Sponsor a Sailboat to Help Provide Meals for our Communities


 

2023 Okanagan Charity Regatta

The Vernon Yacht Club is thrilled to extend an invitation for sailors to participate in the 2023 Okanagan Charity Regatta (OCR). A decade ago, the OCR was a 10 year event started by sailor Dave Ellis, and at the time raised the most annual donations for the local United Way. This year, we are once again rallying sailors to race for a cause and are inviting our community to raise funds for United Way BC and Community Foundation North Okanagan’s many food security organizations and programs across the Okanagan Valley.

Sailors can support this cause by racing their best! The Okanagan Charity Regatta Committees will find sponsors and donors, and participating boats will be available for companies to sponsor with all funds going to charity. We will put your boat up for sponsorship on the OCR website, so let us know you’re coming and we’ll include you. You can visit our website at okanagancharityregatta.ca to register your boat.

But that’s not all! We have an exciting opportunity for sailors to contribute while also enhancing their sail trim skills. Join the LIVE North Sails’ Webinar on Sail Trim on June 1st at 7pm. This live webinar will be hosted by North Sails’ pro coaches Drew Mitchell and Alex Levkovskiy and will be set up throughout the Valley. If you’d like to host a webinar in your area, please contact Pamela at pamelaswork@gmail.com.

We believe that by coming together and participating in events like the OCR, we can make a significant impact in our community and make a difference in people’s lives. We hope that you’ll join us in sailing for fuller plates and hearts!

 

North Sails – LIVE Sail Trim Registration is Open: trellis.org/north-sails-sail-trim-webinar
All proceeds from the event will be donated to charity.

 

 

 

 

 


Your donations at work

All proceeds from the 2023 Okanagan Charity Regatta fundraiser go to United Way BC and Community Foundation North Okanagan to support the many organizations and food programs essential to the health of our communities. Your donations help us grow hope. For 10 years starting in early 2000, the Vernon Yacht Club ran an annual Okanagan Charity Regatta that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for United Way. In 2023 the Okanagan Charity Regatta is fundraising for fuller plates and hearts.

~ The Okanagan Charity Regatta is raising funds in support of local and regional food programs essential to the health of our communities.

 

Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO) “For the 91,100 British Columbians experiencing severe food insecurity, making healthy food choices isn’t an option. These people make difficult choices like skipping meals to feed their child or buying cheap instant meals like Kraft Dinner so they can purchase gas to get to work or pay for utilities.” CFNO Better Together Fund &

CFNO – Protecting Food Security through Partnerships

~ CFNO wants to continue offering The Fill the Gap Food Program to low-income community members and they need your support to keep this program running.

 

 

United Way B.C. (UWBC) “1 in 6 Canadians lived in a household facing a food shortage in 2020. For families with children that number is much higher, at almost 20%. Ensuring British Columbians have access to nourishing, healthy, and culturally appropriate food is vital to the overall health and well-being of our communities.”

United Way BC Here. For Fuller Plates and Hearts & United Way & Land to Table Community Food Hub

~ United Way seeks partnerships with companies and organizations that share their values and commitment to help individuals and families here in the Okanagan move towards food sustainability.

100% of regatta funds stay local to our region

From Revelstoke and Salmon Arm to Central and South Okanagan, the United Way BC (UWBC) and Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO) charities support and work with these organizations to feed our communities:

  • UWBC Community Food Hubs
  • CFNO Better Together Program
  • The Good Food Box Society
  • North Okanagan Land to Table Network
  • Salvation Army Vernon – House of Hope Foodbank
  • North Okanagan Family and Youth Services
  • Okanagan Indian Band
  • White Valley Community Resource Centre
  • Canadian Mental Health Association
  • 60+ Food Boxes
  • UWBC Schools Out Programs
  • Nexus BC
  • Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan
  • Food Action Society
  • First Nations Friendship Centre
  • Canadian Mental Health Association South Okanagan Similkameen
  • Central Okanagan Food Bank
  • Central Okanagan Region Nutrition Society (Meals on Wheels)
  • Hope for the Nations – Food for Thought
  • Karis Support Society
    …and many more.

