by Garth Meyer
First a big tent went up, then 12 tables underneath and 120 chairs. Tablecloths were ironed and flower arrangements made.
“And then we put on our whites and blues and stood at attention,” said Lisa Griffin, vice commodore of Port Royal Yacht Club.
Opening Day 2023 was Saturday, April 15. This year included a marriage proposal and Mayor Bill Brand reading the proclamation.
The Port Royal tradition returned to land after being on the water for the last two years – due to the pandemic – in the harbor channel, boats moored together, people staying on their own crafts, the ceremony conducted over speakers. Dinghies came out, too.
The club, with 88 members, now has a waiting list.
“After (the pandemic), it was quite startling how many people wanted to join,” Griffin said.
Port Royal Yacht Club, next to the Cheesecake Factory at King Harbor, is a volunteer club, meaning it has no employees. The clubhouse has a bar and kitchen, but no paid bartenders or chefs.
About 70 percent of the members own boats – motor or sail.
The group was founded in 1990, by an original lineup which included the late Larue Thomas, whose family still leases the clubhouse to the club. The space was previously an apartment, then a yacht broker’s office, then an attorney’s.
Today, each member once per year acts as an “Officer for the Day” – they arrive, put the club flag out, open the doors and then manage the day, or evening, often in a particular theme.
The club also stages two annual “dinghy crawls,” on Memorial Day and Labor Day, members going around to certain members’ (large boats), sampling hors d’oeuvres and voting on best cocktail.
The club puts on two sailboat races per year, one of which, the “Plastic Classic” will change in 2023 to just “The Classic,” to go from fiberglass-only to allow other materials.
The revision creates a spinnaker division and cruiser division – for boats of any material newer than 25 years; and fiberglass older than 25 years.
The club’s second race of the year, in August, is its big fundraiser, with silent auction proceeds going to Marine Animal Rescue, of El Segundo; and “City2Sea,” a student nautical science program.
Port Royal Yacht Club also takes on a third race this year, the “June Cup” series, from Redondo Beach Yacht Club, which folded in March. The races, marking their 20th anniversary, require a woman to be at the helm of each boat.
Yacht clubs’ “Opening Day” tradition comes from the midwest and northeast, which mark the start of each season when ice melts off of waterways in the spring. ER
