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The Lewes Yacht Club is a private membership club with facilities that are for the sole and private use of the LYC Members and their guests. OUR MISSION The mission of the Lewes Yacht Club is to serve our members in a welcoming atmosphere fostering sailing, boating, swimming, and social activities centered on the Delaware Bay.

VISION Members enhancing their lives through friendship and participation in a first-class yacht club.

CORE VALUES

• We believe in respecting our club’s history
• We believe respect, honesty, and integrity are essential
• We believe in fostering fellowship and involvement of all members
• We believe in volunteering time and personal skills for the operation and maintenance of the club
• We believe in administering and managing the club in a  prudent manner, keeping fees appropriate to accomplish our vision and mission
• We believe in providing opportunities for families and youth in a safe and wholesome environment

Lewes Yacht Club celebrates 90 years

What started as a group of sailors meeting on Lewes Beach for weekend races more than nine decades ago developed into the Lewes Yacht Club, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this month.

Club members gathered Sept. 24 to celebrate the 90th anniversary. The event was highlighted with attendance by several descendants of the founders and the debut of a 90th anniversary video.

And in a long line of milestones in the history of the club is a project getting underway to renovate and expand the current clubhouse to allow for extra dining area (including more outdoor options), a larger bar area, more storage and a new pool bathhouse. The project will be done over a two-year period in an effort to impact the membership as little as possible.

The idea for a sailing association was presented in August 1932 by George Davisson, Richard Reese Sr. and Marjorie Virden. Davisson and Reese would become the club's first two commodores. A total of 17 charter members started the club and set the dues at $3 a year with a $1 initiation fee.

It took a few years, but LYC was incorporated in July 1937, and the first clubhouse was built in 1938 for $5,000 with donated materials on land given by the City of Lewes.

Today, LYC not only has a clubhouse but a pool and marina, an established summertime youth sailing school and swim team, weekly sailing races, special sailing events, programs for members and guests, a foundation, dinners, a snack bar and youth programs.

And there is that beach access. The club is situated at the site of one of the Lewes Beach crossovers with easy access to Lewes Beach and the Delaware Bay. The view from its large outdoor deck provides one of the best sunset spots in Lewes.

The club has 700 memberships with a waiting list of several years.

Among additions to the club over the years, the pool created the most controversy. Longtime members can recall the division that occurred between those who wanted a pool and those who didn't. It got to a point where some members quit the club. When the pool opened in 1987, it quickly became the most-used amenity at the club, and most of those members who parted ways returned to the fold.

Several key families have played significant roles in the formation and growth of the club, including the Masons, Carters, Marshalls, Millers and Reardons, all familiar names in Lewes.

Although the club has a variety of activities, its roots are in sailing. Over the years, the club has hosted a variety of regattas for all types of sailboats, including Sunfish, Mobjacks, Hobie Cats, Optimists and J-70s, all run by a dedicated race committee.

The annual Breakwater Race each Labor Day is the club’s longest-lasting tradition, having started 90 years ago. In the early days, members had swimming and rowing races to the breakwater as well.

The Cape-to-Cape Regatta, started in 2008, continues each August with racing between Lewes and Cape May, N.J.

Key events in LYC's history

August 1932 – Idea for LYC is proposed; 17 charter members

July 1937 – Incorporation takes place

1938 – Construction of first clubhouse at the end of Cedar Street

1941 – Club is used by the military as lookout during World War II

1950s – The clubhouse is expanded and renovated; membership is 123

1969 – Marina on Lewes-Rehoboth Canal is completed

1980s – First paid staff

1982 – Sailing school begins

1987 – Pool opens; swim team and water aerobics begin

2003 – Demolition of old clubhouse

2005 – New clubhouse dedicated

2009 – Foundation is formed

2017 – Major pool renovations and first general manager hired

2022 – Major construction project gets underway

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The east coast boasts a colorful racing scene this summer as first state residents enjoy lively yacht competitions on the delaware bay..

In 2005, Vincent Walsh and Thomas Sheridan purchased a house on Pilottown Road in Lewes for one primary reason. Since the property stretches to the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, they have a private slip for the 37-foot sloop Ceili.

Over the past decade, the couple has witnessed an increased interest in sailing. “[Lewes has] become a big sailing community,” Walsh says. “It’s partly because of the easy access to the Delaware Bay, which is beautiful to sail in.”

