Welcome to the St. Croix Yacht Club

Boating is at the heart of everything we do, be it sailing, cruising, racing, kayaking, team racing or motoring to “Buck & back.” our casual, social, family-friendly atmosphere is grounded in long-standing traditions and family values, seasoned with the right amount of technology and forward thinking.

Property has been acquired, facilities have been constructed, expanded and renovated, and training boats have been built or bought through loans, mortgages, dues and initiation fees. All obligations have been met, and in 1993, the final loan was repaid.

From the very beginning, the success of the St. Croix Yacht Club has occurred through an active and dedicated volunteer involvement. The racing, training and social programs continue to grow and the membership roster has filled to capacity. It’s easy to see why it is the most successful private club on St. Croix

Mission

The Club was formed for the express purpose of promoting interest and activity in the ownership, racing and cruising of yachts and small boats; of providing a meeting place for members whose common interest lies in ships and the sea; of augmenting the recreational facilities and visitor attractions of the island; of exchange and courtesies with other yacht clubs of the United States and Caribbean islands, and of extending to visiting yachtsmen the hospitality of St. Croix.

Fast Facts

• Located in residential East End area on 6 waterfront acres
• Current roster has 500 members, ages 10 – 90+ (Several nonagenarians still sail)
• Junior sailing program, for children age 8-18, has provided programs for over 50 years with U.S. Sailing Certified instructors. Scholarships are available for students needing financial assistance.
• Fleet inventory:
  • Sailing fleet: 105 boats
  • Power fleet: 98 boats
• 32-slip docking facility

The Burgee

The club’s burgee design is the result of a contest held soon after the club’s incorporation. Harry Neuman’s design is based on the Danish flag, commemorating 150 years of Danish influence on St. Croix. The truncated cone of an old Crucian windmill base is at the intersection of squarely intersecting white dividers on a red background.

A Little History

• 1952- Club established at the corner of Queen Cross and Strand Streets in Christiansted
  
• 1959- Two one-acre lots purchased on the shore of Teague Bay
  
• 1959- Two wooden Penguins built for racing
  
• 1961- Clubhouse building finished and landscaped - First Sailfish one-design series won by Dick Newick
  
• 1963- First professionally built Snipe arrives from Portugal for Howard Finch - Junior Sailing gets started by Barbara Mintz, with five plywood Optimist prams
  
• 1965- Additional land purchased
  
• 1973-1981- Dock extensions built
  
• 1974- Flagpole erected, fashioned after a topsail schooner mast
  
• 1993- Membership waiting list established - First Mumm’s Cup Regatta
  
• 1997- First Rhodes 19 donated to club: Jean Hookanson’s Yellow Bird

The Regatta

• First leg of the Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle (CORT), followed by regattas in Culebra and Tortola
  
• First event of spring northern Caribbean racing circuit
  
• All volunteer-run regatta – no paid organizers
  
• Friday night welcome party for members, participants and community
  
• Three racing circles: Buck Island Channel, Optimists and One-designs race

Recent Attendance

• 2006 – 37 keelboats, from St. Maarten, Antigua, Puerto Rico, USA, BVI and USVI; 22 Optimist prams
  
• 2007 – 40 keelboats, from Trinidad, Puerto Rico, USA, BVI and USVI; 18 Optimist prams
  
• 2008 – 36 keelboats, from St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, USA, BVI and USVI; 19 Optimist prams
  
• 2009 – 29 keelboats, from Puerto Rico, USA, BVI and USVI; 26 Optimist prams

National Hospice Regatta Alliance

• A non-profit, 501(c)(3) association of hospice regattas that independently raise money and awareness for local hospices.
  
• A rapidly expanding nationwide network of charity regattas which publicizes Hospice care -- from the East to the West Coast, from the Great Lakes to Florida.
  
• An all-volunteer organizational body helping hospice regattas grow and learn from each other, and promoting Hospice care nationally.
  
• Host of the annual national Championship, the first and only sailing championship for charity in the country, where top sailors from the local hospice regattas compete in order to publicize and raise more funds for Hospice.