The Silva Bay Yacht Club (SBYC) held its annual Sailpast on May 26 at Page’s Marina.

Sailpast is an old navy tradition where the fleet would ‘sail past’ the commodore for inspection and to pay their respects to the commodore. Virtually all yacht clubs have adopted this tradition in the spring of each year to signal the beginning of the cruising season.

This year, we had 23 boats sail past the commodore’s boat in Silva Bay. The boats were spit and polished and decked in flags for the occasion.

The Sailpast was followed by a dinner on the lawn at Page’s, catered by Robert’s. There were 89 members and guests in attendance.

SBYC is a club of people on Gabriola who are boaters or just interested in boating. We have a lot of social events and cruises to various places around the Salish Sea.

We promote safe boating and boating education. SBYC paid the entire cost for the Grade 7 students at Gabriola Elementary last year who took the boat licensing course from the Gabriola branch of the Canadian Power Squadron. We also advocate for or against issues important to boaters, such as the shutting down of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station. To find out more about SBYC or how to become a member, visit our website, www.silvabayyachtclub.com.