The Weekapaug Yacht Club (WYC)

Dating back to the late 1880's, the WYC is located on Quonochontaug Pond in Westerly, RI.  The Weekapaug Yacht Club is open to families and individuals who reside in the communities bordering Quonochontaug Pond.  Membership entitles families to participate in WYC social events, enroll children in sailing programs and kiddie camp, participate in weekly club races (Optimists, Beetles and 420s), and use the docks and facilities.  Members also receive WYC stickers, which will be issued at the beginning of each season for all moored and unmoored boats at the yacht club, including Optimists, Beetles, kayaks, dinghies, etc. both on the beach and in the corral.  These stickers will enable the club to identify boats and contact owners when needed in the event of an emergency, because high tides can wash boats from the beach into Quonochontaug Pond.  Boats left on the beach can be moved to the side of the yacht club closest to the bathhouses for safe storage.

Letter from the Commodore...

Dear Members and Friends of the Weekapaug Yacht Club:

There are a thousand things I long for when my thoughts drift to summers in Rhode Island.  Some that come to mind as I write this are: breakfast at the Innlet or a cup of coffee from Galapagos; the view down Quonochontaug Pond; the gentle breeze and warm evening sunlight while barbequing with friends; seeing all the boats at their moorings in our little harbor.  These and many others are the reasons we all spend our summers in this wonderful place.

Vice Commodore Eileen Ingham, Rear Commodore Nonie Price and the whole Board have planned a busy, exciting and very full summer.  We have hired a great group of instructors and look forward to their vital contribution to the programs.  The bulk of the offerings is essentially unchanged and will be familiar to everyone who has spent time at the club in years past.  This year we have included a number of new additions:

Recreational Sailing: Explore sailing in a variety of club boats including Beetles and 420's.  This class is designed for sailors who have completed advanced Opti or for adults who want to learn to sail.  This class does not replace the normal sailing program, and we have a limited number of spaces available.

Windsurfing Class: We are fortunate to have Ellen Faller teaching windsurfing this summer at WYC. She returns to Weekapaug as a renown instructor and owner of Fast Forward Windsurfing.  This class is intended for students age 12 and up. Adults are welcome.  Times will be scheduled with in June and some of the regular yacht club instructors will also be available to teach.  Weekday afternoons and some Saturdays.  Class size is limited.  The two-hour classes will be $25 each.

Seamanship: Board member Ted Sherman will be leading this course for the first time.  The core of this class will be the construction of a 16' wooden kayak from kit to launch.  Additionally, sailors will be taught knot tying, splicing and other seamanship skills.  The class is limited to four sailors, ages 12 to 15. The schedule needed to construct the kayak will not fit existing class schedules, but will involve almost daily work from one to three hours.  If interested, contact Ted for the proposed schedule at ted_sherman@watkinson.org.  The kayak will be auctioned off at the Pot Luck dinner at the end of the month, with all proceeds to benefit the Nat Earle Memorial Sailing Fund.

Rock the Shack: In the spirit of the dances of summers past, we will be having an evening of live Rock and Roll and ice cream.  The whole family is invited to come and have fun.

Music: We have added a music system to the clubhouse.  The iPod docking station will be located in the Batterson Room and a few common sense rules will apply, but we hope some tunes will add to everyone’s enjoyment.

For all of you over the age of 21 and over please mark the Commodore’s Reception down (July 3).  It is a nice way to start the season.  Please come have a drink with us as a way to kick off the weekend of the Fourth!  This year we will be hosting all the past commodores so there will definitely be someone you know at this event. If you have guests visiting, please bring them!

While I’m on the subject of marking your calendars, please note the Annual Meeting.  This will be held the morning of July 25^th.  We will be posting an agenda the week before—please let one of us know if there are items that you would like to have put on the agenda so that we can have a productive and informative meeting.

