The Beginning

In late 1957 a group of individuals got together to discuss the sailing arrangements on the newly created St. Lawrence. Over the next 3 months the group met again to the explore the aspects of establishing a sailing club on the new lake.

By June of 1958 a meeting was held to decide the most desirable spot, how to approach Ontario Hydro and Ontario Parks, the naming of our club, the club class boat and steps towards incorporation.

By August of 1958 Bill Mitchell, Robin Peters and Tom Strawford purchased and were sailing GP14 #561. GP 14 Kits were ordered from England and built the following winter.

By January of 1959 there were 40 members and a lease was secured with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission. Incorporation was received in 1959, and the first section of the club house was built, road access was clears and 5 sections of floating wharf purchased for docks and the beach was cleared.

The club house doubled by adding a prefabricated cottage, now known as the Round Room.

In 1967 to celebrate Canada’s Centennial, SYC hosted the first GP14 World Championship. There were 52 entrants from Australia, Barbados, England, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobagos, The US and Canada.

Sail Training has always been considered and important club objective. Using a mold borrowed from Hudson Yacht Club from Hudson YC 5 fibreglass YW Cadets were fabricated the July and August 1972 the Junior sailing program ran for nine weeks with 63 students attending. The sail training as run continually through the years in different formats using both club owned and private boats. SYC now contracts the OSA BOOM program to provide sail training every year and the Adult Sail Weekend is now a 3 day event.

Initially the east bay was little more that a shallow flat and the west bay was a swamp enclosed by a old submerged road originally used to move houses into Long Sault. Larger wet more sailboats were kept over at Long Sault Marina

1975 Bernie McCoy hired a dragline and bulldozer to deepen a part of the east bay. Docks were build and some club boats were moved over for the summer. Over the next few years the east bay was enlarged, docks were built and named McCoy Bay after his passing in 1983.

In 1975 more room was needed to accommodate the increasing membership. Tthe clubhouse was again enlarged using material secured from the destruction of John Shannon’s cottage of Island 17.

by 1982 the McCoy Bay had a wait list. With pressure to expand wet mooring facilities the club committee $30,000 and a Canada Works grant of $10,000 was obtained. by 1984 the west bay was crated and named after Bill Mack following his passing in 1990. a mast crane and pump out have since been added.

by 1990 it was obvious that the club house needed to be replaced as the existing facilities were too small for club functions. It was decided to repair the Round Room and replace the rest of the club house to what it is today. Construction occurred during the winter of 1994-5 and the project came in under budget with the outstanding loan being paid off with in 10 years.

In 2000 Fort Stormont was built on McGillis point, the mast crane was replaced and new fencing and an access gate were installed. In 2001 a service building was erected. Funds from the Ontario Trillium Grant in 2005 were used to purchase the rescue boat and material for the construction of new docks.

Every year improvements have been made in the form of offshore moorings, a work boat to place mooring anchors, improved power distribution and lighting, larger parking lots, the expansion of the east bay, more docks and yard maintenance equipment.