Tred Avon Yacht Club, Keeper of the Flame

You may have noticed the below picture tagged "TAYC" - which stands for "Tred Avon Yacht Club." I've posted on the Tred Avon River here and here...my folks have a place down that way and are participants in the TAYC program, located in Oxford, MD.

I mention it because the TAYC is the type of sailing club I really appreciate. It's unfussy, dedicated to sailing, conscious and respectful of its history...and the broader history of the sport. It's competitive without being obsessed. Committed to introducing youth to sailing. An active participant and sometime host of regional Chesapeake Bay sailing events. Despite not being a member, I can step up to the bar during Friday night races and feel completely at ease. There are a lot of activites offered to members and I bet 95% of them have something to do with sailing. Along those lines there is no pool, no tennis courts, no "members only" bar, no summer mansion in Newport. I do also appreciate the "historic" clubs in this country, NYYC comes to mind, the St Francis YC in San Francisco, in the Chesapeake region the Annapolis YC...there are a handful of others.

But the TAYC's of the world are the true keepers of the flame, in my mind.

This is why the picture below - with our four-year old son (in the middle) watching a racing sloop come downwind at the TAYC this past Friday - gladdens me.