houston yacht club

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Welcome to the Houston Yacht Club

Good times and good friends.

Perched on the western shore of Galveston Bay, the Houston Yacht Club offers its Members a busy schedule of activities on the water and onshore. The oldest yacht club in Texas, HYC has a reputation for outstanding programs, facilities, and services for its Members. The Club has a large Harbor, a spectacular view of the Bay, and a historic three-story Clubhouse complete with a Ballroom, Dining Room, and guest rooms. Our grounds include a magnificent resort-style pool with cabanas, a pickleball and basketball court, a bocce ball court, and a children's playground.

We offer something for every age, whether racing, cruising, and other on-the-water activities, or social and educational events. Our youth program operates year-round. HYC is noted for excellence in race management. We often host one or two national or international regattas a year. All this is closer than you think. You can be here in 30-40 minutes from almost anywhere in the Houston-Galveston area. Once you get here, you will find good times and good friends.

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Houston Yacht Club

In 1897, after a summer filled with boating excursions, sailing parties, and two hotly contested regattas, a group of yachtsmen organized the houston yacht club (hyc), which is, today, the oldest yacht club in texas., in 1897, the houston yacht club (hyc) was officially organized, following a summer filled with boating excursions. dan e. kennedy, a former texas ranger, was elected the first commodore of the hyc at a meeting held in the binz building, houston’s first skyscraper, on february 2, 1898., in 1905, the members reorganized as the houston yacht & power boat club. members continued to hold meetings in downtown houston and moor their boats at the club wharf on buffalo bayou near allen’s landing. the organization's purpose included promoting, encouraging, and developing both the science and sport of boating. in addition the club aimed to maintain a cleaner and healthier bayou. lumber magnate john h. kirby donated his steamboat, the lawrence, to the club to promote interest in houston’s fledgling ship channel and galveston bay’s commercial and recreational potential. after two more years, in 1907, the club once again reorganized as the houston launch club., starting in 1907, the houston launch club, with its impressive fleet of motor cruisers, continued to meet downtown for the next three years. in 1910, the launch club built a club house on buffalo bayou in harrisburg, which is now part of houston’s east end, opposite brady island and today's port of houston turning basin. in addition to encouraging and organizing sailing, power boating, and canoeing events, a primary focus of the club remained promoting the development of the houston ship channel and houston as a deep water port., after world war i, the sailing members of the houston launch club, ready to compete in regattas with other clubs in the south, began a movement to relocate the club to galveston bay where practicing their sailing skills would be more convenient. in 1923, these members established a sailing facility in seabrook known as the “houston yacht club, launch club bayshore home.”, in 1926, the two groups began selling their respective properties and pooling resources to build the shoreacres clubhouse, near laporte, on galveston bay. retaining the houston yacht club name and the burgee of the houston launch club, they moved into their “magnificent and commodious” spanish building in july of 1927. this three story stucco building, affectionately referred to as the “pink palace,” has provided a warm home on the bay for member families for almost 75 years., the grand clubhouse, inspired by the houston launch club’s longstanding mission to promote both the city of houston as well as the club, would continue to signal the commitment to houston as a deep water port. in addition, the club worked to collectively benefit recreational boating and yachting., due, in part to the success of commercial shipping interests and growth of the port infrastructure, the yacht club flourished in their new location: large crowds consistently attended regattas, while speed-boating became increasingly popular., during world war ii, the club house was occupied by the u.s. coast guard, which converted it into a training facility. as in world war i, members and their boats went to war. their power boats were used to help patrol the houston ship channel, a vital oil port., from its landmark home on upper galveston bay, hyc continues a long established tradition of organizing regattas, hosting national and world championships, and promoting houston as a nationally recognized yacht racing and recreational boating center., champions and championships, the crescent, owned by the hamilton brothers, of shirt-making fame, raced in the fourth of july regatta of 1897 at la porte, off sylvan beach, in galveston bay. after this regatta, the houston yacht club was formed., despite the ravages of the great storm of 1900, along with the spanish-american war at the turn of the century, regattas were held at seabrook and galveston in the early years as well., the yacht club participated in a number of regatta's and various other events., in 1921, members of the houston launch club (which was a reorganized and renamed iteration of houston yacht club) arrived in pensacola, florida for the lipton fish class challenge., in july 1927, the mississippi valley power boat regatta was held in galveston and hosted by the houston launch club in the same year that the club moved to galveston bay., two years later, in 1929, the houston launch club hosted the national lipton cup competition, which was only two years after moving into its home on galveston bay, shoreacres., the club would go on to host many more regional, national, and international competitions in galveston bay. a number of the club's sailors have also gone on to compete nationally and internationally, including olympic sailors john kolius and charlie ogletree..

