On July 15, QCYC hosted current and past members for a celebration of our 89 year old club house.  There were some wonderful exhibits of historical artifacts, including coverage of the original clubhouse sliding into the harbour at the turn of the 20th century. 

For me the most memorable moment was meeting Vivienne Trudeau.  QCYC was one of the first clubs to accept women as full members of the club in 1949.  Miss Trudeau and her sister were the fist female, full Senior members of QCYC.  They along with Karin Larson broke the barrier at QCYC. 

When I spoke with Miss Trudeau she told me how this came to be.  You might assume they lobbied for this right.  This was not the case.  The Trudeau sisters were crew in the races and kept their boat just outside the club in the lagoon.  They also raced on their own in other regattas.  By all accounts they were fabulous sailors.  As Miss Trudeau told me, one day they received a call at home.  They were told something interesting was happening at the club and they should come by the following day.  When they arrived they were told the members had decided to vote them in as Senior Members.  Later the same year they won the Sportsman's Trophy at the club. 

I love this story for two reasons.  The Trudeau sisters didn't politic their way through a very entrenched barrier, they sailed through. They were simply too good to ignore.  And the men of the club, showed incredible respect for boating and for their talents to also overcome an entrenched belief and see the world in a new and better way.