yacht club in jackson michigan

Wolf Lake Yacht Club

Becoming a member.

Interested in Joining our Club?  We encourage you to attend some of the Club Functions that are open to the public.  Get to know some of the Club Members and see if this is a group you’d like to be part of.

Our Club Members enjoy a number of exclusive privileges including 24/7 access to all club grounds, kitchen and dining facilities and the opportunity to secure a boat slip in our marina.

Members are also expected to contribute to the success of the Club by volunteering some of their time toward Club Activities.  This is one way we are able to maintain very reasonable membership dues.

Application Process – Interested in learning more?  Our Vice Commodore will answer any questions and guide you through the process. 

Application form – attached is our Membership Form with our current dues.  Please note that Memberships applications will not be processed if you do not contact our Vice Commodore per above.

357 Highland Drive Jackson, Michigan 49201

Mailing Address: 9353 Lee Rd. Jackson, Michigan 49201

If you would like to contact us for more information, please email your Name, Phone Number, and a message to:

[email protected]

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Wolf Lake Yacht Club

Play in the heart of downtown baltimore, marina info.

Visit Wolf Lake Yacht Club at Highland Drive in Jackson, Michigan. Call 517-522-4211 to contact Wolf Lake Yacht Club directly. No reviews by any seafarers for Wolf Lake Yacht Club have been submitted. Michigan boaters can always be found in the waters of Jackson.

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KOREY ROWLSON GROUP

The wolf lake yacht club.

Located on Big Wolf Lake in Jackson County, Michigan there is a beautiful chain of lakes that does not get talked about much. The Michigan Center Chain of Lakes is a fairly quiet and private chain. It also happens to be home to the Wolf Lake Yacht Club. The Wolf Lake Yacht Club is located on the north shore of Big Wolf Lake at 357 Highland Drive and can be accessed from Lee Road out between Grass Lake and Napoleon.

The Wolf Lake Yacht Club was established in 1939. My family and I joined the club in 2022 and so I hope the information is up to date and helpful. The building offers a large eating or gathering space upstairs for entertaining. This could be used for dining with lots of tables, or it could be left open and used as a dance floor depending on the event. Upstairs also has a bar area. The upstairs space can be reserved by members only for events as well. There is a commercial Kitchen downstairs including a large walk in refrigerator. Downstairs also has a nice sized dining area, a bar, restrooms with a baby changing station, and doors leading out to the deck which is partially covered and overlooks beautiful Big Wolf Lake. As you can see in the photo there are multiple decks offering great views of the lake. In addition to the decks there is a gazebo several picnic tables and a large open area for entertaining just off the downstairs kitchen and bathrooms. There is also ample parking up top.

While the Wolf Lake Yacht Club does is based on membership, there are a couple of things to know. One is that the club requires that you have a sponsor (someone who is in the club already) in order to join. Second, it is quite reasonably priced. As of my writing this blog there is a one time initiation charge of $150. When you complete the application to join you would send $50 with your application. You will then meet with the clubs board members. They will decide if you can join based on your meeting. If all goes well your $50 will be applied to your $150 initiation charge. In addition to that cost, there is a $290 annual member fee. After that, there are options you could pay additionally for such as having a boat slip which is a big perk. There is a wait list for the boat slip, but depending on how things go, you may move up that list fairly quickly. There is also a sailing club, so feel free to ask about the options available or check out their website .

The club does do a nice job of maintaining the property, and creating a community atmosphere through different events. Some of the different events that they have held in the past are the annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast and boat parade, the annual BBQ, garage sales where unsold items are donated to Saint Vincent de Paul, the Easter Egg hunts including the opportunity to meet the Easter Bunny, Spa events, Spring and Fall Clean up, and the ever popular Euchre card game nights in the fall and winter.

One cool fact about the Wolf Lake Yacht Club is that they sit on a historic property. The Club is built on what used to be the site of the Wolf Lake Casino. Check out this video about the history of the Wolf Lake Casino from the Lost Railway Museum in Grass Lake Michigan. If you prefer, you could also choose to read the article about the Wolf Lake Casino from Mlive here .

If you are looking into a membership, click here . If you are looking to contact the Wolf Lake Yacht Club follow the link for their Facebook page, or here is their contact info:

Mail Address:WLYC P.O. BOX 528 Grass Lake, MI 49240 357 Highland Drive Jackson Michigan 49201 Email: [email protected]

We hope you found this article helpful. Please continue to check out our blogs and website as we continue to add additional content about the Michigan Center Chain of Lakes and Wolf Lake to become a good pillar of information about the area going forward.

