Townsville Yacht Club

The Townsville Yacht Club (Townsville Motor Boat & Yacht Club Limited) has come to it's present entity by a circuitous route. The Club has it's genesis in the 1950's in a now demolished shop beside the Metropole Hotel in Palmer Street as a dinghy and fixed keel sailing club. Members' boats were moored on swing moorings in Ross Creek in front of the Metropole; the rails which served a careening ramp are still there. In 1979 the Club amalgamated with six, water sport oriented, Clubs and moved to premises on the Strand. In 1984 the new entity went into liquidation and the sailing fraternity were without a home. The Townsville Motor Boat Club had a lease of the land where the Club is presently situated at the edge of the CBD in Plume Street and used pole moorings in front of the site; the TMBC took pity on the sailors and invited them to join with them and from this meeting was formed the Townsville Motor Boat & Yacht Club Limited. Since 1979 the Club has obtained freehold title to its land in Plume Street, built a Club House, taken a 30 year lease of the adjacent seabed, and in 2009 completed construction of a new 162 berth pontoon marina for boats from 10 to 20 metres for $8m, then in 2010 the Club refurbished it's Club House, upgrading the bar, dining areas, showers, laundry and toilet facilities. The Club is now a modern and stylish facility with over 1,500 members. Power boat and yacht owners are equally represented at the Club; the Club's yacht racing season extends from February to November with the principle event being the Magnetic Island Race Week in September.