seattle yacht club staff

Seattle Yacht Club

Many Seattle Yacht Club members cruise the waters of the Pacific Northwest in powerboats.  Whether touring the Club’s 10 Outstations, located from Gig Harbor in the south to Cortes Bay in the north, or exploring the fresh water lakes, our members tend to enjoy their time on the water. SYC has a number of interesting and exciting events for members with powerboats. These include formal events with fun interactive themes, local and long-range cruises from Puget Sound to the Canadian Gulf Islands, and monthly dinners with exciting and informative speakers. Our monthly club dinners include topics about boating in the Northwest and adventures from around the world. These dinner are also a fun way to meet with fellow Club members and share boating experiences.

Seattle Yacht Club also hosts Navigational Rallies (aka Predicted Log Racing) around Puget Sound. These navigational contests are a great opportunity for members to improve their knowledge of their boat and skills of predicting the boat’s performance around a designated course.

Seattle Yacht Club Sailing

2019 syc race book, youth summer sailing school, adult sailing lessons, junior race team, high school sailing, opti green fleet program, junior race team, race team vision.

SYC is recognized among the leading yacht clubs of the world with a renowned comprehensive junior sailing program, in which the Junior Race Team is an integral part.  Our Junior Race Team draws upon a broad base of young sailors (open to the public) primarily from the SYC Summer Sailing School, SYC’s Northwest Interscholastic High School Sailing Team (HS Sailing), and community outreach programs.  The SYC Junior Race Team and HS Sailing provide youths, from ages 8 to 18, the opportunity to reach for competitive success at all levels while developing athletic skills, leadership, sportsmanship and a lifelong love for boating.  SYC has given rise to numerous generations of successful Pacific Northwest sailors, including multiple Olympic champions.  The SYC Race Team continues the Club’s legacy of achievement, representing SYC in local, regional, national and international competitions.

Race Team Mission

Progress juniors from participation to development to the highest levels of youth racing achievement.

• Provide a fun and supportive environment for junior racers of all abilities
• Provide coaches exceptional in their sailing accomplishments and their abilities to train and inspire our racers
• Maintain facilities and equipment equal or superior to leading yacht clubs around the world
• Promote interest and participation in sailing and racing with an active, adaptive outreach program
• Prepare racers for Collegiate Sailing providing an opportunity to leverage individual racers’ sailing skills and racing achievements in the college application process
• Develop  a lifelong interest and appreciation of sailing and racing in all Race Team members while promoting SYC junior membership in a family oriented, supportive environment

JOIN THE TEAM 

Race team schedule, race team coach: cameron hoard.

Cameron has been the SYC Jr Race Team coach since 2011. Originally from Upstate NY, Cam has lived on both coasts, but has come to call the NW home.

Cam has been a sailing coach for the better part of 20 years. He has worked for various yacht clubs and sailing programs in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. 

The SYC Jr Race Team does most of its year-round training on Shilshole Bay (Puget Sound), however Cam and the team travel all over the country competing in over 25 regattas every year. A busy training and regatta schedule is what makes the SYC Jr sailors the best in the North West!

The team has found lots of success under Coach Cam with SYC sailors winning national championships, qualifying for international regattas, and dominating the NW Youth Racing Circuit. It’s exciting and fun to work with such committed, talented, and hard working Jr sailors representing the club. 

2017 was a big year for the team and the sailing department! They were honored to receive the Captain Joe Prosser Award, from US Sailing, for excellence in sailing instruction. The Jr sailors list of accomplishments is far too long to list here, so please stop Cam in the hallway or on the dock to hear about it all! Or join them at the SYC Jr sailing awards held every January, to meet the team, celebrate an amazing year, and help them kick off the successful season ahead. Go SYC!

Contact Coach Cameron Hoard.

Joining SYC

Seattle Yacht Club welcomes applications for membership from Northwest boaters ages 10+ who would like to join our active community.

