Dear Fellow BIYC Members:

I’d like to begin by introducing myself. My name is Chad Lowney and I am currently the Commodore of the newly revived Barkers Island Yacht Club (BIYC). I am 38 years old and a lifelong Superior, WI resident. I currently reside on the East side of Superior with my wife Stacy and new baby daughter Dakota Jane. I have been employed by a small Geotechnical Engineering firm in Duluth for the past twenty years.

Growing up I took full advantage of what Barkers Island had to offer. Whether it was fishing from the Island shore or sailing on my dads’ San Juan 28, I was always taken in by the water. I remember watching the marina and hotel being built and thinking, this is going to be great! As a kid, sailing was always a mystery to me. I taught myself how to sail by watching my father and asking questions along the way, trying not to annoy my dad too much. I always thought my dad was a little too trusting by letting his 15 year old son have full reign over a new 28 foot sailboat by paying for half the cost of insurance, (I was happy to pay).

As many of you may or may not know, the BIYC is not a new club. The BIYC has been around since the early 80’s. The club sort of “fizzled out” in the late 90’s due to scheduling. A good portion of the boat owners at Barkers are from out of town so scheduling races during the week didn’t work. This is why we are racing on Saturdays. And what better way to end the week than with a sailboat race and social to follow.

As the boating season fast approaches I want to extend to all of you a sincere welcome to the BIYC. After meeting with the other officers this winter and hashing out the details of the newly revived club, we can’t wait to get out on the water. With our schedule of racing and socializing, I believe we are going to have a wonderful summer full of competition and fun. With our casual approach to the planned races, it should prove to be exciting for both experienced and new sailors.

In closing I would like to add that our club was once great. Go to the clubhouse and check out all the old pictures taken by past members. I have looked through all the albums and did not find a single frown. Everyone had fun, sailors and power boaters alike. So let’s all go out and meet our neighbors on the dock. Extend your hand and invite them to join our club. I promise you won’t regret it. Let’s make the BIYC what it once was, a premier club in a premier marina on the greatest lake in the world!

Cheers!

Chad Lowney, Commodore BIYC