A Brief History

 

South Beach Yacht Club is a volunteer organization dedicated to our members' greater enjoyment of sailing and boating. The Club was established in 1988 and has grown to over 500 members. Our new Clubhouse overlooks South Beach Harbor, and our yearly calendar is packed with races, cruises and social events and a lot of good fellowship.

 

On Saturday, April 30th, 1988, Harbormaster Carter Strauch invited South Beach Harbor tenants interested in forming a yacht club to meet at the Longshoreman and Warehouse Union Hall across the street from the marina. Fifty-six boat owners attended what turned out to be the initial meeting of South Beach Yacht Club. The group selected 10 attendees (Sue Angus, Bob Brigante, John Coe, Frank DeTeen, Leah Kenworthy, Ed Mackin, Bland McCartha, Keith Moore, Lome Ryan, and Devonee Welch) as the Club organizing committee. By June 11 at the second general meeting, the organizing committee presented a cruise and social calendar, announced the first Friday night race, distributed draft by-laws and spoke of possible club house facilities.

 

By the beginning of 1989, this active group had elected officers, adopted Rules and By-Laws, filed the articles of incorporation (Bland McCartha and Susan Angus), acquired needed licenses and permits, distributed a monthly newsletter, held the first Friday night race series, designed a club burgee, had a grand Christmas Gala, and hosted the first membership drive aboard Bob Brigante's boat, Bonnie Jean. These dynamic founding members with their amazingly ambitious schedule set what has become the norm at South Beach Yacht Club.

 

In June 1989, members started work on Club facilities on Pier 40 overlooking South Beach Harbor. Construction on the double-wide trailer, always considered a temporary clubhouse, was performed solely by member volunteers under the leadership of Fred Maeder. As head of the Facility Committee, Fred arranged for the location and erection of our first clubhouse.  On December 18th, 1989, at 1356 hours, the Port of San Francisco issued the permit to occupy the double-wide shown in the picture left. Thanks to Fred and "Maeder's Raiders" we had a home!

 

Since the inaugural meeting in 1988, South Beach Yacht Club members worked to make South Beach Yacht Club a premier one in the Bay Area without ever losing focus on the all-volunteer spirit of the Club, boating and the community. Members take their community responsibility seriously which is demonstrated by having forged a close relationship as host club for the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors, by developing the Junior Sailing program, and by offering use of the clubhouse as a polling place and meeting location for the Rincon Point/South Beach Citizens' Advisory Committee to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.

 

And, the Club with its active membership hosts a robust schedule of social,cruising, and racing events annually. South Beach Yacht Club is the organizing authority for Friday night summer series and the Spring Forward regatta. In 1989, its second year of operation, South Beach Yacht Club initiated and continues to co-sponsor with Benicia Yacht Club the annual Labor Day weekend Jazz Cup, a downwind race from Treasure Island to Benicia which attracts as many as 125 boats.  Charter member Ray Hall captures the definitive history of the club in his book Surfing the Wavelength.

 

In 2004, the Club was selected as host club and to provide race management for the Catalina 30 National Championship. 2005 brings a new regatta to the Club as sponsor, along with Bay View Boat Club and the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors, the 470 North American Championships.

 

2003 brought another milestone for the Club; on August 7, Commodore Pete Hamm executed the lease for our new facility with the Redevelopment Agency. In 2005, SBYC members saw construction start on their new permanent home with an expected completion date of mid-2006.

 

The future of South Beach Yacht Club continues to become more promising and exciting with each new member who joins and brings new energy, insight, and imagination to the solid foundation already in place.