west seattle yacht club

Officers of the West Seattle Yacht Club

Rear commodore.

Tony Ethier

Laura Shelton 

Julie Estes

Lori Lesieur

​​ ​ Vice Commodore

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Yacht Clubs

Seattle Yacht Club

Founded in 1892, Seattle Yacht Club is one of our country’s most active and long-established yacht clubs. With facilities ranging from the historic main station on Portage Bay, to ten outstations located along the shores of Washington and British Columbia, the club offers an outstanding group of properties for use by its more than 2,500 members.

From the Commodore:

It gives me great pleasure to confirm the commitment of the Seattle Yacht Club Board of Trustees and its members to the goals and mission of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Our Fleet Captain Sail, Dave Ferguson and his committee, and Past Commodore, Chris Otorowski, will be working together on the member matching fund program that I expect will exceed the Founding Club level.

We look forward to watching the progress of the NSHOF and its home in Annapolis.

The Pacific Northwest waters, aristocratic pines and views of Mt. Rainier, Baker and the Olympics provided inspiration for Chief Sealth’s (Seattle) native peoples and SYC respects this heritage while developing its own traditions and stewardship. In the 1880s Puget Sound’s Budlong’s Boat House was the locale of the first gathering place of SYC yachtsmen followed in 1882 by the moorage on Battery Street at Brighton’s Boat House. The first Clubhouses built for a formally organized Seattle Yacht Club were in 1892 and 1909 in West Seattle.  Presently the Portage Bay clubhouse (1919) between Lakes Union and Washington offers a colonial style with classical elegance and uncovered and covered moorages. It has been on the National Register of Historical Places since 2006. In addition, there are ten beautiful outstations extending from south Puget Sound through Canadian waters. They are Gig Harbor, Elliott Bay, Port Madison and Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, Henry Island and Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, and Ganges, Ovens Island, Garden Bay and Cortes Bay in Canada. The marine environment is protected by SYC’s Code of Ethics and negotiations with the City of Seattle. Reciprocity with U.S. and international yacht clubs exists.

Since 1928 SYC has participated in powerboat predicted log racing’s annual International Cruiser Race, the Capital to Capitol Race. Hosted by SYC in 1936, the attendance was the highest of any U.S. cruising event to that date. In the 1940s the IPBA made it a family event. Today SYC hosts the IPBA Stimson Cup and participates in other IPBA and local races.

The belief that “everyone who wants to be on the water should be” underlies programs for the community such as the 1935 Shut In Cruise when 50 SYC boats took patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers for a Lake Washington cruise. World War II veterans were taken on similar cruises. Today’s Annual Special People’s Cruise was inspired by SYC women who arranged Christmas cruises for the Fircrest clients. SYC’s Opening Day, modeled in part by the city’s 1911 Potlatch celebration has the largest boating parade and international crew races in the world. SYC sponsors the largest fund raising event in boating, the Leukemia Cup Regatta and the SYC Foundation provides funding for Youth Sailing classes and community boating projects.

Protection of maritime waters and racing abound. SYC formed the first Pacific coastal squadron to teach motorboat navigation and to cooperate with the U.S. government in 1916. During World War II SYC’s Flotilla 24, the largest civilian squadron in the U.S., patrolled Pacific inland waters with private small and large luxury yachts. Pleasure boating was dormant but racing continued. The hydroplane races with SYC’s Slo-Mo IV and V won the Gold Cup 1950-1954 and put Seattle and Seafair on the map. The hydroplane era continues with the SYC burgee on winning boats and thousands of spectators watching the races on Lake Washington and on television.

Pleasure boating resumed after World War II. In 1964 SYC was invited to join the Cruising Club of America and continues to host several of their events. The latter’s goal of promoting cruising by amateurs and its interest in seamanship, navigation and handling of small vessel is in keeping with SYC’s philosophy and support of what the juniors call “people who like to mess around in boats”. Boating education at SYC has always been a priority for youth and adult members and non-members. Currently it is provided in Lasers, Vanguard 15’s, and Optimistist dinghies. Pleasure boating for adults, families and the public is provided in Club and private member boats.

