Rotarians from 7390 joined friends from Rotary clubs in Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia for a rendezvous in Georgetown, MD on the Sassafras River.  As members of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR), Chesapeake Bay Fleet, they gather monthly in warm weather months at various locations on the upper Chesapeake Bay for fellowship and discussions about their various clubs’ activities and projects----as well as sharing experiences about maintaining and operating their boats.
 
The IYFR is the oldest and largest of the Rotary Fellowships.  It was organized in England in 1947 and has grown to 126 fleets with about 3685 members in 44 countries.  Rotarians in IYFR often join fellow Rotarians for international cruises following international conferences and enjoy cruising while they “Build Better Friendships”.
 
The Chesapeake Fleet supports the Plastic Free Waters project, which was launched in 2019 to bring awareness of the plastic bottle impact on world’s waterways, especially in African and Asian waters.  At a recent meeting the International Rear Commodore of IYFR from Spain presented a special program highlighting the focus of IYFR Plastic Free Waters world wide.
 
Rotarians, who are active in recreational boating, are welcome to join the IYFR.  For information on membership in the Chesapeake Bay Fleet, contact Ron Stern landrstern@gmail.com
 
Submitted by
Ron Stern,
Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North
Fleet Captain, Rotary Yacht Squadron Chesapeake Bay, 2022
Past-Commodore, IYFR, Chesapeake Bay Fleet, 2011 and 2016
 
 
Pictured here on board the vessel Joint Venture are: (l to r) Lenora Stern; Kathleen Stoup, RC of Carlisle;  Ron Stern, RC of Mechanicsburg North; and Tom Johnston, RC of Harrisburg.