Portland Yacht Club Turns 100: 1908-2008

Portland’s oldest yacht club did not start with blue blazers and outstation outings. It began on paper. George J. Kelly and James B. Welch wanted a waterfront club and decided printing stationery was the first step. So with envelopes and letterhead the Willamette Motor Yacht Club was born. Later came postcards, more members, a 10-by-15-foot float-house on the Willamette River and, in 1926, the name Portland Yacht Club. At the time, the club was about horsepower—though not much of it by today’s standards—and manly camaraderie. In a history of the club, Charles K. Sparks said the membership represented “a fine cross section” of local business leaders who found a place where they could “pursue the art of putting man and boat across the water at breath-taking speeds, such as seven miles—even 16 miles—an hour.” Now, says PYC member and centennial spokesman Bill Chevalier, the only formal racing in this nearly 400-member half-sail, half-power club is done aboard sailboats. Informally, he says, there is still some dinghy drag racing. But the club’s long-running Portland to Astoria race is an all-sail affair now, says Commodore Berkeley Smith, and celebrations for the centennial revolve more around the present and future than the past. Tuxedo-clad and gowned members were to gather earlier this year for the Commodore’s Ball. Improved docks and a junior program are in the works and the current clubhouse, located on the Columbia River, was recently renovated with new windows, paint and siding. One place, however, was rechristened in tribute to the past. Down came flags in the old Flag Room and up went glasses in the newly renamed George Kelly Bar.

 

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