The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was founded (as the "Seawanhaka Yacht Club") in September 1871 aboard the sloop Glance, anchored off Centre Island. Glance's captain, William L. Swan, was elected Seawanhaka's first Commodore. Charles E. Willis became the Vice Commodore, Frederic de P. Foster assigned as the first Secretary, Gerard Beekmanthe Treasurer and William Foulke as the Measurers.[2]
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. On February 1, 1887, it was incorporated under the latter name.
In 1881 Seawanhaka held Cup races from the New York harbor to Sandy Hook, NJ.
Burgee
Club's triangular blue burgee
has 12 White stars, eight in a horizontal direction and four others crossing
vertically. The design was made to perpetuate the memory of the 12 founders.[3]
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.
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 Junior Yacht club (SCJYC) was incorporated in 1936 as one of the first Junior Yacht Clubs on Long Island Sound. The new organization built on decades of less formal Junior sailing programs at the Seawanhaka and was intended to give the Juniors an independent club and clubhouse (also completed in 1936). Over its history SCJYC has produced many sailing champions but its most central mission has always been to produce lifelong sailors. In 2017 US Sailing awarded SCJYC Sailing Director Tomas Ruiz DeLuque with The Captain Joe Prosser Award for exceptional service to sailing.