Members of the Club are entitled to use our Portage Bay Clubhouse with casual and fine dining restaurants, banquet and meeting facilities, guest moorage, and permanent moorage (subject to availability).  Members are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of regattas and cruises, and enjoy activities and dining events at the Club.  Membership with SYC offers use of our Elliott Bay clubhouse facilities and discounted Elliott Bay moorage (subject to availability), use of nine Outstations (listed below), and reciprocal privileges to more than 225 other yacht clubs around the world.  

SYC OUTSTATIONS

• Cortes Bay – Desolation Sound, B.C. 
• Eagle Harbor – Bainbridge Island 
• Elliott Bay – Seattle 
• Friday Harbor – San Juan Islands 
• Ganges – Saltspring Island, Gulf Islands, B.C. 
• Garden Bay – Pender Harbor, B.C. 
• Gig Harbor – South Puget Sound 
• Henry Island – Roche Harbor, San Juan Islands 
• Ovens Island – Dunsmuir Islands, Gulf Islands, B.C. 
• Port Madison – Bainbridge Island 

Several levels of membership are available based on the age and marital status of the candidate.  For an individual membership, the initiation fee is determined by the age of the new member on the date the application is completed.  Monthly dues adjust throughout the life of a membership as it advances from one class to another.  We encourage married couples to apply for joint membership.  There is one initiation fee, which is determined by the age of the older spouse on the date the application is completed.  The monthly dues are determined using the birthdate of the older spouse.  To request a chart of the current fees and dues, contact SYC's Membership Director.

Each membership application needs one primary sponsor and three other members to serve as recommenders (all must be voting or Surviving members of SYC).  The application process begins when a voting member of SYC checks out an application packet and becomes the applicant’s sponsor. 

Interested In Learning More?

If you are interested in exploring membership and receiving an invitation to SYC's next Open House (date TBD), please complete and submit a Prospective Member Interest Form . 

Membership Brochure & Benefits Of Membership Video

For an overview of the Club, download SYC's Membership Brochure . Enjoy the video below about the benefits of membership with SYC featuring the Club, our Outstations, activities, and some of the people who make the Club special.

Our App enables the sailors to have the boat´s performance tracked live and to be able to review the performance later on. The app can be complemented by a tracking device that you can have on your boat.

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OUR COMMITMENT

The Seattle Yacht Club Foundation , established in 1992, supports a wide variety of boating activities with a special emphasis on programs for young people engaged in amateur sports.

We provide financial assistance and scholarships to youth and young adult athletes engaged in regional, national and international boating competitions, including Olympic events and world championships.  

We sponsor sailing regattas and participate in Seattle Opening Boating Day festivities.

We fund organizations that serve youth in maritime activities, including school programs, rowing clubs and marine education.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SYC Foundation is led by a corps of dedicated volunteers whose work includes annual fundraising and grant selection of worthy individuals and organizations:

President:  Dave Enslow          Vice President:   Nora Happ Rummel

Secretary:   Doug Bourlier        Treasurer:  Don Glockner

Members:  Barry Curtin, Dan Clarkson, Nora Happ Rummel, Brent Reys, Robert Williams, Frank Young, Jr .

OUR ORGANIZATION

SYC Foundation is a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3) charity with the IRS. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. We operate with volunteer “staff” and minimum overhead to maximize our funding for boating programs and people.  Our grants are funded from annual gifts and special events, as well as the interest from our foundation's endowment.  You may choose to allocate your gift to SYC Foundation to fund this year’s grants or choose to earmark your donation for our endowment as a long-term investment.

Seattle Now & Then

Seattle now & then: seattle yacht club clubhouse, 1926.

(click and click again to enlarge photos)

(Published in the Seattle Times online on April 23, 2020 and in the PacificNW Magazine print edition on April 26, 2020)

Yacht club’s 1926 Montlake reception had a crowning touch

By clay eals.

Royalty fueled the roar of the 1920s in Seattle on Nov. 4, 1926. That day, the city welcomed a woman whom The Seattle Times called the “most beautiful and gracious of all Europe’s feminine monarchs,” Queen Marie .

For the 51-year-old regal representative of Romania (then spelled Rumania), Seattle was but one destination on a cross-country tour. Accompanied in an open touring car by our first female mayor, Bertha Landes , the queen zipped through an afternoon of stops initially intended for a full day.

