The Baie-D’Urfé Yacht Club was founded in 1959 by Frank Booth and Miles Wisenthal when they discovered that many citizens were interested in forming a club in order to develop a harbour for small sailing boats in the Berthold Park area. The Club’s aim was to encourage sailing races among the residents of the community.
The first harbour was dug in May 1959, and two years later was enlarged. Interest in the Club is evident by the fact that by the end of 1960, there were 67 members. During the first full year, there were 13 races and the first trophy, the Alex Poe Cup, was presented to the Club.
The present harbour was built by the Federal Department of Public Works for “Expo” (Montreal was on the world stage) in 1967, providing matching-up work would be done. The Club, financed by a loan from the Town fulfilled the agreement with the Government. In 1968, the Town granted the B.D.Y.C. a thirty-year lease which made possible the building of a modest clubhouse the following year. Initially, the furnishings were rather spartan; subsequently many amenities have been added.
The Junior Squadron was started in 1962 using a small fleet of Flying Junior’s, a class which forms part of the present Squadron Fleet. This sailing school has trained a large number of local sailors through the years, some of whom have become first-rank competitors.
For many years, the Club has taken its turn in running the “Ishkoodah”, the Baie-D’Urfé-Beaurepaire regatta which was first raced in 1897. This is the oldest continuously-run regatta in Canada.
The B.D.Y.C currently has room for over 70 boats in the water, each with a finger dock, smaller boats are kept ashore beside the harbour’s wide launching ramp. Many families spend their summer days in and around the Club; on-the-water and off-the-water activities abound from the beginning of May until the end of October, a full six months of enjoyment.
Contact Info
Address:
20650 Lakeshore Rd, Baie-D’Urfe, Quebec H9X 2Z4, Canada
Phone: 514-457-3382
Email: info@bdyc.com
Website: sites.google.com/bdyc-ycbd.org/bdyccom
