The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

It took a number of years for the current structure of the CYC Cruisers to evolve from these early island adventures. Again, according to PC Lamb, eventually “power boaters joined in and started going to FCYC clubs because of the need for utilities.” Planning the activities of this mixed group of power and sailing “cruisers” was originally part of the fleet captain’s responsibility. According to PC Dick Boblenz—a long time member of the CYC Cruisers: “when Larry Krampert became Fleet Captain in 1995-96, followed by Al Lewis in 1997 the group became organized and increasingly active.” Fleet Captain Krampert remembers these days. We planned monthly cruises for club members and started the “cocktails on the dock” program followed by the “feeding frenzy.” We were the first to plan and execute a trip to the Bahamas with 5 boats in the flotilla. We planned trips which could include both sail and power boats, usually over a weekend to accommodate those who had to work. It was a fun time. We started the “Blessing of the Fleet” program and an annual “Open House (boat)” program...We also held a “flip-the-plank” day where volunteer members came out and helped turn over the old dock planks and put the best side up. By 1997, the activities of the Cruisers had grown to the point they warranted a separate committee with its own chair or cruise captain. In the early 2000s, under the leadership of Bob and Eileen Gunther, Bob Francis and Lorraine Hori, and Miles and Virginia Curry, both the membership and the activities of the CYC Cruisers swelled. Members of this interest group have not only organized monthly jaunts to nearby yacht clubs and marinas, they have also hosted “cruise ins” and “rockin’ dock parties” at CYC, organized long distance trips to the Keys and the Bahamas, chartered cruises to even more far flung destinations, held informative meetings about local cruising conditions, made invaluable contributions to CYC’s world class regatta program by providing boats and volunteers to the Race Committee, and, most notably, sponsored a course for CYC members interested in obtaining certification as Coast Guard Licensed Captains.

The Currys’ Europa leaving Green Cay in Abaco, Bahamas, in 2004. Photo by Bob Francis.

Chapter 8: History of Cruising at CYC 85