Watch Hill Yacht Club - Watch Hill, Westerly, Rhode Island - Sailing and Yacht Clubs on Waymarking.com

The private Watch Hill Yacht Club was founded as a sailing and racing club in 1913 in the ocean community of Watch Hill on Narragansett Bay in Westerly, Rhode Island. The current facilities include a three story clubhouse elevated above the water, adjacent and surrounding docks and moorings, and beach front cabanas. The WHYC holds and attends several Regattas during a regular season of racing. More than a dozen cruise events have been announced for the June through September 2023 season.

A dining room and bar is open to members for lunch and dinner - with requisite attire of smart-casual and jackets respectively - as well as private functions. Guest moorings are available on a first-come-first-served basis for boats up to 50 feet at $65.00 per night. The Watch Hill Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program offers 4-week classes in July and August for students ages 8 and up along with hosting two regattas.

A thorough history on the Club website, presented in a decade-by-decade format, includes:

- The original transformation of the Watch Hill dock from the ticket office of the former Watch Hill ferry in 1912 and the relocation and repurposing of an existing structure to a new dock for a clubhouse in July 1923;

- "On September 21, 1938, Watch Hill was hit by the Great Hurricane. One of the many casualties was the Club House, which was washed off the dock into the Bay." Through fundraising, a new Clubhouse was constructed in time for the summer of 1939 -- its more substantial building techniques helped it survive another hurricane in 1954;

- The 1950's saw the expansion of on-land amenities in the form of beach cabanas along an adjacent stretch of Napatree Point immediately west of the clubhouse;

- "In 1978, we saw the election of our first woman Flag Officer, Rita Ahearn, who has subsequently served as Commodore."

- A century of "sailing, socials, and ceremonies" including growing a fleet of vessels comprised of sixteen molded and three wooden hulls.

Facility Rating: Address of Facility: 1 Fort Road Watch Hill, RI Public/Private: Private? Clear overhead clearance at ramp for mast: yes Good trailer/rig parking: no Good dock alongside of ramp: no Overnight docking available: yes Good staging area for rigging boat: yes Clubhouse facilities: yes Racing committee at facility: yes "On the hard" trailer/boat storage: no Website of Club: [Web Link] Fees: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:

To log a waymark, please take a picture with or without a GPSr in the shot at the location. Pictures with sailboats get you "extra credit!"

Please add descriptions to your log that would be helpful to sailors hoping to visit the location. Any "salty dog" stories are also encouraged!

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/25/2023 childofatom visited it