Heritage Luncheons – 125 Years of Sailing on Burlington Bay

by Rob Mazza on 3 Apr 2013 2013 marks the 125th anniversary of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and in honour of this important event, a series of four Heritage Luncheons were planned to explore the development of sailing on Burlington Bay, and the part that RHYC has played in that eventful history.

The first two Luncheons were well attended and the third and fourth are detailed below. Members and friends of the RHYC and all interested sailors and members of the public are invited to attend these luncheon presentations.

The Luncheon originally scheduled for Saturday April 27th is now rescheduled for the following day at noon, Sunday April 28th. The subject of the presentation, by Rob Mazza, will be the 6 Metre fleet of RHYC and Lake Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s. The 6 Metre fleet represented the highest level of racing on Lake Ontario after WWII with classic boats like Merenneito, Circe, Goose, Totem, Titia, Bibis, Buzzy, Gallant, Johan of Rhu, Fun, and many others. Sailed by skippers from around Lake Ontario including Skip Doyle, Tim Barber, Jim Crang, Dick Scott, Denny Draper, Judge Morrison, Cliff Lunt, Jerry Castle, Hugh Brown, Reg Dixon, Bill Gooderham and many others. The 6 Metre class was the zenith of competitive yacht design at the time. This will be a great opportunity to relive those days and to meet members of this fleet and others who helped make it all happen.

The fourth and final Heritage event is scheduled to take place at the RHYC Shellbacks luncheon on Thursday, May 2nd and will include a guided tour of some of the historic half models on display at the club, most notably the Commodore Malloch models in the Evergreen Lounge.

There is no charge for attending, but there will be a modest charge for lunch available at noon for those who want to partake with the presentations following lunch. Seating is limited, so please call the club at 905-528-8464, Ext 228 or email dining@rhyc.ca to reserve. These special events will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the history of sailing on Hamilton Harbour, the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, and to gam with fellow sailors.