Dobson Yacht Club – A Community of Serious Sailors

by Jody MacArthur on 10 Jul 2010 Three members of the Dobson Yacht Club Participate in Round the World Race

The Dobson Yacht Club, located in Westmount, Nova Scotia, is one of only a handful of Yacht Clubs that can boast that three of its members are competing in a global yacht race. This is a feat few Yacht Clubs can claim.

Two members of the Dobson Yacht Club, Elisa Jenkins and Dan McCarthy, are competing in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The race will see ten yachts travel 35,000 miles and stop in fourteen ports of call on five continents within ten months. Jenkins and McCarthy are full members of the Dobson Yacht Club while a third crew member, Meredith Macneill, is the daughter of a club member.

'It's very rare for a club of our size to have three representatives in a global yacht race like the Clipper Round the World Race,' said Leo Bennett, Commodore of the Dobson Yacht Club. ' We have some great sailors and our club members are following the race very closely and with great interest. It's a source of pride for our club.'

The Dobson Yacht Club takes pride in establishing a community of serious sailors and having three representatives of the club in the Clipper race is a strong testament to that philosophy.

'It's wonderful to see Elisa Jenkins participate in this race,' says Tom Meagher, Treasurer of the Club. 'She's been a member for six years, sailing mainly with Dan McCarthy. When she approached the Executive of the Club with the idea, we threw our wholehearted support behind her, with encouragement and financial support.'

The fleet of ten, stripped down, 68 ft ocean racing yachts competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race sailed into Sydney Harbour on June 10th for an 8-day stopover. A highlight of the stopover in Sydney for many crew members was an event that saw the Dobson Yacht Club host the Clipper Fleet crew, plus friends and family, on June 13. The evening featured a Cape Breton menu complete with local lobster and Highland Beef, plus entertainment by Celtic group, Kintyre.

'The event gave the Clipper crews a fabulous Cape Breton experience,' said Bennett. 'We were very proud to host the Clipper crews for this event. As the only stop in Canada, we hosted people from all over the world and had an opportunity to show our renowned Cape Breton hospitality. We were also very proud to have the Cape Breton Clipper yacht itself docked at the club for a time.'

The Dobson Yacht Club opened in 1954 and sits on the western shore of the South Arm, directly opposite downtown Sydney. The Club is member-owned and its goals are to provide first class boating facilities for its members and to promote the pastime of sailing and power boating in a friendly, family-oriented atmosphere. For more information, visit www.dobsonyachtclub.ca