At Rye Yacht Club, everyone is welcome. We’re a community built on a shared love of the sea — a place to discover new adventures, make connections, and find your home on the water.
Commodore’s Message
Off Season 2026
Welcome to all members, guests and visitors to the Rye Yacht Club with organised programs operating from the second weekend of October until the last weekend in April each year.
At its heart, the Rye Yacht Club identity is welcoming and inclusive, community-driven, active and engaging. The Club’s character is grounded and quietly confident, with a natural balance between on water activities and relaxed social connection.
We’re a club built on shared experiences, and a genuine connection to place.
The Sailing, Sailing School and Social Committees are currently working together to provide a full program of integrated instructional sessions as well as recreational and course sailing and other water-based activities. The 2026-2027 season will offer opportunities to grow participation by women in our club as well as supporting our next generation of sailors transitioning from their development squad sailing into course sailing.
As we near the Season Opening on 10th and 11th October, keep your eye out for all the information on the upcoming season as well as courses and social events here on our website.
Neville Taylor
Commodore
Our History
Rye Yacht Club started with a simple idea: a fun New Year’s Day sail in 1970 to shake off the night before.
A group of local families came together for a yacht race off Rye beach. Six boats took to the water in a lively, carnival-like atmosphere. The winner’s “trophy” — a light-hearted creation of empty cans wrapped in foil and decorated with toilet paper bunting — reflected the fun and family spirit of the day.
The success of that first race sparked something bigger. The following year saw even more boats join in, and soon families were gathering every weekend to sail together. By May 1971, around 25 families formally established the Rye Yacht Club, and a year later a constitution was adopted. In October 1972, the club became a member of the Victorian Yachting Council (now Yachting Victoria).
Over the years, the club found its permanent home on the foreshore and, through the efforts and fundraising of members, built the clubhouse that officially opened in 1985. Since then, RYC has continued to grow with new facilities — a canteen, training rooms, a dedicated Sailing School, and expanded grounds — all designed to welcome more people to sailing and strengthen the sense of community.
From those first six boats to today, Rye Yacht Club has always been about more than sailing. It is a place where families and friends come together, where new sailors are encouraged, and where the joy of being on the water is shared across generations.