san diego yacht club initiation fee

Yacht Club Members

Westlake Yacht Club (WYC)

Westlake Yacht Club (WYC) westlakeyc.org 32123 W. Lindero Canyon Road Westlake Village, California 91361 (818) 889-4820 Total: 230 members. 5% sail, 45% power & 50% non-boat owners. Facilities: Friday night social between 1800- 2100 hours. Lake is restricted to...

Lake Mission Viejo Yacht Club (LMVYC)

Lake Mission Viejo Yacht Club (LMVYC) lmvyc.org 22555 Olympiad Road Mission Viejo, CA 92692 (949) 770-1313 ext.308 Total: 87 members Facilities: Lake Mission Viejo Association. Lakeside Clubroom, picnic area, boat docks, launch ramp and dry storage. Membership: LMVA...

King Harbor Yacht Club (KHYC)

King Harbor Yacht Club (KHYC) khyc.org 280 Yacht Club Way Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (310) 376-2459 (FAX) 310-374-5848       email: [email protected] Founded in 1949 and joined SCYA in 1950 Total: 490 members – 40% power, 60% sail. Facilities: Club is open 7 days a week....

Club Náutico Baja A.C. (CNB)

Club Náutico Baja A.C. (CNB) http://www.clubnauticobaja.MX/ Ensenada B.C. Mexico (646) 173-4500 The club is a civil association established in 1999. The club is based in Ensenada Mexico and has an active social, educational and racing program. It holds regular...

Women’s Sailing Association Santa Monica Bay (WSA-SMB)

Women’s Sailing Association Santa Monica Bay (WSA-SMB) wsasmb.org P.O. Box 10034, Marina del Rey, CA 90295 Membership: Membership is open to persons age 18 and over. Yearly membership dues are $120 per person. Discount available for first-time members. The membership...

Women’s Sailing Association Orange County (WSA-OC)

Women’s Sailing Association Orange County (WSA-OC) wsaoc.org PO Box 937 Dana Point, CA 92629 Membership: Membership is open to men and women sailors of all stripes including racers, cruisers, day-sailors, and novices who support the advancement of women in sailing....

West Coast Yacht Club (WCYC)

West Coast Yacht Club (WCYC) westcoastyachtclub.com PO Box 309 Dana Point, CA 92629 Total: 50 Members Facilities: None Membership: Annual fee of $200. Must attend 2 events, one being a cruise. Must own a Boat. Comments: Established in 1931, we have members from San...

Ventura Yacht Club (VYC)

Ventura Yacht Club (VYC) venturayachtclub.org 1755 Spinnaker Drive Ventura, CA 93001 (805) 642-0426 Total: 250 members – 25% power, 75% sail. Facilities: Large guest dock with reciprocal privileges (call for reservation) 86 slips for members, dry berths, 4500 lb....

Ventura Sailing Club (VSC)

Ventura Sailing Club (VSC) venturasailingclub.org 4500 Antigua Way Oxnard, CA 93035 (805) 984-7999 Membership: 50 members including active beachcat, multihull and monohull sailors. We welcome new members interested in cruising and racing events, as well as those...

Transpacific Yacht Club (TPYC)

Transpacific Yacht Club (TPYC) transpacrace.com PO Box 1943 Walnut, CA 91788 (626)391-1955

Southwestern Yacht Club (SWYC)

Southwestern Yacht Club (SWYC) southwesternyc.org 2702 Qualtrough St. San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 222-0438 Facilities: Bar service daily 1130 – 2100. Food service Mon-Thu 11300-1430 & 1700- 2000; Fri 1130 – 2100; Sat-Sun 0830 – 2100. 385 member slips. Dry storage...

South Shore Yacht Club (SSYC)

South Shore Yacht Club (SSYC) southshoreyc.com 1099 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 646-3102 Total: 75 members – 50% power; 50% sail. Facilities: Through our affiliation with Newport Beach Yacht Club, our members have full access to their full service...

South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club (SCCYC)

South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club (SCCYC) sccyc.org 13444 Bali Way Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 Total: 75 members-80% sail, 20% power. Facilities: Clubhouse open Fri. 1800-2200, Sat. and Sun.1200-1700. General Membership Meetings fourth Saturday of each month. Guest docks...

South Bay Yacht Racing Club (SBYRC)

South Bay Yacht Racing Club (SBYRC) sbyrc.org P.O. Box 11025 Marina del Rey, CA Total: 221 members – 99% sail. Facilities: None. Membership: Looking for new members. Application required. Initiation: $60. Annual dues: $50. Comments: Chartered in 1964, SBYRC has served...

Silver Gate Yacht Club (SGYC)

Silver Gate Yacht Club (SGYC) SGYC.ORG 2091 Shelter Island Drive San Diego, California 92106 (619) 222-1214 Total: 400 members – 40% power, 60% sail. Facilities: Bar open Wed.-Fri. evenings, Sat.- Sun all day. Dining room open for Wed. & Fri. dinner, Sat....

Shoreline Yacht Club (SYC)

Shoreline Yacht Club (SYC) shorelineyachtclub.com 386 Shoreline Drive South Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 435-4093 Total: 400 members – 50% power, 50% sail. Facilities: Office open Tues., Wed., Thurs., 9am- 6pm; Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm. Open 0600-2400 daily for members...

Seal Beach Yacht Club (SLBYC)

Seal Beach Yacht Club (SlBYC) SlBYC.com 255 N Marina Drive Long Beach, CA 90803 (564) 594-6337 Total: 225 members – 40% Power, 60% Sail Facilities: Clubhouse with the best view of the sunset in Alamitos Bay. Outdoor deck overlooks the Alamitos Bay Marina, and provides...

Seagate Yacht Club (SeaGYC)

Seagate Yacht Club (SeaGYC) seagateyachtclub.com 16011 Bonaire Circle Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (714) 351-9959

Sea Country Yacht Club

Sea Country Yacht Club 23986 Aliso Creek Road #415 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 [email protected] www.seacountryyc.org

Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club (SMWYC)

Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club (SMWYC) smwyc.org 13589 Mindanao Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292-0650 (310) 827-7692 Total: 225 members – 35% power, 65% sail. Limited number of memberships to non-boat owners. Facilities: 4000 lb. hoist, club sailboats and kayaks,...

Santa Monica Bay Sailing Foundation (SMBSF)

Santa Monica Bay Sailing Foundation (SMBSF) smbsf.org 13900 Palawan Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Santa Margarita Yacht Club (SMYC)

Santa Margarita Yacht Club (SMYC) santamargaritayachtclub.com P.O. Box 2043 Oceanside, CA 92051 Total: 120 members Facilities: The club is located on Camp Pendleton. The picnic tables and BBQ grill are available by advanced arrangement. Club hours vary. Membership:...

Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC)

Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) sbyc.org 130 Harbor Way Santa Barbara, CA 93109 (805) 965-8112 >   Total: 750 members – 35% power, 45% sail, 20% non-boat owners. Facilities: Located on the beach, the Yacht Club is open for dining Wednesday – Sunday. Refer to...

Santa Barbara Sailing Club (SBSC)

Santa Barbara Sailing Club (SBSC) sailsbsc.org P.O. Box 1542 Santa Barbara, CA 93102 Total: 100 members 50% non-boat owners,50% sail. Facilities: Operates out of shared community facility in the harbor complex. Dry storage in SBSC boatyard. 4000# hoist. Guest docks...

San Pedro Yacht Club (SPYC)

San Pedro Yacht Club (SPYC) 202 Berth Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 835-9720 Total: 55 members Facilities: Club House open Friday and Saturday evenings. Club House has galley, lounge, dining area, trophy room and balcony overlooking harbor. Guest slips available through...

San Luis Yacht Club (SLYC)

San Luis Yacht Club (SLYC) SLYC.ORG P.O. Box 247, Avila Beach, CA 93424. At the foot of the Avila Pier, 443 Front Street. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (805) 595-2017. Membership: Generally full at 200 members, applications accepted in February. Initiation fee $500....

San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC)

San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) sdyc.org 1011 Anchorage Lane San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 221-8400 Total: 2000 members – 40% power, 60% sail. Facilities: Bar open daily 1000 to 2100. Dining room open daily 0730 to 2000. Snack bar open during summer/spring vacation. Pool....

Port Royal Yacht Club (PRYC)

Port Royal Yacht Club (PRYC) pryc.us 555 North Harbor Drive Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (310) 372-3960 Total: 75 members- 50% power, 50% sail Facilities: The clubhouse overlooks the Redondo Beach Harbor at Port Royal Marina with beautiful views of the Palos Verdes...

Pierpont Bay Yacht Club (PBYC)

Pierpont Bay Yacht Club (PBYC) pbyc.org 1363 Spinnaker Drive Ventura CA 93001 (805) 644-6672 Total: 65 members – 20% power, 80% sail. Facilities: Bar/Clubhouse open Fri. 1800 to 2200, Sat. 1700 to 2200, Sun. 1400 to 1700. Marina will provide guest slips 1 day free to...

Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA)

Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA) pssala.com P.O. Box 9523 Marina del Rey, CA 90295 Total: 100 members – 100% sail. Facilities: None. Monthly meetings held 2nd Monday of each month at Santa Monica Windjammers’ Yacht Club. Membership: Looking for people...

Pacific Mariners Yacht Club (PMYC)

Pacific Mariners Yacht Club (PMYC) pmyc.org 13915 Panay Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 823-9717 Total: 200 members – 50% power, 50% sail. Facilities: Priority list for available boat slips in Dolphin, Panay Way and Holiday Harbor Marinas. Guest dock up to 70’...

Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club (PCYC)

Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club (PCYC) pcyc.org 2600 So. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035. (805) 985-7292 Fax (805) 985-7839 Total: 400 members. 40% power, 16% sail, 16% electric and 28% non-boat owners. Facilities: Main dining room, private dining rooms,full-service bar...

Offshore Cruising Club (OCC)

Offshore Cruising Club (OCC) offshorecc.org PO BOX 3324 Long Beach, CA 90803 (949) 722-6677 Total: 17 members – sail and power. Membership: Limited number of new memberships available.

Oceanside Yacht Club (OYC)

Oceanside Yacht Club (OYC) oceansideyc.net 1950 N Harbor Dr. Oceanside, CA 92054 (760) 722-5751 Facilities: Dining room Friday & Saturday 5:30- 8pm Bar / Clubhouse Winter Hours (October 1- April 31): Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday 12 pm-10 pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm, MNF 5...

Orange Coast College Sailing Association (OCCSA)

Orange Coast College Sailing Association (OCCSA) occsailing.com 1801 W. Coast Highway Newport Beach, CA 92663 (949) 645-9412 The Orange Coast College Sailing Association consists of more than 200 students, alumni, instructors, colleagues and friends of Orange Coast...

Oasis Sailing Club (OSC)

Oasis Sailing Club (OSC) oasissailingclub.org Facility: Meets at the Newport Beach Senior Center. 801 Narcissus, Corona del Mar. Membership: Contact the Membership Chair: Rick Anderson, [email protected] Comments: OSC makes recreational sailing...

Newport Sea Base Sailing Club (NSBSC)

Newport Sea Base Sailing Club (NSBSC) newportseabase.org 1931 W. Coast Highway Newport Beach, CA 92663 (949) 642-5031 Facilities: The Newport Sea Base Yacht Club office is located in the second story of the recently rebuilt state-of-the-art waterfront Newport Sea...

Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA)

Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA) nosa.org PO Box 7485 Newport Beach, CA 92658 (949)644-1023 Comments: NOSA is the sponsor of the Newport to Ensenada race, the World’s Largest International Yacht Race.

Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC)

Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) nhyc.org 720 W Bay Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92661 (949) 673-7730 Total: 1050 members – split evenly power to sail. Facilities: Bar is open Wed thru Sun 11am to 11pm. Dining room is open Wed. thru Sat 12 to 9pm. Sun 9am to 8:30pm. Snack...

Newport Harbor Elks Yacht Club (NHEYC)

Newport Harbor Elks Yacht Club (NHEYC) newportharborelks.us 3456 Via Oporto Newport Beach, CA 92663 (949) 922-2473 Comments: SCYA Associate Member. Reservations required and must be signed in by Yacht Club member. Guest Dock with reservation only. Open 7 days a week,...

Nevada Yacht Club (NYC)

Nevada Yacht Club (NYC) nevadayachtclub.org 490 Horsepower Cove Boulder City, NV 89005 (909) 547-7478 Mailing Address: PO Box 12204 Las Vegas, NV 89112 Comments: We do not have an official clubhouse, but we Sail and host our events from the Lake Mead Marina; located...

Navy Yacht Club San Diego (NYCSD)

Navy Yacht Club San Diego (NYCSD) NYCSD.club PO Box 182111 Coronado, CA 92178 (619) 522-8680 Fax (619) 522-7969 Total: 700. New members welcomed. Must be active, reserve, dependent or retired U.S. or Allied military or active or retired DOD employees entitled to MWR...