One of 18 United Way Food  Hubs in BC set up in the last few years

Thank You to our Sponsors!

 

The VYC Women’s Racing Series is Back!

 

 

Looking to Join Women’s Racing Series?
Contact Kate Stefanuk at kmstefanuk@gmail.com

Registration:
March 1st to 31st – Cost $60.
Kate will be sending out a registration/liability waiver form to boat skippers so they can complete a form for their boat’s crew. At the April 11th Meet and Greet, Kate will accept payment for the series via interac or cheque. This fee covers the end of series Wind Up Supper and Awards.

Sailing Series Dates and Times:
Every Tuesday Night, May 2nd to July 11th. We meet at 6pm at the VYC marina gate.

What You Need to Bring:
You will need a life jacket, sailing gloves and boat shoes.

Are you a Skipper?
If you are interested in joining us and have a boat, you are most welcome – we will help you put a team together.  If you are interested but do not have a boat, we will put you on the list of interested crew and we will endeavor to find a boat for you to crew on. There are also coached boats with an experienced skipper/owner to help improve your sailing skills.

Meet and Greet and Racing Rules:
April 11th – 6:00 – 9:00
Upstairs at the Vernon Yacht Club. KYC’s Kerri Hardesty will be teaching the 2021-2024 Racing Rules of Sailing
Note: The club bar/kitchen will not be open this day so bring your own drink if you want something other than water.

Spare Crew:
If you do not have a boat please attend our Meet and Greet to get to know the skippers and crew and stay on our list for spare crew. Often crew can’t make it every week and there’ll be a good chance you’ll be sailing.

Racing Documents:
The Notice of Race (NOR) and the Sailing Instructions (SIs). For the 2023 Women’s series they have been combined into one document.
Kate will email everyone who’s been in contact a copy before the April 11th Meet and Greet event. The Racing documents will also be posted online on our Vernon Yacht Club website’s Women’s Sailing Page

For More Information:
Contact the Women’s Racing Series Chair: Kate Stefanuk at kmstefanuk@gmail.com

GVCC Business After 5 at Vernon Yacht Club

Packed GVCC Business After 5 at Vernon Yacht Club

The Greater Vernon Chamber 2023 Business After 5 Event at the Vernon Yacht Club February 21

Thank you to our Greater Vernon Business Community and Dan and Richard of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce, it was great to see you again!

 

Thank you Nikki, Kathryn and Carlos, our sponsor from O’Rourke Family Estate and Luxury Winery Retreat – website: https://www.orourkespeakcellars.com/About-Us

 

 

Thank you to Leanne Hammond from Community Foundation North Okanagan and Jeremy Lugowy from United Way BC for supporting local food initiatives and partnering with the Okanagan Charity Regatta June 2-4 #sailingforfullerplatesandhearts

Thank you Corinne Jackson of the Okanagan Basin Water Board Okanagan WaterWise for keeping our lakes clear of invasive mussel species with your “Don’t Move a Mussel” campaign!

 

Thank you to our Commodore Fred Haight for leading this ship and promoting our 2023 Boat and Leisure Show and Staff Captain Susan Mathews for running a tight ship and always being there all hours to make these events happen!! Thank you to all VYC Board members for being there and for our incredible staff Corinne, Mary, Rachel, Deb, Ken who do everything they can to make fabulous food and run the Yacht Club!

2024 VYC Boat Show

Vernon Yacht Club’s 2024 Boat & Leisure Show is on!

The Boat and Leisure Show will be on May 4th & 5th, 2023. Registration is open and we have started to book booths and slips for businesses who offer boats, boating gear, watersports gear, leisure and active gear and more.

For all the information on the event and to register a booth or slip, contact Executive Director and VYC Boat Show Chair, Dave G. at VYC Boat Show or 780-945-9577.

Dave is a member at both the Kelowna and Vernon Yacht Clubs, he’s in a great position to represent your business at this return of Vernon’s Boat & Leisure Show!! We will be updating with more information soon.

