By Deb Heisler, Rear Commodore We are continuing our AYC-hosted Happy Hours each month at various locations around the valley. An evening of food, stories and a brew or two are a fun way to engage with fellow sailors and potential new members. Feel free to invite
Spring racing kicked off Sunday (1/12) at Tempe Town Lake and begins Saturday (1/18) at Lake Pleasant. Sign up now and get the race documents on the racing page. The Tempe Town Lake kickoff was a wheeze-off, with wind so light it was nothing at all.
By Bob Naylor Note: Deadline for entry is Friday, January 24. After that, there's a stiff late fee. Celebrate the improbability of a yacht club thriving in the middle of the Arizona desert for 62-years! Happy Birthday, AYC! Register and race in the Birthday Regatta – top
By Deb Heisler, Rear Commodore It’s something we don’t often think about, but our very existence in Arizona relies on the mighty Colorado, Lake Powell, Lake Mead, and the reservoirs of Roosevelt Lake, the Salt and Verde rivers. Where does all this water come from? Where
One of the earliest and most colorful members of the Arizona Yacht Club, Don DeFreze, passed away November 26. In an interview we did in 2012, Don explained how AYC members wanted to build a dock and offered to make him an honorary member if he
How dld the first Tempe Town Lake race series go for the new Sunfish class? Quite well, thank you, and congratulate longtime Sunfish fan Gary Oberbeck for a fall series home run. Gary not only won the fleet, but he did it with a perfect
By Deb Heisler and Marc Danner This year the annual holiday party and pirate gift exchange was a great success with over 70 people attending. As usual, there was lots of laughter, moans of defeat, and a few people who had to keep picking a new
Lake Pleasant called up the biggest wind of the season for AYC’s final day of the fall series, enough wind to break boats and send lots of sailors back to shore. By late morning racing was over and the final standings locked down. Congratulations to the
At the November monthly meeting, Brooke Miller accepted the 2019 Ruth Beals award for winning the annual women-at-the-helm race named for the club's founder. Brooke corrected over the other competitors in the October 12 race around the islands on Lake Pleasant with crew Jeff Coulter on
By David Newland, Lake Pleasant Lake Captain I remember the first time I stared at a Lake Pleasant mark set bucket and wondered about that cleat bolted to the side (…and those bricks). After some instruction (and trial and error), I figured it out. And, fortunately,
Update on Wednesday, December 4: The campaign to raise money for Steve and Christina has reached $7,000 and the Ferrings have sent a matching check for an additional $5,000, bringing the total raised to $12,000 and climbing. In February 2018, Steve Campo was gut-punched with a
The Governor’s Cup regatta will be Saturday, November 23, with the first boats starting at 12:30 pm from a start line at the south end of Lake Pleasant. This is a pursuit race, so your handicap determines the time you start and your start time will
The pictures tell the story. Surprisingly patient sailors waiting for a breath of air on Tempe Town Lake (11/10). Kick back, enjoy the sun. Don't move or you'll yank the laminar flow from the drooping sails. Seven Sunfish were out, decorating the water with colorful
By Mike Ferring It was never supposed to be quite like this, but 20 years after water gurgled into the ditch that was the Salt River along the 202, the small body of water that became Tempe Town Lake is still a key part of Arizona
By Marshall Williamson, Spin Fleet Captain The Lake Pleasant Fall Series experienced "No" to light winds on Saturday (11/2) and the usual stronger winds early Sunday, but diminishing by late morning. The C22s were sailing Saturday, while Santana 20s, Sportboats, and Thistles were out both days,
By Rob Gibbs From high winds to no wind, from recycling to composting, and from DC to Alaska, the 2019 running of the Buccaneer North American Championship had it all! The regatta was held at Lake Pleasant, Arizona from 22-26 October. We had teams from Maryland,
By Heather McClain ~ Cruising Captain To our campers and glampers, AYC is having a camping weekend the same weekend as Governor’s Cup, November 22nd to 24th. It will be located on the 10-lane boat ramp side of the lake. Reserve your spot now! We will have
By Deb Heisler, Rear Commodore Eight women, a 32-foot Melges, good manners, humor and determination were the mix that led the Sail Like a Girl team to victory in the 2018 Race to Alaska (R2AK). Co-Skipper Haley King Lhamon was part of this history-making, all-woman crew
By Marc Danner This past weekend the wind forecast looked promising and perfect weather. The race committee boat on Saturday consisted of Martin Lorch, Greg Woodcock, Brian Hackman, Michael Parker, Josh and Vanessa. Marc, Myles, and Avery Danner joined Cedric Lorch on the Boston Whaler, working
By Deb Heisler, Rear Commodore On Tuesday, December 10, we will once again celebrate the year's end with our AYC Annual Pirate Gift Exchange. Besides gifts and thievery, the Governor’s Cup Trophy will be presented and we’ll hear your Blunder Bucket nominations prior to casting