Navy Yacht Club Long Beach (NYCLB)

Navy Yacht Club Long Beach (NYCLB) NYCLB.org 223 N. Marina Drive Long Beach, CA 90803 714-488-2064 Total: 260 members – 60% sail, 40% power. Facilities: Our Alamitos Bay waterfront clubhouse has the best sunsets! The clubhouse is open Friday evenings and most weekends...

Morro Bay Yacht Club (MorBYC)

Morro Bay Yacht Club (MorBYC) mbyc.net 541 Embarcadero Morro Bay, CA 93442 (805)772-3981 Total: 250 members – 15% power, 85% sail. Facilities: Bar open Fri. nights and race days. Dining room open for special events. WiFi internet connection available. Dry storage....

Mission Bay Yacht Club (MBYC)

Mission Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) mbyc.org 1215 El Carmel Court San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 488-0501 Total: 750 members – 15% power, 85% sail. Facilities: Bar open Friday 5:00pm to 10:00pm, Sat – 12:00pm to 10:00pm, Sun – 1:00pm to 8:00pm. Dining room open: Friday 6:00pm to...

Marina Yacht Club of Long Beach (MYCLB)

Marina Yacht Club of Long Beach (MYCLB) “Marina Yacht Club of Long Beach is not affiliated with nor is it to be confused with Marina Yacht Club located in Marina Del Rey, CA.” www.myclb.org (714) 891-0767 Total: 30 members, 56% Power, 44% Sail Facilities: None...

Marina Yacht Club (MYC)

Marina Yacht Club (MYC) www.marinayachtclub.org “(Formerly known as Marina Venice Yacht Club)” “Marina Yacht Club is not affiliated with nor it is to be confused with Marina Yacht Club of Long Beach.” 4333 Admiralty Way Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 600-6912 Total:...

Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC)

Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC) layc.org 285 Whalers Walk San Pedro CA 90731 (310)831-1203 Facilities: 12,000 sq. foot clubhouse with extensive library, trophy displays, ship models, and photos dating back to the club founding in 1901. Angels Gate Bar and Bistro:...

Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC)

Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC) lbyc.org 6201 E. Appian Way Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 598-9401 Total: 1000 members – 50% power, 50% sail. Facilities: Dining Room: open Tues. to Sat. for lunch and dinner, Sunday for brunch and dinner. Bar: open Tues. to Sat. 1000-2330,...

Little Ships Fleet Yacht Club (LSFYC)

Little Ships Fleet Yacht Club (LSFYC) lsfyc.org 233 Marina Dr. Long Beach, CA 90803 (714) 383-1139 Total: 65 members – 80% sail, 5% power, 15% non-boat owners. Facilities: Alamitos Bay Location. Guest dock and showers available with advanced reservations in Rainbow...

Lido Isle Yacht Club (LIYC)

Lido Isle Yacht Club (LIYC) liyc.net 701 Via Lido Soud Newport Beach, CA 92663 Phone (949) 673-5119 Fax (949) 673-6827 Total: 410 members – 40% power, 60% sail. Facilities: Clubhouse open Tuesday & Friday nights during summer racing season, snack bar open June...

Long Beach Women’s Sailing Association (LBWSA)

Long Beach Women’s Sailing Association (LBWSA) lbwsa.org P.O. Box 30774 Long Beach, CA 90853 Total: 45 Members. Most sailboaters. New members welcome, men or women. Yearly dues: $65. Member of ASPBYC, SCYA. Facilities: None. Comments: Founded to foster the love and...

Long Beach Singles Yacht Club (LBSYC)

Long Beach Singles Yacht Club (LBSYC) lbsyc.org PO Box 41341 Long Beach, CA 90853 Total: 80 Members. One-third boat owners Facilities: None. Meet on 2nd & 4th Tuesday nights 1900 at The Crab Pot, 215 N. Marina Dr., Long Beach, CA 90803. Guest Speaker on...

Lake Mirage Yacht Club (LMYC)

Lake Mirage Yacht Club (LMYC) 195 1/2 Desert Lakes Drive Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 (760) 773-3522 About: This club is part of the Lake Mirage Racquet Club Community featuring 238 Homes, 11 pools and 10 tennis courts and 2 pickleball courts. The club has boats available...

Lake Havasu Yacht Club (LHYC)

Lake Havasu Yacht Club (LHYC) lhyc.net 631 London Bridge Road Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403 (928) 453-5005 Email: [email protected] Total: 165 members Facilities: Clubhouse located on beautiful shores of Lake Havasu next to Windsor Beach State Park. Clubhouse...

Lake Gregory Yacht Club (LGYC)

Lake Gregory Yacht Club (LGYC) lakegregoryyachtclub.com Mailing Address: PO Box 231 Crestline, CA 92325 Club House: 606 Forest Shade Road, Crestline, CA LAKE GREGORY YACHT CLUB (LGYC) is a social and community service organization whose members enjoy a variety of club...

Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club (LArYC)

Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club (LArYC) layc.net 28200 State Highway 189 PO Box 363 Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352 (909) 337-0725 Fax: (909) 337-4115 Total: 230 members – 80% power, 20% sail. Facilities: Clubhouse, patio and 40-slip marina on the shores of Lake Arrowhead nestled...

Jonathan Yacht Club (JYC)

Jonathan Yacht Club (JYC) jc.org 545 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles CA 90071 (213) 624-0881

Huntington Harbour Yacht Club (HHYC)

Huntington Harbour Yacht Club (HHYC) hhyc.org 3821 Warner Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (562) 592-2186 Fax (562) 592-0887 Total: 300 members – 85% power, 15% sail. Facilities: Bar open seven nights a week. Food served seven nights a week. Sunday Brunch served...

Hollywood Yacht Club (HYC)

Hollywood Yacht Club (HYC) hollywoodyachtclub.org (714) 434-3941 Facilities: None, Monthly meetings, 1st Tuesday of the month, various restaurants in the So. Cal area. Homeport: Holiday Harbor, Wilmington, CA. Membership: Looking for new members. One sponsor needed....

Harbour Island Yacht Club (HIYC)

Harbour Island Yacht Club (HIYC) harbourislandyachtclub.org 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. PMB 513 Oxnard, CA 93035 Total: 150 members. 28% power, 35% electric boaters, 20% sail, 17% kayaks. Facilities: Clubhouse, Waterside Restaurant and Wine Bar, 3500 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA...

Fresno Yacht Club (FrYC)

Fresno Yacht Club P.O. Box 12352 Fresno, CA 93777 (559) 417-7312 [email protected] www.fresnoyachtclub.org History: September 1945, a group of sailing enthusiasts, with boats on the recently formed Lake Millerton, organized into a sailing club. On October of that...

Fairwind Yacht Club (FYC)

Fairwind Yacht Club (FYC) fairwind.org P.O. Box 12684 Marina Del Rey, CA 90295-3684 (310) 454-2323 Total: 550 full members Facilities: No clubhouse or office. Fairwind is a dockside club based in Marina Del Rey (MDR) and in Channel Island Harbor, Oxnard (CIH). The...

Del Rey Yacht Club (DRYC)

Del Rey Yacht Club (DRYC) dryc.org 13900 Palawan Way Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 823-4664 Fax (310) 821-1346 Established 1952 Total: 650+ memberships Facilities: Full service Club open 7 days a week: Mon & Tues from 8am-5pm; Wed thru Sun from 8am-9pm. Gated,...

Dana West Yacht Club (DWYC)

Dana West Yacht Club (DWYC) dwyc.org 24601 Dana Drive Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 661-1185 Fax (949) 661-1583 Total: 460 members- 45% power, 45% sail, 10% non-boat owners. Facilities: Facilities 0pen Thurs. thru Sun. 1100 to 2200 and Mon. 1600-2200. Dining room. 60 ft....

Dana Point Yacht Club (DPYC)

Dana Point Yacht Club (DPYC) dpyc.org 24399 Dana Drive Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 496-2900 Fax (949) 496-1603. Total: Regular Membership limited to 500 – 35% power, 65% sail. Facilities: Club is closed on Monday’s and Tuesday’s. Bar & Club Hours: Wednesday – 1600...

Cortez Racing Association (CRA)

Cortez Racing Association (CRA) cortezracing.com 2726 Shelter Island Drive #373 San Diego, CA 92106 Total: 280 members – all sail boaters. Facilities: Clubhouse – Fiddler’s Green Restaurant 2760 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego Membership: Open to all sail. Initiation:...

Corsair Yacht Club

Corsair Yacht Club corsairyc.com 1198 Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite D-107 Seal Beach, CA 90740 (562) 756-4544 Our modest outdoor facility, located in the beautiful cove of Emerald Bay (Catalina Island’s West End), is the 2nd home to a small fleet of 75 Southern California...

Coronado Yacht Club (CorYC)

Coronado Yacht Club (CorYC) coronadoyc.org 1631 Strand Way Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 435-1848 Fax (619) 435-2480 Total: Sail, 60%; Power, 40% Facilities: The marina and clubhouse are open every day for our members and their guests, and valid reciprocal members. Bar and...

Coronado Cays Yacht Club (CCYC)

Coronado Cays Yacht Club (CCYC) ccyc.org 30 Caribe Cay Blvd, Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 429-0133 Fax (619) 429-8163 Total: 33% sail and 67% power, 370 equity member, Non-equity social and military memberships. Memberships: New equity memberships are being accepted. Call...

Convair Sailing Club(ConSC)

Convair Sailing Club(ConSC) convair.org Mailing address: P.O. Box 22981, San Diego, CA 92192-2981 Membership: Accepting applications for membership see website for more information Facilities: The Convair Sailing Club Fleet consists of ten 21 ft. Catalina Victory...

Channel Islands Yacht Club (ChIYC)

Channel Islands Yacht Club (ChIYC) ciyc.com 4100 Harbor Boulevard Channel Islands Harbor, CA 93035 (805) 985-2492 Total: 220 members – equally split power/sail. Facilities: Recently remodeled interior, Bar hours Sun. 1pm-7pm, Mon. 5pm-9pm (during Monday night...

Channel Islands Womens Sailing Association (CIWSA)

Channel Islands Womens Sailing Association (CIWSA) ciwsa.net Mailing Address: 3600 Harbor Blvd., PMB #268, Oxnard, CA 93035 (415) 518-4046 Email: [email protected] Mission: The mission of the Channel Islands Women’s Sailing Association is to support and...

Channel Cruising Club (CCC)

Channel Cruising Club (CCC) channelcruisingclub.com (703)-697-1776 Total: 40 Family Memberships equally split between power and sail. Facilities: Catalina lsthmus overlooking Little Fisherman’s Cove. Have large gas fired BBQ, heads, showers, children’s playground....

Cerritos Bahia Yacht Club (CerBYC)

Cerritos Bahia Yacht Club (CerBYC) cerritosbahiayachtclub.org 6291 E. Paciifc Coast Hwy. Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 493-2292 Total: 200 members – 95% power, 5% sail Facilities: Club House with dining area, bar and kitchen facilities Membership: New memberships are...

Catalina Island Yacht Club (CIYC)

Catalina Island Yacht Club (CIYC) catalinaislandyachtclub.com 30 Casino Way Avalon CA, 90704 (310) 510-0022 Fax (310) 510-2340

California Yacht Club (CYC)

California Yacht Club (CYC) calyachtclub.com 4469 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 823-4567 Fax:(310) 822-3658 Total: 950 members – 33% power, 63% sail, 4% rowers. Facilities: Bar open Wed. thru Sun 1000 to 2400. Dining room open Wed.- Sun for lunch and...

Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club (CBYC)

Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club (CBYC) cbyc.org 211 W 22nd St, San Pedro, CA 90731 (310) 519-1694 Total: 500 members – 60% sail, 40% power Facilities: CBYC’s spacious Clubhouse overlooks their 180 + slip marina. The second floor offers a dining/meeting room, a large member...

Buccaneer Yacht Club (BucYC)

Buccaneer Yacht Club (BucYC) buccaneeryachtclub.com P.O. Box 76, San Pedro, CA 90733 [email protected] Total: 50 members – 95% sail, 5% power Facilities: We use marina boater’s lounge for BBQ and refreshments Initiation: $125 single, $150 family. Yearly dues: $450...

Balboa Yacht Club (BYC)

Balboa Yacht Club (BYC) balboayachtclub.com 1801 Bayside Dr, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 (949) 673-3515 Fax (949) 673-8937 Total: 800 members – 60% power, 40% sail. Facilities: Bar open Wed, Thur. 1130 to 2200, Fri., Sat., 1130 to 2300, Sun. 1130 to 2200. Dining room...

Balboa Island Yacht Club (BIYC)

Balboa Island Yacht Club (BIYC) 410 S. Bay Front Newport Beach, CA 92662 (949) 433-2229 Facilities: None. Comments: Founded 1922. 8 week summer program of general aquatic activities run by kids for kids age 6 – 16 yrs.

Balboa Basin Yacht Club (BBYC)

Balboa Basin Yacht Club (BBYC) balboabasinyachtclub.org 829-38 Harbor Island Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 (714) 746-1341 Total: 94 members and families, mixed sail and power. Facilities: Small dockside clubhouse open for meetings and social gatherings at Balboa Yacht...

