Overview
Houston Yacht Club, organized in 1897, is the oldest yacht club in Texas. It began on Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston, moved to Galveston Bay in the 1920s and since 1927 has been at home in its Spanish-style 'Pink Palace' clubhouse in Shoreacres, half an hour from downtown. Its harbor opens straight onto the bay, with nearly 250 slips and sheds, a 400 ft guest dock, fuel, pump-out, cranes and ramps and dry storage for some 130 mast-up boats. The club races Melges 15, Ensign, J/22 and J/24 fleets and PHRF, runs the Houston Open One Design (HOOD) Regatta, keeps a charter fleet from Sunfish to J/24s for members, and its Ragnot youth program, started in 1957, has produced several Sears Cup winners.
- Founded
- 1897
- Federation
- Gulf Yachting Association
- Phone
- +1 281 471 1255
On the water with VesselSOS
- Family see you from shoreA live link in any browser – they don’t need the app.
- One tap to the right rescue centreHere Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston – the app switches centre as you move, with your position and call script even without signal.
- Return-time checkIf you’re not back in time, your people know.
- Shared hazard mapRocks, nets and other hazards reported by other boaters.
Regattas and series
Run or hosted by the club, per the club website. Dates and notices are on the club site.
- Houston Open One Design Regatta (HOOD)one-design regatta (J/22, J/24, J/105, Sunfish and others); 16th edition 18–20 September 2026 with the J/22 Heritage Cup and J/24 Beasley Cup; free berthing for entrants
Live map, a start clock on every phone and results — when the club runs a race on VesselSOS Racing, it shows up here. Racing is a pilot with clubs for the 2027 season.
No race running right nowSee VesselSOS RacingSailing school and courses
Boat classes
History and achievements
- 1897After a summer of excursions and two contested regattas, Houston yachtsmen organize the club; the first commodore is elected on 2 February 1898
- 1905–1907Reorganized as the Houston Yacht & Power Boat Club, mooring on Buffalo Bayou near Allen's Landing, then as the Houston Launch Club
- 1910A clubhouse is built on Buffalo Bayou in Harrisburg, opposite today's Port of Houston turning basin
- 1920The club is a founder of the Gulf Yachting Association
- 1923Sailing members open a bay station in Seabrook
- 1927The club moves into its Spanish-style clubhouse in Shoreacres in July
- 1940sThe US Coast Guard uses the clubhouse as a wartime training facility
- 1957 · 1977The Ragnots youth sailing program starts (1957); week-long Ragnot camps begin in 1977
- 1983Women members hold the Windward Bound overnight sailing camp, believed to be the first of its kind, and form the HYC Women's Sailing Association
- 1997Centennial year; the Texas Historical Commission awards a state historical marker
Home harbour & location
- Position
- 29°37.04′ N 95°0.02′ W
29.61733, -95.00033 - Address
- 3620 Miramar Drive
- Radio
- VHF 72
emergency VHF 16 · DSC 70
Frequently asked
Can I learn to sail here?
Yes. The club lists these courses: Sailing lessons, Summer camps (Ragnots) and Nautical education.
Who do I call in an emergency at sea here?
Sea rescue: Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston 911. On the radio: MAYDAY on VHF channel 16.
When was Houston Yacht Club founded?
In 1897.
Which regattas does the club run?
According to the club website, among others: Houston Open One Design Regatta (HOOD).