DLYC will host its regularly scheduled Fish Fry on the Fourth of July, this coming Friday. Same times and same station.
The following Friday will be the Fish Fry Buffet during the E Scow Regatta. Come and see these grand boats sail Delavan on Friday, Saturday, Sunday of July 11-13. For more details see below.
On Friday July 11, DLYC will be completing the first day of the E regatta. We will have a different Fish Fry. It will be Buffet Style. Reservations are appreciated.
On Saturday July 12, DLYC will host a Steak Fry. Reservations are strongly recommended
To make reservations to the Friday Fish Fry Buffet Style and Saturday Steak Dinner, please simply reply to this email with name and number of guests for each event.
Thursday, July 10th - Sailors’ Welcome Reception from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Sponsors - Melges Performance Sailboats and DLYC E Fleet
- Complimentary light hors d’ oeuvres, soda and beer and a cash bar for additional refreshments
Friday, July 11th (6:00 p.m. to ?) - RESERVATIONS APPRECIATED - Fish Fry Buffet Style (with chicken for the non-fish folk)
- Price - $10
- Karaoke (approximately 8:00 p.m.)
- Cash Bar
- Childrens’ menu (10 and under) of either grilled cheese or hot dog and mac ‘n cheese. Price is $6.00.
SATURDAY, JULY 12th (6:00 to ?) - RESERVATIONS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED - Steak Dinner
- Price - $20
- Live Band - DOCKSIDE (with DLYC Members Michael and Robert Mahoney)
- Childrens’ menu (10 and under) of either grilled cheese or hot dog and mac ‘n cheese. Price is $6.00.
Bette Claypool Cameron, one of the oldest living continuous members of Delavan Lake Yacht Club passed away Sunday June 28, 2008. Visitation at 9:30 am and Service at 10:30 am will be on Saturday July 5, at United Church of Christ, Delavan.
Bette was one of the most active members of the Delavan Lake community from a very early age. She was born on September 26, 1921, and lived in Oak Park, IL. Her father owned a summer house on the South Shore of Delavan, now owned by DLYC members John and Laurie Schroeder.
Bette was enrolled in DLYC’s precursor Day Camp around age 8. This was located on the Charles A. Stevens family property & farm on North Shore Drive. It was at that Day Camp where she met her future husband (who was about 9 at the time) Charles (Charlie) Cameron, son of the camp founder, Alta Stevens. Charlie was there helping his mother to run the camp, not as participant.
Bette and Charles Cameron were married in June of 1943 after graduating from Northwestern University. They spent summers on Delavan on the Stevens/Cameron family property in a Swiss type chalet that was built for Roswell B. Mason, the 25th Mayor of Chicago from 1869-1871, purchased by Charles A. Stevens, Chicago’s well known women fashion clothing store owner. In 1966 the house burned down and was replaced by the current home that stands out on the west end of the lake.
Though Bette sailed as a crew, she preferred to let her husband Charlie do the racing, along with the other Camerons from both the South Shore and North Shore. You can find Charles Cameron’s name on many of the C and E boat trophies in the club.
Bette and Charlie had three children, Sharon, Steve, and Dick, who all grew up in the life of DLYC with sailing experience. Sharon still sails a C boat on Lake Nagawicka where her husband just completed a term of Commodore of that club.
In 1961 Charlie and Bette moved from Chicago to Delavan full time, as the couple purchased the Lake Geneva Boat Company, adjacent to the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. From 1961 - 1982, Charlie sailed on both Delavan and Lake Geneva.
In 1983 Charlie passed away. Bette and her sons, continued the Lake Geneva Boat Company business until Lake Geneva Yacht Club (LGYC) made an offer to purchase the property and combine it to enlarge their space. It was then Bette retire from business, but not from life.
Bette continued to be active in the Delavan community. She was the oldest continuous member of Delavan’s “Monday Club” a 100+ year old women’s organization that still meets monthly to discuss literature, current, and historical events.
Bette was also the Historian of the Delavan Lake Garden Club, and United Church of Christ, Delavan. She was enamored with history and made yearly trips to Salt Lake City, UT to study genealogy. She also loved to hunt, fish and swim.
Bette was a member of the Delavan Lake Yacht Club’s “Golden Girls”, a group of senior ladies of DLYC, which was chronicled in a 2004 newspaper article and reprinted on this website.
Photo by Terry Mayer/The Week
Caption: L-R: Bette Cameron, Dorothy Glans, Vivian Davies, Mary Beers, Jean Cameron and Jane Cameron are the “Golden Girls” from the Delavan Lake Yacht Club.
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· The ‘Golden Girls’ are steadfast reminders of Delavan Lake Yacht Club’s rich history
By Todd Mishler
Contributor
Originally published Sunday July 25, 2004
The Week, Walworth County, Wis.
www.theweekextra,com
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Their families visited and vacationed here before moving from the Chicago area to grow roots along the water’s shores during the 1920s and ’30s.Memories of those youthful days come and go like the wind-swept waves, but several women have remained buoyant members of the Delavan Lake Yacht Club. Although not enamored with the nickname-they’re affectionately called the “Golden Girls”-these widows in their 80s are steadfast reminders of the organization’s rich history, one that began in 1892.
While their fathers and husbands received most of the accolades for their prowess handling boats, these ladies, collectively and individually, continue to be vibrant participants through their presence and support.
Carol Dinsmore’s father, Elmer Stevens, was one of the most well-known sailors around these parts. She’s no longer an active club member and isn’t in the “golden” fraternity, but Dinsmore knows that these women’s contributions are undeniable even today.
“They have big amounts of energy, which helps carry on the tradition,” Dinsmore said.
Their names are Mary Beers, Vivian Davies and three who married into the same clan, Betty, Jean and Jane Cameron.