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC)

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) bcyc.org 1601 Bayside Drive Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 (949) 644-9530 Fax (949) 644-9580 Total: 500 members – Almost equal sail and power. Small percentage of non-boat owners. Facilities: Full service club. Bar open Wed. thru Sun. 1100...

Arizona Yacht Club (AYC)

Arizona Yacht Club (AYC) arizonayachtclub.org Arizona Yacht Club P.O. Box 2728 Tempe, AZ 85280 [email protected] Total: 240 families, 100% sail. Facilities: None Membership: Initiation: $150 full. Annual dues: $150 full. Junior Program: The Arizona Sailing...

Anacapa Yacht Club (AnYC)

Anacapa Yacht Club (AnYC) anacapayachtclub.com 2810 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite B-6 Oxnard, California 93035 (805) 984-0211 Total: 60 members – mostly sail Facilities: We have a waterfront clubhouse. Bar open with Friday night dinner and some Saturdays night at 1700. Bar...

American Legion Yacht Club (ALYC)

American Legion Yacht Club (ALYC) alyc.com 215 E. 15th Street, Newport Beach, CA, 92663 (949) 673-5002 Fax (949) 673-9555 Total: Over 1,000 members. Boat owners split about 60% power and 40% sail. Facilities: Office: 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri. Bar open 7 days a week: Mon-Thu,...

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC)

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) abyc.org 7201 E. Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 434-9955 Fax (562)434-2267 Total: 370 Families are members Facilities: ABYC’s distinctive two story waterfront clubhouse is ideally located on property that has a large boatyard,...

Harbor Association Members

San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs (SDAYC)

San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs (SDAYC) 3517 Camino del Rio South, Ste 208 San Diego, CA 92108 sdayc.org 619-282-505

Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs (ASMBYC)

Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs (ASMBYC) asmbyc.org

Association of Santa Barbara Channel Yacht Clubs (ASBYC)

Association of San Pedro Bay Yacht Clubs (ASPBYC)

Association of San Pedro Bay Yacht Clubs (ASPBYC) aspbyc.org

Association of Orange Coast Yacht Clubs (AOCYC)

Association of Orange Coast Yacht Clubs (AOCYC) aocyc.org PO Box 12245 Newport Beach, CA 92658

Affiliations

Pacific Coast Yachting Association (PCYA)

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And Guide to Yacht Clubs - SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF YACHT CLUBS Racing Calendar Available Online at sdayc.org

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How Much Do Yacht Club Memberships Cost? (5 Helpful Examples)

Joining a yacht club is an important milestone in your life. It marks a certain degree of success and allows you to enjoy plenty of luxurious amenities. Setting sail on a yacht is the ultimate way to unwind from a hectic work week while you try to climb the corporate ladder.

Fortunately, there are yacht clubs all over the country that would love to welcome you as a brand-new member. You can enjoy an afternoon on the water with a beautiful yacht in exchange for a small sum of money.

But how much do Yacht Club memberships generally cost?

Prices for Yacht Clubs will vary based on your location, the fleet, and even the amenities that are offered at the marina. The average annual membership price is between $900-$4,000 depending on your level of luxury and needs.

To give you an idea of what you could expect to pay for your yacht club membership, here are some numbers gathered from across the country:

Table of Contents

What Does Each Yacht Club Offer?

Each yacht club is going to offer something that sets it apart from the others on this listing. To give you a better idea of where your money is going, here is a brief synopsis of what you can expect at each location.

Related Article: How Much Does Yacht Insurance Cost? (4 Examples)

Charleston Yacht Club

Charleston is a premier cruising destination with plenty of waterways for you to explore. They offer a launch hoist, dry slips, day dockage, free parking, and a long list of events scheduled throughout the year.

You also gain privileges at other yacht clubs around the world. If you don’t own your own yacht, they have plenty of members who often have room on their boats to accommodate a few extra passengers.

Florida Yacht Club

The Florida Yacht Club is a relatively exclusive club that features amazing amenities like fine dining and an array of aquatic activities.

You can play tennis, enjoy a spa treatment or massage, or get in a rousing game of croquet from the shore. They also host events and permit you to extend your privileges to other locations scattered around the Florida coast.

Atlanta Yacht Club

The Atlanta Yacht Club is primarily geared toward sailors who are interested in racing. They have a fleet of more than thirty different boats that are designed to help you further your knowledge of sailing.

If you still have a lot to learn, you can even take classes at this location. Prospective members must be sponsored and co-sponsored by two club members for entrance.

Related Article: 7 Boat Clubs in Florida You Should Know (Before Choosing)

Chicago Yacht Club

Members of the Chicago Yacht Club will find plenty of opportunities to get involved. With more than forty different committees, you can find a circle of friends that have common interests beyond just sailing and racing.

You also receive transient docking at both the Belmont and Monroe harbors, exclusive invites to private events, and reciprocity at more than 900 clubs across the country.

Related Article: Boat Clubs in Boston: 5 Clubs You Should Know

California Yacht Club

The California Yacht Club is home to both national and world championship regattas.

They host plenty of events from scuba club to book club to wine tastings. If you want to find a true community of like-minded sailors, this could be the place for you.

One of the best features is the reciprocity at locations not just across the United States but across the world. You can feel free to travel the world with your yacht and experience some of the same fellowship globally.

Related Article: Boat Clubs In Los Angeles: 7 Clubs You Should Know

What are the Cheapest Yacht Clubs?

The cheapest yacht clubs charge just under $1,000 per year for membership. While this does give you access to different types of experiences, you may be disappointed by the overall amenities.

Some yacht clubs are known for their extravagant country club styles that help you to embrace a particular lifestyle. They include Olympic-sized swimming pools, state-of-the-art tennis courts, and fine dining.

Everything has a beautiful waterfront view. It can feel like you are in the middle of an idyllic paradise without ever even having to leave the shore. If this is what you can gain from the most expensive yacht clubs, you should set your expectations much lower for the cheaper yacht clubs.

The cheaper yacht clubs lack the community aspect of these exclusive options. They feature dry slips and the occasional party, but not much more.

Some of them may have the feel of a county park with some picnic benches, outdoor grills, and a moderately sized swimming pool. Expect a much more casual atmosphere when you choose to go with a cheaper yacht club.

It is even possible that they are simply “paper yacht clubs” that do not even maintain a physical building of their own.

How Much Do the Most Expensive Yacht Clubs Cost to Join?

The most expensive yacht clubs can vary a great deal in price. Most of them will cost between $3,000 and $4,000 per year. However, you can certainly find more exclusive clubs that will cost above and beyond this.

Keep in mind that these more expensive clubs generally are not open to the public. They are offered by invitation only and you must have a member sponsor you to be considered for entrance.

When you are paying for a more expensive yacht club, you should make sure that you are really going to get your money’s worth. These expensive clubs promote a certain type of elegant lifestyle.

Make sure that you are planning to take advantage of all the amenities available from one of these clubs before you sink too much money into the membership fees. The social aspect of these expensive yacht clubs is extremely important.

If you plan to simply rent a boat from time to time, you might be able to go with a cheaper yacht club.

Related Article: How Long Do Sailboats Last?

What Is Generally Included in the Membership Fee for Yacht Clubs?

Have you been wondering why you should join a yacht club? Many potential members want to know what they can expect from their membership fees before they commit to a year-long contract. There are many advantages to signing up for a membership with a well-known yacht club.

Amenities and Activities

First and foremost, you get access to activities and cruises planned by board members. These might be various sailing activities, dinners, get-togethers, tennis matches, or other events that take up a lazy Sunday afternoon.

You also gain access to any amenities that surround the yacht club’s marina. For many programs, this means a fitness center, pool, and tennis courts. Several locations also offer fine dining, meeting rooms, and more.

It is like a private oasis where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the regular world. Time moves slowly when you’re enjoying the amenities here.

Many yacht clubs have programs that introduce children (and adults!) to sailing. Take classes to learn more about improving your technique, sailing safety, and other important aspects of life on the open water.

Access to the Fleet

The main reason why most people join yacht clubs is to be able to rent out boats instead of purchasing their own. Joining a yacht club may give you access to an entire fleet of yachts that can be reserved for a day or weeks at a time. Some yacht clubs allow you to rent boats for up to ten days at a time.

Others do not allow you to rent out ships. They are primarily geared toward individuals who already own a yacht or will own a yacht in the future. Make sure you know the difference in advance.

Are There any Additional Costs Besides the Membership Fees?

Unfortunately, the membership fees are not the only cost associated with joining a yacht club. Most of the clubs in the United States also have a one-time initial fee that tends to cost thousands of dollars. Many will range from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on the location and the exclusivity of the yacht club.

This one-time fee should be the only additional money you pay except for fuel. Most yacht clubs do not cover the cost of the fuel used in the ship during your rental if renting is an option. Be prepared for what this could cost you.

If you cause damage to the ship, you can also expect some out-of-pocket costs. Insurance should cover the damage, but you will likely be asked to cover the cost of the deductible.

Be sure to inquire about how much you may be on the hook for before you sign up for any particular yacht club. Accidents can happen, even to the most experienced sailors. Make sure that you can afford the mishap in advance.

Is a Yacht Club Membership Right for You?

Understanding what the real cost of a yacht club membership is can be the first step toward determining if this is right for you. Many people love the luxuries available through the more expensive yacht clubs, but they may not be able to afford it. Consider what is most important in a club to you before deciding to sign on the dotted line for an annual membership.

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Yacht Club Membership Fees

• Thread starter doug748
• Start date 11 Jan 2019
• 11 Jan 2019

Well-known member

Our comrades in the Motor Boat section are discussing Yacht Clubs and one contributor suggests that the San Diego club manages to do rather well. It's yearly fees seem to be in the order of 3,000 dollars but the good news is that that includes a set $600 of food or drink - thus making sure that the bar and restaurant are kept busy. This is the clincher - there is a initiation charge, they don't put your head down the bog but do operate a sliding scale - from nothing if you are under 26 rising, by great big lumps, to $24,000 if you are over 60. :nonchalance: There must be some serious high rollers there. My club is 66 quid a year with £20 joining fee. But you do have to pay for your own pies, unless they run out of course.  

My yacht club's annual membership fee is, I think, only about £33. But, although it has moorings it does not have a clubhouse. "Our clubhouse is our cockpit".  

I was just looking at the Chichester Yacht Club membership fees before opening this thread... At £450 per annum, it would make a very expensive private pub and restaurant - and I know that that is the only use I would make of it. A pity really - it's a nice site and I would like to join, but I simply can't justify that sort of price for access to a bar.  

capnsensible

Poignard said: My club's yacht club's annual membership fee is, I think, only about £33. But, although it has moorings it does not have a clubhouse. "Our clubhouse is our cockpit". Click to expand...

• 12 Jan 2019

doug748 said: Our comrades in the Motor Boat section are discussing Yacht Clubs and one contributor suggests that the San Diego club manages to do rather well. It's yearly fees seem to be in the order of 3,000 dollars but the good news is that that includes a set $600 of food or drink - thus making sure that the bar and restaurant are kept busy. This is the clincher - there is a initiation charge, they don't put your head down the bog but do operate a sliding scale - from nothing if you are under 26 rising, by great big lumps, to $24,000 if you are over 60. :nonchalance: There must be some serious high rollers there. My club is 66 quid a year with £20 joining fee. But you do have to pay for your own pies, unless they run out of course. Click to expand...

Our local sailing association costs £5/year. We have regular meetings and summer events but no premises.  

Yearly fees are very similar to Marina fees..... although the initiation fee sounds a bit ouch.  

£120/year, with free tea & coffee though!!  

jamie N said: £120/year, with free tea & coffee though!! Click to expand...

Praxinoscope

As an OAP my £20 annual membership (£30 for members under retirement age) is great value to use the clubhouse and facilities. The club owns the freehold premises in a prime position on the seafront with views over the harbour and sea. Unfortunately the local council control the moorings. I used to belong the The Little Ship Club, (did my Ocean YM shorebased there) but as I rarely get to London nowadays I sadly can no longer justify the fees.  

Lightwave395

I've sadly just quit the Island Sailing Club with our renewal arriving at £445. We ate half a dozen very nice meals there last year and that was that. I'd have been happy to be a 'social' member but they don't have those so that's it.  

Lightwave395 said: I've sadly just quit the Island Sailing Club with our renewal arriving at £445. We ate half a dozen very nice meals there last year and that was that. I'd have been happy to be a 'social' member but they don't have those so that's it. Click to expand...

maby said: I was just looking at the Chichester Yacht Club membership fees before opening this thread... At £450 per annum, it would make a very expensive private pub and restaurant - and I know that that is the only use I would make of it. A pity really - it's a nice site and I would like to join, but I simply can't justify that sort of price for access to a bar. Click to expand...

