APALACHEE BAY
YACHT CLUB
ABOUT APALACHEE BAY YACHT CLUB
The Apalachee Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) is comprised of members who love to be in, on or around the water. Whether powerboat or sailboat, kayak or paddle-board, novice or expert, ABYC is a community of people who love to share experiences on the Apalachee Bay and beyond.
Cruising and Racing:
Throughout the year the ABYC organizes a variety of races, including major regattas and a spring and fall series of club PHRF races. Organized cruises to the St. Marks River and Dog Island are part of our regularly scheduled events. Club members also actively race their fleet of one-design 10-foot Puffin sailing dinghies.
Social Events:
Organized functions are held monthly throughout the year. These include events such as a champagne brunch, "Dinner-on-the-Docks," a shipwreck party, and the Changes in Attitudes social. Traditional annual events include the Commodore's Ball, Vice-Commodore's Regatta, and the Awards Banquet.
Monthly Programs:
ABYC monthly meetings offer programs for those interested in water activities. Topics are varied and range from the weather, boat maintenance, racing, marine ecology, and exotic travel.
Our History
What we know today as the Apalachee Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) began as an idea proposed by members of the St. Marks Yacht Club and other individuals interested in sailboat racing.
A formal meeting on September 4, 1969, set the stage for the formation of ABYC and by November, 1969, we had a club newsletter and a logo.
The club's first invitational regatta took place in 1971. The Hobie-Fireball Regatta was held off Shell Point with a succession of squall lines and lightning that chased everyone back to the beach. This annual regatta became what we now know as the Stephen C. Smith Memorial Regatta.
Over the years, ABYC has hosted a variety of activities and events open to both club members and the general public. The club is also involved in summer adult and youth sailing lessons.
