Overview
Southern Yacht Club was founded at Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf Coast on 21 July 1849 and is the second oldest yacht club in the United States, after the New York Yacht Club. It moved to New Orleans in 1857 and has had its clubhouse over the water at West End on Lake Pontchartrain since 1879; the present building opened in 2009 after the previous one burned in the fire that followed Hurricane Katrina. Since 1850 the club has sailed the annual Race to the Coast from New Orleans across the lake and through the Rigolets to Pass Christian, one of the oldest regattas still contested in the Western Hemisphere. It helped found the Gulf Yachting Association, whose Lipton Cup interclub challenge began with a trophy given to the club in 1919, and today runs a full schedule of handicap, one-design, team and radio-sailing racing and a junior program.
- Founded
- 1849
- Federation
- Gulf Yachting Association
- Phone
- +1 504 288 4200
On the water with VesselSOS
- Family see you from shoreA live link in any browser – they don’t need the app.
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- 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.
- Race to the Coastannual race from New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain, through the Rigolets and Lake Borgne to Pass Christian, sailed since 4 July 1850
- Lipton Cup ChallengeGulf Yachting Association interclub challenge for the trophy given to the club in 1919
- Southern Nichols Cup Team Race3v3 team race in Storm 18s (March)
- Opening Regattaseason-opening regatta for one-design, dinghy and handicap classes
- J/22 WorldsJ/22 world championship hosted by the club
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
- 1849Organizational meeting at the Pass Christian Hotel on 21 July; eighteen yachts start the first regatta that summer
- 1850First Race to the Coast, New Orleans to Pass Christian, on 4 July
- 1857The club moves to New Orleans and races on Lake Pontchartrain
- 1878–1879Reorganized after the war; a clubhouse is built over the water at West End
- 1899A larger second clubhouse is built, enlarged in the 1920s
- 1919A Lipton trophy for a Gulf interclub challenge helps revive the Gulf Yachting Association; the Fish class debuts
- 1932A club Star crew wins the first US Olympic gold medal in sailing
- 1949A third clubhouse replaces the wartime-worn building
- 2005After Hurricane Katrina the clubhouse is destroyed by fire, with many historic trophies
- 2009The fourth West End clubhouse opens
Location
- Position
- 30°1.65′ N 90°6.85′ W
30.02745, -90.11413 - Address
- 105 North Roadway
Frequently asked
Can I learn to sail here?
Yes. The club lists these courses: Junior sailing and Summer Camp.
When was Southern Yacht Club founded?
In 1849.
Which regattas does the club run?
According to the club website, among others: Race to the Coast, Lipton Cup Challenge, Southern Nichols Cup Team Race and Opening Regatta.