encinal yacht club photos

Encinal Yacht Club

Review Highlights

“ My 2 girls learned how to sail here via the EYC Junior Sailing Program, which is by far the best on the bay . ” in 5 reviews

“ Guests can drive or take a boat right up to the dock , and for a small fee, berth their boat for the night. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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1251 Pacific Marina

Alameda, CA 94501

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Wonderful yachting experience in beautiful Alameda, CA. …

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Nice place to hangout and you can look over by the water. We went here to this place to get our award from our yacht club. Village west yacht club

Be very careful when joining this place. We joined this place a few years ago and when we left and let them know we were leaving they continued to bill us. We contacted the manager and sent several letters to no avail. We have not heard from them after 3 years and continue to get notices. They either have a very slow billing system and staff or are trying to pull a scam by ignoring our letters. Carefull...

Encinal Yacht Club has turned itself around in the last 5 years to become one of the most active clubs. They accomplished this by becoming active with yacht racing, hosting nautical events at the club and improving facilities. Had dinner several times and they have a professional staff to serve meals. Although, the Oakland YC next door has a better Sunday breakfast program, which we always seem to gravitate towards when we dock at Encinal YC. It's always a pleasure to visit the club because the layout is pleasant, the weather is warm and the people are friendly. It's a nice retreat from the cold chills in the central bay.

I have a few friends who are members here, and they seem to love it. I say that because they're always talking about it and trying to get me to join...even though I don't have a boat. That said, it does actually seem like a fun place to hang out. Venue: I've been here a couple times attending event for an organization. Both times, we were in the main hall, upstairs. There's a dining area and a bar. Fantastic decor that makes you feel like you're in a yacht club. The bar was actually built from a portion of a boat. Great view of the estuary and Oakland. It'd be a great place for a reception of some sort. Service: I can only speak to the bartender's performance, which was poor. I can understand that people may not tip much at some of these event, but I think they should be made aware that being treated poorly at the bar sets a really bad tone for the entire evening.

I just had my wedding here! Wow it was the most perfect view and service. Ellena the event coordinator did an amazing job with the details in the wedding. She was very flexible and so caring. The whole staff did a great job. Best service ever! Special Thank you to Mannys catering! He's caters in the club and off site. The food was out of this world! We had compliments the whole night!

Went here for a company party, and the lower level was not very nice. They only had one bartender for a party of about 60 people. The back patio was great - very nice view of the Alameda harbor and the bay.

My husband and I decided to visit because a friend of ours works there and told us to "stop by sometime." This is a members only yacht club, but they do allow visitors (you must check in downstairs in the office." The wait staff (dang, I forgot his name already...) was very polite, friendly and helpful. The manager stopped by our table and told us all about the club; he was very friendly and polite as well. We had breakfast and the food was very good.

Bit pricey but pretty good food and excellent views. Very relaxing and good service. You need a membership.

Everybody loves their yacht club, so here's an outsider's perspective. Over the past 4 years I've been to every major club in S.F. Bay. Here are the plusses & minuses: The Plusses: 1. It has a pool 2. It has a professionally staffed bar and dining room. 3. It's decently dressed up, looking better than the Kiwanis Club style of yacht club. 4. Overnight docking was free, like in Richmond. 5. All staff were friendly/helpful, though we never did find the Harbormaster. Here are the Minuses: 1. the docking is crowded and unstable. Fine for capable sailors who can end tie and walk on a swaying deck, but don't bring your grandparents down to your boat. Most places have nearby marinas, or at least full slips to dock in. Not here. Not much room. 2. It's in the estuary, taking fully one hour to motor up to the Bay Bridge. The wind is diminished by the island, and you'll have to decide if you like that or not. Small craft can do a little safe sailing, and the channel is deep, but it's a big industrial park. Absolutely zero ambiance - reminded me of the San Pablo club up near the Richmond Oil tanks. If you're going to be on the Alameda island, why the heck wouldn't you be at Baleena where you turn out of the marina and immediately into the widest part of the bay for sailing? 3. The food was average, but priced a bit over average, thus a 2 star value. No cappuccino. Staff was helpful, but very busy. They have a view and decks outside, if you want to watch the Coast Guard island and container ships being unloaded...;^) 4. The night I cruised in, they were having a wedding. That meant we all had to eat in the bar (which is spacious). The music was so loud, even with partitions, that you couldn't hear 2 people away (you could talk to your neighbor and they'd pass it on). Just horrible ambiance. If you hear a party is being held, and it's not yours, go somewhere else. In fact, if you're a real sailor, go to Sierra Point, Baleena, or one of the Name Clubs around the Slot (if you can afford them). You'll save hours a week getting to/from the real sailing, and your view will be nicer.

