Six local yacht clubs to choose from

Whether you own a dinghy or a powerboat, or even no vessel at all, the West Island has several yacht clubs for you to consider. Bordered to the south by Lac St. Louis, West Islanders are in great position to spend summer days lounged out on the deck of their boats, or perhaps enjoying the clamor and camaraderie inside the clubhouse. Six separate clubs adorn the shore, each offering their own unique appeal and charm.

Located on the southwestern tip of the island of Montreal, the Baie d’Urfé Yacht Club (BDYC) is home to over 150 members and roughly 125 vessels. On top of regular business, including weekly races and social events, the BDYC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. A celebratory dinner will be held Aug. 22 to toast the occasion and guests will even include some of the club’s founding members.

Commodore Bernard Lacasse, serving the second year of his term, identifies the junior sailing program as one of his club’s premier features. “We have created a sailing school together with the Senneville club and through that we educate kids on sailing activities throughout the summer beginning in late June,” Lacasse told The Chronicle.

Individuals interested in racing can head down to the club on Tuesday or Thursday evenings at about 6pm and may even have the opportunity to hop on a boat and participate.

For more information, call 514-482-4123 or check www.bdyc.com/index-en.html.

Established in 1970, the Beaconsfield Yacht Club (BYC) has grown quite a bit since its foundation. With space for 160 boats in their harbour, not to mention room for 80 more small boats along the shore, BYC now boasts over 200 members. Funded entirely by membership fees, BYC offers events every Saturday, including theme dinners, beach parties, potlucks and awards. And you don’t even need a boat to be a member! A special associate membership permits full access to the club and their facilities, allowing a much wider range of inclusion. They also take great pride in their nationally certified Learn to Sail Program, offered to those aged 8 years or older.

Additional information about the club can be found at www.byc.qc.ca, or by calling 514-695-1272.

The Lord Reading Yacht Club prides itself on maintaining a beautiful and inviting summer retreat for members and non-members alike, a message you will find delivered on the home page of their website (www.lryc.com). With 4.5 acres of waterfront property near the Beaconsfield Library and Recreation Centre, they certainly have the resources to offer just that. In addition to working closely with Sailing Quebec to provide top-notch sailing instruction, the club caters to the power-boating community and also features a 25-metre swimming pool, a clubhouse with a bar and restaurant as well as volleyball and tennis courts, truly defining the term fun for the whole family. For more information, call 514-694-6443.

The Pointe Claire Yacht Club (PCYC) is the oldest club in the area, with a history dating back to 1879 under the original name of the Pointe Claire Boating Club. What began as a modest group of 37 soon expanded, and though the club, renamed he PCYC in 1924, endured some dips in membership during war periods in the 20th century, today they are livelier than ever.

A proud and active bunch, dinners are held on several weeknights, including Sailors Supper on Tuesdays, Club Series Suppers on Thursdays and barbecues on Fridays following the weekly TGIF race. PCYC offers membership to their dinghy, keelboat, sailing and powerboat fleets and their clubhouse is available to be booked by members and non-members alike. Check it out for yourself at www.pcyc.qc.ca or call 514-695-2441.

In service since 1888, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club’s harbour can store up to 280 boats as large as 65 feet in length, easily making it the largest of its kind in the west island. As an added bonus, social members can make use of the tennis courts and swimming pool without necessarily owning a vessel. When it comes right down to it, the Royal St-Lawrence Yacht Club prides itself as being “a dynamic progressive club dedicated to producing champions, staging world-class events and ensuring that the sport of sailing is accessible to everyone.” Racing is an important function towards this end and fittingly the club boasts the biggest summer twilight fleet in Quebec. Over 100 people regularly compete on Wednesday nights and races are also held every Friday. To contact the club, call 514-631-2720 or check www.rstlyc.qc.ca.

If you’re sailing near the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge you’re likely to come across the quaint Senneville Yacht Club (SYC), the only one on the Island of Montreal located on the Lake of Two Mountains. A private club, they have a fleet of 70 boats, all with masts short enough so they can pass under the bridge to sail the open waters. What sets this club apart is that it is a co-op outfit, where all members are also owners, helping promote a mantra of unity and support. “I think what makes us different is the spirit of the members who genuinely love their club and help keep it in good shape,” offers Commodore Gisèle Séguin, who, along with her husband, has been a member since 1983.

In this vein, each spring and fall members lend a hand in with the launch and haul-out, duties that are respected by all, as it helps to drive down costs and usually ends in fun and laughter anyway. But it’s not always smooth sailing, if you will. This spring members had to contend with a minor flood on top of their normal maintenance jobs. Not a task most of us would wish for, but really what’s a little extra work amongst friends?

For more information, visit www.cvsyc.com or call 514-457-8645. <@Cp>Chronicle, Jacques Pharand<@$p>