Based in beautiful Sag Harbor, Breakwater Yacht Club has been introducing people to sailing since 1987. Overlooking the bay and just down the street from Sag Harbor Yacht Club, the BYC is a not-for-profit Community Sailing Center with the mission of providing affordable, accessible sailing to all ages and abilities. An alternative to some of the other, private clubs in Sag Harbor, BYC hopes to expose as many people to sailing as possible.
Sag Harbor, a village located out of the tip of Long Island, is squarely in the middle of the Hamptons. So much, in fact, that part of the town is in East Hampton and the other part in Southampton. Sag Harbor Bay played host to a huge number of shipping vessels in the 1700s and 1800s as an international port. The Bay itself is large and sheltered from the ocean.
The BYC clubhouse is located in the heart of the Sag Harbor waterfront with facilities right on the water and stones throw from Sag Harbor Yacht Club. The club fleet consists of 15 JY15’s, 15 Optis, eight Lasers, six 420s, four chase boats and two J/70s. These are all used lessons and club racing. Membership numbers around 400 with another 450 or so Junior Sailors on an annual basis.
As a Community Sailing Center, the BYC has become increasingly popular over the past few years as a learn-to-sail destination. The mission has always been to expose and introduce as many young people as possible to the sport of sailing, and try to foster a love that will keep them coming back. Many current instructors were once junior sailors themselves, as is common in many programs. Offering weekly camps as well as racing programs and summer racing series, the BYC provides affordable sailing instruction and accessibility to racing in a unique location. The club offers 75 scholarships to young sailors who may not usually have the opportunity to experience a sailing program.
Through the years the club has grown and changed from a membership standpoint as well as a physical facility. Junior sailors have grown up and are now sending their children to learn how to sail. High school sailors practice at the facility in the spring in the cold waters of Sag Harbor Bay and intrepid racers make their way onto the bay in the late spring. Membership dues are very reasonable, providing a platform for young people to get on the water without having to own a boat. The BYC is a uniquely situated program on the east end of Long Island with a mission of involving as many people in sailing as possible.
Leave a Reply