The Chesapeake Yacht Club has a rich history extending back three-quarters of a century. Chartered on January 8, 1947, CYC was established “to organize and operate a Club exclusively for pleasure, recreation, and other non-profitable purposes.” The original Chesapeake Yacht Club was housed in the home of the Eric Kline family and several other buildings on site. In 1978 the members voted to begin an extensive building program to replace the aging buildings with a modern facility. However, due to the financial situation at that time, this program was delayed.

Then disasters struck four times in 19 months. On November 4, 1979, the lounge building burned to the ground. On May 27, 1980, the dining room building was also destroyed by fire. A fire on Middle Dock on October 23, 1980, destroyed three boats and damaged others. Finally, on May 31, 1981, the house burned. The Board of Governors then decided to move forward with a more ambitious building program. Over the years, CYC has grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of our members and provide the best possible boating experience, the Club continues to invest in its land-based and marina facilities:

1947 – Club facilities put in place

1952 – West Dock extended & South Dock rebuilt

1958 – Bulkheads added between docks

1964 – Swimming pool opened

1967 – Adjacent lot purchased for more capabilities

1982 – New club house was built, New Dock added

1998 – Bulkheads renovated & new fuel dock

2006 – West Dock refurbished & dredged to accommodate deep-draft sailboats

2007 – CYC became a Maryland Clean Marina

2019 – $5,000,000 capital improvement project was initiated

2021 – New Dock was replaced by a state-of-the-art floating dock & Mooring buoys installed to accommodate visiting yacht clubs

2022 – South and Middle Docks were replaced by state-of-the-art floating docks

Today CYC offers 92 slips on three state-of-the-art, deep draft floating docks that can accommodate power boats and sailboats up to 70’ in length including extra-wide slips for catamarans. 51 slips are also available on a traditional fixed dock for members who prefer fixed slips.

Recognizing the growing demand for non-boating memberships, CYC added a new Associate Membership category in 2009 which allows members to enjoy all the benefits of CYC without the requirement to keep a boat at the Club. This new category proved to be extremely popular and now has a waiting list.

For CYC to continue to grow, it could no longer rely on word-of-mouth to attract new members so in 2019, for the first time, CYC initiated a formal multimedia marketing campaign to increase membership. This ongoing campaign produced immediate results with over 100 new members joining CYC during the past two years.

Through the ongoing efforts of the Board of Governors, staff, and members, CYC continues to evolve and is recognized as one of the premier yacht clubs on the Chesapeake Bay. We have honored the vision of our founding fathers “to operate for the pleasure and recreation of our members.”