SYC NEWSLETTER April 2026
Message from the Commodore Catherine Toy
2026 is the Serpent Yacht Club’s 50th Anniversary.
Back on the 1st May 1976 when 21 yachts crossed the start line at Rhu for a race to Colintraive, who would have thought that it would lead to the formation of the Serpent Yacht Club and that the Club would be still be going strong 50 years on.
Over the years many things have changed - boats sizes have increased, navigational equipment has become more sophisticated, paper charts have given way to plotters, but the camaraderie and enthusiasm for sailing together has not changed.
Ambitions have expanded from sailing on the Clyde to sailing on the West coast and more recently we have a number of members who have sailed to Scandinavia and the Baltic and others who have completed Trans-Atlantic and Round the World Cruises - a huge achievement for a small club.
We invite you to celebrate the 50th Anniversary with us at the 1st May Dinner at the Corinthian Club in Ingram Street, Glasgow. We chose this venue to be accessible to all and to allow both boat owners and non-boat owners to catch up to share memories and reflect on the fun we have had over the years. If you know of any previous members who would be interested in attending can you please reach out to them.
We are currently in the process of finalising our programme of activities for this year -see dates listed below.
I would encourage you all to book your tickets for the 1st May Dinner as soon as possible as we are expecting a good turn out.
I, for one, look forward to catching up with you all.
Kind regards,
Catherine
Commodore
Message from the Secretary Graham Gillies
As Catherine mentioned above, our Serpent 50th Anniversary Dinner will be held on 1st May, exactly 50 years after the inaugural Race on the Clyde. The dinner will be in the Langley Room of the Corinthian Club on 119 Ingram St at 6.30pm for reception drinks followed by dinner at 7pm. The Langley Room is on the 2nd floor, accessible by lift or stairs.
The dinner is open to all past and present Serpent members and friends of the club.
The cost will be £60 to include a reception drink and three course meal and tea or coffee. They require firm numbers with menu selections 2 weeks in advance so if you are interested in attending please apply soon. See details on the Dinner application attached to the email.
Slide show loop. At the dinner we plan to have a continuous slide show of photographs from past Serpent events of members, groups and boats. If you have any photos that you would like to include in the slide show please email them to Charles Sutherland at cgxsutherland@gmail.com or if you have printed photos you would like us to include, please post them to Charles Sutherland at 15, Stanley Dr, Brookfield PA5 8UF. Remember to include your home address so he can return them. If you are in touch with anyone who is no longer a Serpent member but you think may wish to come, please let them know, they would be very welcome.
Report on Recent Events
Our Winter meeting in Dundee in January was most enjoyable and attended by 20 members. We had a guided tour of HMS Unicorn on the Wednesday followed by a communal dinner at the Jute Café Bar. On the Thursday, we were guided round the Discovery Point Centre and Captain Scott’s ship RRS Discovery. It proved to be a fun, sociable and educational meeting.
RRS Discovery
AGM Presentation At our AGM at RGYC in February, we enjoyed a lively and beautifully illustrated talk by Past Commodore Séamus Lalor on his recent Atlantic crossing crewing on an Amel 54 yacht.
Membership Fee Increase Due to rising club costs (mainly insurance) and our reducing club funds, it was proposed and agreed at our AGM that we would increase the Serpent membership fees possibly for the first time in it’s 50 year history. The fees for 2027 will be doubled so the individual membership fee will be £20 and family membership would increase to £30. Although this rise is regrettable, we do hope to avoid such drastic measures for at least another half century.
Diary of Events for 2026
Serpent 50th Anniversary Dinner 1 May – Corinthian Club Glasgow
Anniversary Muster 16/17 May – Tarbert with dinner at the Red Herring Restaurant
Craobh Muster Sat 13 June Round Shuna Race in the morning, dinner at the Lord of the Isles in the evening.
Cruise in Company Sun 14th June Mussel Fest at Inverlussa, Loch Spelve
Mon 15th June Barbecue at Lochaline. Further West coast cruising in company on subsequent days.
Ormidale BBQ 8 August Loch Riddon
Autumn Muster – 12/13 September – Rothesay dining at the Glenburn Hotel
Serpent Dinner Date & venue to be decided
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The Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club 150th Anniversary
Please note that by coincidence this year is the 150th Anniversary of our Sister Yacht Club, The Clyde Corinthian YC. They are hosting a white sail pursuit race in the Clyde on the 20th June with a prize money of 1000 Guineas to which all Serpent members are invited to enter. See here for details
Note for the avoidance of confusion, the Corinthian Club venue in Glasgow where we are holding our Serpent Dinner is unrelated to the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club.
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