Well, I wasn’t sure whether to title this article, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” or “High Plain(s) ol’ Drifter''. More the former, but either one would give you some sense of the season so far.

In 2017 & 2019 we experienced some dramatic high water levels which lead to our adjustable dock project. At least 2022 gave us some pretty good months – that is until levels dropped precipitously in the Fall leading to boats grounding out getting to/from their slips, plus a challenge at Haulout. But overall it was manageable. So what does 2023 have in store?

A monthly update from HYC’s Commodore.

Here are some things that will help you to have a successful launch day.

On November 16th the Bluffers Basin Racing Committee held their Race Awards Night and HYC cleaned up. Taking the podium in every division. Congratulations and well done to all!

A message from HYC’s new Commodore, Steve Masson.

That stretch of extended summer weather we all enjoyed over the weeks after haul out has ended and the colder winter weather is now upon us. Thanks to all the hard work of our club winterizing crews, HYC is ready and prepared for the cold months ahead.

Meet our new Fleet Captain and learn about his goals for the coming year.

Winter is coming! And with the change in seasons our Officer of the Day (OD) program also changes. Even though the club is much quieter and the boats are on the hard, our club nevertheless maintains a strict OD schedule, with a continuous rotation through Senior Members to perform daily OD duties, according to slip number. One might argue that the OD program is even more important during the quieter winter months, precisely because there are fewer people about. So having a daily monitor of the grounds is important to catch any issues before they become a major problem. Read more about what is expected of our OD’s in the winter.

This article is used with permission from Sail-World, and written by Calanach Finlayson 21 August 2022. (see complete article at the link below)

A grab bag is an essential piece of safety equipment for bluewater cruising and offshore racing alike. In the event of an abandon ship, the grab bag may be the only item you have time to take with you before climbing into the liferaft, so should contain all essential items for your survival.

As a sort of season-ending event for the “Fun Racers”, a longer distance race was held on Aug. 14, in which eleven boats from the Basin took part. HYC’s Fleet Captain, Shawn Lise generated a “staggered start” timing sequence in lieu of a more formal phrf handicap rating system. Using data collected from various past race events, some magic pixie dust and a dash of wolfsbane, (I think the Hogwarts Sorting Hat was consulted as well) each boat was assigned a specific start time – the slower the boat, the earlier the start time.

At the last meeting of HYC’s Committee of Management, I shared an update on the work of the subcommittee reviewing and revising our bylaws to make sure they are in compliance with the new provincial piece of legislation called the “Ontario Not for profit Corporations Act”, or ONCA. The Act sets out how not-for-profit corporations in Ontario are to be created, governed and dissolved. While complying with the Act isn’t optional, this new legislative framework is also an

Wee Beastie III has been out and about this spring, participating in a few race events outside of the Basin, starting with the ABYC Open Regatta on May 28, where they took third place in division. Competition was stiff, the weather was gorgeous and the party…

If you have a four legged family member like I do, you probably want them to enjoy boating or sailing as much as you do. Sometimes this can be a challenging thing. This is my third dog that I’ve had out boating with me and it hasn’t always been this easy.