Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club was officially founded in 1903. It is located on Yacht Club Island approximately 2 miles from Kenora, Ontario on Lake of the Woods. With over 14,000 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline stretching from Kenora in the north to Warroad, Minnesota in the south, Lake of the Woods features excellent sailing conditions.
History of RLWYC
The first record of sailing on Lake of the Woods dates back to 1845 when the Hudson's Bay Company introduced York Boats to support the transportation of their furs. These boats were equipped with sails that were used in favourable conditions. The earliest camps were built on Keewatin Beach and for twenty years, until the first motorboats were introduced in the late 1890's, canoeing, rowing and sailing were the only means of transportation.
These early campers gathered on Sundays on the west end of Keewatin Beach and participated in sailing, rowing, and gymkhana events. By 1898 cruising races started from a site on McMillan Island. One of the earliest of these cruises was up the Keewatin Channel to Galt Island where G.F Galt and his family hosted a picnic lunch. The cruising race took all day and it was something families looked forward to with great anticipation.
With the arrival of motorized boats in 1903 transportation around the lake became easier. At this time many more sailboats also began to appear. A building was erected on McMillan Island, which became the first Clubhouse. The first elected officers of the officially organized Yacht Club were: Commodore G.W. Baker, Vice Commodore W.E. Macara, Captain Fred Phillips, Measurer H.F. Forrest and Treasurer R.H. Mulock.
Calendar 2012 - Part 1