Building Toward 2025: Raising the Sails for Youth Auction a Great Success

Dear RNYC Members, Raise the Sails for Youth Sponsors, Attendees, Patrons, Donors, Sailing School Parents, Young Sailors and Friends:

A big SHOUT OUT to all those who participated in the RNYC’s inaugural cornerstone fundraising event on Saturday evening’s Raise the Sails for Youth Dinner and Auction. While we are still closing off the accounts, we have to date raised an incredible $148,698 for the RNYC Sailing Program. This includes eight boats donated from the "RNYC Founder Level" initiativese these funds, less expenses, will be kept in escrow and allocated 100% to support the RNYC Sailing School and to ensure our readiness for the 2025 Summer Games.

We had a full house on Saturday evening with over 93 participants jockeying on raffle tickets, silent, and live auction items – all in a total of 115 fabulous prizes were donated! The Halliday Family serenaded our guests as we kicked off the evening with a champagne reception compliments of Scott Giannou’s Beverage Barron. Thanks as well to the other beverages donations, Dandurand, Collingwood Spirits & Wines and Quidi Vidi, whose contributions certainly helped “grease the ways” of the pocket books throughout the evening!

We were delighted to celebrate our event sponsors: Our Bronze Sponsors - Black and McDonald, HI- Tech Scales Ltd, Ameil Constructors Limited, Wesco, and KMK; our Silver Sponsor - TPH Investments; and Gold Sponsors - Robert Decker Remax and Oceanex.

A very very special thanks goes out to the Patrons of the “RNYC Founder Level”. These boats will proudly carry the names of the “Founders” inscribed on their hulls and will lay the foundation to strengthen the sailing school training fleet and to build a team for the upcoming Games. It was my honour to unveil the names of the “Founders” and their Patrons at the Dinner on Saturday evening. They were as follows:

I thank my fellow committee members who delivered beyond our expectations Kris Drodge, Amy Drodge, Matt Miller, Chris Bragg, Heather Elliott, Kathy Evans, Lyndsay Miller, Gail Parnham and Kerri Wareham. Also thanks to the volunteers from the MUN sailing school, Zik, Robert, Myrah, Masoud, and Kendell as well as Morgan and Nathan. Also a big sweet thanks for the dessert Donations from Dough Bys, Alex of Birchies Donuts, Gail Parnham, Volcano Bakery, and David Hurst.

Of course, the night would not have been complete without the staging of the dining room, the Michelin Star meal prepared by Chef Tony and his talented team and the incredible staff of the RNYC for all of their dedication and support throughout the day and into the early morning – you were all outstanding.

Last but not least I would like to thank our Auctioneer Wayne Bartlett for donating his time and skill in support of our cause. Watching Wayne work the room was magical.

This Auction was the first of a series of initiatives by the RNYC Raise the Sails Fundraising Committee that will ready the RNYC and our RNYC Youth Sailing Center to host and participate in the 2025 Summer Games sailing event. For those of you that were unable to make the dinner, or were not successful in your silent or live auction - yet still interested in donating to the Raise the Sails for Youth, I thank you and encourage you to contact Kathy. We will gladly open the account for any and all donations.

Once again on behalf of our young sailors a heartfelt thanks – let the Games begin!

Sincerely,
Moya Cahill
RNYC Commodore