Although one of the smaller clubs on Lake Ontario in terms of membership numbers, Queen City Yacht Club has become accustomed to doing things on a scale that seems more in keeping with a club two or three times its size. Queen City is renowned on the lake, for instance, for staging hugely successful events such as the annual Labour Day Pig Roast, at which more than 400 dinners are served. The annual Women's Skippers Race often draws in excess of 35 boats and features prizes worthy of a regatta five times its size. And Queen City's participation in outside events also frequently gives the impression of a much bigger club. The six Queen City racers who participated in Lake Ontario Single Handed Association events in 2000, for instance, made up nearly 30% of the 21-boat LOSHA fleet.
Nowhere, however, is Queen City's over-reaching participation more emphatic than in blue-water cruising. Among the 120 current active members, no fewer than 23 - more than 18% of the active club! - have sailed their own boats south for a year or longer. Add in those who are currently Out-of-town members who have done so (and in a couple of cases are still cruising) and the number rises to 29.
Every year, it's a given that at least one or two boats will leave the club in August or September, head across Lake Ontario for Oswego, then through the New York State Erie canal system, to the Hudson and south to the ICW, Florida, the Bahamas and beyond. All summer long, these members are busy preparing and provisioning their boats, often after considerable consultation with members at Queen City who have already made the journey. Advice on everything from water generators and wind generators to how to make bread on board is offered. Naturally there is considerable debate about the 'right' way to go, but there's no debating that the range and level of experience at Queen City with going south is remarkable.
The Bahamas has been far and away the most popular destination for Queen City's blue-water sailors. Four years ago, there were enough members to field an entire volleyball team in Georgetown. But it's noteworthy as well that 10 members have gone beyond and sailed most of the Caribbean to Venezuela. A few years ago one of our female members flew to France, bought a boat and sailed it home to Queen City. At least three boats of current members have spent two successive years cruising the Caribbean. And four current members have made TransAtlantic crossings under sail in their own boats - including one made last spring to the Med. Three other current members have sailed their own boats to Bermuda, one while participating in the Bermuda One-Two race.