The Oshkosh Yacht Club was organized in 1869 when lake schooners and cutters sought to add formality to what had been up to that point informal competition between commercial vessels on the lake. Rules were adopted and a system to handicap yachts was agreed to. Summer regattas were organized with yachts invited to compete from other cities on the lake or other inland lakes. The regattas became the social events of the summer. Much civic pride was demonstrated by area newspapers and those who crowded onto steamboats to witness the competition on Lake Winnebago.
The clubhouse was built in 1903 after the ILYA designated OYC as the permanent home for the Annual Championship Regatta. It was built in three months and opened two days before the start of the 1903 Inland Championship. It was regarded as the finest clubhouse to be found in the Midwest. It was lost to the city of Oshkosh twice for failure to pay property taxes during periods of waning interest and hard financial times. The city sold it to American Legion Post 70 who has owned and maintained the property as their clubhouse. The Legion has allowed the Oshkosh Yacht Club to rent the protected harbor as the center of its sailing and social activities over the years. In 1997, the clubhouse was used as the center for all nighttime entertainment during the ILYA Centennial Regatta. A tent erected on the lawn rocked as sailors and their families danced the night away to the tunes of Vince Vance and the Valiants among other bands. The members of the Oshkosh Yacht Club enjoyed hosting the visiting scow sailors and yearned for the time that they could again call this facility their own clubhouse.
Inland Lake Yachting Association- -Frank Gates and other members played a part in the development of the racing scow in the late 1890’s and into the early 1900’s. The OYC is a founding and charter member of the Inland Lake Yachting Association established in August of 1897. The club has continued to sail scows to the present. The classes currently sailing in OYC sanctioned races include Class E, M-16, X, MC, IOD, and Laser. In August of 1997 OYC hosted the Inland Lake Yachting Association Centennial Regatta.
The home of Edger Sawyer, an early member and Commodore of the Oshkosh Yacht Club, is now the Oshkosh Public Museum. The Oshkosh Public Museum is the official repository of all Inland Lake Yachting Association material. The collection contains meeting minutes from the inception of the association, many photographs, scrap books from the Gates family, many silver yachting trophies, 2 gauge yacht race starting cannon, and the last white cedar A scow built by Melges Boat Works previously owned and sailed by Herman Nunemacher.
