Yes Houston, we have a building! It wasn’t a liftoff, it was lift UP. And a major crane did the job of lifting all the Mod Boxes from their trailers onto the foundation and into place forming the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Sailing and Education Center plus the new club offices. There remains a lot of work to be done but the size, scope, and basic layout is completely apparent and moving towards a firm June occupancy date.

The week’s plans are restoration of power and internet/telephone to the Hill House and at the construction site; the siding will be completed and now that the entire lower floor is covered and weather tight, the crews can move toward completion of the concrete floor and buried plumbing on that level. Once that is complete the partitions for the ground floor can be stick- built and the entire area will be wired and plumbed.

The new facility couldn’t come at a more opportune time with perhaps our busiest sailing and racing season in many moons in the offing. Of course we have the regular Wednesday evening club sailing events starting on June 13 and continuing weekly until Sept. 12. There are five Commodore’s Cup events with Pursuit races on June 23 and Aug. 11, The Comm’s Cup Fleet races are June 24, July 22 and Aug. 5, 12, and 19.

Round Southport is the cry and the coveted and extremely valuable Trash Can needs to come back to our Casino and June 30 is the date where our aspirations get tested. The Junior Program Foundation Cup is scheduled for July 8 and the Classic Yacht race is July 20. Our 44th consecutive Regatta will take place on the 28th and 29th of August. There have been many more Regattas (than 43) in our extensive history but the current series dates back to 1973 when Jack “Tunney” Wells  started the current series. A lifelong Squirrel , Dr Jack was an avid racer and a musician as well as he brought the Squirrel island Hennessy Band to play at the Regatta evening event every year. Maybe one of our current Squirrel members could persuade the Hennessy members to restart that tradition!

The One Design Association is featuring a race on Aug. 4 and at the end of August the states J-80 Fleet will compete in the East Coast Championship which we will host Aug. 24 to 26. Three other major races include the Maine State Opti Championships( Aug. 13-15), the State c-420 Championships ( July 9-10) and the Maine Junior Olympics (July 11-13).

Whew, we are out of breath reciting them all! But it all goes to prove that the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club is clearly the racing capital of the New England Coast! No other yacht club even begins to equal our race schedule.

It is too bad that rain again spoiled the West Harbor Pond event scheduled for the  11th and time and circumstances will tell if there is to be a re-scheduling. Definitely “on” is the February social event tonight (if you are reading this on Thursday-publication day) at the Lancaster’s home on Atlantic Ave. You can park in the Squirrel Lot and it is just a short walk to the Lancasters’ house.