Sunday, December 13, 2015

How The Grinch Stole My Yacht Club

 Yesterday the Annapolis Yacht Club caught fire and was destroyed.  Thankfully, no one was seriously injured - one fire firefighter had a minor injury but was released from the hospital.  The cause of the fire is reported to be a Christmas tree on the third floor.  There isn't a known reason why the club was engulfed so quickly, but that will come out over the next few days. Thankfully, the club was closed for party preparations when the fire started or it could have been much worse.  Kudos to the club's manager for realizing the threat and getting all the staff out safely.
 I have spent many an hour in the club with friends and after races and it really was a grand location.  I'm a member of the club in St Michaels and the our clubs have reciprocity (I get to use both) and I spend more time at the AYC.

While these are just "things", one of the great losses are all the sailing trophies accumulated over 150 years of operation, including some won by my son when he was sailing in high school.

As a side note, you can see how unseasonably warm it is here as there are paddle boarders in the water during December (it was 72F yesterday)

I really feel for the members, as the club was really a hub for sailing and social activity in Annapolis.  I've spent a lot of time at the bar telling sea stories (some of which were true) and was planning on hosting a dinner there between Christmas and New Years for friends.

What a shame, but then again we're all very lucky no one was seriously hurt.  While the fire is a devastating blow only "stuff" was destroyed and it can all be rebuilt.


10 comments:

BigLee said...

Glad to hear that no one was seriously hurt.

MartinC said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MartinC said...

Horrible but glad it was only stuff.

Mad Padre said...

Sorry to hear this. Glad your boat made it ok.
My in-laws loved to tell the story of how an oil tank farm caught fire next to their yacht club (Nanaimo, BC) and how the members raced there in the middle of the night to get their boats out as globs of flaming oil were falling from the skies. Perhaps that story was slightly exaggerated, like some of the stories you describe telling.

Peter Douglas said...

Glad to hear no one was hurt, but what a shame.
Cheers, PD

The Angry Lurker said...

Quite sad but at least no casualties!

Paul O'G said...

Commiserations indeed Miles - horrible stuff but thanks indeed that nobody was hurt.
Sound like a very strong club that will recover well in time, but it will be difficult in the interim

Stefan (aka. Monty) said...

I'm sorry to hear such horrible news from your club. On the other hand it's good to hear that nobody was seriously hurt. I keep my fingers crossed that the club will recover quickly!

Scooby Drew said...

Very sorry to hear of the damage, but glad no one was hurt. Places where people congregate and form community are special places indeed.

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

What a shame... the club we used when we windsurfed (a social club associated with the company I worked for) was closed down, and I remember feeling disjointed for ages afterwards as an intrinsic part of the sailing experience was removed.... glad there were no casualties, but "stuff" and memories are important too... I hope they rebuild and quickly..