Sailing at the Glen Lake Yacht Club since 1941

By Amanda Dow

Sun contributor

On July 18-19, the Glen Lake Yacht Club (GLYC) will host the annual Butterfly Nationals sailing regatta, which brings together both junior and adult sailors from all over the nation. This is the third time that the GLYC hosts the event. Both the regatta and GLYC have rich traditions and history, and for decades have played a large part of life “Up North” for hundreds of families.

The Yacht Club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2016, after it was founded the way any good yacht club should be—with a community brought together by sailboats and sailboat racing. In the late 1930s, snipe sailboat racing had come to Glen Lake. After racing near Dunn’s Farm and Tonawathya and holding meetings at nearby cottages, the sailors came together and decided to build a yacht club. A committee was formed in 1939, and calls went out to families and friends who might be interested in helping. Eighteen families contributed $200 each and became charter members. A site for the clubhouse was chosen on Sunset Drive, with 150 feet of Glen Lake frontage, where the club remains to this day. GLYC now also includes tennis courts and a parking lot across the street from the clubhouse. Like many of the original members, the architect chosen to design the clubhouse was from Hinsdale, Illinois. His name was Harford Field. In May 1941, after much discussion, a decision was made to complete the project, despite the war raging in Europe. The club was finished that year, in time for the season to start, and the first officers and committee members were chosen. The first season of sailing at the GLYC was a success, but as the United States entered the Second World War and the young men left to serve their country, activity at the club waned. The following few summers the ladies of the yacht club gathered news to create a newsletter that was sent to all the servicemen of the GLYC members and their families.

In August 1945, when the word spread that the Japanese had surrendered and the war was over, 70 members and friends met at the club the next day to celebrate. From there the yacht club grew, from the 18 charter members in 1941 to 32 members in 1949. Snipe racing picked up again, though eventually the snipes gave way to other sailboat types, from lasers, to sunfish, to MC Scows and butterflies. The butterfly is the primary sailboat for junior sailors (up to age 16 in the GLYC sailing program), and the club currently owns 14 of them.

For many years, the GLYC has been a big part of my summers on Glen Lake. From Saturday evening socials to sailboat racing, tennis, swimming, and camping trips to the Manitou Islands, I’ve met many amazing families and friends among the 200 current members. Some of my earliest memories are sailing on the lake in Opti (Pram) sailboats we lovingly call “bathtubs”, swim tests in early June’s freezing cold water, and playing tennis in the heat with melted Jolly Rancher rewards for hitting plastic tubes on the ground. The club even hosted a boater’s safety course so I could get my boater’s license. Needless to say, I’ve made memories I will never forget though the yacht club.

We who have grown up in the GLYC junior programs have gained many skills, along with lifelong friends. I learned not only how to sail and play tennis, I learned what it’s like to be part of a tight-knit community and the value of having fun and enjoying life as it happens. The most amazing thing about the GLYC is the community it fosters between people of all ages. Its traditions are carried from the old to the young, as previous generations can look to the next with hope as they grow and pave their own way in life.

“It’s helped my kids create some of the best friendships in their lives,” said Eric Miles, one of the yacht club’s newer members and father of three children currently participating in youth sailing and tennis. “They really look forward to the summer. It’s helped us (the parents) meet good friends as new members. Everybody has been extremely welcoming.” This is the Miles’ third year of membership at the Yacht Club.

Jeff Hamilton, a long-time member whose son and daughter have graduated from the youth program, echoed those sentiments. “GLYC has been an integral part of our family’s up north life since we came to Glen Lake in 2001,” said Hamilton. “Our kids found their love of sailing in the Club’s youth program, a sport they continue to enjoy as adults. And we’ve made many wonderful friends there.  It’s a truly welcoming and supportive community, and we feel lucky to be a part of it.”

The traditions will continue July 18-19, as the GLYC again hosts the Butterfly Nationals Sailing Regatta. Expect to see 50 or more butterflies on the starting line during the junior races for those 16 and under with a crew, followed by an open division for those of all ages. Junior races will start at 9 a.m. with the open races at 1 p.m.

As a general message, in past years we have had problems on other lakes with boats or fishermen coming though the sailing course, so if you plan on boating those days, enjoy yourselves, but please watch out for sailboats and the racing course! And please, cross your fingers for good winds and weather! GLYC hosts spectator boats for anyone interested in watching from the lake, although space is limited. We hope to see you on the water!