Nothing like spending an afternoon on the deck in the sun with a drink watching all the activities. Great club, great people and a spectacular, elegant new bar. My 2 girls learned how to sail here via the EYC Junior Sailing Program, which is by far the best on the bay. What could be cooler than spending your summer vacation with friends, sailing, swimming in the pool and evening BBQ's. Great place, check it out!

The New Bar

Clubhouse and pool at night

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Business Details

Hannah Tuson-Turner

510-769-0221

[email protected]

1251 Pacific Marina, Alameda, CA 94501, USA

Business name : Encinal Yacht Club

Encinal Yacht Club, being the 3rd oldest yacht club on the Bay, was founded in 1890. The club was established by residents living in Alameda’s Gold Coast, on the south shore of the Island. The club’s unique management structure was set at the beginning, which designated separate Executive and Flag Officer functions. The club became famous for its moonlit parties, regattas, and cruising events. The club encouraged family participation from the very beginning. The first clubhouse was designed and built by Commodore Joseph A. Leonard, at the end of a 1,000 foot pier extending into the bay from the foot of Grand Street. The clubhouse was an elaborate Victorian design, the main floor was reserved for dancing and the second floor was the residence of the club manager. The San Francisco Chronicle declared the clubhouse to be the finest of its type on the entire Pacific Coast. Soon after the clubhouse was built the members set to establish a fleet of boats and an enviable social calendar. By 1892, the member’s boat fleet numbered about 30, with half of them being small-craft sailing canoes and the remainder being larger sloops and sailing yawls. There was one powerboat – a steam powered launch. Social events included Opening Day each spring, where a parade of decorated yachts sailed past onlookers at the clubhouse, combined with swimming events and an elaborate party. Entertainment included music, dancing, Vaudeville acts, and poetry reading. A tradition of regattas was established, with member’s boats competing against those from the other yacht clubs on the bay. Members also cruised their boats as a group for overnight stays to different parts of the bay each season.

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Encinal Yacht Club

Encinal Yacht Club, being the 3rd oldest yacht club on the Bay, was founded in 1890. The club was established by residents living in Alameda’s Gold Coast, on the south shore of the Island. The club’s unique management structure was set at the beginning, which designated separate Executive and Flag Officer functions. The club became famous for its moonlit parties, regattas, and cruising events. The club encouraged family participation from the very beginning. The first clubhouse was designed and built by Commodore Joseph A. Leonard, at the end of a 1,000-foot pier extending into the bay from the foot of Grand Street. The clubhouse was an elaborate Victorian design, the main floor was reserved for dancing and the second floor was the residence of the club manager. The San Francisco Chronicle declared the clubhouse to be the finest of its type on the entire Pacific Coast.

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Published on June 5th, 2022 | by Assoc Editor

The little boat that could

Published on June 5th, 2022 by Assoc Editor -->

All it took was a year of elbow grease and a little bit of TLC for Alex Simanis to get his newly restored Pt Bonita 27, Pell Mell, back into the water and titled a winner. The smallest boat on the course for the duration of the 2022 California Offshore Race Week (CORW) has proved that it is heart and skill that gets you first overall, not size.

The week-long journey down the California coast is broken into three separate races and is hosted by Encinal Yacht Club, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, Santa Barbara Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club. Skippers and crews are encouraged to participate in the entirety of the CORW, but have the option to opt into any of the individual legs.

Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco to Monterey, 86 miles): May 28-29 Coastal Cup (Monterey to Santa Barbara, 204 miles): May 30-May 31 SoCal 300 (Santa Barbara to San Diego, 245 miles): June 2-4

San Diego Yacht Club’s hosted leg of the race with Santa Barbara Yacht Club, the SoCal 300, started as a stand alone event. In 2016, the race synced up with the Spinnaker Cup and the Coastal Cup, resulting in the California Offshore Race Week.