She drew record crowds, and the city delighted her: “In all the towns I have visited, I have found none so beautiful as your Seattle. In each corner today, I have found a place where I should like to live.”

The fitting finale was the home of the Seattle Yacht Club . Its clubhouse, perched on Portage Bay, south of the University of Washington and north of today’s Highway 520, had opened six years earlier, on May 1, 1920. For a reception put on by “club women of the city” to honor the queen, the building burst with autumn blooms, its veranda rails draped in dahlias.

Only 200 of the 1,500 assembled women could greet Marie, however, because what was to be a one-hour stay lasted “scarcely more than 15 minutes.” This did not prevent 60 women – bonneted, like the queen – from posing outside with three youngsters, as our “Then” photo shows.

It’s no accident that a lighthouse-shaped cupola topped the clubhouse, which The Times called “the finest on the Coast and one of the finest in the United States.” Famed architect John Graham, Sr. , certainly intended for the Colonial Revival/Shingle Style structure to complement the recently opened Lake Washington Ship Canal, including nearby Montlake Cut, which connected Portage Bay to the lake.

The parcel, formerly marshland and a landfill for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition at the UW campus, became available for the club’s purchase after a casino proposed for the site fizzled. The club deemed the calm, freshwater setting a buoyant change from the rough weather, railroad noise, oil dumping and swells of passing steamboats that its boaters and craft had endured at saltwater bases on Elliott Bay and along the West Seattle shore since its founding in 1892.

Today, with 2,800 member families and myriad programs for all ages, Seattle Yacht Club is the oldest and largest such local organization.

The coronavirus scuttled its traditionally sponsored early-May merriment for Opening Day, but the club optimistically has rescheduled an elaborate celebration of its clubhouse centennial for Sept. 26. Sailing and motor vessels from the 1920s are to be on display, including one that participated on Opening Day in 1920.

One might envision the pending party as fit for a queen.

To see Jean Sherrard ‘s 360-degree video of the “Now” prospect and compare it with the “Then” photo, and to hear this column read aloud by Clay Eals , check out our Seattle Now & Then 360 version of the column, when it is posted!

Below are a “Now” identifier photo and two other photos as well as 11 clippings from The Seattle Times online archive (available via Seattle Public Library) that, among others, were helpful in the preparation of this column.

And at the bottom, see a book excerpt relating to Queen Marie’s visit to the Seattle Yacht Club clubhouse on Nov. 4, 1926, plus a 1954 club menu!

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Yacht Clubs

Seattle Yacht Club

Founded in 1892, Seattle Yacht Club is one of our country’s most active and long-established yacht clubs. With facilities ranging from the historic main station on Portage Bay, to ten outstations located along the shores of Washington and British Columbia, the club offers an outstanding group of properties for use by its more than 2,500 members.

From the Commodore:

It gives me great pleasure to confirm the commitment of the Seattle Yacht Club Board of Trustees and its members to the goals and mission of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Our Fleet Captain Sail, Dave Ferguson and his committee, and Past Commodore, Chris Otorowski, will be working together on the member matching fund program that I expect will exceed the Founding Club level.

We look forward to watching the progress of the NSHOF and its home in Annapolis.

The Pacific Northwest waters, aristocratic pines and views of Mt. Rainier, Baker and the Olympics provided inspiration for Chief Sealth’s (Seattle) native peoples and SYC respects this heritage while developing its own traditions and stewardship. In the 1880s Puget Sound’s Budlong’s Boat House was the locale of the first gathering place of SYC yachtsmen followed in 1882 by the moorage on Battery Street at Brighton’s Boat House. The first Clubhouses built for a formally organized Seattle Yacht Club were in 1892 and 1909 in West Seattle.  Presently the Portage Bay clubhouse (1919) between Lakes Union and Washington offers a colonial style with classical elegance and uncovered and covered moorages. It has been on the National Register of Historical Places since 2006. In addition, there are ten beautiful outstations extending from south Puget Sound through Canadian waters. They are Gig Harbor, Elliott Bay, Port Madison and Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, Henry Island and Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, and Ganges, Ovens Island, Garden Bay and Cortes Bay in Canada. The marine environment is protected by SYC’s Code of Ethics and negotiations with the City of Seattle. Reciprocity with U.S. and international yacht clubs exists.

