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The Lido Isle Yacht Club
Our First 75 Years

As we begin our 75th season as a yacht club here on Lido Isle, we are reminded of the wonderful activities our club brings to our family oriented community. Our social and sailing activities over the years have made Lido an outstanding yacht club.

The Early Years

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.

Junior Sailing

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.

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. In 2001 LIYC’s Carter Ford won the 61st Flight of the Lasers. SC Roy Woolsey has been the eldest skipper since 1991. SC Dave Tingler has won the Sabot Grand Masters for the last two years.

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 and in May 2002 an LIYC team will sail the Dougherty’s J 105 “Legacy” in that race.

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, conducts annual CPR clinics and supports a Sail for the Blind event. 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, which LIYC women painted. 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.

Social Activities

Through the years LIYC has held many cruises to Catalina Island and harbors and bays to the north and south of Newport. In recent years Tom Erickson and Christienne Morgan have organized a number of very entertaining and well attended bay cruises for our electric boat fleet.

Summers are filled with competitive racing, relaxed Friday night BBQ’s, and a very popular “Commodore’s Beach Concert.” Our Junior Silent Auction and Junior Carnival make fundraising fun. We also sponsor fishing tournaments for both adults and children.

The Lido Isle Yacht Club has contributed greatly to making Lido Isle a very special place for over three quarters of a century.

Donna Shockley, Mel Richley and Debbie Benedict

Honorary Staff Commodores

Polly Ober       Debbie Benedict             Judy Franco

                 Donna Shockley