 Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club. For several decades Marina del Rey was the home for seven yacht clubs, ranging in profile from the small all-volunteer clubs to the large corporate-owned clubs. In summer of 1998, realizing that they were both competing for the same perspective members, several members of SMYC and WYC started discussions on the feasibility of joining the two clubs. These members saw a perfect opportunity to combine resources and form a strong organization which would prosper through the results of a joint effort. On April 1, 1999 SMYC and WYC combined. WYC closed its doors on Bali Way after a final poignant farewell party. SMYC opened its doors to WYC members, and a new chapter in MDR yachting history began.
Santa Monica Yacht Club. In the late thirties, two Santa Monicans, Dr. Jack E. Taylor and Dr. Glenn Thorpe, sailing friends, met on a regular basis for lunch at a restaurant overlooking Santa Monica Bay. Before long, these men who jokingly called themselves the End of the World Yacht Club, were joined by Boyd (Bud) Verplank and Stratford Enright, Jr. It was soon decided to form a real yacht club. After plenty of lively discussion, they agreed on the name Santa Monica Yacht Club, and its first official meeting was held on April 22, 1941. The four founding members became officers, led by Commodore Jack Taylor. Stratford Enright, captain of the Star Fleet, brought that group into the new club which qualified SMYC for membership to the Southern California Yachting Association. In 1942, acceptance into SCYA was granted under the leadership of Commodore Glenn Thorpe. WW II did not stop activities at SMYC. The first Annual Meeting was held at the Pirate's Den in Hollywood during a blackout. Many future meetings were held at the Enrights home in the Hollywood Hills and later in Newport Beach. In the spring of 1947 arrangements were made with the Flitz Brothers Landing in San Pedro for an anchorage. This was sufficient until the membership realized that with such a busy racing and social calendar SMYC needed a more permanent facility. On January 31, 1948, the entire membership started work on the first clubhouse in San Pedro. Two weekends later it was ready for finishing touches, and in short order, paint, furnishings, a flagpole, dinghy ramp and float were completed. In the sixties, Marina del Rey was becoming the yachting place to be and most SMYC members moved their boats to the new harbor. In 1969 negotiations were completed with Real Property Management and on July 18, 1970, the new SMYC clubhouse on Mindanao Way, just down the road from its present location, was commissioned. During the seventies, membership increased and SMYC became a prominent and winning participant in Marina del Rey Race events. Women were invited onto the race course, an active Juniors program was the envy of other local yacht clubs and its social calendar was getting busier. In 1985 the club formed a limited partnership to purchase the Baja Marina, practically right next door to its location on Mindanao Way. Most members became partners in the new SMYC Marina and in early 1986 ground was broken for the new clubhouse, which remains SMWYC's present day facility. Windjammers' Yacht Club. In 1961 Windjammers' Yacht Club was founded by avid sailor and sabot racer MacCameron (Mac) Jones and several of his racing buddies: Lee Lemond, Bill Millar and Hamilton Barhydt, among others. Having been previous members of Win'ard Yacht Club in King Harbor, Mac and his friends migrated to MDR and organized WYC with Mac as their first Commodore. The first meetings were held at the Venice Women's Club. After outgrowing that location, their meetings moved to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Westchester. In 1967 Commodore Jack Sells and WYC members broke ground at the clubhouse on Bali Way and remained there for thirty two years, until its combining with SMYC in April of 1999. |