Detroit Yacht Club
Encyclopedia
 Burgee |
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| Founded | 1868 |
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| Clubhouse | 1 Riverbank Rd., Belle Isle Belle Isle Park Belle Isle is a island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada, managed by the Detroit Recreation Department. It is connected to the rest of Detroit, Michigan by the MacArthur Bridge... , Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River... |
| Country | |
| Website | http://www.dyc.com |
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
club in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, located on its own island off of Belle Isle
Belle Isle Park
Belle Isle is a island park in the Detroit River, between the United States mainland and Canada, managed by the Detroit Recreation Department. It is connected to the rest of Detroit, Michigan by the MacArthur Bridge...
in the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
between the MacArthur Bridge
MacArthur Bridge (Detroit)
The MacArthur Bridge is a bridge that spans the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan and Belle Isle. The bridge, which features nineteen total arches across , provides main access to Belle Isle. Completed in 1923 for $2,635,000 USD, it replaced a mostly wooden bridge that accidentally caught...
and the DTE generating plant. The DYC clubhouse is a restored 1920s Mediterranean-style villa that is the largest yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
DYC is a member of the Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association
Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association
The Detroit Regional Yacht-Racing Association was established in 1912 as the Detroit River Yachting Association by the Commodores of the Detroit Boat Club and the Detroit Yacht Club, Commodore Harry Austin and Commodore Harry Kendall, respectively....
(DRYA).
History
The club was founded by Detroit sailing enthusiasts in 1868. The first Yacht Club buildings, a small clubhouse and boatshed, were constructed in the late 1870s at the foot of McDougall Street, just south of Jefferson Avenue. In the early 1880s, the members were divided over the club's growing social activities, and in 1882,one group broke away to form the Michigan Yacht Club. The remainder elected James Skiffington Commodore (the club's title equivalent to the "President" of other recreational and social organizations) in 1884.The original Belle Isle clubhouse was built at a cost of $10,000 (with a further $2,000 for furnishings) in 1891, but burned down in 1904. A new facility was quickly built at the same site.
In 1923, the present-day clubhouse was dedicated; its construction had cost more than one million dollars, the work of architect George Mason, who also designed Detroit's Masonic Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
(the world's largest) and the opulent Gem Theatre
Gem Theatre (Detroit)
The Gem Theatre in Detroit houses a two level theatre with traditional row and aisle seating and intimate stage-level seating at cabaret tables. It shares a lobby with the cabaret style Century Theatre . The theatre has stylings of Spanish Revival architecture...
. By the end of the following year membership had reached 3000. Prominent member and Commodore Gar Wood set world speed records in hydroplanes, and with his Gold Cup victories brought the club to national and even worldwide prominence. Beginning in 1921, the DYC started sponsoring the hydroplane races. Membership declined dramatically during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and some services were suspended.
In 1946, all bonds had been paid, and the club was debt-free. The club's women formed the first women's sailing organization in the country and raced the club's catboat
Catboat
A catboat , or a cat-rigged sailboat, is a sailing vessel characterized by a single mast carried well forward ....
s. During the next decade, dining facilities would be expanded, and theater-quality projection equipment installed in the ballroom, where Sunday evening screenings became a regular feature of club life. There has recently been an effort to bring back Sunday night movies.
During the 1960s, an outdoor, Olympic-size swimming pool was added, and the West End docks were built, increasing the number of boat wells to over 350. The DYC has long been a symbol of privilege and exclusivity. Up until the 1970s, Black applicants were routinely rejected, until psychiatrist Dr. Leonard Ellison filed a lawsuit, and became the first Black member.
More recently, the club has added additional facilities like a fitness center and have opened the Bitter End lounge area to allow for women to enter. Before the restoration, the Bitter End could only be accessed through the men's locker room. The newly restored Bitter End is also used for hosting small parties.
Clubhouse
The Detroit Yacht Club clubhouse was designed by architect George Mason in a Mediterranean Revival style. The building sits on a man-made island contructed from fill dirt excavated from other construction projects. The cornerstone of the building was laid in 1922 by Gar Wood and the building was completed in 1923. The clubhouse is a rambling, informal structure. Of particular note are the two grand staircases and the wood-panelled second-floor ballroom.Club Facilities
- Racquetball Courts
- Indoor and Outdoor Pools
- Outdoor Hot Tub
- Outdoor Tennis courts
- Bocce Ball Court
- Volleyball Court
- Indoor and outdoor restaurant
- Marina for over 300 boats
Annual events
- Officer's Ball (Often called Commodore's Ball)
- Vice Commodore's Ball (Also called Clean-up Day)
- Memorial Day Celebration
- Hydroplane Racing Weekend
- Venetian Weekend
Groups within the club
- The Outriggers
- The Pelicans
- Metro Club
- Ski Club
- Garden Club
- Sea Serpents
- Kayak Club
- Rod and Gun club
- The Voyagers
- The Seagulls
- DYC Business Networking group
Notable members
- Gar Wood (former Commodore)
- Edsel FordEdsel FordEdsel Bryant Ford , son of Henry Ford, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.-Life and career:...
- Horace Dodge
- Charles KetteringCharles KetteringCharles Franklin Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. He was a founder of Delco, and was head of research for General Motors for 27 years from 1920 to 1947. Among his most widely used automotive inventions were the electrical starting motor and...
- Gus Schantz
- Fred Fisher
- Robert Oakman