Join A Yacht Club And Learn A Trade
Told By HYC Members To Capt. Fred Davis
Published: Tuesday, October 23, 2018
By: Captain Fred Davis
HYC (Huron Yacht Club), located at the mouth of the Pigeon River on Lake Huron in Caseville, Michigan, has had a remarkable forty years. The club is like no other group of boaters. In 1978, 30 sailors envisioned the future and became charter members. “Join our Yacht Club and learn a trade” was soon adopted as their motto. Thirty-three, many third generation members, continue to sail.
I observed the club’s progress over the years. Their accomplishments far exceeded their imaginations of forty years ago. Yes, they are all sailors, and they are also hard working people who totally re-built a lowly fish house into the beautiful clubhouse it is today. When a call of “all hands on deck” is sent out, all members fit and able respond. A statement is often repeated around the Club: “The only way to be excused from a work session is to attend your own funeral.”
Rebuilding and ongoing maintenance has been accomplished due to the occupational diversity of its members. Engineers, teachers, construction workers — they all helped one another acquire skills of plumbing, masonry, pipe fitting, and roofing. By doing the work themselves, these members not only learned something new and saved the club money — they built a strong sense of pride.
I sat down in the clubhouse to chat with some of the “Golden Age” construction crew. They eagerly related the clubs history, explaining how charter members scraped together funds for a down payment on the Gillingham Fish Company property. It provided five-hundred feet of frontage with quick access to Saginaw Bay. The seller stressed they did not want the property used for commercial purposes. The prospective owners assured them the development was to be purely for the enjoyment and camaraderie of sailing for members and their families.
Presently, the docks, built by club members, hold 34 boats from 24 to 38 feet with many of them fitted out for competitive racing — and race, they do. Race flags are displayed along the rafters of the clubhouse.
Member Mike Elliott has competed in 25 Mackinaw races and in a NOOD race (National Offshore One-Design), in which he bested 2,000 competitors for a victory. The NOOD Regattas are nationally-sanctioned races that feature identical boats. Scott Maust took his 33’ Hobie, Rhumbline, and four crew members to Miami in 2016 to compete in the International Miami to Havana race. It had not been held for sixty years but resumed when Cuba opened its doors to visitors. He brought home a trophy for finishing first in his class and was interviewed by Dave Reed of Sailing World because of the distinction. This year, three boats represented the club in the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race — Port Huron to Mackinaw City — with 15 members as crew. The wind did not favor them, however, and they were a bit late rounding the buoy to finish.
Club members enjoy the “Slammer Cup Regattas,” held since 1982 with Tawas Bay Yacht Club. The host club alternates each year and sets a ten mile triangular buoyed course that, depending upon wind, may conclude in two to six hours. Closer to home and hearts are the WOW (Women On Water) races that feature women only. They set a buoyed course offshore and hold a captain’s meeting to determine race details. One of the men describing the event declared that “many of our women are much better sailors than the guys.”
It’s not all work or racing at HYC — the group takes time off to enjoy annual functions. The Commodore’s Ball leads off the season on Memorial weekend; 4th of July is always a big family gathering with a focus on entertaining the youngsters; a Labor Day activity and Christmas party round out the year’s events.
Members also find time to maintain a row of beautiful vessels. Their beauty is on display as they sail in Regattas across the Bay. Each boat stands out with its own colors and flags, providing a breathtaking view of the results of hard work. If a member is wearing a tee shirt noting “HYC Swim Team”, they will explain that only those who fall off their docks — or boats — may wear them.
Golden Age construction crew who told the tale.
Left to Right: Charlie Morden, Rich Bass, Tom Main, and Scott Meyersieck
About the Author
Capt. Fred Davis is a retired charter captain and nationally published author of boating articles. His “Boat Smart” articles are published online at www.tipsforboating.com.
This article first appeared in the Fall Issue (Sept/Oct) 2018 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Education, Lake Huron, Yacht Club
