Tampa Bay · St. Petersburg
Founded 1909. Hosts the St. Petersburg stop of the Sailing World Regatta Series and anchors one of the deepest one-design and offshore racing scenes on the Gulf Coast. Mediterranean Revival clubhouse on the National Register of Historic Places.
Roughly 60-mile random-leg race for spinnaker, racer/cruiser, cruiser, double-handed and multihull classes; an SPYC Boat of the Year and Ocean Racing Series event.
J/70 Mixed-Plus US National Championship
National championship for J/70 mixed-crew (Mixed Plus) teams, hosted by SPYC on Tampa Bay.
High School Keelboat Nationals
National championship for high-school keelboat sailing, raced in J/70s on Tampa Bay.
Two-day January regatta on Tampa Bay hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Team-race regatta for senior helms, part of SPYC's winter one-design calendar.
Selection trials for Lightning-class Pan American Games berths, hosted by SPYC on Tampa Bay.
John Jennings Memorial Regatta
One-day memorial regatta on Tampa Bay honoring the longtime SPYC sailor and race official.
Two-day February regatta on Tampa Bay hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
L30 Double Handed North American Championship
Double-handed North American championship for the L30 class on Tampa Bay.
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series (Melges 24 Midwinters)
National one-design and offshore circuit stop hosted by SPYC; doubles as the Melges 24 Midwinter Championship.
Midwinter championship of the ILCA (Laser) class East circuit, hosted by SPYC on Tampa Bay.
One-day regatta sailed out of SPYC's Pass-a-Grille station on Boca Ciega Bay.
One-day regatta sailed out of SPYC's Pass-a-Grille station, the day after the Pennington Cup.
Lightning-class winter championship on Tampa Bay in the run-up to the class world championship.
World championship of the Lightning class, hosted by SPYC on Tampa Bay.
Two-day spring race weekend on Tampa Bay hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
The Ocean Race: St. Petersburg Stopover
The round-the-world Ocean Race calls at St. Petersburg, per SPYC's 2026–27 regatta schedule.
Offshore race from the St. Petersburg Pier across the Gulf to Pensacola Bay, co-hosted with Pensacola Yacht Club; the cruiser class starts a day early.
St. Petersburg Yacht Club's twilight (evening) racing series on Tampa Bay: 14 Friday-evening races through spring and summer.
The St. Petersburg Yacht Club was founded in 1909 and inaugurated its downtown-waterfront clubhouse in 1917, the Mediterranean Revival building at 11 Central Avenue that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More than a century on, it anchors one of the deepest one-design and offshore racing scenes on the Gulf Coast.
Racing is what SPYC is known for. The club hosts the St. Petersburg stop of the national Sailing World Regatta Series (the circuit formerly branded NOOD), which doubles as the Melges 24 Midwinter Championship, and runs a full home calendar including the Friday-evening Twilight Series, a Boat-of-the-Year points series, and an ocean-racing program on Tampa Bay and the Gulf.
Adults can learn here too. Through the club’s partnership with the Sailing Center, SPYC offers learn-to-sail classes and carries a US Sailing affiliation. For anything to do with sailing programs or racing, sailingcenter@spyc.org is the address to write to.
The junior program is a powerhouse. SPYC has run youth racing since 1919, and its race teams have won major Optimist titles across North America and gone on to produce Collegiate All-Americans, national and world champions, and Olympic medalists across Optis, Lasers, 420s, and keelboats. Much of that youth sailing operates from the city’s Sailing Center at Demens Landing, which the club runs under agreement with St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg Yacht Club is a private, member-owned club that honors reciprocal privileges for visiting yacht-club members. Membership is by sponsorship through the club’s membership office.
St. Petersburg Yacht Club is a private club. Membership is subject to the club's approval. For current membership costs and how to apply, contact the club's membership office. Members of reciprocal yacht clubs can usually arrange visiting access with advance notice.
Featured Private Tampa Bay · Tampa
Member-owned private club at the south end of Davis Islands in Hillsborough Bay. Long-standing Thursday Night Races open to anyone, plus a robust junior program through the Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation.
Featured Community Tampa Bay · St. Petersburg
City-owned sailing center at Demens Landing, operated under agreement with the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Hosts youth and adult programs, adaptive sailing initiatives, and regional regattas, the city's public-access counterpart to SPYC.
Private Tampa Bay · Sarasota
Private bay-front club on Bird Key in Sarasota. The clubhouse was demolished in fall 2025 and is being rebuilt on the same footprint, raised to meet FEMA standards; the club expects to open it in December 2026. Marina and tennis courts stay open to members and reciprocal guests.