The Commodears welcome any female member, spouse or significant other to join the Commodears of Halifax River Yacht Club. They meet the first Wednesday of every month, with a summer break in July and August. Meeting starts promptly at 10:30 a.m. with social time at 10 a.m. and most have lunch together after the meeting.  The meetings in January, April and October will be held in the evening, with social time at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting at 6 p.m.  The annual dues are $25.  For more information please contact their current chairman, Kathy Gaffey, 386-986-8912, gaffrn@aol.com.

A little background and history:
In 1960, a group of ladies known informally as the “Ways and Means” committee were re-christened the First Mates. Today they are known as the Commodears. In 1974, a group of Yacht Club ladies accompanied Commodore Richard Brown to a City Council meeting where the Commodore started calling them the “Commodears”. The idea was conceived of starting a working group using the same name. 

It was decided that the group’s general purpose would be to raise money for needed items for the Club and to follow through with ideas that the Commodore had for the club. One of the ideas was to create the Pineapple Burgee and to this day, a pineapple burgee is placed at the seat of our new members as a signal to current members to stop by and say hello and make our new members feel welcome.

Over the past several years, the Commodears have contributed a considerable amount of money for the betterment of the Club, over $135,000 to date. They sponsor the Ships Store, Movie Night and the 50/50 drawings and the New Year’s Eve Silent/Live Auction. They also host an annual dinner dance party. 

The Commodears have provided the club with roll top chafing dishes, flatware, a water softener system, upgrades to the security system, improvements to the sound system, funds to improve the web site as well as help with the Annual Boat Parade by providing tumblers with the HRYC logo on them to the boaters. They also assist with the Bienniall GulfStreamer Race which begins at Halifax River Yacht Club and culminates at Charleston Yacht Club.