A large crowd has celebrated the rich 56-year history of Mooloolaba Yacht Club and its opportunities for growth, with the opening of its new clubhouse.
It’s been a long road for the club to reach this point, to establish a base at Mooloolaba Marina.
MYC commodore Tanya Kelly spoke of the club’s resilience and friendship, its spirit of grit and volunteerism, and its “fight against the odds”.
“Whether it is one of our sailors competing hard in a regatta or a fighting for survival, it’s the people who make the club, and that’s the story of Mooloolaba Yacht Club,” she said.
Acknowledging the official opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony was Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson, helped by club co-founder Hayden Kenny and Ms Kelly.
The function attracted a large crowd of current and former club members, along with representatives of other sailing clubs, kite foiling, Sailability, Saltwater Veterans, Marina businesses, the Sunshine Coast Council, Australian Sailing and the Mooloolaba Marina.
Ms Kelly was effusive in her thanks to the board of the marina who worked closely with the club board to make it possible for the MYC to find its home in the marina’s club precinct area.
The club’s new home is located adjacent to the Sailability and Mooloolaba Outrigger site, on the waterside of Mooloolaba Marina.
“Many parts of the building have been built by the members of the MYC,” Ms Kelly said.
They have created a meeting and social area that will support the club into the future as its membership base builds.
There is no time to rest for the club board and its members.
After recently delivering the nationally recognised Mooloolaba Women’s Keelboat Regatta, it has only three weeks to prepare for the 25th Etchells Australasian Championship, which is expected to attract more than 30 entries.
Other programs that will continue to be supported by the club are its offshore races, Discover Sailing for new sailors and the further development of its youth keelboat sailing program.
“We have a steely and optimistic focus on the future; we have big dreams and big ambitions,” Ms Kelly said.
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