COMMODORE'S WINTER NEWSLETTER

Holiday Greetings from your Commodore.  The year 2018 has been a great year for the BCYC.  We have enjoyed many events on land and sea including Happy Hours and cruising on the Chesapeake.  The latest events were a Holiday Brunch and holiday gift exchange held at the Mezzanotte Restaurant in Severna Park, which was well attended.  Thank you to Bob and Gail Higginbotham for hosting!  Down South in Stuart, Florida, a Holiday Breakfast was held for the BCYC members who have flown, driven, or floated South, at the Boat House Restaurant.  It too, was well attended. Thank you to Madi and John Yates for hosting!

Membership is up in our club with several new couples joining BCYC in 2018! 

One of the things the BOG did early this year, was to temporarily suspend collection of the Initiation Fee for new members.  Whether or not this influenced new membership is difficult to quantify however, if you think it makes it easier to attract new members, please let the Membership Committee know.  At any rate, please let the Membership Committee know what YOU think. The incoming Commodore and his 2019 BOG will be voting on whether or not to continue or eliminate the initiation fee during their first BOG meeting.

The 2018 BOG also passed a resolution to allow any past BCYC Commodores who are no longer BCYC members to attend any BCYC events by only paying the event fee.  The thought was to make it easier for Ex-Commodores who have moved out of the Chesapeake Bay area to join us at events when they are back in town.

BCYC members, be sure to check the website for winter events and those of you who are going to be in Florida this winter, be sure to check the BCYC South Calendar of Events too!

It has been my pleasure serving as your Commodore this year.  I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and to in-coming Commodore, Ben Wilson, the best of luck!

Colin Soucy

BCYC Commodore 2018

Commodore's Summer News Letter

Ahoy BCYC members!

Greetings from your Commodore. The summer of 2018 is racing past.  Chris and I have been using our boat a lot this summer and enjoyed attending BCYC events with other “Back Yakkers” which included the Memorial Day Cruise, Annual Cruise, Lobster Feast, Pirates weekend in Rock Hall, and the Labor Day cruise to Oxford just to name a few. As the summer winds down  BCYC events continue  with the last land/sea event of the season coming up this month, the Shrimp Boil at Court and Laura Treuth’s house on the Magothy followed by the Annual Membership meeting at the Navy Academy golf course clubhouse. The annual Vagabond Cruise was cancelled this year because only two boats were able to sign up.  I hope that next year more folks will be able to participate. However, despite a hurricane disrupting the undersubscribed Vagabond Cruise, nearly 20 brave members are going to experience the flight deck simulator at the Patuxent Naval Air Station and experience what its like to "Fly Like Tom Cruise" in the movie Top Gun.

We have had several new members join the club this summer so please make them feel welcome when you meet them. The theme of the Annual Membership meeting is going to be,  “Volunteerism”.  How do we get more members to volunteer to host events and support the club? Hosting an event is so easy to do. The BCYC Social and Cruise Directors are there to help you with all the information you need to host a successful event.  So don’t hesitate to sign up for an event!

For the first time in five years Chris and I will not be cruising our boat to Florida this winter. We have bought a house in Stuart and will be driving down this year.  I hope the “Lady Kadey” doesn’t feel left out!

Colin

Commodore's Spring News Letter

Welcome to spring! Spring has come to the Chesapeake, the water is finally starting to warm up and the “Southern Fleet Snowbirds” are arriving in the Chesapeake!  In the last week, Free To B (Gene and Ginny Browning), Indy (John and Madi Yates), Lady Kadey (Colin and Chris Soucy), and Last Mistake (Bob Brown and Vicki Moon) have all completed their sea journey north from Stuart, Florida.  Lali (Bill and Laurie Crosley) have taken a little side trip to the Bahamas but expect to arrive in the Chesapeake in a month or two!

May is shaping up to be a busy month for BCYC members with the Derby Party hosted by JJ and Julianna May 5^th, the Change of Watch celebration (hosted by Gail Higginbotham and Patti Bartlett) May 19^th, and the Memorial Day Weekend Get Together May 26^th (hosted by Bob and Gail Higginbotham). 

There will be a BOG Meeting May 27^th following the 11:00 am Sunday Breakfast (hosted by Colin and Chris Soucy) under the tent in the Higginbotham’s back yard. 

The Annual BCYC Cruise (June 2-9) is coming up fast!  If you haven’t already, you need to make your slip reservations now if you plan to attend!  The marinas are beginning to release slips that have not been reserved by BCYC members, back to the public this week.

Hope to see you all soon!

We sail on the tide!

Colin

Commodore's Welcome News Letter

As your new Commodore, I want to welcome everyone to the New Year, 2018 and bring you up to date on some of the Back Creek Yacht Club happenings.

Social Director, Pamula Budesheim, has a full schedule of Happy Hours and a Super Bowl Party scheduled in the coming weeks for the hardy souls who stayed “up North”. The South contingent is firmly entrenched in Florida, and judging by the weather up north we are staying here till spring!  Madi Yates has built a full schedule for those in the South with Happy Hours, a Super Bowl party and Bowling. The only difference between the two is that the North events are all indoors!

The Change of Watch will be on May 19^th at the US Naval Academy Officer’s Club. This year the event will be a little bit more formal than in years past.  More information will be forthcoming.

I want to thank our outgoing Commodore, Terry Bidnick for his service.  I also want to extend  thanks to retiring Officers Treasurer Jeanie Bidnick, Secretary Mary Ross, and BOG Member E Don Smith for their service.

Chuck Kahle, our new Fleet Captain, is putting together numerous water events for 2018 including the Annual Cruise. We will be announcing the dates and locations shortly.

Safe travels to Wally and Molly Stone, Jamie Ritter and John Oberright and Jo Rys who will be driving to Florida this week; you guys left the North one month too late!

Happy New Year!

Colin Soucy on Lady Kadey in Stuart, Fl