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• Standing Up for Clark Lake

Clark Lake Yacht Club

Dec 6, 2016

What motivates people to sail?   After all, sailing involves considerably more than a trip to the store.   You have to acquire and maintain the boat, and then, learn how to use it.   It has no steering wheel or accelerator.   And the sport must have more in it than putting on a picturesque show for others.

Distilled to its essence, sailing, and its competitive derivative of racing, is about something basic to all of us—conquering a challenge.   Sailing requires understanding how to take the wind and cause it to propel your boat counter to the direction of the wind.    What’s more, the wind does wherever it wants regardless of your objective.   If you want to reach a marker in a race and the wind refuses to cooperate, what do you do?    The lead singer of Green Day, Billy Joe Armstrong, does a great job of summing it up in a sentence which is as much about sailing as it is about life.   “You can’t change the wind, but you can set your sails.”  

Hugh Harris

Racing is about testing your knowledge and skills with others—to follow the rules, get to the starting line promptly, navigate the markers, and reach finish faster than the other guy.   There must be something to this challenge and its reward.   The members of the Clark Lake Yacht Club have maintained a sailing fleet for decades.   They have moved their own mountains to achieve this.   The Club has moved to several locations around the lake and gone through more than one metamorphosis through the years.   Hugh Harris, a longtime member of the Yacht Club, took fragments of its history and pieced together this fascinating retrospective.  

Royal Bengal Yacht Club is the name taken by the Clark Lake Yacht Club on its founding in 1931 in the basement of Pleasant View pavilion, later the Clark Lake Lodge.  At that time, the basement was a bar and bowling alley under the ownership of Larry Miller, a supporter of the Club.

In 1933, the organization moved to Eagle Point, and changed its name to the present Clark Lake Yacht Club.   The facilities were two lake cabins built in the early 1890’s, among the first on the lake.

In 1939, the Club moved back across the lake to Kentucky Point, to the Graziana cottage, the same one that was floated down the lake on a barge many years later to become the Clark Lake Community Center. Once at Kentucky Point, Bud Kennedy purchased a Mower built by Chuck Burbach, of Burbach, Kestler in Fruitport, Michigan. Designed by Charles D. Mower in New York City, the boat was 18 feet, 9 inches in length, and carried 204 square feet of sail on its sloop rig.   Kennedy’s boat was built of mahogany planking fastened on oak ribs with copper rivets and had a spar made of mahogany.

Eldred “Bud” Kennedy

Also in the same year another club member commissioned local boat builder Charles H. Wilson to build another.   Wilson’s shop was on the second floor of a building at 217-21 N. Jackson, and next door to McConkey-Keehn Motor Co.   Wendell McConkey, of the DeSoto-Plymouth dealership, was also a Club member, and former commodore.   As construction proceeded, it was apparent that the boat would exceed cost estimates, and Clifford Sparks took over ownership.   This boat was cedar planked on oak ribs with brass screws and a spruce spar. It comfortably held four persons and became popular.   Having a local builder made it accessible, and each boat was built the same way with similar materials.   Wilson eventually built 13 Mowers for Clark Lake sailors. Mowers were raced as one-design boats in 1938.   It was typical for 10 to 12 of the boats to race on a weekend.   With three or four persons in each, most of the Club members participated every weekend.

In 1943, the Club moved to the Timberlake cottage, just west of the Pleasant View Hotel. But World War II made for big changes.   The Club disbanded.

Following the war, there was little competitive sailing on Clark Lake.   Former members, instead, joined with Wolf Lake Snipe sailors or Lightning sailors at Devils Lake.   Mowers sailors had drifted apart and weren’t interested in racing them.   Although they had been a success, they weren’t the boats to reorganize around.   They were awfully expensive boats to build.

In 1950, former members became enthusiastic about the Rebel, an early fiberglass boat built in Toledo.   It was the Rebel that would reinvigorate the competitive sailing spirit on Clark Lake. Six were purchased by the members in late 1949, and by 1950 the Clark Lake Yacht Club began racing again, this time from Eagle Point. The fleet grew rapidly with 10 to 12 boats over the next few years.   A few other classes sailed with the fleet.

