The Lido Isle Yacht Club brings wonderful events and activities to our family-oriented community on Lido Isle in Newport Beach, CA. LIYC’s adult sailing program includes regattas, ocean racing, events and trips. Summers are filled with competitive racing, relaxed Friday night BBQ’s, and a very popular “Commodore’s Beach Concert.” Lido is also well known for its excellent junior program and has seen many of its juniors go to win major national and international titles.
Lido Isle Yacht Club was incorporated on September 29, 1928, but was not activated during the Depression years. After World War ll, several parents on Lido started teaching sailing to the children. With the help of SC Tom Rutter, Ned Hill, Tom Henderson, Norman Pabst and others, our club was activated. Tom Rutter was elected our first Commodore in January 1947, and the club’s burgee was adopted. It is a combination of the white burgee with red St. George’s Cross of the Royal Yacht Squadron and blue fouled anchor of the South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club.
Southern California Yachting Association granted membership to Lido Isle Yacht Club in 1948, and we were admitted to the Yacht Racing Union of Southern California in 1965.
From the Club’s activation, the junior sailing program has been the principal activity of our club. From 1946 to 1948, Dora Hill and SC Tom Rutter taught the young sailors. About 1949 George and Vera Ward began organizing races and giving instructions. Then in 1953 Commodore Howard Lewis hired Dick Sweet as our first Junior Sailing Director.
Lido is well known for its excellent junior program and has seen many of its juniors go to win major national and international titles. In the 1950’s, the Helms Foundation honored three of our junior sailors for outstanding contributions to junior sailing. As the Sabot gained prominence in southern California, Lido sailors distinguished themselves at Junior Sabot regattas. In the 1980’s our sailors excelled in Lido-14 and Laser championships and in the 90’s added CFJ championships.
In 1993 the Newport Harbor High School Sailing Coach Bill Wakeman (a former LIYC Jr. Sailing Director) led the mostly LIYC team, composed mostly of LIYC sailors, to be ranked the No.1 high school sailing team in the nation. In 1994 the team was recognized by the United States Sailing Association with its highest award. The CFJ team won the Team Challenge Regatta in Detroit in 1988. Many of our sailors have gone on to college sailing teams and race internationally, and some have become outstanding sailing instructors and directors. In 2002 former LIYC junior members Tracey Treaccar and junior instructor David Levy are on the USC Sailing team. They won the Rose Bowl regatta for USC.
Through the years LIYC has held many cruises to Catalina Island and harbors and bays to the north and south of Newport. Summers are filled with competitive racing, relaxed Friday night BBQ’s, and a very popular “Commodore’s Beach Concert.” Our annual Junior Sailing fundraising event is always a night not to be missed. The Lido Isle Yacht Club has contributed greatly to making Lido Isle a very special place for over three quarters of a century.
ADULT SAILING
Not to be outdone by its fine young dinghy sailors, LIYC has been well represented on the waters by senior members who competed in Lido 14, Sr. Sabot, and Laser regattas. Lido is active on the ocean-racing scene as well. The President of Mexico Trophy for first overall in the Ensenada Race was won by LIYC boats five times as early as 1963 and as recently as 1991. LIYC’s SC Phil Thompson skippered the Australian America’s Cup Challenger in 1983, 1987 and 1992. Senior members also won the K-40, NHYC’s Ahmanson Series and LAYC’s Whitney Series. LIYC sailors have also competed in the Lipton Cup.
Administratively, club members have headed all the major yachting associations in southern California and have served as commodore of many fleet associations including Lido 14, Cal 30, J 105 and ocean racing fleets and served on the Board of Directors of U.S. Sailing. SC Ted Hinshaw served as Commissioner for Yachting to the 1984 Olympic Organizing Committee. Lido played an important role in the installation of the permanent race marks in Newport Bay, and some members have had leadership roles at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum.
LIYC provides parade marshals for the annual Holiday Boat Parade, supports Clean Harbor Day and conducts sailing clinics. Additionally, LIYC has hosted regattas for SCYA, Jr. Sabot Nationals, Sr. Sabots events and clinics for CISA, class boat seminars, racing rules seminars with Dave Perry, powerboat rallies and a very successful Nautical Lecture series, and conducted the Tri-Port Handicap with BYC following the annual Ensenada Race.
LIYC provides parade marshals for the annual Holiday Boat Parade, supports Clean Harbor Day and conducts sailing clinics. Additionally, LIYC has hosted regattas for SCYA, Jr. Sabot Nationals, Sr. Sabots events and clinics for CISA, class boat seminars, racing rules seminars with Dave Perry, powerboat rallies and a very successful Nautical Lecture series, and conducted the Tri-Port Handicap with BYC following the annual Ensenada Race.
MARINE PROJECTS
In the mid-50’s LIYC members paved the Genoa East and West Boat Gardens, constructed the launching ramps from donated concrete and installed electric winches to pull the heavier boats up the ramps. LIYC also built the race tower, the original pier extension and floats at the clubhouse. The Club also planned and financed construction of the Antibes boat garden. In 1966 the Club added the gaff to the flagpole at the clubhouse. During the 80s LIYC built the first boat ramp at the clubhouse to host our first Junior Sabot Nationals. In the late 90’s, LIYC and LICA worked together to build the new launching ramp at Genoa East for boats on road trailers and dinghies.
Written by: Donna Shockley, Mel Richley and Debbie Benedict