YMCA boat auction plans annual event, passes torch

Ned Kyle of Camden, the mastermind of the Penobscot Bay YMCA’s annual boat auction since its founding 10 years ago, plans to make this year’s June 9 event his last as skipper. He’s turning the top job over to Mike Devine, a professional boat hauler based in Lincolnville who has volunteered his services to the auction in recent years, while Devine is turning boat-hauling chores over to his son-in-law, Ed Hurlburt. After this year, Kyle plans to become Devine’s assistant.

Meanwhile, Kyle reports, the Y has assembled a large number of boats for the benefit auction: more than a dozen sailboats and an equal number of powerboats of various sizes. Experience suggests that additional small boats will show up before the date of the auction itself. “They always come in at the last minute,” Kyle says.

Registration for the auction begins at 9 a.m. in the parking lot at the YMCA in Rockport, and the auction is scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. Terry Bregy, who has served as auctioneer for the event over the years, will once again preside. “We picked him because he has a sense of humor,” Kyle says, suggesting that Bregy’s manner may be a factor in loosening the bond between bidders and their money.

It’s all for a good cause, of course: in past years the boat auction has grossed $40,000 to $60,000 for the Y, and it often attracts more than 400 people, “even in the rain,” Kyle says.

Offerings this year include a 34-foot yawl, a 28-foot Cape Dory sloop, an 8-foot Optimist dinghy, a 17-foot O’Day Javelin and numerous other sailboats. Powerboats that will be available include a 15-foot Sportcraft bowrider with a 50 hp. Johnson outboard; a 16-foot Crestliner and a 19-foot Aristocraft with trailer. In addition to the boats, there’s fishing tackle: several sets of trolling rods and reels with tackleboxes and a large Plano tacklebox filled with gear.

For further information contact Becky Flanagan at the PenBay YMCA, 236-3375 or Ned Kyle at 236-4746. Information about the auction is also available at www.penbayymca.net (click on “boat auction”).