In 1957, the Club returned to Pleasant View for a three year stay.   Desiring more spacious quarters and better grounds, the Club in 1960 purchased the Hayes summer home, its present location, from former member C.B. Hayes’ daughter.

During the late 1970’s, Hobie racing exploded on Clark Lake. Fleet 58, which was not connected with the Club, was founded, and fittingly, sailed out of the basement of Clark Lake Lodge, the former Pleasant View.   At one time, Fleet 58 counted more Hobies than any other inland lake in the United States.   Hobies sailed Sunday mornings before Yacht Club races.

George Carr

During more recent years, other classes of boats formed fleets at Clark Lake.   They included Lightnings, (which became inactive in 1978); Penguins, (prams that were purchased for a training program and intermittently raced); a so-called “Board Boat” group (consisting of Laser, Sunfish, Starwind and other small boat classes), Buccaneers (started by John Strawbridge in 1973 and active until recent years), and the Starcat 5.6 catamarans (started by George Carr as a fleet in 1980).

In 1976, the company manufacturing Rebels, which had been purchased by a Chicago firm, languished.   Although not directly connected with the Club, many of the sailors at Clark Lake Yacht Club formed Rebel Industries, and moved construction to Jackson, in order to ensure continuing production.   The Rebel is currently manufactured by Nickels’ Boatworks in Fenton, Michigan.

  In 1994, the Sunfish sailors (with Reed Lowden as fleet captain) obtained a Sunfish International charter for Fleet 676 .   The same year the fleet was awarded a regional regatta.   The Sunfish Fleet grew rapidly.   Along with the Rebels, it constituted the two main fleets in 1998.   Also, interest in a Laser fleet was gaining ground.

Sailing continued to be the focus through the 1980’s and 1990’s. In the new millennium, sailing remains central to the Club’s culture, even as powerboating and social aspects of the Club have become important. As of 2016, the Club continues to offer Learn-To-Sail classes and organized sailboat racing on Sunday afternoons.

The Yacht Club officiated the Fleet 58 Reunion & Regatta sponsored by the Clark Lake Spirit Foundation in 2014

The present Yacht Club facility is among the finest of any inland lake sailing clubs.   This praise comes from those who have sailed elsewhere, even in big boat sailing clubs.

And how does the Yacht Club view the lake they sail on?   Through the years the Club has expressed concern and took steps to care for the lake.   Most recently, the Club took an active role in the project to thwart an invasive weed—hybrid Eurasian water milfoil.   This weed, unchecked, spreads wildly.   In lakes that did not take action, recreational use was curtailed—swimming, boating and fishing.   The weed also has destroyed natural habitat and adversely affected property values. Through the efforts of many at Clark Lake, including the Club, a program was put into place to treat this invasive species.  

  Written evidence of the Club’s concern for the lake goes back as far as 1938. The Club formed a committee to monitor the lake and notify authorities of unlawful sewage dumping.   They also worked to see that the lake was restocked with bass and blue gills through a state conservation department. In 1940 they formed a lake improvement committee. In 1968 and 1969 the Club directors registered concern about lake pollution.   In some of these cases, there are no records of actions taken, and if taken, whether the action proved beneficial.   But these snippets demonstrate the Yacht Club’s care for the lake, something also expressed by today’s members.   They share this concern with all who love Clark Lake.

Acknowledgements

Brokerage House

Clark Lake Yacht Club

The Full Story

Royal Bengal Yacht Club is the name taken by the Clark Lake Yacht Club on its founding in 1931 in the basement of Pleasant View pavilion, later the Clark Lake Lodge.  At that time, the basement was a bar and bowling alley under the ownership of Larry Miller, a supporter of the Club.

In 1933, the organization moved to Eagle Point, and changed its

name to the present Clark Lake Yacht Club.  The facilities were two

lake cabins built in the early 1890’s, among the first on the lake.

                                            In those early days, boats ranged from 12 to

                                            16 feet in length.  Four classes were set up for racing purposes.                                              Most popular among the boats was the Lark, a cat-rigged, jib

                                            headed scow about 15 to 16 feet long that raced in an almost

                                            one-design class of six or seven boats.

                                            In 1937, the Club moved back across the lake to Kentucky Point, to the Graziana cottage.  In the same year, Bud Kennedy purchased a Mower built by Chuck Burbach, of Burbach, Kestler in Fruitport, Michigan. Designed by

Charles D. Mower in New York City, the boat was 18 feet, 9 inches in length, and carried 204 square feet of sail on its sloop rig.  Kennedy’s boat was built of mahogany planking fastened on oak ribs with copper rivets and had a spar made of mahogany.

