Bay Point Yacht Club began as an idea of Bill Young, a past Commander of Akron Power Squadron and his friend, Dr. E. K. Huntington, owner of Bay Point property.
On a cold-windy Sunday afternoon, the 10th of August in 1969, Bill invited a small group of men from Bay Point Marina on board his boat to discuss the possibilities of forming a yacht club. There were ten men. Each of the men not only shared the desire for a club but also expressed the willingness to contribute both time and energy towards its establishment. There was, of course, lengthy discussions regarding organizing and operating. Doc Huntington agreed to rent a large cottage, the “Cape Cod” for a clubhouse at $600 a year, including utilities. The cottage, located just past Bay Point’s entrance gate, was situated on the shores of Lake Erie, had its own sandy beach and an ideal site for our fledgling yacht club.
The men left Bill’s boat that afternoon with high hopes that a yacht club would soon become a reality. In all probability, BPYC got its start because of a Sunday afternoon too cold and windy for pleasure boating – an afternoon that pointed to the need of a club.
Many meetings followed laying the groundwork in forming and organizing our club into its final form. Time came to recruit members and it was decided to have a corn roast. The date was set for Saturday, September 20, 1969. We worked from early morning until late afternoon cleaning up the “cottage” and surrounding grounds making it as appealing as possible hoping to attract those attending into membership. Everything was in readiness – the clubhouse, the grounds and the cooks. The evening was beautiful – cool and crisp. Some 200 people descended upon us enjoying corn, good fellowship and a magnificent view of Lake Erie from our front yard.
By October 15, 1969, we were 104 strong and it was decided to close charter memberships. The temporary officers were elected to one year terms; we negotiated a five year lease on our clubhouse and were on our way. In December of that same year, Commodore Bill Young advised us that I-LYA had accepted our petition for membership and after a three year probationary period full membership would be voted upon. Admission to I-LYA would mean a great deal to our club. Little did we know how much and that twenty-two years later our own Frank Olech would be the I-LYA Commodore. Time and weather took its toll on the original clubhouse and in 1984 it was replaced by a mobile building on the same beautiful site providing us with ample quarters, a large galley and hall and outside bar.
Bay Point membership has always maintained an average of over 150 Active, Associate and Social Members. The Clubhouse is open from May until October and we welcome your visits – by land or sea. We offer good fellowship, sandy beaches, a magnificent view of Lake Erie and we’ll even throw in a corn roast.
Yearly events include: Blessing of the Fleet and Memorial Day Services along with a great pancake breakfast; organized socials on the second Saturdays of each month; club cruises and family sail racing. The members of Bay Point Yacht Club are proud to be the home club of Inter-Lake Yachting Association P/C Commodore Frank Olech.