Since 1928 SYC has participated in powerboat predicted log racing’s annual International Cruiser Race, the Capital to Capitol Race. Hosted by SYC in 1936, the attendance was the highest of any U.S. cruising event to that date. In the 1940s the IPBA made it a family event. Today SYC hosts the IPBA Stimson Cup and participates in other IPBA and local races.

The belief that “everyone who wants to be on the water should be” underlies programs for the community such as the 1935 Shut In Cruise when 50 SYC boats took patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers for a Lake Washington cruise. World War II veterans were taken on similar cruises. Today’s Annual Special People’s Cruise was inspired by SYC women who arranged Christmas cruises for the Fircrest clients. SYC’s Opening Day, modeled in part by the city’s 1911 Potlatch celebration has the largest boating parade and international crew races in the world. SYC sponsors the largest fund raising event in boating, the Leukemia Cup Regatta and the SYC Foundation provides funding for Youth Sailing classes and community boating projects.

Protection of maritime waters and racing abound. SYC formed the first Pacific coastal squadron to teach motorboat navigation and to cooperate with the U.S. government in 1916. During World War II SYC’s Flotilla 24, the largest civilian squadron in the U.S., patrolled Pacific inland waters with private small and large luxury yachts. Pleasure boating was dormant but racing continued. The hydroplane races with SYC’s Slo-Mo IV and V won the Gold Cup 1950-1954 and put Seattle and Seafair on the map. The hydroplane era continues with the SYC burgee on winning boats and thousands of spectators watching the races on Lake Washington and on television.

Pleasure boating resumed after World War II. In 1964 SYC was invited to join the Cruising Club of America and continues to host several of their events. The latter’s goal of promoting cruising by amateurs and its interest in seamanship, navigation and handling of small vessel is in keeping with SYC’s philosophy and support of what the juniors call “people who like to mess around in boats”. Boating education at SYC has always been a priority for youth and adult members and non-members. Currently it is provided in Lasers, Vanguard 15’s, and Optimistist dinghies. Pleasure boating for adults, families and the public is provided in Club and private member boats.

Competing in international races in the 1980s again demonstrated SYC’s racing skills. Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals were brought home. The SYC burgee flew on One World in the 2003 America’s Cup Race. SYC women have won world championships in rowing and the Adams Cup for sailing.  World involvement is further demonstrated by hosting of the International Council of Yacht Clubs Forum in 2011. This is the first time it was held in the United States and 14 countries were represented by numerous delegates.

To insure “the most fun for the most of us” the SYC committee system allows for diversified interest groups and activities for all members. The Men’s and Women’s groups have luncheons with speakers and programs to educate and entertain. Parties, balls, dinner dances and children’s events occur regularly. The annual Commodore’s Ball with the Grand Fourteen Yacht Clubs in the area is a gala event. Potlatch, a weekend of water games, races and feasting at Port Madison, is an example of the family centered events for juniors, intermediates and regular members.

Seattle Yacht Club has a tradition of pride in its members who come from every socioeconomic level. Many have made significant contributions to navigational science and member volunteerism is basic to the Club. The 1937 Board of Trustees stated: the club should cater to the average class of gentlemen yachtsman” attempting to please the aristocrats and also the members with small boats regardless of financial position. SYC also has pride in its clubhouse and the city it is named after. The beacon light on top of the Portage Bay clubhouse was installed by SYC members and the Coast Guard and its spire is shown on nautical charts as a private stationary aid to navigation. It beckons you to join the fun of a cultural icon and continue to make history.

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Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy of Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, Inc.

The Club is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all of its staff, members, visitors, guests, volunteers and vendors. The Club does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression or identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, political ideology, or any other status or condition protected by applicable local, state or federal laws in any of its activities or operations, except where a bona fide qualification applies. These activities and operations include, but are not limited to, hiring, placement, compensation and retention of staff, solicitation and admission of members, selection of vendors, provision of services and conduct of its operations, including Club’s racing, cruising, junior, educational, social and other programs and activities.

