Junior Week FBYC member preference ends March 1st!Class are filling up very fast and wait lists will be created once classes meet capacity. Don't wait to sign up. This known far and wide as the best summer camp on the bay supported by incredible member volunteers and professional coaches. Classes are for beginner optis all the way up to advanced racing. Don't worry about knowing where to sign up your child/grandchild. We will work with you to gauge their experience level and make sure they are in the right class for their skill level to be safe and have fun!
It is with sadness that we announce the loss of former FBYC member Carol Anne Lytton, aged 66, who died on February 9th, 2020 in North Myrtle Beach SC. Carol was the widow of former FBYC Board member and Treasurer Charles Lytton who died 10 years ago. Together they sailed their custom made sloop SONG OF JOY for decades, participating in Oceanic venues and numerous FBYC cruising events, always making friends wherever they sailed, and showing all of us how to keep yappy dogs aboard a sailboat. Her memorial service date has not yet been determined. Family condolences may be conveyed via Hardwick Funeral Home at www.hardwickfh.com, and memorial contributions may be made to Kind Keeper Animal Rescue …
We had a severe wind storm out of the Southwest last Friday. This storm damaged the Fishing Bay Dock's structure and framing in three areas.
The ramp is open for use but unfortunately, the dock is CLOSED until it is repaired. I anticipate repairs will be made by March 1st and will keep everyone posted on the progress.
Multihulls in Time - From the Stone Age to the Space Age and the “Green Recovery.”
With multihull pioneer Jim Brown
Where: FBYC Clubhouse
When: Saturday February 29 from 2-4, with a reception following the talk
Multihull sailboats have been around for millennia. Jim will discuss multihull sailboats through the ages from the ancient civilizations of the south pacific through the modern era with a peek into the future. Jim has been in the multihull mix for the past 50 years and has seen multihull design go from the early homebuild movement of the 1960’s, to rotomolded daysailors, and through to the present-day hard wing foiling craft that travel at highway speeds.
We were saddened to hear that FBYC has lost a dear friend, Miles Turner. Miles, an active participant on many Race Committees passed away on December 29, 2019. Miles was married to Betsy for 21 years and had two sons, Miles Turner III and Jay Turner.
Miles owned and operated Turner Body Shop on Belt Boulevard in South Richmond until his retirement. Miles was an avid sailor and was one of the founders of Dog Town Yacht Club in 1983. He built several boats including a Dragonfly 16 proa which he raced in DTYC races. In addition to sailing, racing, building and designing boats, Miles enjoyed photography and working on race cars.
Hold the date, March 21, for the annual FBYC Grounds Clean Up. All members are encouraged to pitch in and prepare our lovely grounds for the new season. Lunch will be provided after we are done...so please sign-up online so we know how many of you are coming. (Just check out the upcoming events listing at FBYC.net.)
We are all looking forward to spring and getting ready for sailing at FBYC. As the weather warms up, activities will begin to pick up, as will members' efforts at getting the Club ready for the season and preparing themselves for exciting socials and great sailing. It is this effort that we all put into the Club that builds on our dynamic environment at FBYC and that helps us all feel more connected and make new friends. The Board is looking at ways to broaden member participation and volunteer opportunities to support the great environment at FBYC.
To further develop and raise awareness of members' opportunities to help with Club activities and events, the Board is looking for someone interested …
It's hard to believe but FBYC's two season-capping events are just around the corner.
Mark your calendars for our Closing Day Regatta & Oyster Roast on November 2, 2019. This event is always fun-filled, whether you're pursuit racing 'round the marks or just coming to slurp, shuck or dress up local oysters to your liking.
Then, get ready to rock on November 16, 2019 for the Annual Meeting and Commodore's Ball. We're "mixing up the race course" with a new location at the Hippodrome Theater. Located in Richmond's Jackson Ward, the Hippodrome promises excitement and history, not to mention great food and music.
Register now on-line for both events. The season's never really over now is it!
FBYC hosted a fantastic group of ladies (both club members and non) for the annual Women's Clinic. This year eleven women took to the water in three club Flying Scots, a club 420 and a Laser and enjoyed two full days of on-the-water practice with a scattering of chalk talks. Everyone got what they came for which was tons of tiller time and a better understanding of strategy, tactics, and racing rules. Several participants will be out sailing at FBYC in the immediate future including at AOD and the Fall One Design Series. Special thanks to FBYC's Luke Hayes for coaching the beginner group and Premier Sailing's Arabella Denvir for coaching the racers. Also thanks to the One Design Fleet …
Since 2005 we have assembled over 23,000 photos in FBYC's Flickr Account. These pictures have been viewed over 2,000,000 times. Over the years, we have shared our old credentials with many different volunteer photographers. Flickr has now been sold to SmugMug - and in the process they have forced us to change our credentials. Please contact Strother, Brian, Paul Almany, or Karen Soule to get the new credentials so we can keep the photos coming.