When I got my first boat I joined a club to get a mooring. There were those who went to the bar and those that went sailing, If you don't live on the doorstep then it's hard to do both. I've never bothered with a club since then.  

My club's £50 annual sub has bought me many friendships amongst a very nice sociable bunch of people, all enthusiastic and active sailors. I went to the San Diego YC once, many years ago. Didn't seem that special.  

• 13 Jan 2019

Some of us suspect that high joining fees are/were merely a way of keeping out the riff raff and not for covering cost of any administration, why anyone should get reduced membership subscriptions , simply for being old, is also a mystery. Any discounts should be going to youngsters and beginners to encourge them in. ?  

oldgit said: Some of us suspect that high joining fees are/were merely a way of keeping out the riff raff and not for covering cost of any administration, why anyone should get reduced membership subscriptions , simply for being old, is also a mystery. Any discounts should be going to youngsters and beginners to encourage them in. ? Click to expand...

Orion Jim said: Membership, as does golf club memberships, opens a lot of doors to the rarified air of the upper echelon of the business community. Consider membership a business investment Click to expand...

Resolution said: The case for reduced subs for (very) elderly members is that once your active life has diminished to a sad reclusive dribble, keeping up a full rate subscription is an easy expense-cutting target. By offering to discount subs for the elderly many will just keep on paying long after their ability to come and enjoy the club has reduced almost to zero. Click to expand...

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Become a Member

Southwestern Yacht Club is continuously welcoming new applicants for membership who share boating interests, want to socialize or enjoy themselves as part of our active community. We have a variety of memberships that allow for everyone, individuals, couples and families, to have fun at Southwestern Yacht Club. Take a virutal tour of the Club!

As you fill out the   application , some questions may arise. We hope this will help clarify matters for you.

• Flag membership is available to any person 21 years of age or over who owns a boat not less than 14 feet overall in length. A Flag member is eligible to vote at meetings of the membership, hold elective office, and enter his/her boat in Club races.
• Regular membership is available to any person 21 years of age or over who does not own a boat. Regular members are not eligible for elective office nor shall they be entitled to vote on proposals other than dues and assessments.
• If you do not fall into either of these categories, please contact our Membership D irector   at 619-222-0438 x 111.  We can help you determine your membership category.
• Date of birth, employer and Social Security number are needed for the person in whose name the membership will be held.  We would like you to know that every attempt is made to keep your personal information private. Before your application is submitted to the Membership Committee or posted on the Club bulletin board, your date of birth and Social Security number are removed. SWYC will obtain a credit report as part of your application. Only the Club Manager, Club Treasurer and Membership Chair will review this report.
• Personal reference should be someone who is not a member of Southwestern Yacht Club.
• Yacht Club Sponsors must be two members in good standing, at least one of whom must hold a separate Flag, Regular or Life membership. They are required to fill out a confidential Southwestern Yacht Club Sponsor Form for you.
• Finally, you will get to the fun part - on the last page, circle the activities that interest you. Please include a short letter describing your boating experience and your interest in SWYC. Upon approval of your application, you will be placed in a Conditional membership for 12 months. Initiation fees must be paid in full when you are approved for Conditional Membership. During this first year, you must meet certain requirements, including involvement in two Club activities. You can meet this volunteer requirement by contacting the activity chairs who will be happy to involve you in their functions.

We hope the process goes smoothly for you. The Membership Committee looks forward to meeting you and processing your application. We wish you fair winds and following seas!  Cora Curry , Membership Committee Chair

Fee Schedule

Southwestern Yacht Club Bylaws require a 2/3 vote of the Flag members to raise its fees. Please see Article V, Section 15: A. Charges.  All initiation fees, dues, assessments, surcharges, dry storage fees, slip rental fees and locker rental fees shall be established by the Board of Directors, subject to approval by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Flag Membership, except that the Regular Membership may vote on dues and assessments only. A special meeting must be called for this purpose.  SWYC Fee Schedule

Sea Trial Program

For a limited time only, you can take a “Sea Trial” at Southwestern Yacht Club to see if membership is for you.

That’s right! A NO RISK TRIAL as our guest for six months with virtually all the benefits and pleasures of membership. You’re invited to partake of all the wonderful activities outlined in the New Member Information Package and, in addition, you’ll have the run of the bar and galley, the small boat hoist, use of the guest dock for your boat and the opportunity to meet all of the wonderful people who call Southwestern their “boating family”.  When your Sea Trial ends, we are sure you’ll want to continue to enjoy all that Southwestern has to offer. At this point you may convert your six month Sea Trial as our guest to Full Membership at Southwestern Yacht Club.  SEA TRIAL FLYER For more information contact the Membership Director about our Sea Trial Participant Program at 619-222-0438 ext 111 or by  email . 

To start the application process, please complete and send in the following membership application with two completed confidential sponsor forms.  

• PROSPECTIVE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
• SPONSOR FORM & GUIDELINES
• 2024 SCHEDULE OF FEES
• MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
• SEA TRIAL PARTICIPANT INFO
• JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP

WELCOME ABOARD!

PLYC’s members are very active in yacht racing as a member of Southern California Yachting Association and San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs and PHRF racing fleet. We believe as a member, you will also participate in racing with your own boat or as a crew on one of the many club boats. We host four races each year: The Bob Kearns Memorial Race in May, The Jimmy Rogers Memorial Race in June, The Crew of Two Race around the Coronado’s in July and The Big Boat Charity Race in August. There is a special trophy for points in these races and a Club party following each. We also host the International Order of the Blue Gavel (IOGB) Charity Race in September.

For our Cruising members, we have three main raft-ups annually, Memorial Day in La Playa Cove, 4th of July in Glorietta Bay and Labor Day in Mariner’s Cove-Mission Bay. These events are well attended by PLYC members and are a great opportunity to meet other boaters.

Our club has many events that its members can enjoy. Some of those include but not limited to: Woody’s Whale Watching in January, Opening Day in April, Commodore’s Ball in November and the Holiday Party in December. Events not to miss are FFHH (Final Friday Happy Hours) at different locations monthly and Sunday BBQ’s at our new waterfront clubhouse

Join us and you will enjoy the world of boating. We will welcome you aboard and share the Corinthian Spirit of yachting and Point Loma Yacht Club with you.

We Are Currently Accepting Applications For Membership.

Initiation Fee: $300 Membership Dues:  $360 Paid Annually

Membership Applications May Be Submitted By eMail: [email protected]

If you Email the application, please follow up with a Signed Copy. We accept payment by check for Membership Initiation and Membership Fees.

Download Your Membership  Application in word doc

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call us…write us…we’ll get one to you Call Us: (619) 800-0178

YACHTING: Its History In San Diego

by Summer Furzer | Oct 1, 1974 | | 0 comments

The Journal of San Diego History SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY Fall 1974, Volume 20, Number 4

By Linda M. Pearce Nolte

Images from the article

“Yacht” is an English word derived from the Dutch word jaght meaning a hunt or to pursue, and is short for jaghtschip. The name was given to any of various relatively small ships for pleasure cruising and racing. Sailing for pleasure originated in Holland during the late 1580s when the country grew in wealth. The numerous waterways and canals intersecting Holland provided the opportunity for wealthy residents to use their boats for both private conveyance and commercial reasons. The word jaght grew in stature and eventually signified a splendidly equipped state or private vessel, handsomely and comfortably furnished.

San Diego’s link with the sea has been continuous since its founding, and while boats and ships have been important throughout its history as a means of trade and transportation, for military purposes and in the fishing industry, it was not until 1852 that an organized yacht club was formed for the purpose of boating for pleasure. On March 16, 1852, the first local yacht club, the Pacific Pioneer Yacht Club, was founded. According to the San Diego Herald there were fifteen members, seven of whom were United States military officers, with a variety of sizes of sloops and schooners. 2

The yacht club held its first regatta on April 10, 1852. The Herald reported that it was a gala day for the entire area:

… streets were crowded with lovely ladies and gentlemen decked out in their finery. The streets were crowded with carriages, and excitement was the order of the day. An Indian sac-race was an added attraction. The fleet gathered at Long Wharf, and the commodore set his pennant at 8 a.m.; the yachts moored at 10:30; members were forbidden to accept bids after 11. The vessels were under way at 11; booming-out was allowed, but no sweeping; the race started at 11:30 but the wind died before 12. A light breeze came up at 12:10. At Ballast Point the order was Fanny, Piutus, Gen. Hitchcock, Major Allen, Josephina . At 3:30, the Lavinia was second. The Josephina went aground on the flats abreast of the Playa (Point Loma) but soon got off. The Lavinia was aground for 1/4 hour. The Piutus turned the stake post at 3 1/2, with the Lavinia second. First prize was a magnificent gold-chased drinking-cup valued at $250; second was a silver speaking trumpet; third, a suit of colors. The sac-race was announced at 4 o’clock by the booming cannon from the Plaza in New Town, and was run in three heats. Dinner for members of the yacht club was held at 6 p.m. at the club; admission for gentlemen, $10; for ladies, $5. 3

Nothing more is known about the activities of the Pacific Pioneer Yacht Club. No mention of the club or its dissolution is found in local San Diego newspapers nor is it listed in city directories for this period.

It is not until the late 1860s that reference is found in any significant degree to boating for pleasure. On April 15, 1867, the tiny steamer Pacific arrived from San Francisco with six passengers and some freight. 4 One of the passengers was Alonzo Erastus Horton who was to spark the development of New San Diego. The city grew and prospered under Horton’s guidance. As the population increased, the fishing industry became an important enterprise, requiring boats designed for ocean sailing.

The Columbia River salmon-boat proved a most efficient fishing craft. Its design, which included a beautifully shaped double end, was modeled after those used in European countries bordering on the Mediterranean. Soon several of the fish markets developed similar boats and either sold or rented them to fishermen.

Opportunities for entertainment were sparse during this period in San Diego. Aside from legitimate stage shows which came once every two or three months and a Charter Ball held once each year, there was very little else to do socially. Thus people were inclined toward the natural sports such as boating. Fishermen did not fish on Sundays, and people began borrowing or renting their fishing boats for picnics and eventually for racing or pleasure sailing. A small racing fleet eventually was organized for racing on Sundays.

A local butcher, Charlie Hardy, decided that he would take the lines of the salmon-boat, perfect it, and build the fastest boat he could. When the fish were running it was used as a fishing boat, and when other larger vessels sailed into San Diego Bay, Hardy would sail out, take their orders for fresh meat, sail back to his market, load the meat on his boat, sail back out and deliver it. Hence, he named his boat the Butcher Boy. Hardy also raced the Butcher Boy on Sundays against other boats and completely outclassed them. Deciding that he wanted a boat that would be even faster than the Butcher Boy, Hardy built the first power driven boat in the San Diego area. His meat market was called the Bay City Market, and consequently, he named his power boat the Bay City.

Kent Howell bought the Butcher Boy , and converted her into a true yacht or pleasure boat. She is thought of as the first real yacht on San Diego Bay, and her conversion marks the beginning of true yacht racing in San Diego. 5

Even with the double use of boats for both fishing and yachting, pleasure sailing in San Diego during the middle 1800s was not as developed as it was in Europe during the same period. People in San Diego enjoyed sailing, but did not adopt the traditional accouterments of the gentleman sailor. The white flannel trousers and blue coats were missing. It was not only a lack of wealth, but a lack of people that prevented the development of yachting. The population of the city in 1870 was 2,300, in 1880, 2,637, and by 1887, around 4,000.

By 1885, the Santa Fe Railway Company finished a single track line to San Diego for the purpose of transporting cargo from San Diego to Los Angeles. (Los Angeles did not have a nearby port until 1899 when the city developed San Pedro harbor.) This gave San Diego an advantage since it was the only marine terminal in Southern California capable of handling large amounts of commercial cargo. Those who wanted to take advantage of the anticipated prosperity began investing their money in real estate and new businesses.

As the city’s population increased and as its residents became more affluent, yachting grew in popularity. According to E. J. Louis, an early member of the San Diego Rowing Club, as early as 1883 there was great interest in boating on San Diego Bay which led to the formation of many boating clubs. 6 On June 8, 1886, fifty-five people met in Horton’s Hall to organize the San Diego Yacht Club. W. H. Pringle became the first commodore. This was the first of many boating clubs to form in San Diego after the completion of the railroad, even though the boats were still used primarily for fishing.

The first home of the San Diego Yacht Club was the northerly of the two keeper’s lighthouses at Ballast Point. It was here, on Admission Day, 1891, that the members first displayed their burgee. The club used these quarters until 1898, when, for military reasons during the Spanish-American War, the United States government withdrew the privilege. The club had no regular clubhouse from then until 1903.

On June 1, 1905, the San Diego Yacht Club merged with the Corinthian Yacht Club which had been organized in 1902 and had purchased the D Street boathouse as a headquarters. As a result, the financial difficulties that both clubs were experiencing were eliminated. The burgee of the Corinthian Yacht Club, a red star on a white field, with blue border, and the name of the San Diego Yacht Club were adopted.

