History of Gold Country Yacht Club

GCYC Beginnings
  • 9 Feb 83 - First Meeting
  • Burma Road, Grass Valley
  • Founder: Ray Woods
  • Attendees:
    • Ray and Jackie Woods
    • Greg and Pam Pfalmer
    • Pat Riley
    • Lynda Thompson
    • Phil Brown
    • John Hensley
    • Don Samuelson
    • Ed Guinaugh


Minutes from the First Meeting
Click to Enlarge
Past Commodores
  • 2023 - Doug Coursey
  • 2022 - Teresa Gaman
  • 2021 - Teresa Gaman
  • 2020 - Teresa Gaman
  • 2019 - Dennis Barry
  • 2018 - Stewart Perry
  • 2017 - Stewart Perry
  • 2016 - Howard Hendrich
  • 2015 - Howard Hendrich
  • 2014 - Don Hare
  • 2013 - Don Hare
  • 2012 - Chris Buti
  • 2011 - Chris Buti
  • 2010 - Joe Day
  • 2009 - Joe Day
  • 2008 - Pierre Chatelain
  • 2007 - Pierre Chatelain
  • 2006 - Jeffrey Lund
  • 2005 - Bruce Cutshall
  • 2004 - Tish Buti
  • 2003 - Tish Buti
  • 2002 - Hugh Talman
  • 2001 - Hugh Talman
  • 2000 - Wayne Buti
  • 1999 - Wayne Buti
  • 1998 - Don Eagle
  • 1997 - Don Eagle
  • 1996 - Jerry Lewis
  • 1995 - Jerry Lewis
  • 1994 - Dale Buchanan
  • 1993 - Dale Buchanan
  • 1992 - Greg Pfalmer
  • 1991 - Jerry Gicker
  • 1990 - Lynn Buchanan
  • 1989 - Chuck Erdrich
  • 1988 - Doug Epperson
  • 1987 - Doug Epperson
  • 1986 - Doug Epperson
  • 1985 - Gary Miller
  • 1984 - Don Samuelson
  • 1983 - Don Samuelson



The Founding of GCYC

From “...a little dinghy” February, 2010:

Greetings Everyone.

I've been procrastinating for a long time about getting something into the Little Dinghy, and while going through some old file boxes, I came upon some great stuff. Most of you know by now that Ray Woods was the founder of our club. He had a Catalina 22 and really liked to race, but in 1982 there wasn't anything that remotely resembled any type of local organization that gave him that opportunity, so he went out and started one. He put a picture of a sailboat in the Union and an invitation to everyone that had something that floated with a mast and a sail stuck to it, to join him in a regatta on Scott's Flat Lake. In those days Don Samuelson and I were in the same office, and when I showed him Ray's piece and made the proposal that I had the beer and he had the boat, I never got to finish the sentence before Don was making plans to get to his Venture 22 ready for Scott's Flat and my first regatta.

That Saturday morning, Ray combed the campground with great resolve and worked those campers like a pro.

It didn't matter if you were there for two weeks or two hours, or if you could only race one day, Ray didn't care. It must have been magic, but he was able to pull together over 40 boats to participate in that regatta, with a variety of vessels that some said hadn't been seen since the evacuation of Dunkirk! Summer and fall sailed by and Ray must have gotten a little cabin fever after the lake shut down for winter; and before we knew it there was a note in the mail that all of the participants received from Ray, inviting them to his house for a meeting regarding sailing. What follows are the minutes that I took down that February 27 years ago.

Ed Guinaugh The 1st Secretary
Meeting Minutes




Ray Woods
The Great Synopsis (1984)
By Ed Guinaugh

Remembering GCYC Founder Ray Woods
By Jerry Lewis


GCYC Clubhouse, Scotts Flat Lake


GCYC Clubhouse Construction
  • March 2001 - NID Building and Maintenance Committee approved plans, plans to NID General Board in for final approval. Next step: Nevada County building permit
  • May 29 2001 - 1st work party
  • June 2001 - building permit approved, building committee: Doug Epperson, Dale Buchanan, Wayne and Tish Buti, Joe Day, Hugh Talman
  • June 30 2001 - expected pour date
  • July 2001 - work parties every week in June, brushed/graded site, laid out lines, dug footings, started foundation, 2 loads of gravel, laying rebar
  • Aug 2001 - foundations poured (phase 2 complete)
    • phase 1 - money/donations, permit process
    • phase 2 - pouring foootings and foundation
    • phase 3 - metal cut, sanded, painted
    • phase 4 - getting metal to site, putting clubhouse together (should happen before winter) Hugh has made it his "mission" to get the clubhouse done.
  • Sept 15 2001 - work party to cut and weld
  • Feb 2002 - finished bolting steel and tightening everything, stairs and sidewalk formed, found scrap metal for roof, next: put on roof
  • March 2002 - roof on clubhouse, close to final inspection, 3yds concrete for steps/bbq footing, telephone poles around perimeter with rope (nautical style) fence
  • May 2002 - waiting to build bbq
  • June 2002 - first GCYC monthly meeting held in the new clubhouse
  • July 2002 - finishing bbq, repair donated tables, flowers in planters, no water yet

Clubhouse Construction Pictures

People to thank for the project (from Jan 2002 newsletter):

  • Wayne Buti
  • Doug Epperson
  • Dale and Lynn Buchanan
  • Don Samuelson
  • Jeremy Gicker
  • Mike Bringolf
  • Kent Bennett
  • Don Hare
  • Jerry Lewis
  • Ron Montgomery
  • Frank Nin
  • Carsten Owens
  • Richard Pennock
  • Don Wight
  • Hugh Talman
  • Robert Walker - building design
  • Hansen Bros - donating gravel
  • Bill Litchfield - donating metal
  • Josh at J&J Motorsports - donating equipment and storage
  • Joe Day - donating equipment, time, and expertise

Clubhouse Pictures Slideshow


Go For The Gold Regatta

The Gold Country Yacht Club has hosted the Gold For The Gold Regatta on Scotts Flat Lake every year since 1982. With 42 entries, the first regatta was so successful, it spawned the founding of the club a few months later. Today, the regatta attracts sailors from across the country, many classes making the it part of their national championships. A complete history of the Go For The Gold Regatta is available in our GFTG Archives.


No Motor Day, Go For The Gold Regatta & Catalina 22 Nationals, 2012

Youth Sailing, 2011

29th Annual GFTG Regatta, 2006

25th Annual GFTG Regatta, 2006

Racing, 2003

Youth Sailing Program, 2001

Raft-Up in the Cove, 2000

Go For The Gold Regatta on Scotts Flat Lake, 1999

 

Raft-Up in the Cove, 1996