The Friday Flyer | Canyon Lake Yacht Club growing by the boatload

Waterfront holiday display competition.

Canyon Lake Yacht Club growing by the boatload

The Canyon Lake Yacht Club has officially passed 100 members and the club is planning lots of new events for 2023.

“After a couple of years of low membership due to Covid, the club’s membership is rebounding sharply,” Commodore Ron Wilbur said. “We have a great new board. We made a dramatic increase for events for 2023 and the word seems to be getting out that this is the club to join if you love the lake.”

In addition to Ron, the current board members are Rob Mora as vice commodore, Diann Prince Oltman as yeoman, Cindy Cameron as membership chair and Lainie Cooney as events chair.

“The board members have many years of history in the Yacht Club and Canyon Lake,” Ron said. “All have extensive backgrounds in business leadership.”

Currently the Yacht Club has 34 events scheduled, more than a 50% increase over the largest year back in 2011. The club has faced two challenging years, yet still held 10 events both years with some being canceled due to unforeseen events.

“We felt like this year we could really break out with more fun on and off the water,” Rob said. “We have a ton of new events this year. We have planned clinics to work on boats, learn how to drive a boat and decorate for the annual Parade of Lights in December.”

The clinic will be in June for learning to drive a boat and is targeted at the youth, 12-18. It will be used to launch a new auxiliary fleet for people in that age range. The core of every event is safety as well as respect for the lake itself, Rob said

“We have lots of parties, cruises, music on the water, even a costume cruise,” Lainie Cooney said. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a boat. If you just want to be on the water, we have events just for you.”

Themed events for 2023 include cruises for St. Paddy’s Day-After, Mardi Gras, Pirates and Wenches, Hawaiian Island, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Veterans Day and a Coast Guard Day.

The Yacht Club is also bringing back several events from previous years such as Opening Day of Boating Season, Whale Hunt, and the Holiday Display Competition and Tour.

The Yacht Club‘s annual college scholarship event is a long-standing tradition and will help provide scholarships to deserving Canyon Lake students to continue their education.

Two Lake Clean Up Days hosted by the Yacht Club will take place. This event brings out volunteers who go around the entire shoreline by boat and in waterfront parks to gather debris from the lake.

“In previous years, the club has brought in hundreds of pounds of refuse for disposal,” Ron said.

The Yacht Club’s most popular community event and its longest running is the annual Parade of Lights held each holiday season.

“The Yacht Club delights in producing the Parade of Lights,” Ron said, “This year we have a plan to make it the best ever. We solicited ideas from the community and Canyon Lakers have responded in so many wonderful ways to make the parade even better. We’re excited for this end-of-year celebration and we’re excited to make this year‘s celebration the most memorable ever.”

The ultimate goal of the Yacht Club is for its members to have fun.

“The Yacht Club invites everyone to join in the club fun, make new friends and enjoy the lake,” Rob said. “No boat is required. We have lots of boats and we’ll find a way for everyone to get out and have fun.”

The Canyon Lake Yacht Club was established in 1990 as a social and philanthropic club with the Canyon Lake constellation of sanctioned clubs and organizations. The purpose of the club is to provide fun and recreation centered around the beautiful lake that is the major amenity of the community.

For more information on the Canyon Lake Yacht Club and this year’s events, visit the club’s website at www.canyonlakeyachtclub.com or contact Ron at 949-466-6159 or commodore@canyonlakeyactclub.com.