Five years later, in 1910, the land adjacent to the Broadway Pier was filled in (D Street Pier), and the club was forced to move again. This time the club purchased the old ferry steamer Silvergate from Coronado Tent City and located it at the foot of Hawthorne Street for its new home. 7 It remained there for four years until an extension to the seawall forced another relocation; and in 1914 the Silvergate was towed to a point west of the ferry slip on Coronado Island.

Many members of the yacht club feared the club would not be able to survive when it was located in distant Coronado. In an attempt to bolster its sagging membership, in 1916, the San Diego Yacht Club accepted the membership of the Coronado Yacht Club. However, this did not prevent the club’s total membership from dwindling.

With the approach of World War I, local yachting activity suffered. According to one yachting enthusiast, the club’s difficulties were multiplied by “discriminatory taxes and senseless red tape.” 8 During the war, the yachtsmen turned their attention to the war effort. Some 29,000 windjammers and motorboatmen throughout the country joined the Navy, and many of them volunteered their yachts for military uses. The San Diego Yacht Club donated the copper sheathing on the Silvergate to the war effort. Soon after, the ferry began to sink and was sold to a wrecker; now, for the fourth time, the club was without headquarters. Toward the end of the war, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels expressed his appreciation for the large number of yachtsmen who had joined active service. He believed that their previous experience in yachting had been of real value as preliminary training for participation in the Navy. 9 Lawrence Perry wrote that,

… no recreative form of activity was in a position to be of so much practical value to the Government when we [the United States] entered the war as was yachting. Passing the fact that there were hundreds of yachts which the Navy Department found of inestimable value, we note the thousands of men familiar with navigation, practical seamanship, or boat handling, who were qualified at once—or with very little training—to enter Government service; there were men who were not only familiar with coastwise waters, tides, currents, and other details essential to patrol duties, but yachtsmen who held the best sort of pilot’s certificates …. 10

With the Silvergate no longer available as a clubhouse, for the next six years the San Diego Yacht Club held its meetings at the Coronado boathouse, in the Chamber of Commerce rooms, in a garage, at private homes of members, and eventually at the Navy Militia Armory located at the foot of Twenty-eighth Street. During these years, as interest in yachting increased, members investigated the financing of a new clubhouse and searched for a location that would provide a sheltered and safe anchorage. The site chosen was in Coronado below Tent City. Finally, on August 18, 1923, the members raised their burgee over the completed clubhouse. The 100 members elected George S. Gay as commodore.

During the remainder of the 1920s interest in yachting in San Diego continued to increase. In 1924, the fourth annual Southern California Yachting Association and the Pacific Coast Yachting Association Regattas were held at the San Diego Yacht Club. There were 112 yachts representing clubs from Vancouver to San Diego and over 1,500 yachtsmen attended the event. The week of racing went so well that improvements were made on the clubhouse and the Roseville Wharf on Point Loma became the headquarters for the larger vessels of the San Diego Yacht Club fleet. In 1926, the San Diego Union newspaper presented a perpetual trophy for a New Year’s Day Race. Oswald Zahn, sailing in Gretchen , won first place, and Joseph Jessop won the Pacific Coast Star Championship in his yacht Windward.

Because of the successful volunteer yachting activity during World War I, the Navy’s interest in yachting increased significantly. In 1927, Jessop asked the Navy if the San Diego Yacht Club could put their boats on the U.S.S. Gannet to be transported to Santa Barbara for that city’s annual regatta. The Gannet , originally a tug, had been converted a few years earlier into a dormitory to carry mechanics and was assigned as a seaplane tender. The Navy agreed, and five Star class boats were on the Gannet’s stern. The crews lived in the dormitory. When they reached Santa Barbara the yachts were lowered into the water for the regatta, and brought aboard when the race was over.

As a result of the successful trip of the San Diego Yacht Club to Santa Barbara on the Gannet , the Navy agreed to transport four boats and twelve men to Honolulu. There the men spoke about their yachts, sold them, and returned to San Diego on a Navy vessel.

In 1928, six boys, ages twelve to fourteen, approached Jessop and said, “we would like to start a Junior Division of the Club.” Having learned to sail at a young age himself, without any money or help, Jessop empathized with the boys. The proposal was almost unheard of because children around a yacht club were considered a nuisance. However, a meeting was held between Jessop, Gordon and Al Frost, Bob Merit, Grant Stone, and Walter Fisch. Jessop remembers that he almost was thrown out of the club because some of the older members did not want those “kids” running around, but the division was formed anyway, and its members were supported with enthusiasm and given financial assistance from the Yacht Club. 11

It was also during this year that the members realized that the sandbar on Coronado was too shallow for sailing in large boats and that the club was too far away from some of the club members’ residences. The people from San Diego were not going to cross on the ferry to Coronado in order to sail. Consequently, the club operated two yachting stations; one was located on Coronado, the other at the Roseville Wharf on Point Loma. Both clubhouses were supplied with restaurants and caretakers. However, it was not until 1932 that the San Diego Yacht Club seriously considered moving the Coronado clubhouse to the Roseville Wharf. By this time nearly all of the members lived in San Diego or on Point Loma. Finally, on January 14, 1932, the clubhouse at Coronado was picked up, put on barges, and floated across to the Roseville site where it was placed on pilings at the end of the dock three blocks from land. This move was a “touch and go” operation because the barge which held the clubhouse had to float high enough so that when the tide went out the clubhouse would rest on the pilings set up on Point Loma. The members were late getting started and had only thirty minutes to spare.

On October 25, 1934, the Federal Government and the San Diego Harbor Commission initiated dredging of San Diego Bay which also provided a channel 200 feet wide and 20 feet deep from the main harbor to the San Diego Yacht Club clubhouse. The dredged material was pumped out and deposited in such a way that it was possible to place the clubhouse on dry land. A sand spit was built up in front of the clubhouse dividing the main channel and the yacht anchorage, forming what is now called Shelter Island. Before the spit was built up, the area known as Shelter Island could be seen only at low tide.

Many San Diegans wanted to establish picnic grounds and an outdoor park on the newly formed Shelter Island. Conversely, others wanted nice clubhouses and first-class resorts with entertainment. Fortunately John Bates, harbormaster at the time, supported both groups. As a result, one side of Shelter Island was reserved for picnic spots and park land, while the other was to have marinas, motels, and restaurants.

As the San Diego Harbor was improved, the San Diego Yacht Club also grew and prospered. In 1935, the club held the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA) summer regatta. There were over 100 entries, and during the races, Wallazz B. Eaton, who was to be the club’s commodore the following year, broadcast by short wave from the ocean course for the first time in San Diego history.

It was an active period in the club’s history. New tennis courts were built and a bathing beach and game room were completed. In 1932, an intensive drive was launched to refurbish the interior with new drapes and new rattan furniture. A fireplace was added and area rugs were purchased with $1,000 raised by the women members of the club.

In 1937, club member Milt Wegeforth won the International Star Championship (ISC). The San Diego Yacht Club had the honor of hosting the ISC the following year. On September 10, 1938, the club held the first race of the International. There were twenty-two entries with eight countries represented. The winner was Walter von Hutschler from Germany.

As the yacht club gained status in international racing circles, it also continued to enhance its clubhouse. In 1939, a new dining room, lunch counter, ladies lounge, and an office were added. In March, the club held its first tennis tournament.

During September of this same year, although war loomed menacingly over Europe, the United States sent three Star crews and their boats to Kiel, Germany, for the International Star Championship. Milt Wegeforth represented the San Diego Yacht Club. One of the yachts arrived in Holland instead of Germany and had to be towed by taxi to Kiel. The international races began with thirty boats. Unfortunately, by the start of the third race, Hitler threatened other European countries by establishing his “Polish corridor.” In an attempt to complete the international competition more rapidly, two races were held each day. Soon after the seventh race Wegeforth and his fellow sailors discovered there was no way to ship their Stars back to the United States. The American sailors took the train to Copenhagen and booked third class passage on a neutral Norwegian ship bound for New York. Before leaving, one last attempt was made through custom house brokers to have their boats shipped to the United States. Eventually, a broker said he could do it if no questions were asked. One week after they arrived in New York, the three American Star boats arrived on a neutral Danish freighter.

Twenty-seven months after the International Star Championships were held in Germany, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii. One day later, on December 8, 1941, Congress declared war on Japan and three days later the Axis powers declared war on the United States. By 1942, San Diego Yachtsmen found buoys blacked out and sailing areas limited, with registration of boats and identification of all yacht personnel required.

CHULA VISTA YACHT CLUB

Three years after the formation of the San Diego Yacht Club, another club was formed. Irene Phillips, in The Chula Vista Story , dates the Chula Vista Yacht Club as early as 1889.

…. a Fourth of July picnic was held in 1889. There was a makeshift landing at the undeveloped foot of “F” Street which was used by a small group that called themselves the Chula Vista Yacht Club. In 1897 they asked the Land and Town Company to help them build a wharf. The Company responded by giving railroad iron and heavy flooring which they took from the railroad wharf in National City. The club held an annual Regatta each year … they incorporated on February 24, 1914 for “mutual improvement, social intercourse, and to encourage sports.” Greg Rogers became President. 12

At the end of the wharf the club built a redwood building and used the southern part of San Diego Bay as their racing and sailing area, an area much deeper at the turn of the century than it is today. Members of the yacht club sailed over to Brickyard Cove (now Coronado Cays) for picnics, or sailed further north to Glorietta Bay at Coronado. In the early 1900s Chula Vista was regarded as a gentleman’s farming area and was considered the principal lemon growing area for the United States. The yacht club provided social status for many of the farmers in the area as well as the city residents. The members developed the largest one-design club on the Pacific Coast. (All boats were constructed to the same set of specifications and measurements). The fleet consisted of eleven, thirty-foot sailboats. 13

In August, 1901, the first race for the Montebello Loving Cup, donated by Mrs. Cook to the club, was held. The six entrants were: Captain Remert in Josephine ; Captain Belcher in Hobo ; Captain Berger in Lark ; 14 Captain Daschbach in Kelple ; Captain Gould in Frolic ; and Captain Howe in the Adah B . The winner of the three-mile triangle race was Captain Remert in Josephine. 15

On March 3, 1915, members of the club announced that the wharf was in need of repair and appealed to the City of Chula Vista for financial assistance. The city council refused their request because they felt the landing was too far from town to be patrolled by the marshal. Less than a year later, however, the city council changed its mind. On January 28, 1916, excessive rainfall washed away the Otay Dam and eroded earth from the sides of the Sweetwater Dam. Soon after, Sweetwater Valley was flooded, water mains destroyed and Edgemere Road and the railroad tracks to Chula Vista washed away. Eventually the National Avenue Bridge collapsed, isolating Chula Vistans from the rest of the county except for a few boats which were able to bring mail and supplies from San Diego. One of the boats which brought provisions to Chula Vista was the Sea Queen , owned by the Crescent Boat Company. These boats used the wharf of the Chula Vista Yacht Club. When the emergency was over, the city council was grateful and offered to repair the wharf. Instead, the yacht club agreed to repair the wharf and the city graded “F” Street all the way from the town to the pier. 16

Unfortunately, debris from the 1916 flood filled the South Bay area, and it was impossible for the larger keeled boats to sail there. 17 On February 24, 1924, the yacht club property was sold to the City of Chula Vista for $1,500, and the club relocated to the wharf of the Hercules Powder Company. 18

In the late 1920’s there was another heavy rainstorm. The Otay River carried so much debris and dirt into San Diego Bay that the area became too shallow for sailing. Even today the only boats able to sail successfully on the southern part of San Diego Bay are the shallow hulled boats such as hoby cats or skiffs.

The Chula Vista Yacht Club like the Pacific Pioneer Yacht Club faded into obscurity, and the last known about the club is that its clubhouse was dismantled on March 18, 1934, and taken 250 miles south to Scammons Lagoon in Baja California where it was used for loading salt. 19

JUNIOR YACHT CLUB

Sometime between 1910 and 1913, Dr. Joseph E. Gahan broke away from the San Diego Yacht Club and formed the Junior Yacht Club. 20 Gahan believed the San Diego Yacht Club was becoming too socially oriented with less and less interest in sailing. Cecil Burwell assisted Gahan in obtaining permission from the United States Navy to build a boathouse at the end of the Naval Militia Wharf located at the foot of Twenty-eighth Street. This was the only yacht club which admitted boys as young as sixteen years of age. Prior to this, the usual age was twenty-one.

Today the Junior Yacht Club is remembered by only a very few old yachtsmen who cannot recall when the club ceased to exist. It is probably a good assumption, however, that the club disbanded shortly after 1917 when the United States declared war on Germany.

CORONADO YACHT CLUB

The Coronado Yacht Club was first organized between 1913 and 1916, but with the start of World War I, the club was dissolved and it was not until 1932 that it was reorganized. The club’s original members, however, joined the San Diego Yacht Club, after all debts were paid. 21

In 1932, with the reorganization of the club, Henry Weston was elected commodore. Members rented the boathouse from the Hotel Del Coronado for $15 per month. (This boathouse is now the Chart House restaurant in Coronado.) Meetings were held there until 1947, when the members moved to their present location at the head of Glorietta Bay 22 .