Also in the same year another club member commissioned local boat builder

Charles H. Wilson to build another.  Wilson’s shop was on the second floor of a building at 217-21 N. Jackson, and next door to McConkey-Keehn Motor Co.  Wendell McConkey, of the DeSoto-Plymouth dealership, was also a Club member, and former commodore.  

As construction proceeded, it was apparent that the boat would exceed cost estimates, and Clifford Sparks took over ownership.  This boat was cedar planked on oak ribs with brass screws and a spruce spar. It comfortably held four persons and became popular.  Having a local builder made it accessible, and each boat was built the same way with similar materials.  Wilson eventually built 13 Mowers for Clark Lake sailors. Mowers were raced as one-design boats in 1938.  It was typical for 10 to 12 of the boats to race on a weekend.  With three or four persons in each, most of the Club members participated every weekend.

In 1943, the Club moved to the Timberlake cottage, just west of the Pleasant View Hotel. But World War II made for big changes.  The Club disbanded.

Following the war, there was little competitive sailing on Clark Lake.  Former members, instead, joined with Wolf Lake Snipe sailors or Lightning sailors at Devils Lake.  Mowers sailors had drifted apart and weren’t interested in racing them.  Although they had been a success, they weren’t the boats to reorganize around.  They were awfully expensive boats to build.

In 1950, former members became enthusiastic about the Rebel, an early fiberglass boat built in Toledo.  It was the Rebel that would reinvigorate the competitive sailing spirit on Clark Lake. Six were purchased by the members in late 1949, and by 1950 the Clark Lake Yacht Club began racing again, this time from Eagle Point. The fleet grew rapidly with 10 to 12 boats over the next few years.  A few other classes sailed with the fleet.

A second class emerged in 1955-56.  Bob Cornell was a Snipe sailor from Wolf Lake, but also was part of Clark Lake’s Rebel Fleet. He brought a fast

new boat in from Toledo—the Interlake.  Two fleet racing began.  

As the faster boat, Interlakes sailed first in races and became a

successful competitive class.

In 1957, the Club returned to Pleasant View for a three year stay.

Desiring more spacious quarters and better grounds, the Club

in 1960 purchased the Hayes summer home, its present location,

from former member C.B. Hayes’ daughter.

During the late 1970’s, Hobie racing exploded on Clark Lake.

Fleet 58, which was not connected with the Club, was founded,

and fittingly, sailed out of the basement of Clark Lake Lodge, the former Pleasant View.  At one time, Fleet 58 counted more Hobies than any other inland lake in the United States.  Hobies sailed Sunday mornings before Yacht Club races.

During more recent years, other classes of boats formed fleets at Clark Lake.  They included Lightnings, (which became inactive in 1978); Penguins, (prams that were purchased for a training program and intermittently raced); a so-called “Board Boat” group (consisting of Laser, Sunfish, Starwind and other small boat classes), Buccaneers (started by John Strawbridge in 1973 and active until recent years), and the Starcat 5.6 catamarans (started by George Carr as a fleet in 1980).

In 1976, the company manufacturing Rebels, which had been purchased by a Chicago firm, languished.  Although not directly connected with the Club, many of the sailors at Clark Lake Yacht Club formed Rebel Industries, and moved construction to Jackson, in order to ensure continuing production.  The Rebel is currently manufactured by Nickels’ Boatworks in Fenton, Michigan.

 In 1994, the Sunfish sailors (with Reed Lowden as fleet captain)

obtained a Sunfish International charter for Fleet 676 .  The

same year the fleet was awarded a regional regatta.  The

Sunfish Fleet grew rapidly.  Along with the Rebels, it

constituted the two main fleets in 1998.  Also, interest in a

Laser fleet was gaining ground.​

Sailing continued to be the focus through the 1980’s and 1990’s. In the new millennium, sailing remains central to the Club’s culture, even as powerboating and social aspects of the Club have become important. As of 2016, the Club continues to offer Learn-To-Sail classes and organized sailboat racing on Sunday afternoons.

              The present Yacht Club facility is among the finest of any inland lake sailing

               clubs.  This praise comes from those who have sailed elsewhere, even in big

               boat sailing clubs.

