Commodore's Corner 4/23/25

Greetings everyone!  What a difference a few weeks can make!  The weather is starting to warm and the water calls us back.  We’re all excited for an awesome 2025 season!

The first social of the year is Saturday May 17th.  Venyx LTE will be performing.  Some may remember them from September of 2023 when a pair of certain rainbow-colored jackets seemed to be the hit of the dance floor It should be a great way to kick off the season.  Being the first social, we thought we would go back to a potluck style.  The club will provide a main course, but if everyone could please bring a side or dessert to share, we would appreciate it.  More details on the specifics to come in the weeks leading up to the social date.

Also remember that membership meetings are always scheduled for 5 pm just prior to the social.  It’s the best way to come and get any information on the club, or to get any questions answered or suggestions made.

There are a few changes for this year.  I’m sure many of you have heard that Janice Hearst stepped down from the Secretary position late last year.  I cannot express enough the appreciation that the Bridge and Trustees have for the many years of guidance and expertise that Janice provided.  Kathy Trask has accepted the position of Secretary for 2025, thanks so much to Kathy for taking on the role.  Additionally, Deb Crall has taken over as Sunshine Reporter, and there are quite a few new faces as Trustees, so please try to attend a membership meeting for acquaintance's sake, at the very least.

A quick reminder to get your cruise registration forms in.  The email with the form went out to membership mid-March, so it may have been easy to miss.  But the form is also available on the website under the Cruising page if you can’t find the form.  Thanks again to Marianne for all you do behind the scenes for the cruising program.

That’s all I can think of for now. 

Fair winds and following seas!

Sean Leengran

2025 Commodore

Commodore's Corner 3/14/25

Hello all, and thanks for stopping by to read the most recent Commodore’s Corner. I’m going to try and keep these updates coming monthly, but don’t hold me to it too strictly. We’ll have to see how the year turns out.

At the end of February, we had a great showing during the Marina open house! Thanks again to all that came by to help with meeting prospective new members, it was much appreciated. We have a decent number of leads, hopefully a few will turn out. A quick reminder to keep your eyes open for any new faces around the marina this spring… a friendly HBYC member is our most effective recruitment approach.

A few news items – very special thanks to Deb Crall for taking over for the Sunshine Committee! And keep a lookout for the 2025 final cruising sign-up form. I’m told it should be available next week. Thanks so much Marianne for wrapping that up!

As we all are eagerly awaiting spring and summer to finally arrive, I will leave you with this apt poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien, which for me evokes feelings of both reflection and anticipation, both well-suited to this time of year.

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen

of meadow-flowers and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

and voices at the door.

Sean Leengran

2025 Commodore

Commodore's Corner 2/14/25

A new Commodore for 2025 means a new Commodore’s Corner post!

Commodore Sean Leengran and Lady Laura

First, I want to thank outgoing Commodore Jessie Homer for all she did in the last year, including pulling together the Winter Rendezvous after Benjamin stepped down.  It’s always fun getting together and the late-night game sessions were enlightening to say the least…

For those that don’t know me, I’m Sean Leengran and my wife is Laura Bruschi.  We’ve been at the marina since 2018 (F dock) sailing our Tartan 40 whenever we can get the opportunity.  I’m looking forward to a fun year, hopefully summer will be here before we know it.

In the meantime, we have a few events coming up at the tail end of winter.  The AYC 2025 ball is this weekend, 2/14-2/16 and I know we have several members that will be in attendance.  There’s also the Safe Harbor Sandusky Marina open house on Saturday 2/22/2025.  We’ll have a few members hanging around the clubhouse to welcome any possible new members, but if you’re free or just around that weekend, we can always use more help!  And finally, Rick Billheimer has been co-coordinating a bus trip to a few AYC clubs with All Ports Yacht club.  Details on this event, and many others, can be found on our Events page of the website. Chris has been doing a great job of updating our calendar of events there, so make sure you check for any details on Socials, Cruising, Races, Meetings, etc.  We’re still working to finalize the cruising sign-up, but that should be coming out soon!

Finally, we are still looking for someone to step in to lead Sunshine Report.  If you’re looking to help out and want more details on this small – but highly impactful – role, please let me know.

Sean Leengran

2025 Commodore

Commodore's Corner 7/1/24

I hope everyone is gearing up for an amazing 4th of July week/weekend. I know we have several boats leaving Thursday morning for our long cruise of the season and I wish you all fair weather and fun times!!

