Victor Harbor Yacht Club

Victor Harbor Yacht Club (VHYC) is based at 53 Bridge Terrace, Victor Harbor, on the Fleurieu Peninsula about 80 minutes south of Adelaide. Founded in 1957, it calls itself "your second home in Victor Harbor" and welcomes new sailors and volunteers.

The club sails a wide range of boats: Stingray, Mosquito, Taipan, A Class, Hobie, Paper Tiger, Arrow, Nacra and Windrush catamarans, plus Arafura Cadet, Laser, Tasar, Pacer and Sabre dinghies. Two rescue boats and a volunteer-run bridge support every race. The club offers Discover Sailing sessions for newcomers, and its sailing calendar and membership details are on its website. See other clubs nearby on our Victor Harbor sailing clubs page.

VHYC runs Discover Sailing sessions for people who want to try sailing for the first time, and the club is always keen to welcome new sailors and volunteers. The fleet mix makes it easy to find a boat that suits you: Pacers, Tasars and Arafura Cadets are good choices for learners and families, while Lasers and Sabres suit single-handers, and there is a large range of catamarans for those who like speed.

Every race is supported by two rescue boats and a bridge staffed by volunteers, so newcomers can learn with confidence. Volunteering on the rescue boats or the bridge is also a great way to learn about racing before you take the helm yourself.

The club sits at 53 Bridge Terrace in Victor Harbor, on Encounter Bay on the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Granite Island, linked to the shore by its famous causeway, sits just offshore, and the Bluff marks the southern end of the bay.

The club's best-known course is the Rum Race at the end of the season, which runs from Victor Harbor around Granite Island to the Bluff and back — a well-attended event that brings sailors from across the state. For other clubs on the Fleurieu, see Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club and Normanville Sailing Club.

Most of the club's sailing happens inside the water sheltered by the Granite Island breakwater, which keeps things friendly for learners even when Encounter Bay is lively outside. The clubhouse on the foreshore looks straight across to Granite Island, and its licensed rooms, kitchen and bar make it a popular spot for functions and meetings as well as post-race drinks. Southern right whales visit Encounter Bay in winter, so sailors and spectators often get a bonus show from the shore.

Victor Harbor Yacht Club was established in 1957. Over the decades it has built a reputation for friendly racing and a broad fleet, with many classes of catamaran and dinghy sailing side by side on Encounter Bay. The end-of-season Rum Race around Granite Island has become one of the club's signature traditions.

The club has always been an off-the-beach club for catamarans and dinghies, and that suits Victor Harbor perfectly: boats are launched from the beach in front of the clubhouse, and a season of racing wraps up each May with the Rum Race around the local islands, weather permitting. Photographs held by the State Library of South Australia show yacht club races off Victor Harbor, a reminder of how long sailing has been part of this holiday town's life.