Capital Yacht Club

CYC was established on October 19, 1892 by nine yachtsman who met on the naptha powered launch ALERT in order to hire a watchman to keep an eye on their vessels anchored in the newly formed Washington Channel. This was not long after the Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) had begun a colossal dredging project that created East Potomac Park, the Tidal Basin and created many of the features of the SW Washington Waterfront that we're familiar with today. The SW waterfront was still a working seaport, with fish wharfs, municipal piers for tobacco and farm produce, numerous ice and coal docks.