with the Lake Charles Yacht ClubStory, photosby Frank DiCesareSpecial to the American Press

he Lake Charles Yacht Club has been called one of the city’s best kept secrets.

But if Commodore Richard Doss has his way, it will remain a secret no longer.

Doss is at the helm of the club’s initiative to increase membership and introduce residents young and old to the city’s boating life.

“Sailing is what this club is about, but we welcome power boats here as well,” said Doss, who has been a club member for more than 13 years. “We haven’t been promoting it to the com-munity as just a really fun place to be with lots of good activities.”

Located on North Beach under the I-10 Bridge, the club has 100 members. Doss said open-area, tie-down docking space is available for about 40 more boats. Cov-ered space is not available, he added, but members can park their boat on a trailer and it will be secure.

Throughout most of the year, the club holds weekly races every Wednesday, beginning with their fi rst series that runs from the beginning of Daylight Sav-ings Time through the end of April. The club’s second racing series picks up in May and runs until mid June. The third racing series begins in late August and ends in late October.

The club also holds winter races, which are held the fi rst Saturday of every month from November through February. The club’s biggest and most widely at-tended race is their annual regatta held every May dur-ing Contraband Days.

Members who do not own a boat can choose from a number of vessels the club makes available for sail-ing excursions along Lake Charles, Doss said.

For future yachtsmen, the club offers lessons for chil-dren and adults alike. Next week, from June 3-7, the club will hold a free fi ve-day sailing workshop in which students will learn how to operate a Sunfi sh sailboat. Classes run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For each class, stu-dents must bring a lifejacket that fi ts, a towel, and wear clothing and shoes that can

get wet.“There is a lot of knowl-

edge you need to have in order to work the wind, Doss said. “You have to know how to watch the water for changes in the wind. There’s also a lot to turning your boat, getting the tensions correct on the stays and the sails, and getting the boat positioned well to sail properly. All of those things matter. There’s a little art to it, too.”

The club’s youth group teaches children aged 13 to 17 how to sail a Flying Scot, a swift and lively craft that gives kids a solid under-standing on how to operate a sailboat in the water.

“Thirteen is our youngest age, and there’s a reason for that,” Doss said. “It has to do with the weight and kids that are younger than that often don’t weigh enough to

LIFESUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013 F1

Three Flying Scot sailboats take part in the Lake Charles Yacht Club’s Wednesday afternoon race. From left: Scott Cesar, Dr. Randy Perry, and Lydia Fontenot race in the blue boat;Stephen Harris and JohnHarris take a turn in theyellow boat, and Al Reese and Emily Trimm pull ahead in the white boat.

Richard Doss, commodore of the Lake Charles Yacht Club, steers his sailboat to its dock. Doss hopes to increase membership at the club this year.

James Berry (front) pulls a Flying Scot sailboat from a dock as Matthew Berry and Jennifer Gabb watch from the stern.

Dr. Clyde Smoot and Ilse Unglaube race Smoot’s 22-foot Catalina sailboat, “Tern.”

Adam LeBlanc, left, and Chase

LeBleau sail a two-hull Hobie

catamaran.

James Berry, Jennifer Gabb and Matthew Berry, from left, race a Flying Scot.

See SAILING, F3

T

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