Simanis’ Pell Mell is the official winner of not just the SoCal 300, but the overall series winner of CORW. Originally built in the mid 80’s, the Point Bonita 27′ Pell Mell was designed to be more of a cruiser, with inspiration from the Dogpatch 26, without the hard chines below the waterline. Her ample room below decks makes things more comfortable for distance-racing.

Simanis commented, “The Spinnaker Cup was epic. We stuck with our plan of staying out and waiting for the new breeze to come, and it worked out well. The last 50 miles we did in about 6 hours and we came into Monterey on a nice angle and 25+ knots of breeze. For the SoCal 300, it was a beautiful jib reach to the islands. We thought it was going to be game on, but it was really light.

“We got stuck in the island and had to battle back and forth to find a lane. A bunch of the fleet moved more to the west and we ended up sneaking towards more of the east breeze that filled in. We were able to catch up to the 1D35 and J/111 and the bigger boats for the run. Our boat is pretty quick on the run, so nobody got away from us.” This was the first time Simanis and his crew took Pell Mell out to the ocean. The team will be competing in the Ditch Run next weekend on their way home to Seattle before settling back into beer can races and cruising. Simanis plans to return to CORW next year.

The Series scoring came down to a tie in the end. Finishing the series alongside Pell Mell with eight points was Rodney Pimental’s Cal 40 Azure, who took second overall. Azure has sailed the Offshore Race Week five out of six years in the Series’ history.

The journey for the fleet started a week ago on Saturday, May 28, with the Spinnaker Cup. Thirty boats crossed the starting line in San Francisco and set sail on the first leg of the race down to Monterey. There were some early and aggressive forecasts that predicted high winds which influenced some competitors. Those who took the risk and started the race quickly realized that weather forecasting is not an exact science.

After a “normal” start, the Spinnaker Cup turned uncharacteristically light, with competitors at the halfway point fighting light winds at sundown. But not long after, the wind filled in and everyone powered to the finish. That slowdown resulted in an overall longer race with first to finish Fast Exit II crossing the finish line a little after 0100, 3 hours later than the typical “before midnight” finish of prior years.

“Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club did an awesome job meeting the competitors on the water at all hours of the night and ushered us with flashlights to our slip,” Andrew Picel on J/125 Arsenal commented. It was a great way to finish the first race of the CORW series for Picel who is new to offshore racing.

Pell Mell started off strong, finishing first overall for Spinnaker Cup in front of second place Jeff Mulvihill’s Olson 30 Werewolf and Marc-Andrea Klimaschewski’s Dogpatch 26 Moonshine in third.

Chris Busch, aboard R/P 52 Vitesse, commented on the Spinnaker Cup, “Class A enjoyed a nice medium air beat out SF Bay with some close racing and one close encounter by a whale just outside the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge on Artemis.

“Once rounding Mile Rock, it was a long starboard fetch with a jib eased to the rail, but instead of the wind building and going right like a typical Spinnaker Cup, the wind died and headed us to where we were left paying shifts upwind in patchy conditions and beating our way down the coast. At one point, someone onboard Vitesse renamed the race the Drifter Cup. Once the wind built, it was an exciting finish on Vitesse who battled it out with Fast Exit II for first to finish.

“Fast Exit II came in from the west on a hot angle and we converged about 20 miles from the finish. We gybed ahead and to windward and were able to hold them off as we passed close by the Point Pinos headland and the final 4-mile VMG run to the finish.”

Ted Floyd is a past Coastal Cup event chair and regular crew member on the Cal 40 Azure who have a tight group that have sailed together for many years. With tricky conditions in the Spinnaker Cup, Floyd was relieved to have experienced drivers.

“We had a great sail out the gate and down the coast to Monterey for the Spinnaker Cup. It was nice to be competing directly with the other Cal 40s in our division. We posted a 2nd place finish after Red Head passed us just coming into Monterey. Congratulations to Walt, Peter, and the crew for edging us out.”

