Formed in 1947, YBYC has continued to change and grow. Founding members recall lively nights of dancing at the first clubhouse located near Riverbend. Long known as the drinking and eating club, we’ve also been a major part of the sailboat racing scene in Oregon. In 1976, the first Oregon Offshore race finished at the whistle (Y) buoy outside the Yaquina Bay bar. The Oregon Offshore was a result of a challenge set forth by Jack Gainer (Raindrop) and Richard Kipp (Vagabundo) to all the Portland-area sailors. They wanted an event that would put the Oregon racing community into "offshore" racing rivaling Seattle, BC, and even California. The organizers of the Oregon Offshore tried several courses over the years and now finish in Victoria, B.C., and the spirit of that first race lives on in YBYC’s Bridge to Bridge race.
Early years of racing on Yaquina Bay describe fleets of 60 or more small boats taking part in our regattas. Nowadays, we have both dinghies and keelboats actively racing year round.
At some point YBYC moved out from our early clubhouse, and often held meetings at the Embarcadero’s Fireside Room. But members again wanted a home of their own and explored several avenues before committing to build our present clubhouse on the Bayfront. Built almost entirely with volunteer labor, members joined forces to create the facility we use today. In recent years we have again re-energized the club and tackled new projects. We held a membership drive that generated a lot of community interest, purchased a new fleet of Vanguard Club 420 sailboats, started a county-wide High School Sailing Team, revived the Bridge to Bridge offshore race, expanded the boating education program to include kayaking, created a 501(c)(3) foundation to address boating education, and made a concerted effort to showcase our club in the Newport and Lincoln County community.
YBYC owes its longevity to all our members – to everyone who has shared their ideas, their visions and their spunk; to the leaders in each of us, but especially to those who have taken the tiller and steered the ship with their service on the board and as the Commodore.