In 1947, two old WAVE barracks were purchased from the Navy, floated to the head of Glorietta Bay, and installed as the new clubhouse. Teddy G. Ackerman recalled that “Mrs. Elmer Muhl, other women members, and myself, painted the clubhouse, bought plants with our own money and landscaped the club grounds.” 23 The club’s charter was granted from the State of California soon afterwards.

In 1941, the Coronado Yacht Club hosted the James Craig Predicted Log Contest, but the event was not held again until 1946, after World War 11. 24 From 1946 to 1971, the ceremonies pertaining to the first half of the contest were hosted by the Coronado Yacht Club, with arrangements made for the awarding of trophies to be held at the Hotel Del Coronado. This contest, held on the yacht club’s annual opening day, represented one of San Diego’s biggest yachting events. In recent years the San Diego Yacht Club has hosted the event.

In January, 1948, the club’s first newsletter, the Whisker Pole , originated and named by club historian Ackerman, was issued. In the 1950s and 1960s, the club membership steadily grew, and, by January, 1974, club membership had reached 400. 25

SOUTHWESTERN YACHT CLUB

In 1924, there were no yacht clubs on the San Diego side of the bay, the San Diego Yacht Club having moved to Coronado. Mud flats extended from the embarcadero all along the shore. A year later, Dr. Ernest Percy Chartres-Martin and Stanley Hobson, disgusted with the lack of facilities for yachtsmen in San Diego, decided to organize a club and build a pier for yachtsmen only, because fishermen had priority for the best locations on the piers already in existence. Chartres-Martin and Hobson called a meeting in March, 1925. 26

According to Sea and Pacific Motor Boat , the charter members of the Southwestern Yacht Club were: Dr. E. Chartres-Martin, J. Stanley Hobson, Graham Shand, Dr. McKellar, R. G. Fenn, Al Stewart, and Michael Eff. 27 However, according to the memory of Graham Shand in 1947, the charter members were: Dr. Chartres-Martin, Graham Shand, Dr. McKellar, Earl Mencke, Roger Bryan, Bob Bowman, and William Rolfe. 28 Because no records were kept during the years previous to 1947, accurate data is not available. Perhaps the first group consisted of the original organizers and the latter were the true charter members.

The first meeting was held in a shanty at the head of Mencke’s pier. “Ways and means were discussed, and Shand and Hobson were appointed to locate a site for the club, and to get the approval of Joe Brennan, who was Captain of the Port at the time.” 29 Eventually, Hobson suggested the club be named the Southwestern Yacht Club. 30

Subsequently, while exploring the bay and shore in a skiff, Shand and Hobson discovered that the only feasible spot in which the club would be able to locate was at the foot of Grape Street. Upon further investigation, it was decided by Brennan that this site was available for a rental charge of $1 per month.

Through the influence of Chartres-Martin, the Street Railway Company donated rails for construction of a pier. Heavy timbers and 2 x 4’s four feet long were purchased from Whiting-Mead Company for $27. Club members obtained additional timbers needed to complete the pier from a sea wall originally built by the city. Shand recalled, “[we] decided that the timbers would serve a better purpose on our pier than holding back the tide water on the flats, which were fast filling in anyway.” 31 Within one month, the pier was completed and ready for operation.

In the late Fall of 1926, the first clubhouse, 20′ x 40′ enhanced by a large fireplace and a tower housing a flashing light, was completed at a cost of $700. Consequently, the club membership increased to 42 by the end of the year. Dues of $3 per month were established, and a second 100 feet of frontage added.

In January, 1927, the club ground was landscaped by member F.A. Bode. (Bode had been responsible for landscaping at the 1915 Exposition in Balboa Park.) The club ground was San Diego’s first landscaped waterfront area. 32

Southwestern’s first regatta, under the banner of the Washington’s Birthday Handicap Invitational Race, was held on February 27, 1927. 33 The Chamber of Commerce supported preparations and local merchants donated six cups for prizes.

In 1934, the San Diego Yacht Club proposed a merger of the two clubs. Their proposal was turned down by one vote. Nevertheless, many of the larger boat owners were allowed to join the San Diego Yacht Club without paying an initiation fee. Five years later, in 1939, the Washington’s Birthday Handicap Trophy was deeded to the San Diego Yacht Club after a request by former Southwestern Yacht Club members. Today, however, this decision has been greatly regretted. 34

With the start of World War II, Port Captain Brennan hinted to the members of the Southwestern Yacht Club that they would have to relocate. As a result, members requested that the new site be at the foot of Qualtrough Street on Point Loma. This request was denied because the site had already been leased to sport-fishing groups.

In 1941, the members chose to move to a location near what later became the Harbor Boat and Yacht Yard. On October 31, 1941, the clubhouse at the foot of Grape Street was sold to the Lemon Grove Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for $550. With this money and a loan from the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank, the building of a second clubhouse began. However, progress was impeded due to the rationing of material brought on by World War II. Construction had barely begun when members were notified that they would have to relocate for the third time. Consequently, the building was constructed on skids with flexible utility connections in anticipation of a future move. Finally, in 1946, the land on which the clubhouse was located was leased by the City to the Harbor Boat and Yacht Yard, and the Southwestern Yacht Club moved 400 feet westward. In 1948, with a membership of 160, a 20′ x 50′ addition to the clubhouse was constructed.

On March 27, 1951, the clubhouse was relocated to its present site at the foot of Qualtrough Street. Rent was established at $1 per member or $250 per month, whichever was greater. The club grew to 250 members by 1955, the construction of a fifth dock began, and an electric hoist was installed.

In 1970, the club faced severe financial problems and possible dissolution because of inflationary taxes and rent levied by the San Diego Unified Port District. It was during this time that members considered relocating to Mariner’s Point in Mission Bay or be forced out of existence. Fortunately, in 1971, a provision was written into the club’s lease with the Port District recognizing the value of the club’s recreationally oriented activities and calling for a rental charge of one-half of the normal commercial rate on their leased tideland property.

With the lease approved by the Port District, Southwestern Yacht Club members began to implement new building plans. However, before a loan was procured, a title search was necessary. According to Edward S. Soltesz, “this was not an easy thing to get done. Major insurance firms in San Diego refused help when it became known that Southwestern’s property had never been recorded in the official records of the County Recorder.” 35 Eventually, however, assistance was obtained from the First American Title Insurance Company of Los Angeles. The title company’s investigation proved that Southwestern’s lease was clear. With the title company’s guidance, members then sought to make sure that the lease was in conformance with the laws of California regarding the leasing of public lands to private concerns. It was then necessary to present club by-laws to the State Lands Commission for review and approval. The Commission requested the club to change certain sections of the by-laws considered not in accord with State laws. After these changes were made the Commission declared the club’s lease valid and a Title Insurance Policy was granted, thus enabling the club to borrow money successfully. 36

With a current membership of 400, the Southwestern Yacht Club is preparing for events which will commemorate their Golden Anniversary in 1975.

THE MISSION BAY YACHT CLUB

The Mission Bay Yacht Club was chartered in 1927, with Thomas O. Scripps serving as the club’s first commodore. According to Scripps, the yacht club was started by his brother-in-law, Austen T. Brown. 37 While visiting Coronado’s Tent City in 1925 Brown and Scripps noticed a small, dirty, neglected flapper (a popular boat at that time, built by Phillips and Stewart, one of the larger boat building firms in Los Angeles) tied to a float in front of the San Diego Yacht Club. Brown inquired and learned the boat belonged to the widow of a naval officer, and that it was for sale. Because it was so dilapidated, he paid $50.00. When new, the boat sold for $150.00. Brown and Scripps took the boat to Mission Bay where they started cleaning the moss out of it, only to discover that they were working with, as Scripps recalls, “a boat that was almost destroyed before we started.” 38 They continued, however, until the little flapper was again seaworthy.

Brown sailed almost every weekend. His competitive spirit prompted him to challenge other sailors to race on Mission Bay. This was the only flapper on Mission Bay at the time, and because the other boats were much larger, they always won, but, according to Scripps, “Austen could not have cared less; all he was interested in was whether he was closer than the last time when he finished.” 39

Brown and Scripps approached Alonzo de Jessop, Scripps’ uncle, who suggested they form a yacht club with provisions for a race committee chairman. There was a big promotion in those years of Mission Bay real estate. Brown and Scripps thought they could get the real estate investors to support a yacht club financially and in return make them life members of the club. They spoke with numerous people and found a real interest in the project, especially among members of the San Diego Yacht Club who had considerable experience. Then they contacted the people of Pacific and Mission Beach to encourage their participation. When Scripps and Brown called an organizational meeting, the response was enthusiastic and the Mission Bay Yacht Club was formed.

The new club raised $2,000 and built the first clubhouse—four walls and a roof built on stilts—on Crown Point where members obtained a fifty-year lease from the State of California.

Leo Carroll, who worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad, became the first race committee chairman. F. T. Scripps, Tom’s father, gave Carroll an old ten-gauge, double-barrel shotgun to use. At first Carroll took the shot out of the shells, however, the gun would not make any noise and the shot had to be put back in. “Although Leo would shoot the gun up in the air, it would still rain bullets.” 40

After World War II, the club secured a lease on three acres of land and three acres of water on El Carmel Point, the club’s present site. Plans were made to float the clubhouse from Crown Point to El Carmel Point, but “a closer look at the old lease revealed the improvements could not be moved.” 41 The members of the club then decided to build a new clubhouse on the new site.

During this same period Carl and Teddy Ackerman brought to the San Diego area the first Lightning class sailboat, the Tu Tu, which had originally been located at Pearl Harbor during the bombing in 1941. Two fleets were organized in the San Diego Bay area before Bill Pirie and other members of the Mission Bay Yacht Club secured a charter for Fleet No. 194 at the club. These larger boats could not be introduced to the Mission Bay area until dredging began.

Today, with Mission Bay fully dredged and beautifully developed, the Mission Bay Yacht Club is the only yacht club on the bay. According to Pirie,

The club has always been a small boat sailing club, primarily. We do have a number of motor boats. It has always been quite a family club and we have always encouraged juniors. The club is respected for its small boat sailing around the world. In fact, one of the most famous yachtsmen from the Mission Bay Yacht Club is Earl Elms. He has been five times world champion in the Snipe division. 42

Club members feel they have lived up to the original aim of the charter members, “A Corinthian Yacht Club where, regardless of station in life, we meet on a common ground—our favorite pastime, yachting.” According to Joe Hill, past commodore, the Mission Bay Yacht Club is still made up of amateur yachtsmen, people who have joined for the pleasure of sailing rather than for the prestige of belonging. 43

SILVER GATE YACHT CLUB

On March 5, 1952, nearly twenty-five years after the formation of the Mission Bay Yacht Club, twelve men met at the Point Loma Anchorage Lounge to organize the Silver Gate Yacht Club. According to Jack A. Fulton, a club founder, “John Bates attended this meeting and was instrumental in inspiring the club’s formation. Although not present at our first meeting, Alonzo de Jessop, who was usually known as the father of yachting in San Diego, gave us a lot of encouragement and help.” 44

The members received their charter from the State of California in November, 1952. 45 Charter members were: Beverley E. Alexander; Harvey L. Beagle; Wynne Bowen; Kenneth C. Brown; Charles W. DeWitt; Kenneth E. Eaton; Mildred Elder; Bruce K. Englehorn; Jack A. Fulton; Robert L. Gates; Lieut. Clarence U. Gebson; William P. Hall, Jr.; M. R. Hutchison; M. Dean Kennedy; Lawrence C. McArthur; D. C. Mitchell; John E. Nissen; B. L. Rhode; William J. Rumsey; Maxine Updegraff; Charles D. Willits; and Roy Miles Wood.

Most of the original club members were yachtsmen who chose not to join the established yacht clubs because of high initiation and membership fees. Silver Gate Yacht Club fees at that time were $10 for initiation and $9 per month dues.

In April, 1954, the club became a member of the Southern California Yachting Association, and one month later, a member of the Southern California Cruiser Association. By the end of 1954, plans for a clubhouse and dock were completed. Charter member Robert Gates contracted to build the docks, and another charter member, Roy Wood, contracted to build the clubhouse.

In 1960, “Doc” Shorts started the Wheelchair Regatta to take handicapped persons for a cruise on San Diego Bay. Shorts became ill the following year and James Spade has run the regatta since then. According to Lawrence W. Baldwin, “at the last regatta [usually held on the last Sunday in June] over 300 handicapped persons participated.” 46

The Silver Gate Yacht Club, according to Baldwin, is known along the coast as a cruising club. Yachtsmen have come from Canada, Washington, Oregon, and Northern California seeking cruising information from club members. Presently, the yacht club is not only the smallest yacht club on San Diego Bay, with a membership of approximately 150 (the club’s maximum due to their limitation in land space), but it is also the only non-commercial operation on Shelter Island. 47

POINT LOMA YACHT CLUB

In 1960, the Point Loma Yacht Club was organized with articles of incorporation filed on January 17, 1961. The club was created by yachtsmen whose boats were docked at local commercial anchorages, but who desired to race with the established yacht clubs in San Diego.