On Tuesday, June 18th, 6:30-7:30, join us for a reception and talk with Niall Rafferty. Born in Ireland, Niall grew up racing at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, Ireland. His passion for racing and the water has led Niall to a lifetime career from working as a Captain with his 300 ton license, to skipper numerous yachts around the world. Niall will talk about his experience in the Maxi Yacht Racing world in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and how his experience led him to designing and project management of building the next generation super yachts. Niall has now joined the Rob Doyle Design team, where they are on the forefront of performance super yacht design in …
We all rely on the Middlesex EMT and Fire Department squads. Yet for those of us who don't live in the county, it's easy to forget how important these men and women are...until an emergency strikes someone at FBYC.
Let's say THANK YOU to these fine folks by hosting them and their families for a "fun day at FBYC" on Saturday, August 17 from 10 AM to 3 PM.
We're inviting them to use our pool, go for a sail on a club or big boat and have a picnic lunch. We're looking for some members who are willing to flip some burgers or take a family sailing for an hour or two.
When you visit the club this weekend you will notice that the potholes and ruts on the side of Fishing Bay Road have been repaired. It is very important (when possible), to avoid driving over the repaired ruts alongside the road that have been filled-in with crushed concrete. Currently, the crushed concrete is a mix of powder and stone that will solidify with moisture. Once we get some rain the concrete will activate and set up.
What a wonderful Memorial Day Open House (or Open Boat!) we had. For once, the weather was practically perfect which helped attract almost 250 people. We hosted loads of potential new members and encouraged them to join. Our social chair and volunteers set a great table with fixin's from Roadhouse Barbecue, hard cider tastings, music that filled the grounds and plenty of Dark 'n Stormies.
Fishing Bay itself was filled with transient sailors either visiting for the day or on their way north. We certainly drew their attention with our sunflower raft-up.
Next social event? July 4th weekend. So plan your calendar accordingly and invite a friend to participate in all we have to offer!
Upcoming sailing lessons are available for members and non-members - learn to sail or build new skills. Classes are taught on beautiful Fishing Bay by FBYC sailing instructor Luke Hayes.
Sign-up now to help welcome summer at FBYC's Open House Regatta...and Dinner...and Dance...and on-the-water Sunburst raft-up on Sunday, May 26. The weather looks promising...warm enough for swimming among our rafted-up cruising boats. The food will be wonderful....Roadhouse Barbecue. The music...by Nate Sacks....will get your dock shoes dancing...
And that's not even mentioning the pursuit race around government marks with the finish at the FBYC pier.
The cut-off for registration is TODAY at 3 PM. Visit the event page on-line and sign-up "just in time!"
Tom Bayliss is the winner on this month’s Webmaster Gold Star award. He tried to reset his password and received a Server Error. He sent in Screen Shots and I was quickly able to duplicate the problem. It turns out a minor website setting change in mid-April had broken the web site’s ability to send emails. As a result, there were no emails confirming registrations or board meeting updates filed for the last month.
I can’t believe that no one noticed the unusual behavior nor pointed out the broken process. It’s all fixed now, and I award a Gold Star to Tom. If you see his parents Lynn or Temple around the Club or on Stove …
Want to dock a big boat with more confidence? How about practicing quick stops and MOB drills? Or maybe you need to feel at ease on the radio?
Then come and spend Saturday, June 1 from 10 am-3 pm, on board S/V Soulemate as we do all the above and more. Skipper Karen Soule will run her crew through all those everyday tasks to help everyone feel more comfortable and competent on the water. Soulemate can accommodate SIX (6) women. Email her directly at: karen.soule@gmail.com to reserve your place.
And if any other women skippers would like to participate with their boats, let Karen know. Let's cast off together!
Housing needed: FBYC to host the VA Commonwealth Championships at our annual jr regatta. June 21-23. Clubs from ga, sc, va, md, and de are planning on attending. Please email Kathryn Angus at kangus@angusco.com if your home or spare bedroom is available for sailors or coaches.
We have recently made two menu changes on the website - to bring more focus to recent efforts. On the main Blue Navigation Bar, we have consolidated "Fleets" and "Sailing" links into simply "Sailing". And the top two links are to
Summer Sailing School - we are offering weekly sailing classes for both adults and Juniors all summer long.
And we have renamed the seven tabs on Events pages. You will find the familiar Offshore, One-Design, Junior, Cruising and the new tab is "Instruction" - replacing Social. You will find each of the Summer Sailing Classes listed there. Each Class has its own event.
