Calgary Yacht Club

Copied From "A Home For All Seasons" - Copyright 2005

As Chestermere Lake is one of the few bodies of water near Calgary large enough to provide space for boating, it seems likely that water sports would flourish here. Chestermere Lake was formed in 1910 as it became part of the Western Irrigation System. The earliest sailboat, in present memory, appeared in 1923 and was the "Gleaner" own by Morris Shyback. In 1924, Roy Lea purchased a 15' dinghy and then attracted Mike Sullivan to join the sport. These three men formed a group called the Calgary Sailing Club, which was the forerunner of the Calgary Yacht Club. They raced their dinghies. Each of the three obtained a 22' cabin cruiser, which they raced and pleasure sailed on Chestermere Lake. No doubt the appearance of those white sails on blue water attracted others to participate.

In the early thirties, motor boats became a more common sight. Some of the power boaters on the lake back then were Billy Brock and George Hoffner. Rowboats and outboard motors could be rented from both Hoffner's store at the NE end of the lake and from the pavilion pier on the west side. Naturally some of those boaters also became interested in a club as a base from which social activities and storage could be obtained.

The Calgary Yacht Club was incorporated as a not for profit society in 1933 and provided for both sailing and motor boat members in its constitution. Mr. A.B. Himmelman, a sailor and boat builder from Lunenburg, NS was commissioned to build a clubhouse at the northeast end of the lake, south of the bridge, close to where the Chestermere Landing now stands. A marine railway of wooden tracks for the launching or beaching of watercraft was added, plus piers and later boathouses for shelter. Some of the members at the time of incorporation were A.B. Himmelman, Alf Lea, Bill Morrison, Norman Shaw, George Harris, a Mr. Clark, and Otto and Kurt Wolf. Mr. Himmelman was elected the first Commodore of the new club. Membership grew during the 1930's to about thirty families but dropped to about twenty during the 1939 - 45 war.

Following the war, the club decided to move to a less active area of the lake and obtained lots midway down the east shore, where the club is today. The clubhouse was moved in 1951 and is still use, as the nucleus around which additions and improvements have been made. The pier was also floated down and put to use again.

As membership expanded, so did the clubhouse. First, kitchen facilities were added in the fifties, followed by a lounge and fireplace in 1966. As well, much more pier space was built until the club could boast of having 1492 linear feet of dock. This was put to good use for many large inter club and inter city regattas. Grass and trees were planted to enhance the appearance and to provide shade for picnic activity. Still more trees were planted to commemorate Canada's 1967 Centennial. The CYC was, and still is, considered to have one of the finest sailing facilities in Western Canada.

In 1974, the club sold some of its land to finance the building of a larger two storey clubhouse. This would be complete with showers, toilets, lockers, kitchen and social area. It had been intended to then remove the lower, older clubhouse, but it was still found to be useful for the summer sailing school and winter boat storage. It later became a focal point for the new and popular sport of wind surfing. With the increased usage, the lower clubhouse has evolved to become the hub of most activities, and enjoys a complete refurbishing each spring. The newer, upper clubhouse has now become the home of the sailing school.

Over the years, the types of sailing vessels seen at the CYC have remained, with a few exceptions, in the smaller dinghy classes. These have remained reasonably affordable as home built or purchased boats ranging from 12 to 20 feet in length, which can be conveniently hauled onto shore for storage when not in use. From a number of miscellaneous designs used in the early days of the Club, those interested in racing tended to use similar boats to allow more equitable competition. The International 14 was popular from the late 1940's until 1957. The first "one design" boat of identical dimensions was the Y-Flyer introduced in 1958. It had the appeal of being easily home built "plywood construction", and thus inexpensive. It was also a very stable and fast craft, thus suitable for family use as well as racing. At about this time, similar fleets where built at Wabamun and Pigeon Lakes, and this similarity of boats greatly expanded the keen inter-city rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton based sailors. Other "one design" classes also achieved popularity for periods through the sixties and seventies. These were the Flying Dutchman, Flying Junior, Fireball, Enterprise, Sprog and Sabot, all having their peak period before their decline. In 1972, the successful single handed Laser class was introduced and gained widespread popularity. It was then followed by the Laser 2 and the Taser. During the late seventies and early eighties, some larger cruising classes also made their appearance on Chestermere Lake. At this time, CYC also saw the enthusiastic introduction of sailboard classes, and on most summer days one could see several of their colourful triangular sails darting back and forth in front of the club.