The club was headquartered at the Half Moon Inn with a unique arrangement whereby members were allocated an entire finger of slips. A locked gate was built across the finger at the point where the occupancy of the club members began. As membership grew, more slips were required, necessitating the moving of the gate further up the finger. Each move became an occasion for celebration. Major club activities centered around club cruises to Catalina Island and the Coronados.

Eventually, club membership grew to 73 with 35 yachts, until April, 1962, when it merged with the Southwestern Yacht Club.

CORONADO CAYS YACHT CLUB

In June, 1972, Joe Fitzpatrick addressed an open letter to the residents of the Coronado Cays community inviting them to attend a meeting at the Jamaica clubhouse for the purpose of organizing the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. At the meeting, officers were elected including Arthur W. (Bud) Holderness, commodore; William H. Dennick, vice commodore; Guy Chilberg, rear commodore; Wrenn H. Lawrence, fleet power captain; and George A. Lasko, fleet sail captain. The Coronado Cays Company assisted in efforts to organize the yacht club and offered the former office suite of developer Cedrick Sanders for use as a temporary clubhouse. 48

The club’s first race, the Coronado Cays Classic, was held on September 10, 1972. It was then included in the regular program and held once a month. An annual Ranger Round-up Regatta was started on May 11, 1974, with twenty-one yachts entered. In January, 1973, the Cays Company moved the club facility to its present and permanent home on Grand Caribe Isle. Early in 1973, the club’s charter was granted by the State of California. By 1974, membership increased to 150. Most members are residents of the Coronado Cays Community. Initiation fees are $100 per year with $24 dues collected each quarter. 49

ROWING CLUBS AND CREWS

SAN DIEGO ROWING CLUB

In 1888, the Excelsior Rowing and Swimming Club was formed with its first quarters at the foot of E Street, now Pacific Highway and E Streets. On July 11, 1891, an agreement was signed by President Walter Carnes, Captain J. G. Decatur, and Secretary W. J. Parker with L. A. Chandler. Through this agreement, Chandler was to provide accommodations for the club at a rental of $15 per month. He was also to alter his boathouse on the Fifth Street Pier for the club’s uses. In 1892, the members changed the name to the San Diego Rowing Club so it would be more representative of the entire city. The membership count was 112, total available assets were $243.62, and the club ordered two new shells of “the latest approved design” from Al Rogers of San Francisco. 50

In July, 1895, three years after the name change, the San Diego Rowing Club was incorporated with four of the original signers and life members still active—Edgar 0. Hodge, W. W. Whitson, E. J. Louis, and Albert E. Johnstone.

In 1900, the club moved to the Pacific Steamship Landing Dock at the foot of Fifth Street. From the dock there was a little railroad which carried passengers up to the beginning of Fifth Street where they could catch streetcars for other parts of town. Directly opposite the rowing club on the other side of the dock was the Johnson Swimming pool. Adjacent to the pool was the Zlac women’s rowing club. 51

Members of the rowing club originally rowed in skiffs which were open cockpit boats with sliding seats. Later they rowed in barges, a heavier open cockpit boat, four-oared with a coxswain. In 1892, they began rowing in shells which were four-oared without coxswain, marking the beginning of competitive shell racing for the club. Today the club has single-, double-, and four-oared shells for its members to use, and one eight-oared.

By the early 1900s the rowing club was the most important men’s club in San Diego. The membership grew at one time to 1,200, and it was said that anyone of importance was a member of the San Diego Rowing Club; the mayor, councilmen, president of a bank, and the president of the gas company all belonged. Membership was much more restricted then than it is today. Four hundred of the members were involved actively in rowing.

The club became a training ground for young athletes. There were boxing teams, four handball courts, canoes, basketball games, horseshoe pitching, bowling, and one of the best swimming teams in the nation. Along with these activities were dances, suppers on Brennan Island, and watermelon festivals.

Rowing became a prestigious activity. It was an honor to make the crews. There were junior, intermediate, and senior classifications. Most of the regattas were held on July 4, sometimes in San Francisco, and occasionally a regatta was held in Alameda around the estuary near the University of California rowing course.

When the regattas were out of town, rowing club members volunteered equipment and money to the crews sent to represent the club. Depending on where the regatta was located, the crews travelled by steamship or train.

These regattas were originally raced in barges and the courses were three-quarters to one and one-half mile turning courses. When the shells came into the use the races became straight-aways. The distances varied until the course was set at 2,000 meters, which is now the Olympic standard.

The regattas in San Diego were usually held off the Coronado shore. However, some took place on the main bay from North Island to the rowing club. The main bay course was the toughest because of the rough water created by commercial vessels. Eventually the courses were relocated to the lee side of North Island.

Rowers in the club were augmented at times by college and high school boys who wanted to continue the sport. Some eventually became coaches for the club, including Del Beakley, Frank Balhon, Max Winter, Dick Jessop, Louis Volsel, Anderson Borthwick, and Ted Stymen.

The San Diego Rowing Club at the present is having difficulties. San Diego citizens have available a wide variety of recreational opportunities; consequently, interest in rowing has decreased and the club’s prestige has dwindled. With the increase of commercial vessels on San Diego Bay, the present location for rowing is unsuitable. The large wakes made by these vessels make rowing impractical. In negotiations with the City of San Diego, the rowing club has expressed its desire to relocate to Santa Clara Point on Mission Bay where there are long stretches of protected, smooth water where the crews can work at least five miles in order to develop the necessary stamina. The City is hesitant to lease any more land in Mission Bay at this time, but has suggested that the San Diego Flood Control Channel adjacent to Mission Bay is adequate for rowing purposes and suitable for the club’s activities.

Long-time club member Anderson Borthwick points out that the channel is a poor site for rowing because of the hazards. There are abutments on bridge pilings that can ruin a shell in seconds. “Peculiar as it may seem, if there is an obstruction in the waterway, even though you are watching all of the time, the boats [might] collide.” 52 Also, National, Intercollegiate, or Olympic tryouts or contests cannot be held on a course that has obstructions such as those found in the Flood Control Channel.

ZLAC ROWING CLUB

Four years after the commencement of the San Diego Rowing Club, four girls, Lena, Agnes, Carolyn, and Zulette formed a small club for teenagers, a club which rowed on San Diego Bay in a leaky skiff. 53 Lena, Agnes, and Carolyn were the daughters of Captain Albert Alexander Polhamus, who was a pilot on the California coast for thirty-six years. During that time he was also a port captain in San Diego and captain of the Spreckels Company tug, the Santa Fe . He was also one of the men who encouraged the dredging of San Diego Bay’s main channel. Zulette Lamb was a good friend of the three Polhamus girls. In 1895 this small club was incorporated, becoming the first woman’s rowing club in San Diego. Eventually the girls’ interest in rowing inspired others in the community to take up the sport as a recreation.

Soon there were many crews on the bay, the State Normal School crews, the Colombia (1899), the Gondoliers (1895), the La Felucca (1895), the L’Esperance (1895), the Water Babies (1897), the Mariners (1899), the La Sierna (1899), the Las Corsarias (1901), the Olympia (1901), the Oceanic (1901), the White Caps (1901), the Nereids (1901), the YMCA (1904), the Nautilus (1904), and the YWCA (1905). Zlac is the only club that has survived. 54

Zlac invited the White Caps and the Mariners to merge with them. Fortunately, these two crews accepted the invitation because Zlac had only five cents in its treasury and some outstanding debts. According to Marjorie N. Breitenbach, past Zlac historian, “the club has been almost broke several times but never quite that broke.” 55 The clubhouse was originally located at the foot of Market Street about where the Navy pier is now.

In 1933, Mrs. F. D. Scripps donated a piece of land on Mission Bay to the club. There was a great deal of disagreement at that time about the location. Mission Bay was wild and isolated, and transportation from town to the clubhouse was a problem. The club moved in spite of these disadvantages.

During the World War II, club membership suffered from a severe attrition rate, the major cause being gasoline rationing. Many members did not want to retain membership in a club they would not be able to enjoy.

Today there are 750 members from ages 15 to 80. One of these members is Mrs. Patty Wyatt whose father is Clem Stose, past commodore of the San Diego Yacht Club. Mrs. Wyatt and Anderson Borthwick of the San Diego Rowing Club were two of the .people responsible for the San Diego 1973 Crew Classic which was held on Mission Bay on April 7, 1973. It was a national invitational regatta which featured the first appearance of the United States Naval Academy crew on the West Coast. The competition also included the University of Washington, the Western Sprint Champion in 1972. 56

The club is divided into crews. Thirty girls age fifteen are admitted every June and are classified as sub-juniors. When these girls reach college age they are classified as Mariners. Memberships in these crews can be opened and closed periodically by their participants.

Through the years Zlac has retained its prominence as the only women’s rowing club in San Diego. However, even now, when the club seems to be at its peak, it is facing a problem which might cause another severe drop in membership. The club’s tideland lease is about to expire, and the City of San Diego does not intend to renew it because it wants public access to the bay at the site. There is also talk of taking down all the piers. This would create a hardship for the club’s participants because their pier is used to hoist the shells into the water.

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL CREWS

The San Diego Rowing Club and the Zlac Rowing Club were inspiring factors for encouraging rowing. Within one year after the organization of the State Normal School in 1897, rowing became an active part of the collegiate physical education program as well as the school’s social structure. Mr. Lewis B. Lesley, professor of History at the school, wrote,

In the early days of the State Normal School the physical education program was indeed a problem. No facilities were available in the original home of the school … But there was San Diego Bay … Thus there came into being the first rowing club, renamed the San Diego State Normal Rowing Association in 1898. During the first years, almost all of the social life and physical activity of the school centered around the Rowing Association. The three original crews were known as the Sylphs, the Octopus, and the Asparas. 57

A school yearbook, the White and Gold , lists six other Normal School rowing crews; the Pristis (1898), the White Ducks (1902), the Rhine Golds (1904), the Dog Watch (1899), the Argonauts (1905), and the Glaucus (1904). 58

[These crews] were made up exclusively of girls, although the faculty, including President Black, formed a crew to join in the activity. A few crews were formed by boys, but the male members of the student body never reached the stage of formal crew organization. (By 1906) the physical education department had been divided into three groups: the Rowing Association, the Girls’ Athletic Association, and the Boys’ Athletic Association. By 1921 the women’s rowing crews at this time had become very selective in their choice of girls. Miss Tanner decided to correct this tendency… In 1923, she brought the Women’s Athletic Association … on campus … and the rowing crews, as social organizations, went out of existence. Rowing became merely one of the sports offered in the physical education program. Many of the old crews were reorganized as sororities through the years 1923, 1924, and 1925. By 1934 rowing was dropped from the curriculum because of the distance from the bay, and gone was the last connection of the women with one of the college’s oldest and finest traditions. 59

Today, although there are relatively fewer yacht clubs in San Diego than at the turn of the century, club membership has increased, and people are joining the existing clubs for the pleasure of sailing rather than for the prestige of belonging.

Interest in yachting has increased so much that local colleges and universities now offer many forms of boating as part of their physical education curriculum. Marinas offer lessons through boat rentals. Some boat dealers provide free lessons with each boat they sell. There are also two free land-based boating courses offered by the United States Power Squadrons, a non-profit organization dedicated to boating education. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is devoted to safe boating and offers lessons on rules of the road, safety, knots, and handling line. The City of San Diego offers lessons on Santa Clara Point in basic and advanced sailing. For military dependents, courses are given at the Naval Training Center, and at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Moreover, during every Easter vacation period the American Red Cross offers courses on sailing on Glorietta Bay at Coronado.

Yachting has become an important part of the San Diego economy, culture, and physical environment. The benefits of yachting have increased significantly in the last twenty years. The San Diego Union, in 1950, reported there were 2,300 pleasure boats in San Diego County. 60 According to Ken L. Fairbrother, Acting Manager, Vessel Registration Section of the Department of Motor Vehicles, in 1960, there were 12,071 vessels; in 1970, there were 22,327 vessels; and, by 1972, boat registrations increased to 25,054, ranking San Diego County fifth statewide in total vessel registration. Of these boats, 24,193 were registered as pleasure vessels. 61

Economically these yachts provide a source of revenue for San Diego County. They also provide a yearly income for many of the residents in San Diego; ship chandlers, boat builders, and sail makers, to name but a few.

Commercial marinas have been built so those without their own boats may rent boats by the hour or day. Thousands are attracted year round to San Diego Bay and Mission Bay Aquatic Park solely for yachting, adding to the city’s tourist income. The city in return has created nine public launch ramps for interested yachtsmen.