Verbal, physical, sexual or any other form of harassment that belittles or demeans any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression or identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, political ideology or any other status or condition protected by applicable local, state or federal laws is strictly prohibited. 

The Club encourages reporting of all perceived incidents of discrimination or harassment to the Commodore, Vice Commodore or Rear Commodore and prohibits retaliation against any individual who in good faith reports incidents of discrimination or harassment or participates in an investigation of discrimination or harassment concerns. Any person who is found to have engaged in such discrimination or harassment is subject to discipline, including without limitation termination of employment and membership and banishment from the Club’s properties, activities and operations.

Leading Yacht Clubs • Working Together • Sharing Experiences

Restoring the Bones of Seattle Yacht Club’s 100-year Club

John Brenneis

Seattle Yacht Club

September 22, 2023

When your yacht club’s mainstation building has weathered a century of storms and rain, it might be time to see what lies beneath the outer skin. This is exactly what the Seattle Yacht Club decided it was time to do. Complicating this was the fact that the Old Grand Dame is on the National Historic Register, so it can have no significant exterior changes to the appearance of the building or the footprint. SYC Architect and Club member describes how SYC undertook this project.

As with any wood-framed structure that has withstood the ravages of a century’s worth of wind, rain, sun and occasional neglect, the grand dame of Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood was showing her age. Designed by former Commodore and renowned Seattle architect, John Graham, Sr., and completed in 1920, the Seattle Yacht Club’s clubhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places 86 years later.

Three years ago, Commodore Ted Shultz asked me how much it would cost to “re-side” the building. In my experience, I have learned to never offer an opinion about how much something will cost without serious study, consultation and discussion, so I proposed that all exterior finishes be replaced or restored instead of replacing only the skin of the building. Because these new surfaces would likely not be disturbed for another hundred years, it made sense to go one step deeper now and do a seismic upgrade of the structure beneath.

First, we decided to bring the structure up to current building code standards for an earthquake-resistant design. We then drafted a list of things that we wanted to improve, limiting it to just exterior work so that the interior of the Club remained fully functional and operational during the construction period. A committee representing all constituent interests was then formed to decide how we would accomplish this.

Once we agreed to a defined scope of work, we decided that this should be a winter-time project so as not to disturb the summer’s events, but would have cost implications beecause the work would have to be fully enclosed during periods of inclement weather to keep the building dry. While the building is about 19,000 square feet in floor area, it’s just a big house. So, I contacted a trusted contractor who had extensive experience building large, intricately detailed homes. They looked at the project and developed a detailed cost analysis.

The SYC by-laws require a majority vote of the membership for capital improvements of this magnitude. I developed a detailed narrative and made presentations to the Club while working to gain the approval of the Seattle Landmarks Board because they enforce the development restrictions for any building designated as “Historic.” Once we cleared that hurdle, the project was put to a vote of the membership in June of 2022, and passed by a 9 to 1 margin.

With the funds approved, I set to work preparing the construction drawings, hiring the engineer to perform the seismic retrofit design and writing the project specifications. I also began the arduous process of wresting a building permit from the City of Seattle. This was all done under the auspices of the Club’s House and Building Committees. In addition to the siding, the project also included the removal and replacement of the original ship-lap sheathing; the oldest of the original single-glazed windows, doors, and trim; a deteriorating and non-code conforming deck railing and flat roof; and the refurbishment of the soffit above the porch below. Costs were updated as the scope developed with the design. In July 2023, we executed a contract with Walter F. Toth Construction to begin work on August 1.

Phase I of the work began with the erection of a weatherproof scaffolding on the east side of the building, and demolition of the old siding and sheathing to expose the un-insulated stud cavities. To our great fortune, the framing was found to be rot-free, including the sill plates (the horizontal 2x6s that come into direct contact with the concrete foundation), a true testament to the qualities of older buildings.

Seattle Yacht Club Reviews

Seattle yacht club.

