Colington Yacht Club
News & Events
Two events left for 2024: Annual Meeting Dec 13 and Boat Parade Dec 14
Please Note:
We are not the CHYRC (Colington Harbour Yacht & Racquet Club)
Newest post 6-17-2024
June events: Thursday, June 20 - straighten up around the youth sailing shed 9:00 - 9:30 Saturday June 22 - raft up just west of the harbour swim area 4:00 - 6:00 The club will provide beverages and appetizers Contact Woody if you are looking for a boat to...
Newest post 3-2-2024
March events: Change of Watch is on March 9 starting at 6:00 at the Colington Firestation CYC has a float in the St Patrick's Day Parade held this year on March 17 starting at 1:00. If you can help with the decorating or want to join us walking in the parade,contact...
Newest post 12-15-23
Happy Holidays to all. Have a safe 2024 on the water.
Picture of the Month
Picture of the Month Aug
Credit Janet Knight Many more club photos can be found at the CYC Facebook page If you would like to submit your photo for consideration please send an email to Woody.
Picture of the Month July 2023
Credit unknown - found in the list of photos and I like it! Many more club photos can be found at the CYC Facebook page If you would like to submit your photo for consideration please send an email to Woody.
Picture of the Month Jun 2023
Credit Scott Morton If you would like to submit your photo for consideration please send an email to Woody.
Club Info
About Colington Yacht Club
Do you have a boat or any kind of vessel that floats? Don’t have a boat? It doesn’t matter! Anyone can join the Colington Yacht Club, and the Board of Officers invites you to do just that!
As an active member of the club, you will have the opportunity to participate in all our activities…….
Ever seen those small boats in the harbour with kids at the helm?? That’s our Youth Sailing Program!
Ever wondered what that group of boats is doing rafted up together in the harbour?? They’re enjoying a little food and drink with their friends!
Want to spend a fun weekend with friends?? Join us for one of three “away” races – crew on a boat or just be a spectator, sit back and enjoy the camaraderie!
And that’s not all! When you belong to the Colington Yacht Club, we also have numerous social gatherings throughout the year… dinners, picnics, “away” raft -ups!
What’s our point??
Join us and have fun, maybe learn something new, and definitely make new friends!
Join Colington Yacht Club
Current and New CYC Members ~ We Welcome new members, whether they have a sailboat, power boat, kayak, paddleboard, jet ski, or NO boat at all!
The CYC by-laws state “the purpose of the club is to advance the sport of yachting, boating, cruising, sailing and racing and to promote social enjoyment and good fellowship among its members through programs and social events.”
New for 2024 — online payments
click here to pay online via credit card
To pay by check, please complete the membership form and return it to the address listed, along with the $125 annual membership fee and optional youth sailing donation.
Club Officers
Commodore Geoff Grisham
Vice Commodore Woody Santy
Rear Commodore Rick Hildebrant
Past Commodore James Falconer
Treasurer Pat McConnell
Secretary Pat McConnell
Fleet Open position
Youth Program Geoff Grisham
Commodore’s Message
Greetings Colington Fleet,
Welcome to all old and new members, and all those who wish to join the Colington Yacht Club. Our mission is to have fun and fellowship among our members and promote sailing and power boating, with a long list of social events on land and sea including sailboat racing, and sailboat and powerboat cruising on our beautiful and windy Sounds. We are an inclusive Club striving to grow membership and participation, so if you have family or friends interested in boating please invite them to join and experience our events. This winter the CYC Board has focused on scheduling a longer list of events for 2023 focused more fun social events at the Colington Pavilion and on continuing traditional sailing education and cruising, sailboat racing, and new events for power boating. We have also been focused on improving communications with our members. We are interested in all of your feedback including suggestions for events and please let us know if you would like to volunteer to help.
The Club is in the process of upgrading our website. Please visit our website for our schedule of events. Social events start in March and run through the year. We are marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 19, and have a social event at the Pavilion on March 25. The first Poker Run is scheduled for April 15. Our Wednesday night sailboat races start on May 31, and we have a Summer Solstice moonlight sail on June 21. We are planning a youth sailing camp for July. It is critical to have a US Sailing certified instructor for this program, so if you know someone with this qualification that would like to help instruct the program please let us know. We have a “Female Skippers” race on August 19 and we welcome all sailors who would like to participate in the ASSA Albemarle Challenge Cup held at the Albemarle Plantation on September 28 to Oct 1. We will finish the season with another Poker run and picnic at the Pavilion in October and a Turkey race in November.
Thank you all for your support and hard work. I look forward to getting to know all of you.
Commodore 2023
Club Mission
The Colington Yacht Club is a family-oriented club.
The mission of the club is to:
- Advance the sport of yachting, boating, cruising, sailing and racing
- Promote social enjoyment and good fellowship among its members
Club History
History of the Colington Yacht Club
In 1982, Colington Yacht Club founder Bob Buchanan and his wife Elizabeth sailed from Florida to Manteo on a 37-foot center cockpit, motor-sailor sloop named Celeste with the idea of spending the summer at the town docks and returning to Florida and the Bahamas in the winter. They spotted somebody moving out of a beautiful apartment, which included a lovely view of the harbor and a private dock. They grabbed it when they found out it was for rent.
That fall, a small group of sailboat owners, who were living aboard at the town docks, decided to have a sailboat race on Labor Day. The group included Glen Van Suskil racing Island Trader, Steve and Amy Musil with a trimaran named Good Sign, Carl Bock from Wanchese with a 30-foot sloop and a few others.
After the race, the group gathered on a boat with the hailing Island Trader for a few, at which point Buchanan brought up the idea of starting a sailing yacht club. Everybody there thought it was a great idea. That fall, the originating group “talked it up” and Tony McGowan, the owner of a local newspaper The Currant, gave it a great deal of exposure. Interest led to the announcement of a meeting at Manteo’s town hall that was surprisingly well attended by full and part-time residents from all of the local beach communities.
In 1983, the yacht club was established as an official Albemarle Sound Sailing Association (ASSA) registered racing club. That summer, most of the races were held just north of a channel that was conveniently dug in the Roanoke Sound for the deeper drawing boats, such as sailboats.
In 1984, a man by the name of Pete Hunter was elected as the first commodore. During this year the 400th anniversary of the English colony’s settlement on Roanoke Island was being celebrated. Princess Anne was there intermingling with club members while the club participated in the affair. A crescendo of the celebration involved the club hosting a convoy of approximately 100 boats from Elizabeth City to Manteo, with Walter Cronkite in the lead boat. Cronkite was made an honorary member of the club that day.
A few years later, many of the original members, relocated to Colington Harbour, joining other members already residing there, and somewhere around the year 1997, the club officially established itself in Colington as the Colington Yacht Club (CYC). However, to this day the original yacht club flagpole can still be seen at the town docks of Manteo.
Elizabeth and Bob Buchanan lived in the Outer Banks for 21 years, and in a letter to the club dated February 26, 2008, Bob stated that “it was a wonderful and exciting experience, and we miss the many, many friends we had there.”
Click here to view the letter that Bob sent.
Buchanan’s favorite sail was from Colington Harbour to Manteo Harbor, and the Colington Yacht Club continues an annual race in his honor. In addition to its official race schedule, it also hosts the casual, Wednesday evening race at 6 p.m. from March through November.
Those interested in joining the club do not necessarily have to own a boat. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the club.
ASSA Info
ASSA for 2024
ASSA Albemarle Challenge
NOTICE OF RACE
September 26-29 2024
Hosted by Osprey Yacht Club – Albemarle Plantation – Hertford, NC
The following documents are avai;able:
Notice of Race info about the race