The Coastal Cup was a whole different story. Floyd reported, “We had a great start out of Monterey and turned south under reefed main. After making the turn, we shook the reef and set a shy kite for the run to Santa Barbara. The breeze built into mid-to-high 30s and gusts up to 40 knots. Wahoo! We chose the right place to jibe at Point Conception and had a good run to finish first across the line in our division. Our only damage was a broken traveler, which we repaired underway.”

Unfortunately for Vitesse, praise for the wind gods came to a halt mid-race. After chewing up the miles to Santa Barbara in 30+ knots of breeze, the team heard a loud bang from a broken bobstay, which connects the outboard end of the bowsprit to the hull, and takes all the load from the spinnaker. This marked the end of their spinnakers for the race.

Vitesse crew Busch commented, “Fortunately, with the wind still in the high 20s, a small jib, GS, and a reef in the main is still a quick combination albeit only about 80% of what we should be doing. We converged with Artemis and Pied Piper as we entered the Santa Barbara Channel and had a tight race to the finish but were overtaken without the ability to fly a spinnaker downwind as the breeze dropped.”

Vitesse still finished the race in third place, and ended up first in their CORW Class A for the series. The silver lining for Vitesse is that the CORW was a tune-up for Transpac 2023, and now the team can mend the weak spots and prepare the boat for next summer.

Coastal Cup finished with Jack Jennings’ Santa Cruz 70 Pied Piper in first, and Andrew Picel’s J/125 Arsenal in second.

Picel reflected, “We are all pretty energized at the start of the Coastal Cup because we knew what we were in for.” Being new to ocean racing and the exposure to blue water conditions (30+ kts of wind and 3-4 meter waves) “we had a realistic perspective of what we were capable of. Even under white sails alone (no spinnakers, just working sails) we were sailing at 20+ kts.”

John Raymont, skipper of the Ker 51 Fast Exit II shared a similar approach. He has a well-seasoned crew, but still takes time before all races to run through a vessel safety brief based on one included in a prior CORW Notice of Race. This exercise proved prophetic for the Coastal Cup in preventing a dangerous situation from occurring.

During the safety brief, the team discussed using 3-foot, rather than 6-foot, tethers to keep crewmembers attached to and near the boat and to mitigate risks of going overboard while working on the foredeck. Just hours later, during the race, at one point, Fast Exit II dug its bow deep into a wave and one of the crew working forward of the mast was washed overboard.

Since he was on the short 3-foot tether, it was just a quick effort to get him back aboard. By using the safety debrief process to vet challenges in blue water sailing, the Fast Exit crew had avoided the risks associated with longer tethers that would have put prospective overboard crew significantly lower than the deck, possibly in the water and subject to a whole other level of danger.

To quote a sentence from the Vessel Safety Brief that sums up the philosophy offshore: “Being safe is about adapting appropriately to the conditions with your given crew and skill set in a timely manner, before an emergency happens.” Thank you to all the competitors for exercising prudent seamanship and playing safe in Mother Nature’s playground.

The final leg of the Offshore Race Week was from Santa Barbara to San Diego – the SoCal 300. After a nice start, the fleet easily fetched out to Santa Cruz Island and bore off for Tanner Bank 100 nm south. The larger Class A and B boats then ran into the lee wind shadow of San Clemente made more sticky by prevailing light winds all along the coast.

The Class C, D and E boats quickly closed the 60 mile gap to less than 20 miles. Those were tough miles. Nine boats ended up retiring at this point. Some were due to equipment failures, one had a medical issue, and others assessed that “the conditions weren’t sustainable for their timeline.” John Brynjolfsson on his TP52 Saga reported moving only four miles in four hours around 60 miles from San Diego. Saga abandoned the race.

The other TP52, Mark Surber’s Bribon, persevered and took home a second place trophy in their class, just behind Fast Exit II.

First to finish the SoCal 300 was John Raymont on Ker 51 Fast Exit II. Raymont commented, “We had a great sail out to the virtual mark 100-nm offshore doing very well against our competition. After rounding and heading towards San Diego the breeze started to drop, allowing those behind us to catch us and the other boat-for-boat leaders, compressing the fleet. Most of the day has been in stop and go breeze hunting conditions.”

