Commodore's Message
“For we love the Garden State Yacht Club; it’s the place where we belong,” wrote Past Commodore Harry Loory in 1966. It’s undeniable—the GSYC is the place to be on Lake Hopatcong. I’m being modest when I say that we have an incredible sense of community, an outstanding facility and we continue to change and evolve for the better each year.
The buildings and grounds have been painted, polished, trimmed, flowered, internetted, wi-fied, satellited, and the bar computerized. Caterer Rick continues to create menus that ensure our food is the best Lake Hopatcong has to offer.
Activities abound. Kayaking in the morning or under the moon is as popular now as sailing, fishing, waterskiing, tennis, boating, and shuffleboard. The pool and new playground provide hours of fun for all. The lake continues its allure and we enjoy it with boat parades, full moon dinner floats, lake scavenger hunts and dockside activities. Where there’s an interest, we have a program, from boating safety to mid-week computer classes.
The GSYC is increasingly involved with the surrounding lake community. Almost a quarter of our members now live on the lake, which will make for a great progressive dinner, boating from home to home. We will enjoy our second annual dinner dance with the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, with additional activities in the works. Our low-key advertising (and our new dockside sign) means that people have become increasingly aware that we are one of the “jewels” of Lake Hopatcong.
Yet something essential and unique to our club has remained constant. Each of us may have joined initially for boating, or for other reasons. We are expected contribute our talents and skills every summer with parties, activities and formals, but along the way something extraordinary happens. The GSYC always works its magic of turning members into friends and friends into family. Even after sixty years, that continuing sense of warmth and belonging is as strong as ever.
And here I am, the first female commodore of our club, a position I’ve strived for and for which the winds of change have created just the right climate. The support of the GSYC ladies with their “You go, girl” and with the help and respect of the men, especially my very own First Gentleman Mark, have inspired me to do the best job possible. With appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our flag officers, Board members, committee chairpeople and all the members that are at the heart of the GSYC, Mark and I look forward to an exciting 60th anniversary season.
With all this said, it’s very clear -- “You gotta love this place!”
Commodore Sharon Gruber - 2009
