***Hot Dog prop on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, donated by one of Sean's favorite bands - Phish.***

Hot dog! It’s been quite a few weeks! Thanks for stopping by the July edition of Commodore’s Corner. A lot to cover this month, so let’s get started.

Laura and I had the opportunity to participate in the Middle Bass Island cruise this year for Pirate Fest and continue for the first stop of the extended cruise in Cleveland. Special thanks to all the coordinators for those trips, Dave Makoroff for MBI, and the Altherrs, Hukills, and Waymouths (and of course Marianne) for the extended cruise. We had a great time swashbuckling, fleeing from snakes, and giving a ‘Prost’ over some German beers. Next up is Huron, which may be underway by the time this publishes, the AYC Regatta cruise to Ford Yacht Club, and then our visit to Rattlesnake Island (very excited about that one)!

Yo-Ho-Ho AND a bottle of rum? In this economy? :) Some HBYC Pirates - present and past include Brian Hall (Far Left), Rick Billheimer, Damon Ferguson, and Chris Malott (3rd from right, 2nd from right and far right)

Last week C dock hosted the July social, thank you very much to everyone for their efforts in supporting that social. It’s always a big one because of the Stein Hospice race. And on that note, congrats to the Race in the Bay winners this year – "First Lady" taking victory in the Spinnaker class and "Wet Wombat" in the Jib and Main class. The race / social / raffle allowed the club to donate ~$800 for Stein Hospice this year! Special thanks to Larry for all the efforts on the race, Chris and Karissa for coordinating the social, and everyone that chipped in, whether it was to help serve food, set race markers, or donate toward the raffle.

Our next Membership Meeting / Social / Cruiser Fun Race is on August 16th. It will also serve as the club’s 30th Anniversary Party! Expect more details on that out soon, but a quick note. During the August membership meeting we will be electing our next bridge members and trustees.

For 2026 Rear Commodore, we have candidate Chris Malott.
And for 2026/2027 Trustee positions, we have three candidates for consideration: Brad Colon, Mark Knapp, and Ron Tomallo.

There are only two Trustee positions to fill, so there will be a ballot to select the winners during the August meeting. But a huge thanks to all who put their name forward for a position.

I’d like to also provide details on the upcoming visit by Forest City Yacht Club. They are bringing about 30 boats from Cleveland, and will be here the weekend of August 8-10. We have given them permission to host their Saturday dinner in our clubhouse, which will be about 70 people. So, expect a lot of new faces that weekend. They are also having a Friday happy-hour at 7 pm, tentatively set for the marina pavilion, so if you’re around please do stop by and give a warm welcome.

And I’ll finish up with a quick mention on membership. We are again going to offer the discounted membership rate for anyone that joins the club in September. As part of that, we will try to have some sort of new member drive, likely the weekend of September 6 th . I was thinking of the club hosting a Texas Hold’em Tournament open to the entire marina to try and draw any new potential members. Be on the lookout for details once we’ve ironed out a firm plan, and reach out to me or other bridge members if you have suggestions, opinions, or questions.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Sean Leengran

2025 Commodore