About Berkeley Yacht Club
Berkeley Yacht Club is in the Berkeley Marina, on the south side ofthe harbor entrance channel, 0.2 miles north of the Berkeley Municipal Fishing Pier. BYC was founded in 1939, and the clubhouse was built by members between 1940 and 1974. The clubhouse includes a bar, lounge, and dining facilities, and the bar and lounge areas feature a spectacular "three-bridge view" of San Francisco Bay.
Click here for directions to BYC.
There is a guest dock, but the club does not provide permanent berthing. Berkeley Marina is a municipal marina, operated by the City of Berkeley.
Membership dues are $125/quarter and there is a one-time $500 initiation fee. (Dues and fees occasionally change. Check with club management to verify current rates.) Spouse and domestic partners are included in the membership, and significantly reduced rates are availble for youth (under26), Junior (under 21) and absentee membership categories. There are approximately 250 active members as of June 2000. BYC was among the first yacht clubs in the Bay Area to become entirely non-smoking in 1992.
BYC runs a very active Friday Night Race series all summer, from the beginning of Daylight Savings Time through the end of September. These races are co-sponsored by the Cal Sailing Club, a sailing cooperative located on the south side of the Berkeley Marina. Because of windy conditions on the Bay in summer, crew are almost always in demand. Even crew with little sailing experience are usually invited out (there is an entry-level crew position called "sandbag" that involves little more than moving to the proper side of the boat when instructed). It's best to arrive before 5:45 on Friday evening if you want to race, although some boats don't leave until 6:15 or later.
Participation in these races, and/or the barbecue that follows, is an excellent introduction to BYC. Follow the link to the Friday Night Races web pages for more details about these drop-in crewing opportunities.
A similar series of entry-level races called the Chowder Races is held in the winter. The start is at 12:40, and there is a race every Sunday except for dates that conflict with other BYC race events. In contrast to summer racing, this is an unapologetic "fair weather series" and races may be cancelled due to rain or high wind.
BYC schedules club cruises once a month, formal and informal parties, dinner meetings, lectures and race clinics. The Commodore's Ball, Halloween Party, Amateur Performance Nights, and various other special social events span the full range of party styles and tastes.
The club also sponsors several YRA races during the summer season, and other YRA-level events througuot the year. The popular Metropolitan Midwinter series is the longest-running midwinter series on the Bay, and the Woman Skipper Invitational in the Fall was the first event of its kind on the Bay. The Rollo Wheeler Regatta is a popular two-day event in early Spring.
BYC has become the de-facto co-sponsor of the bi-annual PacificCup, the race from San Fracisco to Koneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Many members have participated in this race several times, and the BYC has been the Race Committee Headquarters for the last few events.
Berkeley Yacht Club uses minimal professional staff. Bartenders are usually members, and when there is no bartender on duty the members are free to serve from the bar themselves. Members have keys to the club, and in contrast to many other yacht clubs that are closed during most of the week, BYC can be opened any time by members who wish to use the lounge, bar, or kitchen facilities. This makes the club particularly attractive to live-aboards, who often use these dining and socializing spaces in the clubhouse. This in turn has the effect of keeping the club socially active during the week, even when no events are planned and no groups are using the meeting rooms.
Click here for BYC officers and committee chairs.
Looking west and down at the club and guest dock
(kite photography by Charles C. Benton)