The Vallejo Yacht Club
The Vallejo Yacht Club has been a landmark in Vallejo and for yachtsmen of San Francisco Bay since the turn of the 20th century. Organized in 1900, Vallejo Yacht Club is one of only seven Yacht Clubs on the West Coast that have reached their Centennial.
HISTORY
The Vallejo Yachting and Rowing Club was permanently organized at a meeting of fifty interested boaters held at the Labor Bureau Hall in Vallejo on April 27, 1900. William J. Wood, a master sail maker at Mare Island Shipyard was elected commodore, and Adrien Eugene Chapman, Vice commodore. A recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Measurer, Port Captain, Treasurer, and five Board of Directors were also elected. An all-volunteer crew started construction of a new clubhouse off the Virginia Street Pier. The new clubhouse had its first visitors in April of 1900. Jack London joined the Vallejo Yacht Club in 1910 and remained a frequent visitor until his death.
In 1961 the Vallejo Redevelopment Agency was authorized to purchase and remove the clubhouse as part of a major downtown redevelopment project. Nothing happened until 1965 and, at the January meeting, club members voted to launch the reconstruction project, which included a new clubhouse, parking and landscaping.
In June 1965 Commodore Dr. Bob Frank signed over the deed to the old clubhouse and a Redevelopment Agency check was put into escrow. Promissory notes to members and a bank loan raised the necessary additional funds and groundbreaking ceremonies were held on March 19, 1967. Contractor Emil Meyers drove 90 piles, then one thousand linear ft. of 12'x16" girders were bolted on to the piles. Over 6,000 lbs. of steel and 30,000 board feet of decking were then laid to form the base for the building. The official move into the new clubhouse was in February 1968 and the old clubhouse was demolished shortly thereafter. One of the things salvaged from the old clubhouse was the bar, which was modified several times and expanded in 1987. The fine old hardwood dance floor was installed in the new clubhouse main room.
The history of the Vallejo Yacht Club provides a glimpse at the ever-changing scene of the water-oriented community of Vallejo and the San Francisco Bay area. For many years powerboats dominated the club. In 1944 there were 46 powerboats and 11 sailboats while in 1975 the fleet numbered 175 with equal number of sail and powerboats. Presently there are 27 powerboats and a sailing fleet of over 120 sailboats.
The Vallejo Yacht Club enjoys a long-standing reputation of unparalleled hospitality to visiting yacht clubs and is a frequent stopover for other yacht clubs returning from the Delta or cruising up the Napa River. Hosting organized cruises from other clubs has been a tradition since the 1900's and continues on today. Each year Vallejo Yacht Club hosts the Great Vallejo Race, the largest inland waterway sailboat race in the United States. As many as 400 boats sail to Vallejo from Berkeley, CA on the last Saturday of April or first Saturday in May with dinner and dancing until the wee hours. Then on Sunday morning after a continental breakfast they compete in a return race to Berkeley.
