Bay of Quinte Yacht Club

The first official records of the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club indicate that the BQYC was originally formed in October, 1876. Full yachting activities commenced the following season. The first Commodore of BQYC, Thomas Kelso was at the helm of a new yacht club that boasted a compliment of eighteen to twenty members and eleven yachts.

The Bay of Quinte Yacht Club was one of the four founding members of the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA). The other three founding members of LYRA were the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the Oswego Yacht Club, and Toronto Yacht Club. The first Lake Yacht Racing Association races were a series of regattas held in Toronto, Oswego, Kingston, and Belleville. The Belleville LYRA Regatta was sailed on August 12, 1885 in Big Bay.

In the past, the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club has hosted a variety of races, regattas, and other boating events including the Eastern Yachting Circuit. At the present time, there is a full compliment of Wednesday Night Races with boats racing in a Spinnaker Division and a Non-Spinnaker Division. There are several Cup Races contested on weekends. Once, BQYC sailors raced 'Round the County'. Now, the only 'distance' race remaining under BQYC sponsorship is a shortened version of the original Braidwood Cup Race. This race begins and ends in Belleville with a mark near the Glenora Ferry serving as the turning mark for the race.

Find out what this painting has to do with BQYC

BQYC has an excellent Sailing School serving approximately two hundred students each summer. Children learn to sail dinghies during the day and adult students take over at night. There is also a very popular, "Adult Learn to Sail Keelboats Program", being run by volunteer BQYC members two nights per week.

At this point in time, The Bay of Quinte Yacht Club is an active boating, sailing, teaching, cruising, and racing club, as well as contributing to charitable activities. The calibre of members, instructors, and students (young and older) ensures that BQYC will successfully continue on into the next millennium.

Visitors are welcomed at BQYC. There is well protected docking available adjacent to the club for several large yachts. Price is 95 cents (Cdn) per foot. And you get a second night FREE! You can take this free night at any other time during the same sailing season! The club offers washrooms, showers, use of BBQ and ice for visitors. We have no fuel or pump-out facilities.

Join us in the "Long Reach" bar for a cool one (Guinness on tap too!), play some pool, or just relax in air-conditioned comfort in front of the TV.

For more information on the Bay of Quite Yacht Club, click here.