Some don't forget dates:

July 20th- our Pig Roast Social and Race to the Bay for Stein Hospice -Please sign up/pay for your meal in the club this weekend so they know how many dinners to prepare for!! Also if you would like to race please see or email Lary asap so he can calculate start times!

July 28th- Second annual Family Fun Day collaborating with the marina to put on fun activities for kids of all ages. The marina will be providing a sweet treat! Meet at the SHM pavilion at 11AM

I hope you all have an amazing week and I hope to see you up at the club!

Jessie Homer -Dock C 23 SV No Direction

Commodore 24

Commodore's Corner 4/15/24

AHOY THERE! Harbor Bay Yacht Club has a lot of exciting events and opportunities coming up! Here's a breakdown of the key details:

April 20th, 1-2 PM: Perrysburg and Lakefront yacht clubs will be visiting Harbor Bay Yacht Club. If you're available, stop by to help them have a fun time!

May 4th, 5 PM: The first membership meeting of the year will take place at the club.

May 4th, 6 PM: The first Commodore Dinner/Social with an Old World theme will be held. The menu includes dishes like sausage, sauerkraut, German potato salad, and Swedish meatballs. All food will be provided. Volunteers are needed for dinner help and clean-up. Live entertainment by the Anthony Culkar and Al Battistelli Band is planned, along with watching the Kentucky Derby with a fundraising twist (don't forget your Derby hats!)

May 4th, 10 AM: Volunteers are needed for a patio and grounds clean-up. Bring your garden tools and meet up to help spruce up the Clubhouse.

Fundraisers: Proceeds from fundraisers this year will support the Youth Organization, which offers financial support for boating classes or summer camps for children and grandchildren of active HBYC members. Approval from the board members is required.

June 1st: Cruiser fun race: please see the Racing page of our website for details and signup form! It is a just for fun race so now is your chance to get out there and have fun! There are several sailboats looking for crew, even if you have never sailed before, see a racer and have fun! 5pm our second membership meeting and @ 6pm B and members who do not dock at safe harbor will be putting on the social (more info to come) If you are a B or Outside docker please get together soon to start planning! If you would like to help but don't know who to contact please see Carla Smith, our social chair.

These events and initiatives are great opportunities for members to get involved and enjoy the club's offerings!

Can't wait to see you all soon!

Commodore Jessie Homer

(Dock D 59, sailboat: No Direction)

Commodore's Corner 2/21/24

Brian & Jessie Homer

My FIRST commodore corner, wow what a month it has been already! If you do not know me yet my name is Jessie Homer, Brian Homer is my husband (and one of your trustees again this year) and we have two sons: Gavin, 16 and Braxton almost 11. 

Our 2024 Bridge at the Winter Rendezvous. (L-R) Vice Commodore Sean Leengran, Commodore Jessie Homer, and Rear Commodore Benjamin Lowien.

We just had a wonderful Winter Rendezvous a few weeks ago at Sawmill Creek with the 2024 change of watch ceremony and where all the Hollywood elite came to dine and dance the night away.

Just this last weekend we attended the AYC ball and whirlwind of a fun weekend. There were 15 rooms decorated from floor to ceiling for the 80's theme set by the 2023 commodores. Each room had its own themed drinks and food for Friday night and all day and night Saturday along with several fun bands in the atrium. It is definitely something everyone should put on their calendar for next year! 

The next upcoming events are:

February 24th 11am-3pm: Marina open house. If you can come please bring an appetizer and let someone on the bridge know so we have an idea of how many people we have. We already have a couple possible new members coming to check us out!

March 23rd: HBYC & APYC Bus trip to other AYC yacht clubs- if you do not have a ticket for this fun event there are still a few available. Click here for more info!

April 20th 1-2pm: Perrysburg Boat Club and Lakefront Yacht Club will come and visit on their bus trip...we really need as many people there as possible to help throw them a mini welcome party!

May 4th: Our first Membership meeting of the year at 5pm

After will be our first social of the year with an added bonus/ change- Commodore's Dinner is also added to this social to make it an extra fun kick off event of the season!

SO much more to come for a fabulous year and I hope to see you all soon my friends!

Jessie Homer

Commodore HBYC 24

Commodore's Corner 12/1/23

I started the “Commodore’s Corner” at the first of the year so this will be my last Commodore’s Corner update to send out.  Jessie Homer, our new incoming Commodore is going to serve all of us well. 

Happy Holidays to you and your families, and here’s to a great 2024 season!

