Port Clinton Yacht Club

🪁⛵️ Private Kite Surfing & Sailing Lessons with Coach Tincho! ⛵️🪁

Looking to try something new on the water or sharpen your sailing skills? PCYC Jr. Race Team Coach Martin “Tincho” Gwozdz will be in town through August 4th and is offering private instruction for both kite surfing and sailing!

One of the most unique opportunities is private kite surfing instruction right from the PCYC beach. Whether you’re interested in trying kite surfing for the first time or developing your skills, Tincho is available for lessons at $80 per hour.

Tincho is also offering private sailing instruction for $40 per hour. Lessons can include Optis, Lasers/ILCAs, 420s, and larger sailboats, making this a great opportunity for junior sailors and adults alike.

📧 The best way to schedule a lesson is to contact Tincho directly at [email protected], or find him around the club.

These are private lessons offered independently by Tincho and are not part of the PCYC Jr. Race Team or Learn to Sail programs. Anyone needing help connecting with him can also reach out to Eric Schramm, Jr. Race Team Coordinator, or Spencer Andrews, Fleet Captain of Sail.

Take advantage of the opportunity while Tincho is still in town—and especially the chance to try kite surfing right from PCYC! 🪁🌊

⛵️ Private Sailing Lessons Available with Coach JuanMa! ⛵️

Looking to improve your sailing skills before the season winds down? Here’s a great opportunity!

PCYC Jr. Race Team Coach Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Campos will be staying in Port Clinton through August 13th or 14th and is offering private sailing lessons for both kids and adults.

Lesson Options:

* Private Lesson: $150 for a 3-hour session
* Small Group Lesson (2 or more sailors): $100 per person for a 3-hour session

Whether you’re just getting started, looking to sharpen your racing skills, or simply wanting to become more confident on the water, JuanMa’s coaching has helped sailors of all experience levels improve throughout the season.

To schedule a lesson, you can:
📧 Email JuanMa at [email protected]
⛵ Stop by PCYC when he’s at the club to coordinate a time.

These lessons are independent of the PCYC Junior Race Team and Learn to Sail programs and are being offered privately by JuanMa.

If you need help connecting with him, feel free to contact Eric Schramm, Jr. Race Team Coordinator, or Spencer Andrews, Fleet Captain of Sail, and we’ll be happy to help.

Don’t miss this chance to learn from one of the best coaches our junior sailors have had. We highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity while JuanMa is still in town!

⛵️ PCYC Jr. Race Team Update – 2026 I-LYA Traveler’s Series Finale ⛵️

With the completion of the eighth and final Traveler’s Series regatta, we’re excited to celebrate an incredible season for the Port Clinton Yacht Club Jr. Race Team!

The I-LYA Traveler’s Series recognizes the top sailors by counting each competitor’s best four finishes across the eight-regatta series, with awards presented to the top eight sailors in each class.

This season’s Optimist division was exceptionally competitive, especially the Opti Blue fleet. Throughout the series, PCYC consistently rose to the challenge, with at least one of our sailors standing on the podium at every single regatta.

Opti Gold Fleet (40 sailors)

🥈 Charlie Lorenz, sailing Glory B, finished 2nd Overall in the Traveler’s Series with just 10 points, posting remarkable consistency throughout the season.

🥉 Ben Schramm, sailing Miss Whinnie, finished 3rd Overall with 11 points and capped off the season by winning the prestigious I-LYA Optimist Championship.

🎉 Mia Withers, sailing Family Opti-Mist, in her first full season with the PCYC Race Team, finished an impressive 8th Overall with 35 points.

Our Opti Green sailors also represented PCYC extremely well this season. Kevin Zywiec, Weston Ezell, and Robbie Moore each competed in at least one regatta, gained valuable experience, and showed tremendous potential. We look forward to seeing all three continue their racing journeys next season!

ILCA 6 Fleet (39 sailors)

🏅 Lola Coan finished 7th Overall with 20 points and earned the prestigious Ann MacBride/Adams Cup Trophy as the Top Female ILCA 6 Sailor.

🏅 Alex Bodager finished 10th Overall with 39 points, making her the second-highest female sailor in the ILCA 6 fleet.

🏅 Teddy Bringman finished 22nd Overall despite competing in only two regattas due to scheduling conflicts.

One of the most exciting accomplishments of the season came in the overall club standings. The I-LYA recognizes the top three clubs based on combined performances across the Optimist, ILCA, and 420 fleets. Despite not fielding a 420 team this season—and competing with a relatively small roster—Port Clinton Yacht Club finished an outstanding 2nd Overall!

This achievement is a testament to the world-class coaching provided by Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Campos and Martin “Tincho” Gwozdz, as well as the dedication, consistency, and determination of every sailor on our team.

At the beginning of the season, our goals extended far beyond trophies. We wanted our sailors to improve, compete at a high level, and represent Port Clinton Yacht Club with pride, sportsmanship, and class. We are proud to say they exceeded every expectation.

Over the next year, our 2nd Place Club Trophy, Lola’s Ann MacBride/Adams Cup Trophy, and Ben’s Gunkler Family Trophy will be proudly displayed in the PCYC trophy case. If you see one of our junior sailors or coaches around the club, please take a moment to congratulate them on an incredible season.

Finally, thank you to all of our parents, volunteers, club members, and business supporters who made this season possible. Your generosity, encouragement, and countless hours of support provide opportunities that help these young sailors grow both on and off the water. We are incredibly grateful for such an amazing community and look forward to doing it all again next year!

