Ever think of getting out on the water on a safe but exhilarating sailboat? Whether you're new to sailing, or thinking about kicking things up a notch by trying racing, the Nyack Boat Club has an active and growing fleet of Sonars. Sonars are 23-foot-long high-performance keelboats designed with simple, efficient rigs to provide sparkling performance in reasonable comfort. These one-design sailboats can ghost along in light air, yet their deep keel and rudder make them stable and quite manageable when the wind pipes up—and when it does, you’ll be sitting on the “rail," very much aware there is no better boat to sail than a Sonar.

 

The fleet is looking ahead to the 2022 season with enthusiasm. The fleet’s primary activity is Sunday afternoon club races run by our volunteer race committee and race patrollers.   Being a strict one-design class the races are very competitive, with every boat capable of “winning on any given Sunday," as they say. We race off our front porch—literally, 15 minutes from porch to starting line—on the beautiful and historic Hudson River.  

 

The races themselves can be very exciting, and it’s certainly a big part of the fleet’s appeal. But it's just as much the camaraderie of the fleet members that brings us back week after week. Each afternoon before racing we get together on the patio for coffee and donuts and discuss the highlights of our past week.  We then launch and haul our boats as a group effort since they are dry-sailed.  After the races have concluded and the boats are hauled, we go back to the patio, open the fleet cooler and unload drinks and snacks, and finish the day by discussing boat speed, mark roundings, and our next Sunday outing.  But it doesn’t end there: Over the course of the year, we host several social functions ranging from BBQ’s and lobster boils to axe-throwing outings to trips to museums. During the winter months, some members meet up to ski together in New York and Vermont. Anything fun is on the table.

 

Perhaps you’d like to sail with us?  If so, please contact Holly Cullen at hollydcullen@gmail.com.  

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