Competing in international races in the 1980s again demonstrated SYC’s racing skills. Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals were brought home. The SYC burgee flew on One World in the 2003 America’s Cup Race. SYC women have won world championships in rowing and the Adams Cup for sailing.  World involvement is further demonstrated by hosting of the International Council of Yacht Clubs Forum in 2011. This is the first time it was held in the United States and 14 countries were represented by numerous delegates.

To insure “the most fun for the most of us” the SYC committee system allows for diversified interest groups and activities for all members. The Men’s and Women’s groups have luncheons with speakers and programs to educate and entertain. Parties, balls, dinner dances and children’s events occur regularly. The annual Commodore’s Ball with the Grand Fourteen Yacht Clubs in the area is a gala event. Potlatch, a weekend of water games, races and feasting at Port Madison, is an example of the family centered events for juniors, intermediates and regular members.

Seattle Yacht Club has a tradition of pride in its members who come from every socioeconomic level. Many have made significant contributions to navigational science and member volunteerism is basic to the Club. The 1937 Board of Trustees stated: the club should cater to the average class of gentlemen yachtsman” attempting to please the aristocrats and also the members with small boats regardless of financial position. SYC also has pride in its clubhouse and the city it is named after. The beacon light on top of the Portage Bay clubhouse was installed by SYC members and the Coast Guard and its spire is shown on nautical charts as a private stationary aid to navigation. It beckons you to join the fun of a cultural icon and continue to make history.

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• October Racing at its Best: SYC Grand Prix

Seattle Yacht Club’s autumn classic delivers on every level for all three days!

Seattle Yacht Club’s venerable Grand Prix Regatta is really unique in the variety it offers each year — falling in late October over three days, you’re sure to get varied conditions. The committee’s decisions to mix distance and buoy racing nearly always makes it an excellent test of sailors’ skills and versatility. In 2023, conditions could not have cooperated more splendidly, with all race days pairing brisk fall temperatures with sun and, most importantly, breeze! 

As ever, Grand Prix is an event that tends to draw out many of the biggest, fastest yachts in central Puget Sound. That was certainly true this year in Class 1 where I was sailing, with three TP52s — Smoke , Glory , and Mist — and the Reichel/Pugh 55 Zvi . But Grand Prix is not just a big boat event; there were also one design fleets of J/80s and J/105s, and four other classes racing under either ORC or PHRF handicap systems. In all, 42 boats were out for three terrific days of fall racing. 

I have always held that October is the best sailing month in the Pacific Northwest, an opinion I share with many others. And boy howdy if Friday wasn’t perfectly October! Sunshine splashed through broken clouds while 12-18 knots of chilly north wind whipped at flesh we allowed to peek out of our foulies. The northerly was paired with a flood for the afternoon’s race, which kept the water mostly flat. With such ideal conditions on Friday, pre-race rumors were confirmed, and we found a distance course displayed on the board of SYC’s stately Portage Bay committee boat. 

The race committee must have been feeling a little creative, because in all the races I’ve sailed in central Puget Sound, the course was new to me — a trapezoid bringing Class 1 boats upwind to a temporary mark near Richmond Beach, reaching west to a mark near Jefferson Head, downwind to Blakely Rock, reaching back east to Duwamish head, upwind to round the finish mark (presumably to allow for a shortened course, if necessary) downwind to West Point and a final beat across Shilshole Bay to the finish. There were a lot of marks to remember! And a lot of the race was sailed perpendicular to the breeze in trim-to-course reaching mode. 

Under sunny skies, we got underway and charged upwind in some of the day’s more moderate breeze. For this race, and throughout the weekend, the general consistency of the wind meant that on Glory we spent more time evaluating which side of the race course had more breeze or current advantage, and less time playing shifts. This generally paid on Friday, and we had good speed, rounding the top mark in first and bearing away to the reach. As soon as we were making westward progress toward Jeff Head, it was clear we were going to have a close call with a southbound commercial ship. We had to trim upwind for a minute or two, and cut narrowly behind the massive freighter before bearing away again and hoisting the kite around the mark. 

