Why join?

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Now in our 53rd year, BFSC was founded in 1971 for sailors who love sailing on Lake Lanier whether or not they own a boat.  Originally a dinghy racing club, we've since expanded our racing program and developed a robust cruising one as well. And although COVID definitely curtailed our events these past few years, we were excited last year to slowly reintroduce social events where safe to do so.  Regardless of your level of expertise on a boat, BFSC is one of the best sailing homes you can find on Lake Lanier. 
 
Social
Our monthly Member Social and Meetings are open to all and a great place to get to know us. So, feel free to join us as a guest at any meeting. Kicking off the new year, we'll all be up bright and early New Year's Day for the annual Dean Holcomb Poker Run. Back on land afterwards, we'll fiercely compete our chilis in the Chili Cookoff. 

Each summer, our Lobster Boil is a mouth-watering potluck you won't want to miss. Vegans and vegetarians welcome! Last year, we brought back several popular events including Blessing of the Fleet, Post-race Dirtups, Brunch on the Lake, and the SteakOut!  
 

In December, we close out the year with a "Change of Watch" holiday party as we recognize several members w/club awards and present next year's slate of officers.

Racing
Racing begins with our Spring Series in early spring and ends with our club Dorton Cup in the fall. Several of our racing events are open to all sailors including the Around (Lake Lanier) Alone race and the Joan Holcomb Memorial Women Skippers Regatta - both in April this coming year. The Fall Series kicks off in late summer/early fall, followed by our premier event, the Barefoot Open Regatta, held each October. Many of our sailors also participate in the LARC races and Barefoot  hosts the popular LARC Moonlight Series.

Regattas
Our regattas capture both Social and Racing aspects for the most fun:

• Joan Holcomb Memorial Women Skippers Regatta (June 1, 2024)
  Named after a beloved Past Commodore of both BFSC and LLSC clubs, the women skippers regatta provides a space for growing the (still) small number of women skippers. For the races, only women helm the boat and make the tactical decisions. In 2022, LLSC teamed up with us to start co-hosting the memorable and fun regatta. We look forward to many more years co-hosting Joan's regatta with LLSC.
   

• Barefoot Open Regatta (October 12-14, 2024)
  This year marks our 50th year(!) hosting the regatta, settling racing scores on Lake Lanier since 1975! This year's regatta is not to be missed as we return to University Yacht Club (UYC) for our 2nd year. We'll enjoy a Saturday evening dinner w/dancing and live music  provided by the popular Thunder Gypsy. 
   

Cruising
Each First Saturday of the month, boat owners and boatless members suit up for a day of cruising the lake often ending with either a raft-up party or sit down for more talking and sharing of sailing life stories. Look for specific monthly online signups for the individual cruises. 

Education
Last year, we revitalized our training program and offered instruction on Race Committee, Flat Starts, a Spring Rules Tune Up and Basic Sailing. Stay tuned for announcements of training later this year.

Mentor Program
We're also launching a mentor program where we match seasoned members w/newbies to help orient them in the club. 

Volunteer
As our club is all volunteer, we encourage members to get involved in assisting with our various events and committees - whether it be cruising, racing or social. Additionally, we participate in the Lake Lanier Association (LLA)'s annual Shore Sweep clean-up event and encourage everyone to join us for this necessary and ongoing cleanup of our lake. Our first year participating as a team was in 2019 and with the exception of 2020, we've participated each year since. Save the date for this year's cleanup - Saturday, September 21st 2024.

Not ready to join yet? Quite understand. We invite you to get to know us by attending Membership Meetings, First Saturday Cruises and our Racing events.

Also, don't shy away from reaching out to us. Our board members are available to answer your questions.  

THANK YOU!
Barefoot Sailing Club
678-871-7937