               Through the years the Club has expressed concern and took steps to care for

               the lake.  Most recently, the Club took an active role in the project to thwart

               an invasive weed—hybrid Eurasian water milfoil.  This weed, unchecked, spreads wildly.  In lakes that did not take action, recreational use was curtailed—swimming, boating and fishing.  The weed also has destroyed natural habitat and adversely affected property values. Through the efforts of many at Clark Lake, including the Club, a program was put into place to treat this invasive species. 

Written evidence of the Club’s concern for the lake goes back as far as 1938. The Club formed a committee to monitor the lake and notify authorities of unlawful sewage dumping.  They also worked to see that the lake was restocked with bass and blue gills through a state conservation department. In 1940 they formed a lake improvement committee. In 1968 and 1969 the Club directors registered concern about lake pollution.  In some of these cases, there are no records of actions taken, and if taken, whether the action proved beneficial.  But these snippets demonstrate the Yacht Club’s care for the lake, something also expressed by today’s members.  They share this concern with all who love Clark Lake.

As noted in this history, the Club’s activities encompass a range of endeavors.  What comes through all of it is the Yacht Club’s emphasis on sailing. The joy of filling your sails with a fresh breeze, skimming across the clear waters of Clark Lake, and using your skill toward a competitive objective cannot be underestimated.  

Is there a secret to be discovered in the world of sailing?  Members of the Clark Lake Yacht Club emphatically say “yes”! 

Special thanks to Rick B elcher, ClarkLake Spirit Foundation, for the updated historical notes

Eldred "Bud" Kennedy

Mower Sailboat 18'

George Carr, 1964

The C.B Hayes Cottage, c. 1947

Jackson Yacht Club

Founded in 1960, Jackson Yacht Club is recognized as one of the South’s finest Yacht Clubs. JYC’s membership community offers dynamic sailing opportunities on the Ross Barnett Reservoir, a beautiful clubhouse and exquisite dining facilities.

We offer a family oriented atmosphere with several programs and social activities such as an competition sized swimming pool and adult and youth sailing programs.

Jackson Yacht Club’s exceptional culinary and professional management staff pride themselves in impeccable service, attention to detail and flawless presentation and quality.

Flying Scots have long been a part of the Jackson Yacht Club. During the 1960s, the Scot was one of the largest classes on the Reservoir. It was recognized as Fleet 45 by the FSSA. Overtime sadly, interest waned and fleet died out forcing the FSSA to revoke its chapter. In 2012, an enthusiastic group of sailors resurrected the fleet and petitioned the FSSA to renew its charter which was approved. (FSSA letter and fleet charter) In 2013, Scots n’ Water, the publication of the FSSA published an article about the Fleet's resurrection. 

Join the club to enhance your boating fun. JPYC organizes social events and entertainment for our members with the purpose of fostering boating and boating education on Lake Michigan. JPYC is a family friendly club with activities for all ages and skill levels.

Membership Levels

Open to any boater having a boat permit to moor in Chicago area harbors. Membership includes member, spouse, and dependent children at same address. 8 prepaid galley meals included.

Persons demonstrating an interest in the purpose activities & affairs of the Club, crew members of a Resident Member’s yacht, and/or those with a partial ownership interest in a yacht. Membership is an individual membership (i.e., does not include family members). 4 prepaid galley meals included.

WATER SPORTS

Open to anyone age 26 and over; Ownership of a water craft, jet ski, canoe, kayak, kite board, SUP, dinghy sailboat under 16’. 4 prepaid galley meals included.

NON-RESIDENT

Former Resident or Associate Member who no longer permanently keeps a boat in a Lake Michigan harbor in Illinois or Indiana, and who reside more than 75 miles from the Club.

INTERMEDIATE/STUDENT

Ages 18-25. No voting rights or ability to hold office. Limit of 2 guests at a time. No club rental. No prepaid galley meals.

Over thirty consecutive years of membership. Resident Members pay Non-Resident dues and receive four prepaid galley meals. After forty-plus years of membership, you are exempt from dues & the volunteer hour requirement, but will not receive galley meals as your membership is free.

All membership levels except Non-resident & Senior – 40 have a 15 hour volunteer requirement that may be waived by paying an additional fee. Please note that only Resident members have voting privileges and may hold office. Lapsed memberships will incur an additional fee.

Membership Questions?  Please contact  [email protected]