The proximity to bay and ocean has made Lewes a sailor’s paradise for centuries. The Lewes Yacht Club was founded in 1932, and residents like Nick Carter—whose grandfather was a club founder—and Bert Keller grew up sailing off Lewes Beach. “We probably spent as much time on the water as we did on the sand,” Keller says.

In the late 20th century, powerboats and Jet Skis began eclipsing all but the small sailboats on the horizon. But now, there are more vessels like Ceili gliding past the Delaware Breakwater and East End Lighthouse.

In part, credit the “Beer Can Fleet,” an informal regatta for all sizes and classes. Carter and friends started the competitions about 15 years ago. Today, about 11 boats participate in the races, held on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. during the season. Anyone can join, and participants include Carter’s 36-foot Catalina sloop rig and Keller’s Catalina 25, a smaller cruising sailboat. “We’re the smallest but not always the slowest,” Keller quips.

The wind affects the course, but the two breakwaters, ice breakers and buoys often serve as marks. It’s up to the skipper to monitor the race time from start to finish. The boats are handicapped since they are all different. (Handicapping allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to race against one another. The goal is to emphasize a crew’s skill and not the boat’s inherent advantages or disadvantages.)

At the month’s end, boats with the lowest scores receive awards. There’s also a trophy for sailboats with the lowest cumulative score over the summer. It’s named the Drew Pfarr Memorial Cup to honor a late competitor’s son.

Part of the Mid-Atlantic Yacht Racing Association , the more formal Cape-to-Cape Challenge is organized by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May and the Lewes Yacht Club. The 2021 event is Friday, August 6, through Saturday, August 7. (The Lewes Yacht Club has also hosted the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association.)

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As for smaller vessels, the club is kindling more interest in racing with 2 p.m. competitions on Saturdays and a sailing school for kids ages 6 to 16. Membership is not required.

Sailfish and Sunfish are frequently spotted soaring across the Rehoboth Bay, which is too shallow for larger boats. It’s not unusual to spot a novice sailor trudging through water, pulling a boat behind them.

“But that’s why it’s a good place to learn,” says Greg Holochwost, manager of the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association . “It’s a relatively calm body of water with fairly steady winds all summer long.”

The club, founded in 1963 to promote sailing and preserve the inland bays, has about 150 members. (A family is considered one membership.) However, the public may rent sailboats, including a 19-foot vessel, and take lessons. The club also holds a sailing camp for kids.

Every Saturday, Sunfish and Flying Scots participate in races, and the club welcomes non-members for Hobie races. An annual race around the bay is also open to all boats, which are handicapped, and this year, the club plans to hold regattas for Lasers and Sunfish.

Any type of sailing requires skill. For a race, larger boats need a crew of up to five to cover all the bases. But the thrill of competition is not sailing’s sole allure. Sheridan, who has his captain’s license, and Walsh simply enjoy the quiet charm of moving across the bay on wind power. They often tie-up with boats to create a floating social scene.

After all, Walsh says, ceili is Gaelic for “party.”

For more information, visit: Lewes Yacht Club 2701 Cedar St.; Lewes, 645-8596; lewesyachtclub.com

Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association 38767 Rehoboth Bay Sailing Assoc. Lane, Dewey; 227-9008; rbsa.org

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Roosevelt Inlet

Roosevelt Inlet beach is located at the end of Cedar Street by the Lewes Yacht Club. This beach has a gravel parking lot with free parking and four portable restrooms. Bonfires, weddings, and events can be held on Roosevelt Inlet with proper permitting.  

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Lewes Yacht Club

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• 2701 Cedar St Lewes, DE 19958
•    302-645-8596

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About Lewes Yacht Club

Lewes Yacht Club is located at 2701 Cedar St in Lewes, Delaware 19958. Lewes Yacht Club can be contacted via phone at 302-645-8596 for pricing, hours and directions.

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Q what is the phone number for lewes yacht club.

A The phone number for Lewes Yacht Club is: 302-645-8596.

Q Where is Lewes Yacht Club located?

A Lewes Yacht Club is located at 2701 Cedar St, Lewes, DE 19958

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A Lewes Yacht Club has a 4.5 Star Rating from 147 reviewers.

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