Belmont Yacht Club

Belmont Yacht Club Soundex Code B455

The Belmont Yacht Club (BYC) started life in 1973 as an equal opportunity organization, providing leadership opportunities for both men and women in yachting. The tradition continues through several women commodores including support from Chicago Yachting Association Past Commodore Betty Lerner who is herself a Past Commodore and current board member of BYC.

Past Commodore Scott Baumgartner helped BYC celebrate their 30th anniversary year admirably. There were the usual boating activities and social events, but always with an eye to their legacy from past club members and a dedication to improvements for those club members who will follow. In Scott’s two year reign as Commodore, he led them to a new dockage and helped spearhead the renovation of the club ship and a newly developed picnic area. The popularity of the picnic area demonstrated Scott’s legacy for all patrons of the harbor.

An important tenant of the organization is boater education. Many of the founding members of BYC were active in the U.S. Power Squadrons and for many years BYC held Saturday morning classes that provided training for all boaters. In 2003 BYC hosted a lecture on how to deal with medical emergencies at sea and sponsored two days of free safety inspections for Belmont Harbor boaters organized by Education Chair Jack Callahan.

Many boaters know BYC because of the gas dock service that they provided until the reorganization of the Marine Division of the Chicago Park District. Other than a club member whose boat blew up at the gas dock, BYC enjoyed managing the fueling facility for over 25 years.

While the gas dock was a lucrative venture for BYC, they spent most of their history searching for a home, and working to find a clubhouse. While the club was close to having a home several times, something always intervened. They even used the Park District Archery Building across from the harbor as home base for several years. The Archery Building and grounds were the site for carnivals and festivals. In 1991 BYC hosted the CYA Summerfest there.

In 1991, BYC sponsored Bill Pinckney, a Past Commodore, who became the first African American to sail around the world alone. Bill was back in Chicago during the summer 2003 for the Tall Ships Festival with his newest boat, Amistad, which Bill uses as a vehicle to teach history and tolerance.

In 1999, BYC found a home in the John B. Mack, a 42-foot houseboat. It has provided the home in the harbor for which they had been searching. John Mack was a Past Commodore of BYC and CYA, and was active in the Chicago boating community for years. John may be best remembered for spearheading the protest against boater surcharges that were proposed in 1986. BYC was also proactive in working for a protective breakwater for the harbor, another dream that has finally been realized.

In 2005 they replaced their club ship with the John B. Mack II, a 53 foot by 16 foot barge. The new facility will provide them with much needed space for their activities. It includes a warming kitchen, bar, office area and 2 heads. They are also able to seat 3 times the people for events.

The John B. Mack Memorial Predicted Log is held each year in honor of John’s memory. Commodore Charles Goes brought the competition home a few years ago by concluding with dinner for participants and guests at the club ship. BYC has also hosted the Waukegan sailors before the Chicago Waukegan Regatta for several years. In 2004 BYC started a new tradition, a short-handed sailing regatta. The There and Back Regatta had 13 registrants for a 47.1 nautical mile event. These events along with many other activities continue our support of both sail and boaters.

One fun event that includes both the sail and power fleet is the progressive dinner where they go from boat to boat for various courses of cuisine. The newly developed picnic area worked very well for feeding large crowds and for hosting music and dancing.

Venetian Night has always been a big event for Belmont Yacht Club. In 2004 their hard work once again paid off with the first overall prize for David and Marla Russo’s Island Time. It was decorated as Gilligan’s Island. BYC has had a tradition of placing for over 10 years in Venitian Night including many past overall first prizes.

Two prestigious awards are presented each year in remembrance of past members. The Buckbinder Award is for the most outstanding contribution to the progress of Belmont Yacht Club. This beautiful Helmsman’s Wheel trophy of rare woods was established in honor of Edward Nathan Buckbinder because of his spirit of unselfish and unstinting service, outstanding club loyalty and unflagging co-operation.

The Gordon Award is a traveling trophy in memory of Michael M. Gordon, who was a BYC Commodore in 1980. This award is given each year to a member who has accomplished a navigational feat. The honor of this award is highly respected by the members and keeps them all striving to reach for higher goals and new triumphs in navigation.