Yacht Club welcomes community to open house on Sept. 11

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 8 August 2021 at 12:31 pm

Sailboats also race on Thursday evenings until Aug. 19

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Bob Hodgins, commodore of the Oak Orchard Yacht Club, and his wife Mary Lou stand in front of the sign at the Yacht club’s quarters on Archibald Road, Waterport. Since taking over as the 2021 commodore, Bob is working to promote good relationships with the community. They will host a chicken barbecue and open house for the community on Sept. 11.

WATERPORT – When Bob Hodgins took over as commodore of the Oak Orchard Yacht Club, one of the things he vowed to do was make the facility more welcoming to the community.

The Yacht Club has since invited the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association to have a meeting there, welcomed a group of high school kids who couldn’t have a prom or graduation ceremony because of Covid and offered the facility for the initial meeting of Leadership Orleans Class of 2021.

His latest endeavor is to host an open house and chicken barbecue for the public on Sept. 11. Featured will be the club’s famous chicken barbecue or the regular menu in the restaurant.

Chicken barbecue can be ordered for takeout or pre-ordered online to be served in the restaurant – with full service on real dishes and real silverware, Hodgins said.

The bar and restaurant open at 5 p.m. and reservations must be made by logging on to the club’s website.  More information is available by calling (585) 305-6221.

In the afternoon the Corvair Club of Western New York will meet at the Yacht Club to show off their cars. Any member or guest who would like to drive a car to show it off may bring it along.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This group of boaters, including many with sailboats, were out June 30, 2016 in Lake Ontario near the Oak Orchard Harbor during one of the Thursday evening races.

In the clubhouse, tableside magic will be performed from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by live music by Fred DiCesare starting at 8 p.m.

Oak Orchard Yacht Club is actively seeking to grow its membership of both full and social members. Hodgins urges anyone interested to take this opportunity to come and visit the club, enjoy a great meal and entertainment and meet some of the members. Anyone wishing a personal tour of the club can contact them through their website.

Hodgins also wants the public to know about their regular races every Thursday evening throughout the summer. Their fleet consists of boats with a wide range of sizes, captained by a wide range of sailors. Some are very competitive and others are just out for the pleasure of sailing, Hodgins said.

The races are open to any sailboat which wants to join and have some fun. Their members’ boats are all measured and handicapped using the PHRF system. Anyone who wants to join in is welcome. If they do not have a PHRF rating, they cannot be officially scored against the rest of the fleet, but can still possibly earn some bragging rights by coming in ahead of the other boats.

Hodgins said crew are often needed and there are always opportunities to join a boat. He invites boaters to come out to sail with an experienced sailor and see how it’s done.

Anyone interested can contact the fleet captain Larry Travis by e-mail at larryt22@hotmail.com or by cell at (561) 846-2366 for racing instructions or help connecting to one of sailors to help with a race. All experience levels are welcome.

Races start at 6:30 p.m. just outside the harbor walls to the west. Races run through Aug. 19.