The Lease: 

The lease has been approved and signed, with the terms stated at the last meeting. HBYC will be staying put right at our home at Safe Harbor Sandusky! Special thanks to Jim Harding for his services reviewing the lease.

Save The Dates:

Feb 2-4 Winter Rendezvous, Huron OH - Change of Watch at Sawmill Creek Resort. Dinner, Dancing, and more details to be released soon.

The 2024 schedule will be unveiled at the rendezvous.  Our new Rear Commodore Benjamin Lowien and the 2024 Team are working on the schedule at this time. And it’s looking great! Be ready for a packed cruising schedule, and lots of fun socials and events.

Feb 16-18 AYC Ball, Detroit Mi. - Gigantic 1980’s Themed Party for all AYC Clubs. Hotels taken over, majorly decorated party rooms, it’s a LOT of fun! There’s more info posted in the last Commodore’s Corner update, so feel free to scroll back and read all the details.

I just learned that we can turn in tickets until Jan 20.  If interested please contact me.

Final Message

Thank you for “Believing in ‘23”

It's been quite an experience this year with ups and downs. As hectic as it was, we still had a great year of cruising, socials, and racing. I was honored to serve as your Commodore,  but I’m very happy to settle into the P/C position at this time. Thanks for your support and let’s continue to make Harbor Bay Yacht Club the best club around!

Rick Billheimer,  HBYC Commodore 2023

Commodore's Corner 11/14/23

AYC Ball Edition

The Associated Yacht Clubs Ball is coming up on Friday Feb 16-18 2024. This is a great time, and a fun way to represent HBYC to our new AYC friends. The theme this year is 1980’s. So break out your costumes from September’s social and join us in Detroit!

Tickets are $50 each, or $100 per couple.  Please get a hold of me or send me the $$ before 11/25/23, so I can get the tickets turned in.  If you decide after that you’d like to join up, (but before 12/17) you will have to drive to Detroit to get a ticket if there are any still available. 

The hotel link for where the event is being held, had some glitches—it states it is sold out,  I was told just this weekend that it is NOT sold out and that it will be fixed early this week.    I would say check the first link then go to the overflow hotel links

Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport Link

https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1695414729636&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Overflow hotels

Hampton Inn and Suites-Detroit Metro Airport Link

https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/dttrmhx-ayc-eb480d96-f0f7-4962-9330-cee5ff615b5d/

Hilton Garden Inn-Detroit Metro Airport Link:

https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/detmagi-ayc-84de9b44-302b-468c-a1c9-74518b7e8250/

Hope to see you there!

Rick Billheimer,  HBYC Commodore 2023

“Believe in 23!”

Commodore's Corner 9/26/23

A lot has happened since my last Commodore’s Corner!

August 12 - F Dock Social

Vice Commodore Sean Leengran put on his chef hat and smoked some pulled pork and grilled ribs and sides, and it was delicious!  A special thanks to all who pitched in and helped make F Dock’s social a success. And of course DJ Scott, who kept us all dancing into the night!

Sept 16 - Membership Meeting & D/A Dock social

After an intense and passionate membership meeting to discuss our building lease options, our HBYC membership overwhelmingly voted in favor of the board to pursue the revised lease with SHM. Details of the lease terms can be found in the “Members Only” area.

For the social, we had a 1980’s themed Dance Party. BubbaRocks Meats provided the roasted chickens, and D-Dock prepared the sides. It was a great meal to celebrate the vote, and a great primer for singing and dancing with Venyx LTE; they were Phenomenal! We all had a blast, and thanks to killer tunes and some rainbow colored costume jackets, everyone hit the dance floor at least twice! We’re hoping to book Venyx LTE for an event next year, they were a huge hit!

Sept 23 Cigar Night was cancelled and may be rescheduled to a later date.

Cruising:

HBYC Cruising Fleet takes up Vermilion Water Works Marina. Thanks to Benjamin Lowein for drone pic!

We had many cruises this season, Kelleys Island, Middle Bass Music Festival, Extended Cruise East, Pelee, Extended Cruse West, Huron, and Vermilion.  We had great food, drinks, and times at all these cruises.  Thank you all who helped plan and organize these cruises and events we had. The reason to have a boat is to get out and go, and our cruising is one reason I encourage people to join, especially those new to boating, or traveling on the water to new ports. Join in with our cruises and enjoy all the great destinations with great people!

