This Club Was Built For Fun

The month of October is when Richmond Yacht Club’s Junior Program begins on the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay. Not in the summer… now. Eighty eager juniors attended the opening session.

“It’s our 65th year running this all volunteer program,” explains Dick Loomis, a longtime contributor. “We schedule it in the winter because the weather conditions are more conducive to instruction. Teaching kids to sail in our typical summer winds, it’s a bit too strong… not so good.

“Winter is light to moderate. We haven’t had rain in forever, but when we do we meet indoors for knots, games, rules etc. We also have youth programs throughout the year for high sailing and skiffs. Those programs are organized and taught by hired staff.”

The club also has a summer Sail Camp off the bay, inland at Stockton Sailing Club, which attracts 80 to 90 kids that camp for a week. Again, the program is volunteer run by RYC, SSC, and Santa Cruz Yacht Club.

“We’re just happy if the juniors are learning and enjoying themselves,” notes volunteer John Dukat. “Happy to say it spans generations and even spawned some terrific racers. I could mention Johnny Kostecki is a graduate, whose dad Jack used to run the program, but that would sound gratuitous.

At heart and soul of everything RYC is the Junior Program and all the volunteers. And having fun. “Our motto is ‘This club was built for fun’,” Dukat reports. “And we live it.”