocktail Hour on Sunday, November 1 at 5 PM. We'll share stories from our travels, talk about …
Join us if you dare for some Halloween fun! Creep, float or crawl on over to the YAM Zoom call on October 28th at 6:00pm. Prizes will go out to the best Zoom background, best individual consume and best family/team costume. We will finish our evening with an around the house scavenger hunt!
Hurricanes, high tides, power outages have not stopped the Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters before, and neither would a global pandemic this year. The event looked a little different on shore and the social and dinner was a little subdued with social distancing and other precautions in place to keep everyone safe. Fortunately for single-handed sailing – the social distancing was only briefly violated at a few mark roundings and most violated was the weather mark itself.
The sailing was as good as it’s ever been – the fleet was greeted with 16-20 knots of wind out of the NNE and had a blast sailing in the slightly shifty condition and flat water on the far side of the river in Godfrey …
Registration for our Tailgate Oyster Roast is now closed.
But for those of you joining us to help cast off 2020 with bushels of oysters, BBQ and fun, remember to bring your chairs and drinks. You are also welcome to pack your own knives and gloves to shuck your own oysters if you like.
We're going to have a full parking lot. "Gates" open at 11 am and we'll start serving at noon.
Thank you for working hard to safeguard everyone's health by remaining physically distant but socially close. And be sure to bring your masks!
Our members have done an awesome job this sailing season.
You've raced with skill, cruised with bravado, and maintained and built relationships wisely and well. All under difficult circumstances. To thank you for all those efforts, our annual oyster roast will be "tailgate style" and feature pork barbecue, mac & cheese, beans, Texas caviar and of course, OYSTERS. All for only $5 / person!
But you must register by October 18 in order to participate.
We're hoping for an exquisite fall Sunday afternoon. So sign-up now and remember this is a BYOB and BYOC event. You know what the first means; the second stands for "bring your own chairs …
A little rain and drizzle couldn’t keep the Lasers from sailing in FBYC’s Laser Fall Regatta. 14 full rigs and 4 radials sailed 5 races in what started as 11-13 knots and dropped to 6-8 by the last race. Many sailors used this as a tune up for the 39th Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship at FBYC next weekend including a few Annapolis sailors.
The fleet all sailed very well and was fun to sail with. Evan Hoffman (SDYC) a Snipe Sailor from Richmond and former ODU sailor got out to a great start with a bullet in the first race in his first time in a Laser in years. Evan would end up 2nd overall on the …
Join us if you dare for some Halloween fun! Creep, float or crawl on over to the YAM Zoom call on October 28th at 6:00pm. Prizes will go out to the best Zoom background, best individual consume and best family/team costume. We will finish our evening with an around the house scavenger hunt!
The FBYC Trophy Committee is looking for nominations for our perpetual trophies to be awarded at year's end.
PIANKATANK TROPHY – Recognizes the FBYC skipper who most exemplifies the principle that “all is not lost until the boat sinks.”
MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY BOWL – Recognizes a member of FBYC for an outstanding contribution to sailing at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.
COMPETITION TROPHY – Recognizes a member of FBYC who is the skipper of an enrolled offshore or one design boat and who most successfully represented FBYC in sailboat racing events conducted by other yacht clubs or associations during the past year.
Nominations should consider the character (local, regional, national) of events entered and the quality of competition as well as the member’s …
George, wisely, embraced his wife Lyon's, childhood love of sailing. Lyons had sailed at the Hampton Yacht Club as a junior, but George didn't step aboard a sailboat until he was 40 years old. Long-term FBYC member Tony Sakowski, invited him to crew on a one design boat and taught him the fundamentals of sailing. They soon became members, initially to teach their two children …
