Welcome to Shawnee Yacht Club
Since 1941, SYC has promoted sailing on Lake Shawnee for the recreational benefit of the local community. In addition to the opportunity to sail on beautiful Lake Shawnee, the club provides: free sailing lessons for those new to the sport, sailboats for members to use, a fenced boatyard with a boat ramp, several docks (provided by Parks and Rec), a storage shed for equipment, sailing activities, racing, and social gatherings.
SYC Annual Business Meeting
12 Feb 2026
The SYC annual business meeting was held February 1st, 2026, at 2:30pm over Zoom. Following are some highlights:
- Board members elected:
- Rocky Bartlow, Commodore
- Brett Bitner, Vice-Commodore
- Mark Marling, Treasurer
- Irene Haws, Secretary
- Richard Stewart, Governor at large
- Eddie Penner, Governor-Legal
- Mike Gorman, Governor-Grounds
- Josh Harsch, Governor-Social media
- Jim Tompkins, Past Commodore
- Boat storage fee of $100/year rather than separate fees for summer and winter.
- Sailing lessons will be the same as last year except no July session, just June and August monthly sessions of 4 lessons each on Wednesday evenings scheduled through Parks & Rec.
- There will be 3 socials: The Spring Breakfast on May 2nd, 4th of July, and a fall social on September 6th.
- We will be working with Parks & Rec to gain support for our new 5 Year Master Plan to improve the facilities.
For SYC members only:
Five-Year Master Plan
23 Jan 2026
As we prepare for the 2026 SYC sailing season, we hope to be meeting with P+R staff for their support in moving forward with individual items in our latest proposed Five-Year Master Plan to improve our sailing facilities. It is intended to be a good balance of what we are both looking for and a path forward to a successful future for all of us. SYC's costs for some of these improvements will be substantial. Please consider making a contribution to help us with these facility improvements.
Topeka, Forbes Field
29°F - Fair
Coming Events
- 3/1, Sailing Season Boat Storage Starts, SYC
- 5/2, Spring Social, Breakfast, 8:00am, SYC
- 5/2, Spring Work Day, 10:00am, SYC
- 6/3, First Wed Lessons & Group Sailing, 5:30 pm-Sunset, SYC
SYC on Facebook
Mark's Racing Blog
Sailing Instruction for Zach B.
Go head to wind at the starting line with your boom down the center line and your sails flapping. First, as you coast to a stop, look left and right along your traveler. One end should be aimed below the committee boat or the buoy. That is the "favored" end of the line, and it is easy to see by how much. Now, look straight forward along the center line of your boat. You should notice two more important things. One is, which side of the windward mark your boat is pointing to. Say, for example, that it points to the left of the mark. This tells you that the left (port) tack is the "long" tack. Second, you should notice which side of the course has the stronger wind. This tells you where you need to go for max power. Now you know all the factors necessary to determine your race strategy. Which end is favored, which tack is the most favorable and which side is favored and. Now all you have to do is make a plan and execute it.
Simple!