Boat Show Page: https://vernonyachtclub.com/boat-show/

30th VYC Boat & Watersports Show

The 30th Boat & Watersports Show, May 4th & 5th, 2019 is coming up soon and it’s going to be our largest to date! The Vernon Yacht Club’s Boat Show grounds and marina will be bustling with latest in new and used boats, boating accessories and hardware, lifts and docks, watersports gear, marine upholstery, and family fun! This year our marina will have the largest lineup of boats we’ve ever had, including electric boats, and our land displays feature both new boats and an large selection of used boats. See our great line-up of vendors this year: VENDORS – 2019 VYC Boat & Watersports Show

The Vernon Yacht Club is a not-for-profit and run by incredible staff members, hundreds of dedicated volunteer members and a hardworking board of directors. The annual Boat Show is our largest yearly event and we have 100+ volunteers to help run the event and all donations go to the Salvation Army Food Bank.  VYC Staff Captain, Susan Mathews:  “The Vernon Boat Show is organized and run solely from volunteers and a few staff who put in many hours to make this a great and free public event.” The VYC Boat & Watersports Show is a free public event, please bring a donation for the Salvation Army Food Bank. Donations are dropped of at the KingFisher Boat at the entrance to the show.

A Huge THANK YOU to Twin Anchors Houseboats for providing the 2019 VYC Boat Show’s Grand Prize for the 4th year in a row! There will be many door prizes announced on Sunday, May 5th and everyone who puts their name in for the Twin Anchors Houseboat vacation on Shuswap Lake has a great chance to win! Good luck everyone!

 

This year we’re teaming up with UnPlug and PLAY again to bring children’s activities to our Boat Show. OASISS has a fun microscopic lake creatures activity “Water Alive” where kids can gather water from the lake and view all the tiny living creatures they catch as well as create nautical crafts! The North Okanagan Sailing  Association will bring back their popular “Wooden Boat Building” activity for young children to make a small wooden boat then can pull along the shoreline. We have free family sailing trips with volunteer VYC members and a new vendor, Holy Doodle Sailing Charters, offering tours of their boat and offering information on the upcoming season.

One of the favourite things to do at the Boat Show is to enjoy the view from our deck and clubhouse. We have both indoor and outdoor seating at the yacht club and offer a delicious barbeque menu and beverages throughout the show. Everyone’s welcome to check out both levels of our yacht club and speak to our Vernon Yacht Club representatives at the VYC booth under the yellow VantageOne Credit Union tent!

New this year is the Templar Marine Group’s fully electric boats, A first for for western Canada! They make water taxis and the Cruiser C26 and are working on the fully equipped Sedan S26 in the photo below.  Templar Marine Launches First Ever Electric Boat in Western Canada

Also New for 2019 is a dedicated corner of our exhibition site for used boats for sale, some from boat vendors and others from private owners. If you or anyone you know has a boat for sale you would like to include here, please contact our Boat Show Chair, Fred Haight at: alboe@telus.net. 

Every year the Vernon Yacht Club’s Boat Show features vendors who offer equipment and services for fun, adventure and sports on the lake. The Paddle Lifestyle, Banner Recreation & Marine, Innerspace Watersports, BDM Motorsports, Okanagan Recreational Rentals, North Okanagan Sailing Association, Seca Surf & Marine, Kelowna Yamaha & Marine, Malibu Marine, Vernon Paddling Centre and the  Vernon  Telescope, Nature & Science are some of the business coming to equip you with the best gear. The Boat Show is a one stop event for everything you need to get out on the water!

Back again this year is the popular McLellan F1- The Canadian Energy, Optima Batteries Racing Team lead by Mike McLellan! The Vernon Yacht Club Boat Show is an annual event and attracts thousands of people from Thompson Okanagan Region to enjoy a fun-filled weekend at the lake! To get to the 30th VYC Boat & Watersports Show, park at Marshall Field and hop on the shuttles sponsored by Kal TIre. The shuttles run every 10 minutes starting one hour before the show until close. Thank you so much for the generous support of our sponsor: KalTire, Okanagan Spring Brewery, Sandman Hotel and Suites, Vantage One Credit Union, Sun FM, Beach Radio and KingFisher Boats!

VENDORS – 2019 VYC Boat & Watersports Show