Congratulations to our entire 2026 PCYC Jr. Race Team! What a season! ⛵🏆

⛵️ PCYC Jr. Race Team Update – Hoover Sailing Club ⛵️

The Port Clinton Yacht Club Jr. Race Team traveled to Hoover Sailing Club yesterday for the eighth and final stop of the 2026 I-LYA Traveler’s Series. The day began with a postponement due to little to no wind, but after lunch the breeze filled in just enough to allow for a great afternoon of racing.

Opti Gold Fleet (16 sailors, including 13 in the highly competitive Opti Blue division):

🥈 Ben Schramm showcased his sailing skills, finishing 2nd Overall and 2nd in Opti Blue.

⛵ Charlie Lorenz finished 4th Overall and 4th in Opti Blue, just missing the podium by 1 point.

📈 Mia Withers continued her impressive improvement this season, recording her strongest finishes of the year to place 6th Overall and 6th in Opti Blue.

Opti Green Fleet:

🥉 Kevin Zywiec had an outstanding regatta, finishing 3rd Overall and winning the final race of the day!

The Gold and Green Fleets completed five races.

In the highly competitive ILCA 6 fleet, which completed four races:

⛵ Lola Coan finished 7th out of 14 sailors.

⛵ Alex Bodager finished 9th.

Lola and Alex continue to impress after moving up from the ILCA 4 class earlier this season and competing against a talented and mostly male ILCA 6 fleet.

The final stop of the Traveler’s Series was another great example of how much our sailors have grown throughout the season. Their hard work, determination, and willingness to learn continue to shine on the race course, and our coaches deserve tremendous credit for helping them reach the next level.

One unique challenge at Hoover was the reservoir’s horsepower restriction, which meant our coaches had to get a little creative! They used a small dinghy on the Opti course and a custom-outfitted bumper boat on the ILCA course…and we’re pretty sure they didn’t enjoy driving it one bit. 🤣

Congratulations to all of our sailors and coaches on another outstanding weekend!

COMMODORES CUP NOTICE:
Due to the rough conditions of Bayview Mac race last weekend, we've decided to postpone the Commodores Cup until August. The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, July 26th, so please stay tuned for the new date. This will give the participants time to preform necessary repairs and recover from the wild weather. We apologize for the short notice but would like to see as many club boats on the line as possible.

Our normal auxiliary race will still be run at 1pm on Sunday.

Please contact Fleet Captain of Sail Spencer Andrews with questions.

⛵️ PCYC Jr. Race Team Update – I-LYA Optimist Championship ⛵️

Today, Ben Schramm and Charlie Lorenz represented Port Clinton Yacht Club at the I-LYA Optimist Championship at Cleveland Yachting Club. Coaching the team was one of our own, Lola Coan, who did an outstanding job leading the sailors throughout the day.

Conditions were anything but easy, with strong, gusty winds and choppy waves challenging competitors. After a weather delay to monitor the conditions, the race committee made the decision to allow the Opti Gold Fleet to race while canceling the Green Fleet.

What followed was a day to remember.

Ben Schramm put together a flawless performance, recording a picket fence by winning all four races of the regatta. Ben finished 1st in Opti Blue and 1st Overall out of 19 sailors. With his overall victory, Ben also earned a place on the prestigious Gunkler Family Trophy—the first Port Clinton Yacht Club sailor to do so since Ryan Kyle in 2004!

Charlie Lorenz also sailed an outstanding regatta, finishing 2nd in Opti Blue and 4th Overall. Charlie posted impressive finishes of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the first three races before a powerful gust capsized his boat in the final race—a heartbreaking finish to an otherwise exceptional day.

We couldn’t be prouder of Ben and Charlie for their incredible performances, or of Lola for the outstanding job she did coaching them through such challenging conditions. Our Junior Race Team continues to demonstrate the results of hard work, dedication, and outstanding coaching, and we are thrilled to see another Port Clinton Yacht Club sailor’s name added to the Gunkler Family Trophy.

Congratulations, Ben, Charlie, and Lola! What an incredible day for PCYC! ⛵🏆

The pool will open at 10:00 this morning and we will resume our normal operating hours. We will continually monitor the air quality and the expected future conditions.

⛵️ PCYC Jr. Race Team Update – I-LYA Junior Bay Week Championships ⛵️

This week, our Laser sailors traveled to Put-in-Bay for the I-LYA Junior Bay Week Championships. They arrived on Sunday and spent the week competing against some of the best junior sailors in the region.

The weather proved to be a challenge throughout the week. Monday’s racing was canceled after a long delay due to a lack of wind. Tuesday brought light, choppy conditions, Wednesday provided the best racing of the week, and Thursday’s races were ultimately canceled because of smoke conditions.

Despite the challenging weather, our sailors had an outstanding week!

🏆 Lola Coan qualified for the Gold Fleet and was honored as the Top Female ILCA 6 Sailor.

🥇 Alex Bodager sailed an excellent regatta, finishing 1st in the ILCA Silver Fleet.

⛵ Teddy Bringman also had a strong performance, finishing 6th in the ILCA Silver Fleet.

Congratulations to Lola, Alex, and Teddy on representing Port Clinton Yacht Club with determination, sportsmanship, and perseverance throughout the week. We are incredibly proud of all they accomplished.

Next up is the I-LYA Optimist Championship at Cleveland Yachting Club this Saturday, July 18th, where Charlie Lorenz and Ben Schramm will represent PCYC. They’ll have a familiar face coaching them as Lola Coan steps into a coaching role for the championship. Good luck to all three—we can’t wait to see what they accomplish!

We are currently postponing the opening of the pool till noon due the current air conditions. If air quality conditions do no improve, we will further delay the opening or possibly close for the day.