The twelve founding fathers who formed the Navy Jax Sailing Club on June 14, 1956, have long been transferred to other areas of the world, as have many of our members each year, but new members with new ideas and knowledge of activities from other areas have made the club a progressive and interesting activity.

  In the earliest years of the club, sailing was primarily done in the Special Services’ Rhodes Bantams, Rebels and Sunfish class boats, utilizing them for sail instructions and recreation, as well as local and interclub races on the St. Johns River. The next generation of boats was O’Day DaySailers and Force 5’s and today’s fleet consists of classes of Flying Scots, Lasers, and Flying Juniors.

  In 1973, the merger of the Navy Jax Sailing Club and the Navy Jax Power Boat Club brought about the change to “Yacht Club” and an increased activity on the waterfront. With the increased membership and activity came the necessity of a permanent clubhouse and our first was acquired in the late 1970’s in the form of a mobile home. Since then we have gone through many renovations and much construction arriving at the clubhouse we have today. In 1990-1991, on the current site, which is leased to NJYC by Naval Air Station Jacksonville, the West wing and central portion was financed and built by the membership. The patio and landscaping followed, and in 1997, the East wing was added.

    The Armed Forces Day Regatta in May and the Navy Day Regatta in October are two races in the First Coast Sailing Association Series that are sponsored by NJYC, and are open to all boats on the river. Both races provide separate courses and race management for cruiser classes and One Design class racing. Navy Jax Yacht Club also provides race management, through MWR, for Active Duty Intramural Sailing Program.

  A note of interest is the collection of plaques from ships of the Royal Navy, given to NJYC for hosting, and in celebration of, Read Cup racing between the two navies. The Read Cup is a team racing competition for the “British-American Naval Trophy” which is awarded annually to the winning navy based on points accumulated worldwide. NJYC has truly enjoyed hosting our British friends for the races as well as the parties that inevitably follow.

  The club provides U.S. Sailing, Certified Instructors to MWR for basic sailing instruction and power boat training courses are available to qualify military and eligible civilian personnel. From time to time, CPR and First Aid courses are offered to club members.

  Predicted log contests, poker runs, cruises, and a never-ending variety of social affairs round out the calendar of events.

Representing the Command in the civilian community, NJYC is a member and active participant in the First Coast Sailing Association, an organization of yacht clubs on the St. Johns River. NJYC is also a branch member United States Naval Sailing Association, a member of U.S. Sailing Association, the national governing body for the sport of sailing, and a member of the Florida Sailing Association.

  The fleet of boats owned by the membership is as varied as the membership itself and includes everything from ski boats to trawlers, from windsurfers to large cruising and racing yachts, and from dinghies to houseboats. Our members have traveled far and wide.. to Europe, and Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean and foreign ports throughout the world. They have tales to tell of their experiences and adventures and are always willing to share their knowledge and lend a hand.