February 2026 Papoose Article

Lake Mohawk Yacht Club’s sailing season is a few months away but the life of the club is only in apparent hibernation. Individual meetings and conversations are taking place, home based parties as well!

2026 is going to be the 88th year of the Yacht Club and we are happy to continue the ancient human activity with the use of modern equipment. “Navigare necesse est…”

Modern sailboats are designed with better knowledge of the laws of physics and newer materials but at the end the sailor in a lake environment needs to employ skills that were available to people of all times: observation of the wind and water, adjusting to the changing elements and using the sail controls and rudder position. It can be as simple as just moving forward at your own leisurely pace or measured against the skill of other sailors in a race.

Lake Mohawk Yacht Club has room for both! Some of the members are beginners, some have advanced to club racing, some are serious and accomplished competitors. There is room for everyone, even for those who never sat in a sailboat and would like to try.

My adventure with sailing started as a teenager on Vistula river in Poland where there was a sailing club with club owned boats. Three years of sailing became a seed planted that germinated later for some 35 years. After moving to Lake Mohawk I was hesitant to take on the long-abandoned hobby but curiosity prevailed. Showing up at the Club was a good way to renew my interest and being welcomed by the members helped! It turns out there was room for people who wanted to try again; availability of the Club owned boats allowed an easy engagement.
My sons were also approaching the age of 10, the minimum age required for the Junior Sailing Program and I wanted them to have the experience with sailing too.
Over a few years I enjoyed the leisurely occasional sailing. In time I started to participate in Sunday races, first in the Club owned boats and later in my own Laser.

Lake Mohawk Yacht Club can be as engaging as you want it to be. For some it’s a place of individual sailing, for others it’s the Sunday afternoon races that keep them busy from May till September. Taking advantage of the Lake and opportunities it provides seems to be an obvious choice for those who find water activities worthwhile.

If you would like to find out more about LMYC please check out our website:
www.lakemohawksailing.org

I will continue the late Don Okner's choice for ending our Papoose articles:

SMOOTH SAILING and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Commodore John Trela