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3620 Miramar Dr

Shoreacres, TX 77571

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About the Business

Houston Yacht Club is a casual, comfortable, social, and recreational private club where a community of families and individuals enjoy their own special resort on the waterfront of Galveston Bay. Founded over 125 years ago, we're an oasis where you can connect with friends, learn something new, or unwind. HYC is only 30 minutes from Downtown Houston. Boat Ownership is not required for membership. We have a restaurant, bar, and event spaces with gorgeous bay views. There's something for everyone at HYC. …

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I had a server named Haley. Horrible service. I lost my phone. She was the rudest most irresponsible server I have ever had. Long brown hair was found in my food and I am considering cancelling my membership

Business owner information

Houston Yacht C.

Business Manager

Sep 16, 2023

Hello Mr. Alexander, very sorry to read that you had a bad experience. I am on the management team and I would love to address your concern. However we don't have a member in our roster by the name Alexander S. so we are unable to contact you. Please give me a call at the club 281.471.1255. Thanks a lot

The food is outstandin; the service is Great; the atmosphere is exilerating every time we go there

Great food and drinks, wonderful service, fantastic views and always something to do for any age. Great access to the bay without having to deal with the Kemah channel. I know when most people think about yacht clubs they think "snooty", but this place is anything but that!

We've been bringing our 7 year old son here for weekly sailing lessons for the last year. It's been great. Our son has learned to sail, and has gained self confidence. The coaching staff has been very good and they also emphasize teaching responsibility, which has been a big plus. Couldn't be happier.

Love the food, people, environment! HYC is my second home and has definitely made my relocation to Texas so much easier!

We were there for Texas Youth Race Week and felt very welcomed. The grounds are clean and well kept. The slips look well cared for. The club house is gorgeous and huge. Everyone was welcoming and service was good. The amenities were great and the food was yummy. Very nice club.

This club is tucked away on the bay side of a small town. A small road makes you wonder what you will find at the end. Then appears a beautiful pink mansion overlooking Galveston Bay. Houston Yacht Club has the best views then any other yacht club in the area. We had such a good time sailing our boat, with direct bay access. The marina is well equipped with cranes, floating docks and a helpful members everywhere. We had a great time that evening as well. The dining room is eloquent & remanence of a time gone by. The food & service was better than I expected from a yacht club, with views of the pool & bay from every seat. The sunset could not of been more picturesque. The bar also overlooks the bay a breathtaking views off the balcony. Lively bar with live music where even the Commodore himself joined in with his guitar for a song or two. Great place for the whole family!

I just experienced a wonderful Saturday evening at the Houston Yacht Club. The venue was amazing. Spectacular view! The food was delicious. And my hat's off to Ms. Dawn and her staff who worked so hard to every attention to detail and was ready to assist as needed. Everyone was very friendly and courteous. They were a lot of fun! I hope to return soon.

We were visiting from another yacht club and wanted to visit the Houston Yacht Club for a quick drink. They were not reciprocal or even nice about it. One lady wanted to give us a guest card but another lady said we were not allowed on the property. We had our yacht club card and ID with us but she treated us like criminals. If you came to our yacht club under similar circumstance not only would we welcome you in with open arms but I would buy you your first drink! Don't waste your time visiting here.

I hate this place. The food is terrible and over priced. They can't even get a hamburger right. The only reason I've eaten here at all is because my parents are members and I think they like to play big shots for an evening. I don't understand how they've fooled themselves into thinking that it's a suitable dining venue but whatever. Guess they gotta justify their membership dues. Service is also surprisingly surly at times. As far as a place to park a boat, it seems decent enough.

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