| TAYLOR POND YACHT CLUB |
Sailing and Racing
TPYC offers a variety of sailing racing opportunites from late June through Labor Day and are usually open to members, non-members, and sailing lessons students. Sunday racingusually takes place at 3pm mostly with Lasers but also other boats. There are also regattas on holidays such as Independence Day and Labor Day.
The Club Championships are the Andrews Cup (all ages in club supplied FJs), Horsman Cup (junior sailors in FJs), and McGuckian Cup (under 14 years old in Turnabouts).
Check the TPYC calendar for current dates at Events.
If you can’t sail consider lending your boat to another sailor. It’s a Taylor Pond tradition. Help promote participation. More sailors means more enjoyment for all.
In addition to Lasers, the committee will offer a separate start (and trophies) for any class of three or more Optis, Turnabouts, FJs or other. If three or more different boats notify the race committee 24 hours before the race, the committee will offer a start and score a handicap class. Sailing students should talk with Sailing Program Director Mike Horn about whether they are ready to race Sundays.
The Race Committee is looking for new volunteers. No experience necessary; they will train you. Folks with experience operating powerboats needed to drive the committee boat and the mark boat.
For More Information or questions email Judi Andrews jandrews264@gmail.com at or Peter Garcia at petergarcia207@gmail.com
Why sail?
Taylor Pond Yacht Club is a sailing club, founded by adults who built boats, sailed them, and taught their children to build and sail.
We’ve been teaching sailing to young people and some adults for over 80 years. Our young people have gone on to be lifetime sailors, be selected for college sailing teams, run one Olympic sailing qualification campaign, buy ocean going boats and cruise far and wide.
As our membership changes from time to time it is good to make sure we all know what a special opportunity our sailing lesson program is for kids 8 through 18. This year that opportunity is even more special because we have a nationally recognized sailing program director with decades of experience teaching young people: Mike Horn.
You might ask, why do I want my child to spend time learning an obsolete skill? When faced with competing challenges for their children’s time, why should our members choose sailing?
Kenneth Grahame says in The Wind in the Willows that “…there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
Here’s our longer answer to why our children should learn to sail.
Sailing is peaceful, challenging, exhilarating, satisfying, absorbing, and fun.
Children who learn to sail get healthy outdoor exercise and learn a lifelong skill, self-reliance, responsibility, teamwork, physics, meteorology, and sportsmanship, and have fun.
Sailors have self-confidence, coordination, technical knowledge, character, passion, pluck, good social skills, adventures and, did we mention, fun.
There’s too much about sailing to learn it all in a summer, or a lifetime. Start young and have fun.
We have received two gifts from members to fund scholarships for students in need. Contact Mike Horn with questions at mikehorn2@myfairpoint.net.