Bylaws Updated 2023
The Ocean Gate Yacht Club was founded in 1909 by a group of summer residents from Philadelphia “to promote yachting and rowing and to foster athletic sports upon the water and to promote the interests and welfare of Ocean Gate.” The club’s purpose was later expanded to include an active social program for members and their guests.
In July 1910 the club was incorporated and purchased a parcel of land on the southwest corner of Ocean Gate and Riviera Avenues. In that same year the club received a riparian grant from the state for the adjoining waterfront parcel and plans were completed to build a clubhouse. For unknown reasons, perhaps financial, the members decided to build their clubhouse on pilings in the center of the riparian grant with access either by a long catwalk or by boat. The original building lot was later sold to the Robinson family and is now occupied by Diana Ottenberg’s home.
The original building was completed in 1912 and offered a main room with two fireplaces and a kitchen. A back porch which overlooked the “T” shaped boat dock was later enclosed to enlarge the main room. Several years later, the west side of the club was expanded to include a stage area used in the summer months for various presentations including popular traveling minstrel shows during the 1920s and 30s. A screened front porch was added during the 1950s to complete the original building. In the early 1970s, the stage was eliminated and the area was converted into the Commodore’s Lounge with a private club liquor license for the enjoyment of members and their guests.
Building the clubhouse on pilings over the water may have saved money in 1912 but later led to major structural problems. During the 1940s a bulkhead was built around the base of the building and the enclosed area was backfilled with sand to give the appearance of dry land. Over time the pilings supporting the building rotted and by the late 1980s the original clubhouse was structurally unsound. The membership decided to undertake a major rebuilding project and in 1994 the present clubhouse was dedicated during a gala reopening party attended by members, guest and friends. In keeping with the look of the new building, the original dock was replaced in 1997 with a modern breakwater and bulkhead system designed to both protect the building’s foundation and to provide safe berthing facilities for members’ boats.
Today the club remains true to its original purpose of fostering sailing and athletic competition on the water by offering a summer sailing school for both children and adults and by participating in various sailboat races and events. The club also sponsors and supports many U.S. Sailing events and is a charter member of the Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association since 1914. The Beck Crabbe Trophy, for the “A Cat” Class is one of the premier races of the BBYRA season, and has traditionally started from anchor in front of the club on the OGYC bay day since 1941.
Even with such a strong sailing tradition, many members are not boaters and join simply to enjoy the active social calendar offering a full range of activities from informal dinners in the clubhouse to the popular Land and Sea Auction held each summer. Membership in the Ocean Gate Yacht Club is open to everyone.