The Royal Victoria Yacht Club celebrates 125 years with an open house Saturday, June 17. This will be their first since 2015, when visitors took part in family activities, perused CANSail and water-related activity booths, watched a regatta from shore and enjoyed some of the club’s best indoor and outdoor amenities.
The RVYC is pleased to have achieved its Green Marine Certification within the last year. Membership Committee Chair Caroline Ehmann said the club underwent many ecological changes and improvements to earn the status. Decisions made by the club executive and facilitated by Camosun College environmental technology student Tash Olekshy included having a filtration system implemented for all water used on the shore, recycling oil, and reducing gas and hydro bills. To achieve Green Marine Certification, companies must first undergo several years of improvement and continue to fulfill environmental assessments for their renewal every three years. “We had to satisfy a bunch of environmentally conscientious approaches in order to be a green marina, and we’re really proud of that,” Ehmann said.
Commodore Gordon Wilkinson invites any from the Greater Victoria region to the open house to celebrate the RVYC’s achievement and 125 years of boating.
“We want to share our passion for having fun with residents of the Greater Victoria area, whether you’re an avid sailor or simply like to have a view with your drink,” Commodore Wilkinson said, adding that many new members have recently joined the club, some with young families, and the open house provides an opportunity for those new members and those interested in joining to explore the RVYC grounds. Representatives will be on hand to answer questions and provide tours.
Ehmann encourages visits to the open house and club any other day of the year. “We’re open to the entire community, all age groups, and you don’t have to be a member to do sailing lessons here,” said Ehmann. Membership is required to use facilities outside of boating programs.
In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the club will also host several ParticipACTION activities. Checklists will be provided to participants and prizes awarded to winners. Ehmann says that, while activities such as sailing, paddling and canoeing won’t be accessible during the open house for safety reasons, the playground, hopscotch, lawn bowling and croquet will be available to guests.
“[Our club] is about camaraderie and having fun together,” Wilkinson said. He adds that many different people enjoy sailing at RVYC. “We’re very inclusive. We like families, we like older people, we have a number of people with disabilities as members.”
250 burgers will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis to non-members at the event June 17. The RVYC open house starts at 11:00 am and finishes 3:00 pm, 3475 Ripon Road.