• Quality of service 4.9 out of 5 rating 4.9
• Average response time 4.8 out of 5 rating 4.8
• Professionalism 5 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Value 4.5 out of 5 rating 4.5
• Flexibility 4.8 out of 5 rating 4.8
• Quality of service 5.0 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Average response time 5.0 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Professionalism 5.0 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Value 5.0 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Flexibility 5.0 out of 5 rating 5.0
• Value 4.0 out of 5 rating 4.0
• Quality of service 4.5 out of 5 rating 4.5
• Average response time 4.0 out of 5 rating 4.0
• Flexibility 4.0 out of 5 rating 4.0

Seattle Yacht Club

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Review Highlights

“ I was part of the team that organized this luncheon, so I arrived earlier than many to the event. ” in 2 reviews

“ We held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Seattle Yacht Club and we couldn't be more happy with our decision to have our special day there. ” in 2 reviews

“ The room was pleasant--a view down the lawn and part of their moorage. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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1807 E Hamlin St

Seattle, WA 98112

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About the business.

Seattle Yacht Club is home to more than 2,500 members. The Club hosts a world-class junior sailing program, which has given a start to numerous Olympians and generations of Northwest sailors. Opening Day, the Club's annual spring celebration, is the region's premier on-the-water party. Seattle Yacht Club maintains reciprocity with more than 400 other boating groups around the world and enjoys membership in the Pacific International Yachting Association and the International Powerboat Association. SYC is recognized among the leading yacht clubs of the world, and members can take pride in both its prestige and its vibrant community. …

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M parents and my brother and his boyfriend are members here. Seemed nice enough. Many offerings. Beautiful location. Well-kept grounds. Many boats to choose from. Fresh catch seafood. Available fkr Private Parties. My dad continues to rave about theor roast beef sandwich!

See all photos from Gina H. for Seattle Yacht Club

What a great place! Nice people! Good food! Wonderful ambience! Outside dining for summertime fun! The staff know your name and are very attentive

Eric was welcoming and he provided some of the best service I have ever had. They genuinely care for every aspect of the guest.

I signed up for 'session 3' sailing lessons several months in advance and paid the full price up front. I ended up having a work conflict that I can't get out of so I called and spoke with Christina Travis (sailing program manager) on 05/23 asking if I could possibly be put in another class (session 3 is Aug 7-17th) and she said 'there are over 25 people on the waitlist. We just added session 3 this year because the waitlists are so long'. So imagine my surprise when she said there is a $100 cancellation fee. I am cancelling almost 3 months in advance, and they have plenty of people to fill my spot. Not a great business model. I would definitely understand if I left them hanging with short notice then I wouldn't argue on the cancellation fee. She was extremely rude and said she needed to hold people accountable. I would not recommend this business for sailing lessons. There are other options. .

SYC members only and their guests. We ate early dinner on Saturday. The drinks were great! The ahi is delicious. The burger came out as requested with lettuce wrapped instead of bun. Thank you SYC for being so accommodating and on point with hour service! Shout out to pops for taking us to the club!

I came in today with a few friends and boy can I say do NOT order the nachos. I was hoping for something great by the water but right when it came I could tell I would NOT, enjoy this meal. The nacho chips itself were stale, the cheese was just in the top layer leaving the bottom completely empty. The chicken was extremely dry and bland and most nachos are with shredded chicken not chopped. The sour cream tastes sour and expired and the "salsa" was mostly chopped onions. The guacamole was so chunky. The waiters were pretty nice but overall do NOT get the nachos I could barely take a few bites.

SYC is a club for boat lovers but also has an amazing formal restaurant, spacious casual restaurant with patio dining during summer and great views of the marina in Portage Bay. For boat owners, there are "out stations" throughout Puget Sound and reciprocal relationships with clubs across the world. The members and staff are very friendly.

They have really up'd their game! We went here for dinner the other day (our good friends are members) and it was obvious immediately that they had a new chef! For starters they included amuse-bousche which was smoked salmon on diced cucumbers with a hint of seasoning. It was delicious. When the entres came out the plating was impressive. I got the braised short rib. It was not served on the bone (which I loved)! It was extremely flavorful and melted in my mouth. All in all the Yacht Club really stepped up their game and I'm pleasantly surprised!

NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS SPECIFICALLY FOR SYC's FORMAL DINING ROOM, THE 'WARD ROOM'. SYC's Ward Room: The best restaurant in Seattle that you can't go to (unless you're [a] a member, [b] a guest of [a], [c] a visiting member of a reciprocal club, or [d] a visiting yachtsperson during Opening Day week. There are many reasons one can cite why SYC is simply 'TBGDYCITWWW'. You can list the outstations, the programs, the staff, and the facilities, but without a doubt one of our best-kept secrets is our fine dining facility, the Ward Room. There have been some great changes you may not be aware of if you haven't been there recently, and if you haven't you really owe it to yourself to come in and see what's happening; you will really be surprised and delighted! For one thing, the Ward Room's executive chef, Chef Breanna Beike (better known as Chef Bre), is a real talent! She is a highly imaginative young chef , much in the style of local greats Tom Douglas and Ethan Stowell. Under her direction, the Ward Room kitchen serves a full menu of Northwest Contemporary classics, featuring superb meats and seafood dishes. Chef Bre is making a name for herself on the Seattle culinary scene; she was a featured guest chef at Fare Start in 2014, showcasing her work alongside other hot talents like Joule's Rachel Yang, and Zoi Antonitsas of Westward! But where she really shines is the nights she puts on special events like her 'Bistro' nights, and the Wednesday Prix Fixe dinners! Bistro nights feature special menus with international flavor. Her French bistro night included such delights as classic steak frites, and the recent Italian bistro night showcased dishes like an incredible beef carpaccio, and homemade gnocchi topped with clams, mussels, and lobster, served in a sweet corn and saffron broth! The Prix Fixe dinners on Wednesday evening are a 'don't miss' event in the Ward Room! These are meals where the chef shares with diners a culinary tour of dishes designed to complement one another, telling a 'story in food' about chefs and their style. Chef Bre really cuts loose with a fantastic three-course meal where she puts together a different and unique menu each week of dishes designed to showcase her talents. At $31, this is an incredible value, as you would pay easily twice that a comparable hot local restaurants like The Walrus and the Carpenter or Sitka & Spruce. On these nights you can play sommeleir and bring your own wine - no corkage fee! How great a deal is this? Of course, the Ward Room also features an amazing collection of wines from around the world to satisfy any taste and budget, and the staff is well trained to help you make perfect choice! But the Ward Room is not just about a brilliant kitchen; the front of the house is just as delightful! Ward Room Manager Joseph Huber hails from Austria, and he and his team of top-notch servers bring a European touch to the Ward Room that is always elegant, but never stuffy! Unlike many local restaurants where the dining room is so loud you have to converse in what my mom called 'battlefield tones', the Ward Room is a serene, relaxing space; just perfect for unwinding after a long day, entertaining family or business colleagues, or enjoying a perfect romantic dinner with that special someone! Not that hungry? The Ward Room is still the place for you! Featuring superb soups and salads (it's one of the last places in Seattle where you can have a Caesar Salad prepared tableside!), The Ward Room is also a great place for a lighter bite as well (Top Tip: try the French onion soup; it's a SYC speciality!) Finally, contrary to what you might think, the Ward Room's dress code isn't tough. Jackets and ties are nice, but definitely not required. Fashion denim is OK too; just no ratty jeans or t-shirts, please! So if you haven't been to the Ward Room lately you owe it to yourself to see what all the excitement is about, and enjoy cutting-edge cuisine at prices that will surprise you! Make a reservation today and you'll be glad you did!

I attended a catered get-together event in June. The buffet of heavy appetizers was quite good! Varied and all delicious. They kept items replenished. The woman at the cash bar could use brushing up on her customer service. She was short with her responses and never smiled. The room was pleasant--a view down the lawn and part of their moorage. The building and decor feel dated--think the Caddyshack Country Club left unchanged since the early 1980s--but it's a historical building so I understand the desire to try to keep things traditional. It just could use some freshening up--carpets look tatty and women's bathroom is very 1960s feeling in furnishings.

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