George Hershman on RP 63 GoodEnergy reported as they retired from the race, “No wind right now, all boats are drifting. Fifty miles from the finish.”

The 2022 SoCal 300 elapsed times varied between 31 hours and 39 hours, and were faster than the 2021 edition average of 50 to 60 hrs across all fleets. Out of the 23 boats that started the SoCal 300, 16 boats finished. Eleven sailed the entire Offshore Race Week. Awards for the SoCal 300 and the Offshore Race Week were held at the San Diego Yacht Club.

Look for the next edition of the California Offshore Race Week returning around Memorial Day 2023.

Event Details – Entry Lists – Results – Tracker

Source: San Diego Yacht Club

Tags: California Offshore Race Week , Coastal Cup , SoCal 300 , Spinnaker Cup

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PHOTOS: 2023 SoCal 300 →

2023 California Offshore Race Week →

From San Francisco to San Diego →

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Encinal Yacht Club

• Address: 1251 Pacific Marina, Alameda CA 94501
• Phone Number: 510.522.3272
• Web Site: encinal.org
• Membership ratio: About 75% sail - 25% power
• Docking & Reciprocity: Contact yacht club for reciprocal information. Reservations required.
• Club Organized: 1890

Master Mariners Regatta: Classic Beauty in Motion

• Post author: Kara
• Post category: Uncategorized
• Reading time: 28 mins read

The Master Mariners Regatta is a fitting name for one of the oldest, most challenging and beautiful races on San Francisco Bay. It’s the day when the grand dames of San Francisco sailing come out to play and it’s stunning.

The regatta can trace its origins back to 1867 when a San Francisco race was staged between large coastal schooners and sailing scows. Today all forms of classic sailboats are represented: historic schooners, M-class sloops, Farallon Clippers, L-36s, Folkboats , Birds , Bears , Whaleboats and more.

yankee – photo: norcalsailing.com

renegade – photo: norcalsailing.com

credit sailing by the jeremiah o’brien – photo: norcalsailing.com

olive – photo: norcalsailing.com

cuckoo – photo: norcalsailing.com

There is something poetic in watching these graceful classics race, canvas sails flying. It’s maritime history on parade.

alma – photo: norcalsailing.com

puff, renegade, huck finn – photo: norcalsailing.com

tiger – photo: norcalsailing.com

oriole – photo: norcalsailing.com

freda b – photo: norcalsailing.com

The skilled photographers of norcalsailing.com covered the race start and our race photos are courtesy of them, many thanks.

raft up at encinal yacht club

many logistics at the master mariners raft up

A large raft-up at Encinal Yacht Club follows the race. It’s quite a logistical feat, but the EYC officers and staff met the challenge beautifully.  EYC commodore Susan Jacquelin warmly greeted boats as they arrived.

encinal yacht club commodore susan jacquelin

She looked quite stylish in her classic Saint James shirt. Indeed, there is nothing like a mariniere for effortless nautical style. You can read about the origins of the very chic French sailor shirt here .

canon fire for the first boat in each division

And That’s Jazz providing traditional Dixieland music while periodic canon fire signaled the first boat over the line in each division.

We took the opportunity to mingle and learn a little more about these exceptional sailboats.

beautiful brigadoon

Brigadoon , a beautiful 65’ schooner designed by L. Francis Herreshoff and built in Massachusetts in 1924, is breathtaking. She was brought to the Bay Area in 1940s by none other than Sterling Hayden . As a classic movie aficionado, I was particularly intrigued. Film noir fans will know him from the classics Asphalt Jungle and The Killing .

terry klaus, owner of brigadoon

lindsey klaus, skipper of brigadoon for the master mariners

Since 1976 Brigadoon has been in the Klaus family, owned by Terry Klaus and skippered in Master Mariners this year by his daughter Lindsey. Congratulations to Lindsey, Brigadoon won her class!

legend leading the pack – photo: norcalsailing.com

Another beauty, and newcomer to the Master Mariners, is the classic yawl Legend. She has recently relocated to San Francisco from Charleston, SC where she raced in all the East Coast classic regattas.

legend’s winning duo: danny antonopoulos, skipper left; tim mullins, owner, right

Her owner, Tim Mullins decided to bring the Sparkman & Stephens designed, Abeking and Rasumssen built classic West to be closer to his Alexander Valley winery, Balo Vineyards. Sailing and wine… I’m seeing a future article now.