Beers met her husband, Tom, while visiting a friend in 1931. She had just graduated from eighth grade, while he had recently finished his freshman year at Dartmouth College. She attended Northwestern University, and they married in ‘39.
“I didn’t do a lot of sailing at first, but eventually I was part of his crew, and we took the children out when they got old enough,” said Beers, whose youngest son, Richard, is the current [2004] DLYC president. “We did a lot until 1959, when we moved to Washington (D.C.) for 13 years. Tom said sailing was a great way to discipline the kids because they really had to pay attention when out on the boat, and I always marveled at how they never rebelled.”
Betty Cameron and her husband, Charles, were fixtures in the community, having purchased the Geneva Lake Boat Company in 1961 and running it until he died in 1983.
“We did everything-selling, repairing and storing,” she said. “Charles was a great sailor. He and other grown-ups used to teach the kids, one of them being Buddy Melges. I used to crew for him and liked to swim and fish, but mostly I enjoyed watching.”
Jean married Anson “Scottie” Cameron in ‘44. They built a house three years later and moved to the area permanently in 1968. Although the couple divorced, Jean didn’t give a thought to leaving.
“I still had children in school, and this was home,” she said. “Everybody has loved it here. In the early days people had the means and ability to commute and there was more leisure time. I sailed some, but I was more into tennis. My husband and the Stevens family, they grew up sailing.”
Jane Cameron said that also applied to her late husband, Dan.
“He competed a lot as a boy and crewed for his brothers, and even though we never had much for a boat, our kids sailed while they were growing up,” Jane said. “But Dan developed arthritis and couldn’t do much after that.”
Like the others, Davies is active with the local garden club. She also was a dance instructor for many years and shared her talents with members often. She fondly remembers the good times on the lake.
“It’s always been a nostalgic kind of thing,” said Davies, who was in the Navy before she and Robert got hitched. “We sailed and were involved in the kids’ day camp and went swimming all of the time. I’ve been around here since the ’30s and have been involved in yacht club activities in one way or another ever since. While everybody didn’t do it all of the time, sailing is what carried on the traditions, and that was the whole point.”
Another memory was added to the club’s already bulging scrapbook when each of these women donned a golden, mesh glove for the season-opening cocktail party four or five years ago.
“They were always looking for someone to be the hostess, so we agreed to do it,” Beers said. “We all brought food and did our part to keep things moving. I had gotten the gloves, one for each of us, sort of as an insignia or something.”
The author is a freelance contributor to The Week.
If you have a boat or a trailer on DLYC Property, it must be moved by evening of day July 6.
DLYC is hosting the ILYA E regatta right after the 4th of July weekend. This requires that by Sunday evening July 6, all those who have boats with land storage, or trailers left on the DLYC property move their boats off-premises.
We have local temporary space to put your boat and trailer from Saturday July 5 - Wednesday July 16 to accommodate you . For further information about this space please contact Vice Commodore Ed Clair by phone or email: eclair@fitcheven.com .
All boats & trailers not moved by end of day Sunday July 6th or on the temporary lot after July 20th will be assessed a moving fee of $100.
Celebrate your independence with a sail around the lake, handicapped race!
All fleets start off the long pier of the yacht club.
All starting sequences use the traditional older 10 minutes starting sequence. A warning signal at 10 minutes before the star, followed by a Preparatory signal at 5 minutes before the Start, and a Starting signal 0 minutes before the start.
10:00 am X - warning signal 10:10 am Start signal
10:10 am MC - warning signal 10:20 am Start signal
10:20 am FS - warning signal 10:30 am Start signal
10:30 am C - warning signal 10:40 am Start signal
10:40 am E - warning signal 10:50 am Start signal
Any other type boats are welcome and encouraged. If you show up with a sailboat you will be scheduled by the PRO - Larry Kmiecik, at that tim.
Uncle Elmer’s Race is named after Elmer Tomkins Stevens, an early mentor of the Delavan Lake Yacht Club, and an avid A scow, and E scow sailor on Delavan Lake. He won many regatta trophies, many of which have been donated by the Stevens Family to be used as race trophies during the season. Take a look at them at the club. They’ve just been polished!
Click here for colorful details
We are polishing all the clubs trophies to help the club shine for the E Invitational, and for the rest of the season.
Please join us for a Bloody Mary and breakfast bar. Steve Mestan will have free breakfast set up for those helping with the trophies.
This is a great way for young and new members alike to learn about the trophies and the families that have donated them over the life of the club.
Sailors - Please bring back any trophies that you may have so we may get them updated.
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Click here for the colorful details
Come by foot, car or boat
The DLYC Independence Day Party will be on Saturday, June 28. Games for the kids and cocktails will begin at 6:00 pm. This party is hosted by Kathy and Steve Mestan
Patriotic Picnic Buffet Dinner will start at 6:30pm
Town of Delavan fireworks can be seen at dusk from the Club, East Lawn, and by boat.
Adults - $17; children under 10 - $8
Reservations appreciated by email: dlycrsvp@gmail.com
Club hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs 10 - 4
Closed Wednesday
Friday 10-mid
Sat. - Sun. 7:30-4pm (except for planned events)
The Town of Delavan lifted the Slow No Wake Limit on 6/17/08. Sail Fast without fear!
On Tuesday June 10 the Township and the City of Delavan agreed to implement a Slow No Wake speed limit on Delavan Lake. All powered craft must maintain a speed that does not cause a wake. Police will be on the water and on land observing water craft and will be issuing citations for boats observed violating the ordinance.
The ordinance was passed after record rainfall caused a dramatic increase in lake levels on Monday.
This ordinance remains in effect until further notice. Visit this blog for any further information including weekend racing schedule.