Waikiki Yacht Club

Waikiki Yacht Club (WYC), situated at the edge of Honolulu's Ala Moana Beach Park and the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, is one of the premier yacht clubs in the Pacific. It has been the home to sailboat racers and fishing enthusiasts since 1944. The club welcomes sailors to its docks and extends reciprocity to visiting yacht club members worldwide.

WYC was founded by yachtsmen who had great memories of the excellent sailing and yacht racing conditions in Hawaiian waters before World War II. The bombs that fell on Pearl Harbor also disrupted organized yachting; during the war, the non-military craft was banned from potentially dangerous waters. As the war drew to a close, a small group of sailors began refurbishing their boats. Their goal was to re-establish yacht racing in Honolulu and to organize a yacht club to support it.

And they did so, with 37 charter members that the first year. George Over, Jr. was the club's first commodore. The original board of directors included Duke Kahanamoku and Dick Soelberg, with other vital roles played by John Child, Bob Miller, Art Myhre, and Guy Rothwell. In 1947, the club established one of the first junior sailing programs in Hawaii. The program is still dedicated to teaching sailing skills to Hawaii's youth, and many excellent sailors have graduated from the program. For example, club members Dave McFaull and Mike Rothwell went on to win silver medals in the Tornado class in the 1976 Olympic Games.

WYC offers a full suite of amenities, including a waterfront bar and lounge, evening dining, Sunday brunch, daily casual menu selections, a swimming pool, showers, meeting areas, and facilities for catered private events. Members often relax on the wide boardwalk that fronts modern floating docks, accommodating up to 150 boats, ranging in size from 20 to 160 feet in length. Visiting vessels and their crews can stay at the club's aloha slips, access water, power, and wireless Internet service, and enjoy the facilities.