The run was as pleasant as it gets with some of the best breeze of the day, 14-18 knots. There was a small compression breeze advantage the farther west you were so, as the fleet made its way down the Sound, that was the game. 

Glory and Zvi stayed tight through the run, while increasing a slight margin ahead of Smoke and Mist . We waited until the last second to get the kite down at Blakely and didn’t manage our best douse or transition to the next reach. 

It was an uneventful trip east to Duwamish head, where we were met with more commercial traffic at the turn, necessitating an immediate tack around the mark to avoid a tug and tow. The trip north through Elliott Bay got very fluky. Big shifts, surprising holes, and monster growlers coming through the Interbay cut. For the first portion, it didn’t seem to pay to be well inside, but by the time we neared Elliott Bay Marina, the closer to shore you were, the more favorable the current, breeze, and shifts. On the final lap in Shilshole Bay, Glory was able to extend a bit on the competition, taking line honors and the first race of the long weekend. 

With the distance race in the books, we knew we’d likely be sailing buoy races the rest of the weekend. We headed out on the water for the second day of Grand Prix, and found zero breeze. After a brief postponement, things got cookin’ again with a cold northerly hovering around 10 knots and sterling visibility. The day’s courses were set long — at least one as long as 14 miles in total for Class 1 — but the race committee was able to score three excellent races for all fleets. The committee really did a great job, with square starting lines and fair courses. 

Saturday’s Class 1 battles saw TP 52 Smoke find good form and consistency, sailing cleanly to finish the day with the best score line. They carried a one point lead over Glory into Sunday.

The second day of Grand Prix saw a few great battles brewing in other fleets. The group of boats in Class 2 has seen some of the tightest, most fun racing all season long, and this event was the latest in a riveting string of closely fought regattas. By the end of the day, Iain Christenson’s Farr 36 Annapurna and Abbey Norris’ King 40 Hydra had traded leads atop the class, and were each looking formidable. As Regan Edwards commented after a full day of racing on Farr 30, Nefarious , “We sailed until the sun went down. Literally.”

Sunday dawned with more of the same: autumn sun and champagne sailing in a brisk northerly breeze. With two more well-run buoy races on the docket, there was still lots to play for and it was moving day in many fleets — with boats ascending to podium positions thanks to double bullets. In fact, six of seven classes saw the same boat win both races on Sunday. These top performances launched J/105 Peer Gynt from third at the end of Saturday to first overall in that hotly contested one design class, and helped Farr 39ML Absolutely and Sunfast 3600 Rush secure the third podium spots in their competitive classes. 

In Class 1, Sunday was a tour de force from Smoke . They started well, positioned themselves perfectly, had plenty of speed, and just didn’t give Glory or anyone else a real shot at their regatta lead. They sailed very well and deserved their win — hats off, Smoke team! 

In the end, it was a classically great weekend of autumn racing at what is always one of the best events of the year. In addition to Smoke , around the fleet class wins went to Annapurna , John Hoag’s 1D35 Shrek , Dan Randolph’s Farr 30, Nefarious , Paul Viola’s Peer Gynt in the J/105 fleet, Herb Cole’s Melges 24 Judo Chop taking the top spot in PHRF Class 6, and Lek Dimarucot topping the J/80 one-design class on Underdog . 

Full results here . 

Title background photo by Ben Towery. 

Joe Cline has been the Managing Editor of 48° North since 2014. From his career to his volunteer leadership in the marine industry, from racing sailboats large and small to his discovery of Pacific Northwest cruising —Joe is as sail-smitten as they come. Joe and his wife, Kaylin, welcomed a baby girl to their family in December 2021, and he is enjoying fatherhood while still finding time to sail, make music, and tip back a tasty IPA every now and again.

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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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