Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club


The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the Western Hemisphere, located in Centre Island, New York, with access to Long Island Sound.

History

The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was founded in September 1871 aboard the sloop Glance, anchored off Centre Island. Glance's captain, William L. Swan, was elected Seawanhaka's first Commodore. For many years, club meetings were held aboard this flagship.
In the 1880s the Club maintained a clubhouse and anchorage at Stapleton, Staten Island near the clubhouse of the New York Yacht Club. In 1881 Seawanhaka held Cup races from the New York harbor to Sandy Hook, NJ.

Clubhouses

In 1881, the club leased space on Centre Island, and the word "Corinthian" was incorporated into the club's name. In 1887 the organization leased a club house in Manhattan. Finally, in 1891-1892, the club returned to Centre Island, where a new club house was opened, and the club merged with the Oyster Bay Yacht Club.
Recognizing its important history, the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Commodores

In 1882, the club adopted a rating rule that would govern all its races:
Simply known as the "Seawanhaka Rule", it served as a rating for all eastern seaboard races from 1887 onwards, including the America's Cup from 1893 to 1903. The Load Waterline Length was usually placed under a class limit, where any amount beyond the limit was counted double. In the 1893 America's Cup the limit was set at 85 ft, so the Load Waterline Length of an 86 ft yacht would have counted as 87 ft.

Junior Club

Seawanhaka Corinthian Jr. Yacht club was honored with The Captain Joe Prosser Award at the 2017 US Sailing Awards ceremony.