Racing:

This season has been a great one for racing, with our two Cruisers Fun Race in the Bay, our Stein Hospice Race, (which resulted in our largest donation ever given to benefit Stein Hospice), ILYA Bay Week Races, and our Cruisers Fun Race to Vermilion. The weather didn’t work out in our favor a few times, but that didn’t keep us from having a great racing season. Special thanks to Larry Hurst for all his efforts as Race Coordinator this year!

AYC:

On Sept 20th, Mike & Julie Rigot from Ottawa River Yacht Club in Toledo came to steal our burgee, as part of the AYC fun. Russ Marcks was there to exchange burgees with our new friends.

Upcoming New Board & Bridge

Our new Board was selected,  This will be official at the Winter Rendezvous. - but they are the ones to ask about 2024 plans. 😇 New positions/roles are designated with an asterisk (*)

Welcome the Bridge and Officers of 2024

*Commodore: Jessie Homer

*Vice Commodore: Sean Leegran

*Rear Commodore: Benjamin Lowien

Past Commodore: Rick Billheimer

Trustee: Brian Homer

Trustee: John Liederbach

*Trustee: Chris Malott

*Trustee: Mark Phillips

Secretary: Janice Hearst

*Treasurer: Ken Smith

*Social: Carla Smith

Cruise Director: Marianne Eggett

Racing Director: Larry Hurst - but we are searching for another to carry these duties!

Building Chair: Nick Lewis

Membership Chair: Sharon Meszaros

Webmaster: Chris Malott

I-LYA Liaison: Larry Hurst

AYC delegates: Rick Billheimer, Brain Homer

*Ship’s Stores Coordinator: Karissa Kubacki

*Blue Gavel: Rick Billheimer - unless I see hands to volunteer!

Save the Dates

Feb 2-4 HBYC Winter Rendezvous - Sawmill Creek Resort, Huron Ohio. - This event is for our official “Changing of the Watch” for the club. Friday night is a social night, and Saturday is our formal ceremony/dinner celebration. This event is a great one to help break those “Winter Blues” and hang out with your HBYC friends! More details to follow.

Feb 16-18 AYC Ball - Detroit MI. - The Associated Yacht Clubs put on one heck of a party for their annual ball. HBYC will have a limited # of tickets. More details to follow.

We are starting to haul out and the 2024 plans are getting started for next year.  Docks are already being reserved for some of our cruises. Some AYC clubs are planning trips to visit us for next summer.  It's going to be a great, maybe even a “24K Golden” year in ‘24!

Rick Billheimer,  HBYC Commodore 2023

“Believe in 23!”

Commodore's Corner 8/28/23

Labor Day Edition

Summer is flying by with Labor Day occurring next Monday, so here is what is going on this weekend.  I’ll get a regular “Commodore’s Corner” out next week…summer can be so distracting.  :)

Vermilion Cruise

Vermilion is our last club cruise, fun activities planned include Putt-Putt golf and a bloody mary bar, and the Old Prague restaurant has nightly outdoor entertainment.  We are working on sending out the notice with all the details for the weekend.  If you Have any questions about the activities or wish to be a last minute sign up please contact Cruise Director Marianne Eggett or myself.

Vermilion Sailing Race 

Keep your own time and race to Vermilion, Larry will have details at the cruise meeting on Friday AM.

Safe Harbor Sandusky Labor Day Bash 9/2

Nomad Soul Band

For those unable to attend the Vermilion cruise, Safe Harbor will be providing entertainment this weekend Shannon Martin Paul, lead singer from the Fleetwood Mac cover band “Rumours” will be performing with her band Nomad Soul at the marina under the pavilion from 7-10 PM. You won’t want to miss it!

Safe Harbor Sandusky will also be hosting a Hog Roast by Stampede's Barbeque with all the fixings. Food starts at 5 pm, Free to Safe Harbor Members. A cash beer tent will be available.

AYC

Some of our AYC friends from RiverView Yacht Club in Toledo are coming for the weekend, as a result of Seaway Marina’s outer wall being damaged in the storms last week.   On Saturday, 9/2 they will be taking the Jet Express to Kelley’s Island for a 80’s MTV party, just in case you’d like to join them.  Word is there’s an island bar crawl planned! Feel free to join up with the gang, and if your plans are to stay at the marina, please make them feel welcome over the weekend!

Upcoming Events

D-Dock Social coming up, mark your calendars for Sept 16th. Details of this and many more events are posted on our Events Schedule page!

Rick Billheimer,  HBYC Commodore 2023
“Believe in 23!”