EYC Racing
The Erieau Yacht Club offers One-Design and Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) class racing for both Senior and Junior sailors.
For our adult weekend races we use a variety of sailboats and are judged by a professional race committee. The fleets currently consist of Larks, C-Scows, Lasers, and keel boats. The Larks, C Scows and Lasers are raced in the one-design fleet class while the Offshore Fleet keel boats race in the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet class. We race on Rondeau Bay and Lake Erie.
Junior Racing is offered on Saturdays for our campers, using our camp Lasers, Optimas (‘Optis’), Picos, and Interntional 420s.
Fleet Captains
LARKS: Kelly Shillington
C SCOWS: Matthew Poile
LASERS: Hailey Kempe
OFFSHORE FLEET: Hugh Liebner
EYC Junior Racing
The Junior Races are open to kids 5-18 years of age who are EYC Members OR are enrolled in the EYC Summer Camp Programs.
Junior sailors can use their own boats or use EYC fleet. There is no registration fee for Junior sailors who use their own boat.
The Benefits of Sailing for Kids
1. Self-Confidence. Learning to control and successfully navigate a boat gives the young sailor pride and a sense of achievement.
2. Spatial Awareness. Navigation skills like moving through narrow spaces, making tight turns, and coasting up to a dock are the finesse of sailing.
3. Understanding Nature. Sailing can pique the interest of kids to become young environmentalists.
4. Camaraderie. Kids learn to rely on their crew members to work together.
5. Responsibility. Taking care of your boat is the top rule for young sailors.
Our Fleets
The Lark
The boat with the longest history at the EYC is the Lark, which started replacing the original fleet around 1947.
Originally designed by C.M. Palmer, the Lark is a low gaff-rigged cat boat ike a Scow with 1a 6′ x 6′ beam, and a 6″ freeboard. Before the 40s, were over there were 15 Larks on the Bay.
Larks remain in steady use in the EYC racing fleet, with the newest built in 2014 and 2018.
C Scow
Built by Harry C. Melges, Sr. in 1945, the first class of Scow — The C Scow — quickly became an all-time speed favorite.
The 2014 Melges C Scow® has come a long way from the days of wooden materials and cotton sails. It is now one of the most revolutionary sailboats on the market. Inspired by more than 100 years of competitive racing, this cat-rigged, maneuverable sailboat is great fun and a total pleasure to sail.
The C Scow has made its way onto Rondeau Bay at the EYC over the last decade and now makes up the largest fleet on Sunday races.
The Laser
The Laser is one of the most popular single-handed dinghies in the world.
As of 2012, there are more than 200,000 boats worldwide. A commonly cited reason for its popularity is that it is robust, and simple to rig and sail.
The Laser also provides very competitive racing due to the very tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails and equipment.
The Laser has been part of the EYC racing fleet for more than 30 years and remains a favourite amongst younger sailors.
Keel Boats
This Offshore Fleet is made up of keel boats, typically ranging in size from 24 – 36′ (7.3 – 11 M).
Because of the differences in the boats, they are raced under what is called the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) system. This handicap system provides all boats the opportunity to be competitive, regardless of size or design.
The weekly Offshore Fleet races are held on Lake Erie just off the village of Erieau and are usually about 7 miles in length. There is also a 20 mile distance race each season.
The races are held on Saturdays, check the EYC club calendar and schedule for details.