Vallarta Yacht Club

May 5th fundraiser for the kids...and what a fiesta it was!  Dinner, video presentation, incredible dance show, raffle prizes, and of course the Auction, which was a great success. Check out the great video (next article).

The back deck of the VYC was filled with excited parents and young sailors enjoying the event and raising funds for a good cause.  $66,022 pesos is the final number for cash raised for the Jr Sailing Program.  Those not able to attend helped support the Program too, we received donations from as far away as Utah! The funds keep the doors of opportunity open for these kids ages 8-15, keep the boats maintained in good condition, keep coaches teaching, and help fund scholarships to the Program.

A testimony to the Program is our latest star - Juan Barba Varela started sailing with the VYC Jr Sailing Program since it's beginning, at 8 yrs old.  He is now ranked #2 in all Mexico in Opti's and #1 in windsurf, and will be 1 of 5 young sailors representing Mexico in the July World Competition in the Dominican Republic.  Congratulations Juanito, and to all our young sailors -  keep up the great work!

The VYC Junior Program is proud to announce the premier of their first promotional video. Themed to the song "It's a Beautiful Day" and featuring interviews with VYC Junior Sailors, VYC Members and parents, the video also includes clips of Optimist and Laser racing during the 2012 International WesMex Regatta last March.

When we think about the organization that we are part of, what is the first thing that comes to our minds? The organization? The people in the organization? What we do? The building?

At the end of the day, clubs are about people. Making money is only important in terms of ensuring that the organization remains financially capable enough to ensure that we can put a roof over our collective heads, pay the people who work for us, and do the things that we can only do as a club, not individually.

Many of us enjoy the idea that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We like the idea that when we tell someone we are a member of the Vallarta Yacht Club, there is a smile of recognition, and perhaps even a little envy. We also enjoy the idea that we have a place “where everybody knows your name”. People rarely join clubs to be anonymous, that's just not the point!

We are proud to announce this year's recipient of the Jim Ketler Service Award - Ibis de Teresa.

Vallarta Yacht Club's signature event is now in the record books and despite the lack of cooperation from the wind on some of the race days it was quite a competition.  The field of competitors was the largest in the 7 year history of this event with   53 Lasers, 77 Optimist, and as an added treat twenty 420 dinghies, crewed by members of the Mexican Navy.  What was really great for the local area was the participation of 19 kids from the club's Junior Sailing Program - 5 sailing Lasers and 15 sailing Optimists. The average age of the young folks participating in the Optimist class was the youngest ever in the history of this race.

Seven of the Laser competitors were ranked in the top 20 Laser racers in the world, including #1 ranked Laser racer Tom Slingsby of Australia.  These top racers not only added to the competitive excitement of the event but added a bit of an "awe" factor that seemed to motivate many of the younger sailors.  A good example was when one of the young competitors asked Tom Sligsby to autograph her life jacket.  When Tom gladly signed the jacket and them kneeled down to allow the competitor's mother to take a picture of the two of them together one would imagine that this young girl's desire to emulate the competitive spirit of someone who was undoubtedly her "hero" was increased many fold.

Come one, come all to the first Vallarta Yacht Club Town Hall Meeting. This meeting will be held at the club, starting at 3pm on April 2.

Come and hear reports from your new club officers, discuss the future of VYC, and maybe say goodbye to some of your fellow members who are leaving for the season.

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