Legend made quite an entrance, winning her class.  Although captain Danny Antonopoulos has helmed her for 37 years, many of the day’s race crew were new. She makes quite an elegant statement with her bewitching black hull.

ian rogers, sunda

Ian Rogers who crewed on Sunda, his father Bob Rogers’ lovely 1941 Ben Seaborn design, joked the name was really Sunday but there was no room on the y on the slender transom before explaining she was really named after the Sunda Strait in Indonesia.

barbar ohler, skipper, morning star. crew: gary costigan, james koss, richard geige

Morning Star was another female-helmed boat, Barbara Ohler skippering the appealing 47’ classic once owned by Tommy Smothers of Smothers Brothers fame.

ken inouye, skipper of makani kai

It’s awe-inspiring to watch these majestic boats to battle in the race then later get a close up look at their handsome, historic lines at the raft-up. The Master Mariners is a must for anyone in the Bay Area who appreciates classic design, or beauty in general.

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Encinal Yacht Club

Encinal Yacht Club 1251 Pacific Marina,  Alameda, Ca 94501

A Brief History of the Encinal Yacht Club

Encinal Yacht Club, being the 3rd oldest yacht club on the Bay, was founded in 1890. The club was established by residents living in Alameda’s Gold Coast, on the south shore of the Island. The club’s unique management structure was set at the beginning, which designated separate Executive and Flag Officer functions. The club became famous for its moonlit parties, regattas, and cruising events. The club encouraged family participation from the very beginning.

The first clubhouse was designed and built by Commodore Joseph A. Leonard, at the end of a 1,000 foot pier extending into the bay from the foot of Grand Street. The clubhouse was an elaborate Victorian design, the main floor was reserved for dancing and the second floor was the residence of the club manager. The San Francisco Chronicle declared the clubhouse to be the finest of its type on the entire Pacific Coast. 

Soon after the clubhouse was built the members set to establish a fleet of boats and an enviable social calendar. By 1892, the member’s boat fleet numbered about 30, with half of them being small-craft sailing canoes and the remainder being larger sloops and sailing yawls. There was one powerboat – a steam powered launch. 

Social events included Opening Day each spring, where a parade of decorated yachts sailed past onlookers at the clubhouse, combined with swimming events and an elaborate party. Entertainment included music, dancing, Vaudeville acts, and poetry reading. A tradition of regattas was established, with member’s boats competing against those from the other yacht clubs on the bay. Members also cruised their boats as a group for overnight stays to different parts of the bay each season. Popular cruise destinations were San Leandro, Redwood City, and to yacht clubs including San Francisco YC and Corinthian YC. 

By the late 1890s the country was in a recession and in response the club transformed to a small-boat club. Into the 1950s small boats including Star boats, Snipes, and El Toros were the primary boats in the club fleet. Most of the boats were built in the workshops at the clubhouse. 

In the 1950s the City of Alameda decided to develop the south shore of the island by filling in the waterfront. The members of the club fiercely opposed this scheme, holding out until fill was placed right next to the clubhouse. Ultimately the city prevailed, which meant losing the beloved clubhouse. For nearly four years, EYC was without a clubhouse and struggled to survive. For a time our meetings were held at Aeolian YC, and the membership even considered merging with Aeolian, except that EYC wanted a swimming pool and Aeolian did not. At the same time Marina Village was being developed on the Estuary, and a deal was struck to build the new clubhouse on the other side of the island. This was not without controversy, as many of the members wanted the clubhouse near their homes on the south shore. The new clubhouse was built in 1960, complete with a full-size swimming pool and guest dock facilities. 

Traditions established more than 100 years ago are still the primary goal of our club – family oriented social events combined with boating. 

The original EYC club house.

Encinal YC and the Millimeter fleet

Encinal Yacht Club has supported the Millimeter Fleet and provides an excellent venue for the Fleet.  Excellent facilities and smooth water make this an ideal location.

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