Aesthetically, yachts have added beauty to the San Diego landscape, especially when the rainbow-colored spinnakers are billowing out from ships’ bows. Even when these delicate but sturdy vessels are moored, docked, or on trailers, they have a tailored appearance.

Recreationally, yachting has branched out in many areas. Along with pleasure sailing, there are informal races, organized regattas, and marlin derbies to name a few. Yachting truly “offers a varied play of nature’s beauties” complementing San Diego’s natural amenities, contributing to its economic welfare and generally enhancing the lives of the city’s residents.

1. Manfred Curry, Yacht Racing: The Aerodynamics of Sails and Racing Tactics (rev. ed.; Diessen-Munich, Germany: Jos C. Huber, 1930), p.3.

2. San Diego Herald , April 10, 1852, p. 10.

4. Elizabeth C. MacPhail, The Story of New San Diego and its FounderAlonzo E. Horton (San Diego: Pioneer Printers, 1969), p. 11.

5. Joseph F Jessop, private interview at the San Diego Yacht Club, San Diego, January, 1973.

6. San Diego Rowing Club, San Diego Rowing Club, 1888-1947 (San Diego: San Diego Rowing Club, 1947), p. 1.

7. The Tent City, south of Hotel del Coronado, consisted of more than 600 tent houses, palm cottages and bungalows, a dance pavilion, amusement row, main office, band pavilion, cafeteria, grocery and ice cream parlor. There was also a news stand and information bureau located on the main street opposite the office building which included the telegraph and post office. Telephones were also situated in different parts of the resort for the convenience of the patrons.

8. Joseph E. Jessop, private interview at the San Diego Yacht Club, San Diego, February, 1973.

9. Lawrence Perry, “They’re in the Navy Now; Yachting Has Gone to the War in Earnest,” Country Life , August, 1918, p. 33.

11. Jessop, private interview, January, 1973.

12. Irene Phillips, The Chula Vista Story , 1868-1968 (National City: South Bay Press, 1968), pp. 55-56.

13. Jessop, private interview, January, 1973.

14. The design of the original Lark, owned by a Mr. King of the New York Yacht Club, was printed in the 1898 issue of Rudder.

15. San Diego Union , August 30, 1901, p. 6.

16. Phillips, op. cit., p. 56.

17. Today, flat bottomed boats, however, have very little problem sailing on this portion of the bay.

18. Phillips, op. cit., p. 56.

20. Jerry MacMullen, telephone interview, San Diego, February, 1973.

21. “History of the Coronado Yacht Club,” Sea and Pacific Motor Boat , March, 1956, p. 1.

22. Teddy G. Ackerman, private interview aboard her yacht Bluebird , San Diego, August, 1974.

24. The James Craig Predicted Log Contest is the oldest Power Boat race in the world. It was organized in Boston in 1914. Prior to 1941, yachtsmen on the West Coast were not racing for its beautiful trophy. C. King Brugman convinced these men that the race could be held successfully on the West Coast. As a result, the contest has been run annually since 1946. The first half is from Long Beach to San Diego, with trophies awarded; the second half from San Diego to Long Beach, with trophies awarded.

25. Ackerman, private interview, August, 1974.

26. “History of the Southwestern Yacht Club,” Sea and Pacific Motor Boat , December, 1956, p. 1.

28. Graham Shand, historical notes given to the Southwestern Yacht Club, 1947.

30. According to the San Diego Union , November 21, 1916, there was a Southwestern Yacht Club organized by a group of men in which J. Stanley Hobson’s father, J. C. Hobson, was a member. Unfortunately, this club’s demise shortly followed. It is believed, however, by current members of the Southwestern Yacht Club, that J. S. Hobson’s suggestion of this name was from his past association as a boy with his father’s club.

31. Shand, op. cit.

32. Edward S. Soltesz, “Reflections From Our Historian,” Mooring Line , June 1974, p. 6.

33. Soltesz, Mooring Line , July 1974, p.6.

34. Soltesz, private interview at the Southwestern Yacht Club, San Diego, August, 1974.

35. Soltesz, private interview at his home, August, 1974.

37. Thomas O. Scripps, private interview at his home, San Diego, March, 1973.

41. William Pirie, private interview at his home, San Diego, February, 1973.

43. Joe Hill, private interview at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, San Diego, January, 1973.

44. Jack A. Fulton, private interview at the Silver Gate Yacht Club, San Diego, August, 1974.

45. “History of the Silver Gate Yacht Club,” Sea and Pacific Motor Boat , March, 1957, p. 1.

46. Lawrence W. Baldwin, private interview at the Silver Gate Yacht Club, San Diego, August, 1974.

48. George A. Lasko, private interview at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, Coronado, August, 1974.

49. Lasko, telephone interview, August, 1974.

50. San Diego Rowing Club, San Diego Rowing Club . 1888-1947 (San Diego: San Diego Rowing Club, 1947), p. 1.

51. An acronym from Zulette Lamb, Lena, Agnes, and Carolyn Polhamus, the original charter members of this club.

52. Anderson Borthwick, private interview at his home, San Diego, March, 1973.

53. This was probably the beginning of women’s rowing in San Diego.

54. Marjorie N. Breitenbach, private interview at the Zlac Rowing Club, San Diego, March, 1973.

56. San Diego Union , March 15, 1973, p. COI.

57. Lewis B. Lesley, San Diego State College , The First Fifty Years (San Diego: San Diego State College, 1947), p.77.

58. San Diego State College, White and Gold (San Diego: San Diego State College, 1898-1905).

59. Lesley, op. cit ., pp. 77-78, 80, 82.

60. Marguerite Sullivan, ed., “Sailing Tips for Beginners,” reprints from the San Diego Union , 1972, p. 1.

61. Letter from Ken L. Fairbrother, Acting Manager, Vessel Registration Section of the Department of Motor Vehicles, January 15, 1973.

Linda M. Pearce Nolte received her B.A. in recreation administration and a M.A. in physical education from San Diego State University. Mrs. Nolte has worked as a subsitute teacher for San Diego City Schools, taught as a graduate teaching assistant for one year at San Diego State University, and is currently on the part-time faculty at Grossmont College. This article was adapted from her Masters Thesis at San Diego State University.

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Junior Summer Sailing Program FAQ

1. Do I have to be a member of SDYC to participate in Summer Sailing? No, all Summer Sailing classes are open to the public! If you are interested in the earlier enrollment, reduced pricing, and many, many other benefits of membership at SDYC, please contact Danielle Carreon ([email protected]) in the Membership Department at (619) 758-6303.

2. How old does my child need to be to participate? Sailors must complete kindergarten before enrolling in the Sea Urchins Class.

3. How do I know if I am enrolled in the class? When you submit your online registration form you will immediately receive an email response from us confirming the receipt of your application. We maintain an online roster which is updated approximately once a day during the week, so you may check this roster to see your placement.

4. What kinds of sailing apparel should I have for my child? Here's our Summer Equipment List . It’s pretty much like a day at the beach!

5. Where can I get sailing clothes? You can get sailing clothes at Sailing Supply, West Marine, or at sports outlets like REI or Sport Chalet. You should be looking for clothes that offer good skin coverage and dry quickly.

6. What types of sunscreen and sun protection should I use? There are many sunscreens to choose from at the local pharmacy. Sailors should buy waterproof sunscreen that is SPF 30+. It is important to find a sunscreen that doesn't burn the eyes. When children sweat sunscreen will end up in their eyes. Sailors should spare no money when they are buying sunscreen.

Hats, clothing with good coverage, and sunglasses are just as important. Adequate sunglasses don’t need to be expensive and there is a high chance of loss, so please do not equip small kids with sunglasses you’ll be upset about losing or breaking. Polarized lenses are a plus, but still don’t need to cost too much.

7. When do I need to start thinking about buying a sailboat for my child? SDYC has a large supply of excellent charter boats to fit most needs, including all beginning Sabot sailors, and most doublehanded racers. High School Sailing is popular specifically because you don’t need to own the boat!

As children progress through the ranks of the Sabot Racing Fleets they may benefit from having their own boat. When sailors enter the C2/C1 fleet ranks they should be thinking about how a private boat will help their performance and finish results. Summary: you don’t need (or want?) your own Sabot to get started. By the time you do need a boat, you’ll have a good read on the used market at the Club as older kids move on.

8. Can I come and watch my child learn to sail? Parents are welcome to observe their child's class from a distance. History has shown that many young sailors deal with the challenges of learning to sail best without the distraction of having a parent present.

9. Will my child be safe if there is inclement weather? We always practice safe procedures at the SDYC Junior Sailing Program. We do not cancel class on rainy days, but may if lightning, high winds, or other hazards exist. Sailors should be prepared to sail as usual and they should be equipped with appropriate clothing. Please bring a change of clothes!

10. Do I have to own a boat to be in the program? No. Some classes use only club boats which are included in the class fee. Sabot classes offer the option to charter a club boat if you will not be using your own.

11. How well does my child have to swim?

We wear PFDs at all times when on or around the water. However, small boat sailing can be unnecessarily stressful for anyone who is very concerned about going for a swim, as capsizes are a dependable feature, and can even be part of the fun. On the first day of class, we will have all sailors in non-racing classes participate in the Swim Check (racers have tested already). These days, the purpose of our very simple "Swim Check" is really to establish if anyone is quite nervous about a swim in the bay, which would likely keep them from enjoying our class, and developing their skills. Following US Sailing protocol, our Swim Check will occur with PFDs worn, and will simply be a short, hopefully calm, non-stressful short dip, at the start of each session. We ask that parents not be present during the Swim Check, as each child's independent comfort is part of what we are observing, to prepare for actual sailing.

12. We live far away. Can we get in a car pool? Nothing is formally organized. We will be happy to provide you with a list of addresses. You are responsible for making contacts and arranging rides.

13. I lost my... ? Could you let me know if you see it? Yes, if it is clearly marked with your name and phone #. Clothes and especially life-jackets should have full name and phone # in a conspicuous place. Sailing gear should be labeled with the sail number using an etcher or die punch. You should also label your name on gear with indelible ink. Lost & Found boxes are located at the Swimming Pool and in the Junior area.

14. Can I leave my children at the Yacht Club while they are not in class? In most cases, no. Junior Members and/or Junior Courtesy Members (children of members) older than 10 may stay but will not be supervised and will be asked to leave the club if they are disruptive. Non-members and/or their children may not stay at the Yacht Club after sailing class unless they are a guest of a member who is also present. All children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by a parent member unless they are participating in sailing class.

15. Is there a snack bar? Yes, in the Pavilion by the pool. Hours are from 10 -3. Snacks are not allowed during class time.

16. How can I or my child become a member of San Diego Yacht Club? Contact Danielle Carreon ([email protected]) in the Membership Department at (619) 758-6303.

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Application Completed

Membership application completed., thank you for applying., questionnaires have been emailed to your sponsors., next steps:.

Applications will be processed when both sponsor questionnaires are completed and a check covering half of the initiation fee plus a credit score report (see below) are submitted to the office.  Check here for the initiation fees.

Note: Members may not stay overnight on their boats more than 10 days a month unless they qualify for Extended Access status. Extended Access status requires three full years of membership and the approval of the Extended Access Chair.

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Part of the Silver Gate Yacht Club Membership application process is to review an applicant’s credit score. When applying for Membership, we will need a current document showing your credit score in order to process your application.

You may email, mail, or drop it off at the office: Email to: [email protected]

Mail or Drop off to: Silver Gate Yacht Club 2091 Shelter Island Drive San Diego, CA 92016

For your convenience here are 4 sources for requesting your own credit score report. Experian.com Equifax.com Creditreport.com Freecreditreport.com

If you have any questions, please contact: Angela Benson SGYC Membership Chair [email protected]

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Initiation Fees

New membership fee: $450.

A  one time fee  of $450 is required of new members. This fee is due at the time of sign up.

Returning Member in Good Standing Fee: $135

A one time fee of $135 is required of returning members in good standing. This fee is due at the time of sign up. 

Membership Dues

Membership dues: $80 per month.

Monthly membership dues are $80. A membership provides full privileges of the facility and activities.  

Membership with Vessel Storage Dues: $210 per month

Only Members are eligible for boat storage for an additional monthly charge of $130. The Vessel Storage Application process must be requested in writing to the  Boatyard Manager . 

QUARTERLY ASSESSMENT

Additionally, a quarterly assessment is charged to all members of the SDMBBSC. The quarterly assessment is $90 which is billed quarterly. However, the assessment is waived for members that spend $90 quarterly ($30 or more per month) at the club on items such as food, drinks and refreshments.

Here is an example: Let's say you own a boat and are going to store it at the Boat Club. Your monthly cost will be: $210 per month($80 dues and $130 boat storage). 

Throughout the quarter, visit the boat club for a meal or two and some beverages. Once your total assessment related spending exceeds $90, the assessment charge is waived. If you meet a partial amount of the assessment during the quarter, your account shall be adjusted accordingly.

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