Our History
Established in 1973.
See how we sailed out from The Inn in X-Boats and Butterflies ...
In 1982, when the yacht club moved to its present location on South Manhattan Beach, it sold the old clubhouse to Bill Sackett who moved it to a lot across from his home on Hayward's Bay.
The current Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School, located on South Manhattan Beach, is the fourth yachting club location on the lake. The yacht club leases the facility from the Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School. Construction started on the current sailing facility in September, 1997 and was completed in June, 1998. A pledge drive was initiated in 1997 to raise the funds to cover construction of the facility. It was very successful, raising over one million dollars in pledges. A year later, Lee Seeman made an additional pledge of one million dollars to establish an endowment fund for the operation of the Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School.
For more detailed history about sailing on West Lake Okoboji check out the books written by R. Aubrey LaFoy's, Reminiscing About the Iowa Great Lakes and Mary Jensen's A Centennial Cruise on the Iowa Great Lakes, both are wonderful resources in gathering the information here.
See how we sailed out from The Inn in X-Boats and Butterflies ...
In 1982, when the yacht club moved to its present location on South Manhattan Beach, it sold the old clubhouse to Bill Sackett who moved it to a lot across from his home on Hayward's Bay.
The current Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School, located on South Manhattan Beach, is the fourth yachting club location on the lake. The yacht club leases the facility from the Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School. Construction started on the current sailing facility in September, 1997 and was completed in June, 1998. A pledge drive was initiated in 1997 to raise the funds to cover construction of the facility. It was very successful, raising over one million dollars in pledges. A year later, Lee Seeman made an additional pledge of one million dollars to establish an endowment fund for the operation of the Okoboji Yacht Club Sailing School.
For more detailed history about sailing on West Lake Okoboji check out the books written by R. Aubrey LaFoy's, Reminiscing About the Iowa Great Lakes and Mary Jensen's A Centennial Cruise on the Iowa Great Lakes, both are wonderful resources in gathering the information here.
Sailing into the Seventies ...
Video provided by Brad Farrar
Video provided by Brad Farrar
Students Making History ...
By Carter Thoreson
By Carter Thoreson
