After months of planning, the Oak Harbor Yacht Club voted against hosting Hydros for Heroes this year.
The Oak Harbor Yacht Club Commodore David Maruna acknowledged the significance of Hydros for Heroes to the community and said the members remain committed to engaging in the initiative in 2027.
In the meantime, Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Eric Marshall said the organization is considering taking over the popular hydroplane racing event this year, though the decision hasn’t been made official yet.
Maruna said the committee voted late last year to not move forward with hosting the event, which raises money for scholarships.
“Following thorough consideration and research, the committee has concluded that while there still is potential to reinstate the event in 2026, several valid concerns have emerged among club members. Concerns have been raised regarding the timing of the planning phase for organizing such a significant event, as well as the untimely article,” Maruna said.
The Nov. 28 News-Times article quotes Jim Woessner, the co-founder of the event, as saying the Yacht Club agreed to take over the event. In addition, the Yacht Club obtained a lodging tax grant for the event and a Yacht Club representative took part in a city-sponsored event to set the date for the hydro race.
Maruna noted that the News-Times had failed to contact any board member prior to the article’s release and that the club had not come to a decision to host the event until the official vote. He did not explain why an “untimely article” would persuade club members to turn away from the charitable event.
Woessner, who is also a former city council official, said he was blindsided by the veto.
“I was just as surprised as probably you guys were,” he told the News-Times.
He said the decision followed three months of discussion between him and the club. When the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and the founders of Hydros for Heroes, local real estate salesperson Craig McKenzie and Woessner, applied simultaneously for a lodging tax grant, Woessner was notified. After speaking with a member from the Oak Harbor Yacht Club, Woessner decided to remove his application, he said, and the grant was awarded to the club.
Additionally, he pointed out that club members showed up to the public meeting for city special events planning, where they announced that they were putting on the the Hydros for Heroes event. These weren’t the only times they spoke about their plans, however. Woessner was also invited to a board meeting with the Oak Harbor Yacht Club where he witnessed members volunteer to take on different roles during the racing event, he said. He also met with individuals from the club several times to discuss plans, he added.
Although he wasn’t in the room when the only official vote was cast, he has suspicions based on word of mouth that one or two members of the club had a large sway on the decision.
Overall, Woessner believed they were setting the Yacht Club up for an “easy decision,” he said. With all of the water aspects accounted for and all of the racers booked, the Yacht Club just had to plan the ground elements, including insurance, food and registration, he said. Additionally, he said that he and McKenzie planned on fronting the club $30,000 in the first year.
Yet Woessner noted that the Oak Harbor Yacht Club is a volunteer group and is not obligated to host the event.
“We were hoping the yacht club could, but I certainly respect their decision. It’s unfortunate that we burned three months in the process,” Woessner said. “We are disappointed too, but still trying to find a way to make it happen.”
Now that the Oak Harbor Yacht Club has decided against hosting the event this year, Woessner said he hopes the city will be able to transfer the grant money, should the chamber or another organization choose to take it on. Otherwise, the money cannot be used.
