Detroit Yacht Club
Emblem
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| Short name | DYC |
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| Founded | 1868 |
| Location | 1 Riverbank Rd., Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan  United States
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| Website | www |
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Detroit Yacht Club
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Clubhouse and docks
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| Coordinates | 42°20′56″N 82°58′25″W / 42.34889°N 82.97361°WCoordinates: 42°20′56″N 82°58′25″W / 42.34889°N 82.97361°W |
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| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | George D. Mason |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 11000309 |
| Added to NRHP | May 25, 2011 |
The Detroit Yacht Club (DYC) is a private yacht club in Detroit, Michigan, located on its own island off of Belle Isle in the Detroit River between the MacArthur Bridge and the DTE generating plant. The DYC clubhouse is a restored 1920s Mediterranean-style villa that is the largest yacht club clubhouse in the United States.
DYC is a member of the Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association (DRYA).
The club was founded by Detroit sailing enthusiasts in 1868. The first Yacht Club buildings, a small clubhouse and boatshed, were constructed in the late 1870s at the foot of McDougall Street, just south of Jefferson Avenue. In the early 1880s, the members were divided over the club's growing social activities, and in 1882, one group broke away to form the Michigan Yacht Club. The remainder elected James Skiffington Commodore (the club's title equivalent to the "President" of other recreational and social organizations) in 1884.
The original Belle Isle clubhouse was built at a cost of $10,000 (with a further $2,000 for furnishings) in 1891, but burned down in 1904. A new facility was quickly built at the same site.
In 1923, the present-day clubhouse was dedicated; its construction had cost more than one million dollars, the work of architect George D. Mason, who also designed the Detroit Masonic Temple (the world's largest) and the opulent Gem Theatre. By the end of the following year, membership had reached 3000. Prominent member and Commodore Gar Wood set world speed records in hydroplanes, and with his Gold Cup victories brought the club to national and even worldwide prominence. Beginning in 1921, the DYC started sponsoring the hydroplane races. Membership declined dramatically during the Great Depression, and some services were suspended.
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