Bilge Auction Earns $37,000+

November 19, 2025

by Diane Foote
The 2025 Bilge Auction, held at CYC's Belmont Station on Saturday, November 15, raised a record amount to support Sea Scout Ship #5870 Privateer and the CYC Foundation: more than $37,000! This more than doubles the event's previous record.

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More than 50 avid bidders joined in the fray, enjoying the Auction's 1990s "grunge" theme with a bbq buffet, red solo cups of beer, and 90's tunes; many sporting their best flannel plaid shirts and concert tees.

Sea Scout experiences earned presenting sponsorships ranging from $600 to $1,600. The enthusiastic crowd bid on these opportunities, including the annual Long Cruise to ports along the Michigan shoreline, CPR training, the cocoa tent at the Christmas Tree Ship, a trip to the Chicago Maritime Museum, and more. Thank you to the Scouts who stood up and told the crowd what each of these experiences mean to them!

Among the donated power cords, used boating gear, dock lines, antennae, and other sundry items, a framed, matted, and signed print by Chicago artist Charles Vickery, "Farewell Chicago," earned the highest bid of the evening for a single item: $1,300. 

Thank you to all who attended, bid, and partied with us! Special thanks to event chairs Betsy and Peter Ivancsits, our friends in CYC's Power Fleet and Cruising Sail Fleet, and of course, Sea Scout Ship #5870.