Traverse City Record-Eagle

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April 19, 2008

Fire rips through Grand Traverse Yacht Club

No one is injured in blaze

By LINDSAY VANHULLE and ART BUKOWSKI

GREILICKVILLE -- Nothing, not even fire, can keep the Grand Traverse Yacht Club from operating.

A day after flames virtually destroyed the small blue structure on M-22 in Leelanau County's Elmwood Township, board members already plan to rebuild.

It's an optimistic outlook, club Commodore Mac VanStratt said, but it's the only way they can bring the loss into perspective.

"Everybody's got a pretty positive attitude," VanStratt said. "Nobody got hurt, and that's all that matters."

Dozens of firefighters from several departments worked for hours to contain the fire that started about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. The fire was out by about 3 a.m.

The building was roped off by fire tape Thursday afternoon, its roof caved in and its interior gutted. No cause has been determined, township fire Deputy Chief Gary Rushton said, but it appears the flames started near the roof on the building's south end.

An investigation is ongoing.

The club started in 1960, and has been located at the same site for more than 40 years, according to its Web site. It now has about 250 members.

When board members meet tonight, they will discuss future renovation plans, as well as possible locations for upcoming events, VanStratt said. Its racing schedule will remain the same, with boaters launching from the existing moorings.

A crowd of spectators gathered Wednesday night to watch firefighters attempt to control the flames.

Rick Newman could only stand along M-22 and watch. The loss came as a blow to Newman, 51, a club member for nearly 30 years.

"I'm very disappointed," he said. "This isn't anything that you're going to replace quickly."

Newman, who had visited the club a few hours earlier for dinner, was driving by the club again when he noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the building's kitchen area.

He thought about going inside to see what was burning, but the smoke was too bad.

"Someone yelled at me to get out of there, so I did," he said.

Julie Merriner and her daughter Megan Thompson, who live in nearby condominiums, spotted the fire from their building and came down to watch.

Strong winds whipped the flames into a frenzy, and Merriner, 37, knew it made the firefighters' job much more difficult.

"I feel so bad for them with all of this wind. It makes it really tough for them," she said.

VanStratt didn't know the value of the damage Thursday, and was awaiting an official determination.

But he said all improvements to the building have met code regulations. Recent updates include interior chairs and the dock.

"We'll move forward," VanStratt said. "We're just going to be without a structure for awhile."

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