Forms for the 2009 season have been sent out to members by mail.  Please fill them out and return them to me (Tom Kligerman) at 14 Washington Park, Maplewood, NJ 07040.  Please try to return them promptly as class sizes are somewhat limited.  For those of you who would like to rent a club Opti we have 17 available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For your calendars, the following is the overall schedule for the summer:

          Sunday, June 28^th           Blessing of the Fleet
          Monday, June 29^th          July classes start
           Saturday, July 25^th         Pot Luck and Awards

           Monday, July 27^th           August classes start
           Saturday, August 22^nd     Pot Luck and Awards
           Sunday, August 23^rd        Closing of the Club

The Club will remain open until August 30^th for limited use. Members can still use the bathrooms, get water and so on, but the main rooms will be unusable as they will be filled with sailboats, furniture and other gear.

Please note: This year we would like parents to accompany their children to the first class of each month. We strongly encourage you to meet with the instructors who will be teaching your child so that they can explain in person what will be happening in class and so they can go over the goals for the month. Besides helping you understand and support your young sailors, we feel that this will add to the safety and smooth running of the programs we offer.

There are always a lot of questions each year about which sailors should be in which class, so I have included the following to help answer some of the basic questions. Ultimately, the instructors will be the judges of your child’s level and will decide where he or she best fits.

Four to six year olds participate in Kiddie Camp. They mostly do art projects, play at the club and periodically go out on the water with the staff, though in motor boats.  Kiddie Camp takes place three mornings a week.

At age seven the kids start sailing in the 12’ wooden Beetle Cats -- it is usually four kids to a boat with an instructor.  They also learn the parts of the boats and do other seamanship activities on rainy days and when it is appropriate.

Starting at age eight, sailors graduate to Optimist Dinghies.  They are now on their own in a boat though they are out in groups depending on their ability.  A group of instructors is out with them in motor boats to teach and help.  This year we are trying a new technique of having one of the instructors there in a kayak with the fleet.  That puts that instructor at the same height in the water as the kids and able to help in a more hands on way.  Optis classes include Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. 

Depending on a combination of skill, age and size, sailors then move into 420's.  This usually happens around the age of 13 but can vary.  Again, there are beginner and advanced 420 classes.

Racing is a big part of the sailing curriculum.  However, not all kids want to race all the time so the instructors mix it up a bit with fun events on and off the water. Racing at the club varies a bit by class but basically Optis race on Wednesdays and the 420s and Beetles race on Sundays.  There are also regattas both at the club and off the pond which the sailors attend depending on interest.

In all of this, safety is the guiding priority. We cannot have a ratio of more than five sailors per instructor on the water at any time, so class sizes are limited.  Please do not delay in getting your forms back to me.  At the end of this letter I have included this summer’s course schedule.

Two last pleas.  First, please remember that the club is a volunteer organization.  We welcome (and need) your time if you are willing to help out in any way.  We are grateful for all the help we have had in past summers and look forward to your involvement this summer.  We will post signup sheets for certain events.  You can also ask any of us about ways to help out.  Second, please consider a gift to The Nat Earle Memorial Sailing Fund.  Given the economic times we have held the club dues despite higher operating costs to the club.  Your gift to The Nat Earle Memorial Sailing Fund will ease the pinch and help out our sailors with important programs and new equipment.

Please contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing everyone this summer!

Very truly yours,

Tom Kligerman, Commodore
(646)456-6168
tkligerman@ikba.com

Member Support

WYC's success in hosting events is completely dependent upon member volunteers. If you can flip a burger, set or move a table, or hand out water at the Nat Earle Road Race, then WYC needs your help. PLEASE volunteer to help with an event. Send an email to Rear Commodore Nonie Price at erthsurg@aol.com and let us know how you can lend a hand. I also ask WYC members to continue their support and past generosity with a donation to the Nat Earle Memorial Fund that supports our youth sailing programs. Contact us at: weekapaugyachtclub@verizon.net