WEST HAWK LAKE YACHT CLUB The West Hawk Lake Yacht Club, established in 1959, was one of the original clubs in Manitoba.  In fact, it was through the efforts of members of the WHLYC that the MSA itself was established.  As the MSA website notes: The history of the Manitoba Sailing Association … has its roots in the early 60’s when sailing really began to expand in Manitoba and North Western Ontario … The first indications that people wanted to form a provincial association came from the Executive of the West Hawk Lake Yacht Club who asked their Commodore to test the idea out on other sailors from across the Province. During the 1960s and into the mid 1970s, the club was extremely active and produced a number of top level competitors.  Older racers will remember names like Dr. Max Demarais, Bill Benson Sr and Cam McCulloch.  West Hawk Lake was a hot bed for Y-flyers, Fireballs and Albacores.  It had an active Learn-to-Sail program and a member of WHLYC served as Chair of the CYA National LTS Committee in the mid ‘80s. Regrettably, interest at the club died off and the racing program ended by the early 1980s.  The yacht club facility was taken over by a member and used as a family cottage.  Ultimately the Province of Manitoba took the property back for rent arrears and it was sold into private hands in the mid 1990s. Nonetheless, there remained a number of sailors on the lake and many, many cottagers still had sail boats.  Starting in 2005, efforts were made to start organized sailing activities once again.  In the spring of 2006, WHLYC formally resurrected itself and applied for membership in the MSA.  In July 2006, the club ran an extremely successful LTS program using the MSA mobile sailing school running from local cottager Marty Halprin's beach.  The club’s program introduced 20 kids to sailing.  More importantly, the sailing school served as an impetus for many people to dig their boats out from under their cottages and go sailing.  The last day of the sailing school, for instance, 10 Lasers came out to sail with the students.  That momentum carried through for the balance of the summer, assisted by several club members who offered to help boat owners get their dinghies up and running. Although the club is virtual – it has a website but no club house – plans for 2010 are to continue on the success of the last four summers.  The sailing program has been expanded to include an advanced program and an adult program.  All the old club trophies have been located and there is serious talk of holding races to compete for them (tentatively Aug.15/10).  The main focus, however, will continue to be on trying to get people out on the water sailing. For more information about the club plans in 2010 please contact Tom Saunders (444-3631 evenings) or Paul Krestanowich (474-1009 days, 774-0967 evening) or email us at pckrest@shaw.ca.   Please click on the link below for all the updated Sailing Manitoba news and the Porthole Magazine. Click Here