It’s ‘Hump Day’ night – middle of the week
with the weekend
clearly in sight.
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Submitted photos
It’s ‘Hump Day’ night – middle of the week with the weekend clearly in sight.
Weeknights can be a bit on the boring side, but not here. It’s Wednesday evening to be precise, and at Birmingham Sailing Club they’ve discovered a new way to make it over the hump and have a lot of fun doing it.
By 4:30 p.m., sailors of all sorts – novices, seasoned pros, kids, parents, all ages – pour out of the clubhouse perch atop a hillside overlooking Logan Martin Lake. They rig their boats, hop aboard and set sail for the starting lineup of the Weeknight Fun Race Series.
There’s no mistaking this race for a weekend version at the club. Saturdays and Sundays are intense as sailors compete to up their points in national standings.
The only points on Wednesdays are for participation. Even dogs and guests get counted during the five-week series. Bring a dog onboard, that’s a point. Bringing a guest? That’s a point for the host and the guest.
“The focus behind the Wednesday-night program is keeping it fun,” said longtime member David Reich. “It’s all focused on fun. It’s not a competition at all. We even give awards to dogs because they participate.”
It is an opportunity for members who are not experienced to get out there and sail without worrying about getting in the way of a serious competitor and hindering their race.
Weeknight races started in 2021 for the summer, and it was so popular, it returned this summer. Some couldn’t make it on Wednesday nights, so the club offers five weeks on Wednesday, a break, five weeks on Thursday, another break, and the final five weeks on Wednesdays again.
During the breaks they hold shorefront cookouts, a savory recipe for even more fun with people bringing paddleboards and additional family, dogs included. It offers them a chance for gathering around the grill, mingling and getting to know one another better.
Commodore Stan Graham calls the club “150 people’s lake house. It’s their waterfront property.” With more people working from home, the weeknight races give them a break, a chance to enjoy quiet time on the lake, which sees little traffic on a Wednesday night.
Come the weekend, all of that changes. Traffic is up all around, and the club’s races return to their intensity. But for the weeknight series, “we keep it really lighthearted,” Reich said. Music emanates from the committee boat. Kids might take the tiller of their parents’ boat with Mom or Dad as a crewmember. “Nobody cares who wins.”
Reich called the 15 to 20 who participate in weeknight races “a great mix. A lot of women come out on Wednesday nights and quite a lot of kids. They bring friends. They score one for showing up. If they bring a guest, they get two points. We score everybody on board.”
Craig Hennecy of Birmingham, who started sailing three years ago with his son, Craig Jr., said weeknights are welcoming to newcomers. “They feel more comfortable if they know someone is there to rescue them.”
He enjoys his time at the waterfront club and honing his skills when he’s out on the water, making the 45-minute trip to BSC a couple of times a week. “It’s much less expensive than buying a lake house, and I made 150 new friends.”
As for his time on the water, “You try to get better at it, like a golf swing. When you get it right, it’s rewarding.
Craig Jr., now 12, is following in his father’s footsteps, or more accurately, his love of sailing. He began Junior Camp in 2019 at the age of nine. As he gained experience, he started winning races “with this guy,” he said, pointing to his father. Crewing the boat with his father on weekends, he said with a playful smile, “He only wins because of my weight.”
Throughout the summer, you’ll hear stories like those of the Hennecys – sailing the open waters, wind at their back and plenty of laughter. After all, this is Weeknight Fun Races. Everybody’s welcome – member or not. It’s their way of sharing the joys of sailing they already know firsthand. Come and take a ride on a sailboat. They’ll accommodate you. Or try your hand at sailing yourself. It’s all levels coming together for a good time, Reich said. “We like to give everybody a taste of mid-week sailing.”
