Bay Yacht Club

In 1971, a group of 45 young people from Corpus Christi interested in water related activities met to form The Bay Yacht Club in the Old Beach Club (long gone, next to present Landmark Condominiums on Ocean Drive).

The first officers and directors were elected in January 1972, and a burgee was selected. A committee was set up to begin planning a new facility. In July of 1972, the membership voted to acquire a floating facility to be moored in the downtown marina that would serve as their new home. The first clubhouse was built by the members themselves, on weekends and after work. It was a 25x68 feet, with limited kitchen facilities, two bathrooms, one large air-conditioned room and an upper sun deck. It was moored at the end of "B" Pier. The facility was replaced in 1986 by the next clubhouse, built on a 30x100 feet barge, and had full kitchen facilities, bathrooms with showers, one large gathering room, an upper lounge and an upper sun deck.  Members and guests enjoyed this facility, moored on “B” pier in the Corpus Christi Marina, for twenty eight years.

In 2014, the barge and clubhouse were sold because badly needed repairs to the steel barge were not practicable.  The Club moved to 555 South Shoreline Drive, one block from McGee beach on Corpus Christi Bay and three blocks from the city marina.  The new clubhouse offered improved access, convenient parking and high visibility to motorists traversing Shoreline Drive.  Within the 3,250 square foot facility were a large gathering room for socializing and entertaining, a fully equipped kitchen, a media room for viewing television and movies, a training / meeting room, a library with space for the Club’s ham and maritime private coastal station radio equipment, and cubicles for rent to club members needing space for storage of boating equipment.  The Club’s fleet of six Sunfish board boats, previously adjacent to the barge, was located on the Sunfish Dock at “A” pier in the city marina.

In August 2017, the Club acquired the former Floridian Star charter dinner ship.  The vessel was rechristened as the Bay Star and is docked on the south end of Lawrence St T-Head.  Ongoing renovations and upgrades are transforming the vessel into a first class ship.  To learn how we came to acquire our new club, please follow this link:  History of the Bay Star.

It has been a tradition for the year's events to be captured in a poem.

This is a salute to our members that have taken the everlasting sail to distant horizons. Our prayers and thoughts go with them. Thanks for the memories.