Presque Isle Yacht Club

Located on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie and situated within one of the finest natural harbors on the Great Lakes, the Presque Isle Yacht Club is the home port for five hundred Erie people.

In 1944, a group of Erie boaters who rented their boat stalls from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at Presque Isle State Park joined together to form Presque Isle Boat Owners Association. Their primary purpose was to improve the ailing facilities at their rented boat dockage. These members proposed to rebuild the existing docks near today’s Presque Isle State Park’s Nature Center Building. The project was completely funded by the newly formed Boat Owners Association. In exchange for the service the Commonwealth, the State Park and the Harbor Commission allowed the Club the use of the property adjacent to the Nature Center. This proved to be a worthwhile partnership with the Commonwealth. Boat dockage that would have then cost the Commonwealth $125,000 in repairs, was reformed and expanded into a well-designed marina at no expense to the Commonwealth.

Over the years, the Club nurtured and further expanded this facility until the late 1950′s, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania rebuilt the peninsula and created the “new lake” in the process. The Commonwealth realized the benefits provided by the Presque Isle Yacht Club (renamed from Presque Isle Boat Owners Association), and agreed to provide the Club a lease at this newly created lake. The Club designed and built another modern and attractive marina, using its own labor and financial resources. Eventually, the Commonwealth reappraised the use of Presque Isle State Park lands and started controlling and restricting usage. This meant that Presque Isle Yacht Club, as well as other facilities located on the peninsula, would have to seek a new home.

It was 1962, there was still tremendous potential on Erie’s under-developed waterfront. The members of Presque Isle Yacht Club formed a partnership with the City of Erie and leased an area in the west canal basin at the foot of Peach Street to relocate its yacht club. They used the guidance and assistance of Art Gardner, Erie’s Mayor, and Joe Martin, Erie’s Port Administrator and former Mayor.

Once again, club members invested their own labor and money to quickly modernize this deteriorated area. The end result of this effort was the installation of docking accommodations for one hundred forty-two boats and ten guest stalls. Land construction features a well-maintained clubhouse including restrooms, showers, kitchen, and other facilities for members and guests. A boat lift facility, pump-out station, lighted parking lot, and a complete security system is also included on the premises. A caretaker is on duty throughout the year to care for needs of the members and guests.

Presque Isle Yacht Club takes pride in developing and maintaining its boating facilities to the benefit of Erie’s entire boating community. The more than 300 visiting boats that stay at Presque Isle Yacht Club during the boating season generates considerable tourist revenue to many businesses in Erie. These guests use public transportation to visit many of Erie’s highlights. They patronize the many convenient stores and restaurants at Erie’s newly renovated lower State Street areas. The Presque Isle Yacht Club is very proud of its contribution to the City of Erie by rejuvenating its part of the neglected waterfront area into a well-maintained modern marina. The partnership between the Presque Isle Yacht Club and the City of Erie has also been a good one. Not only does the Yacht Club want to continue this partnership, but is willing to consider further opportunities to develop areas in the existing grounds and surrounding area.

The Presque Isle Yacht Club is known throughout the Great Lake as a friendly place for visiting boats to stop. No other boating facility in Erie offers so much to these visiting boaters. More than seventy-five percent of all boats visiting Erie stop at Presque Isle Yacht Club…..The Gateway to Eriesistible Erie.

This photo was taken around 1954. At this point in time, the club was given permission to construct large boat slips and was allowed to moor their clubhouse next to these boat slips. This area was located just to the East of the small boat slips shown in the 1948 photo. The large boat in the foreground belonged to Ben Bjalme who lived aboard this boat in the summer one season with his wife and two daughters. Prior to this move, the floating clubhouse was moored near this area and had to be accessed via any boat. I believe that arrangements were made to move the clubhouse into the new dock area, once they were built.