This year, the St. Augustine Yacht Club is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a special masquerade ball.
Founded in 1874, the club’s membership now exceeds 250. A SAYC Sailing Center focusing on the youth in and around St. Augustine is currently under construction as the sailing program grows.
The Grand Masquerade Ball will be held Feb. 13. It will mimic such elegant affairs held in the late 1800s.
A black tie and masked event such as this has not been seen in St. Augustine for some time. Dinner will be catered by Purple Olive with cocktail hour entertainment by classical guitarist Chuck Rogers and his wife Laura accompanying him on the flute. Later in the evening, kick back and dance the night away to live band music by Contact Buzz.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the club was referred to as the Winter Newport because so many prominent Northern families came here for “the season,” January through May. The club became renowned for its parties. The most famous was the “Grand Bal Masque,” held each February at a hotel; it “eclipsed anything of the season,” according to one scribe. Two hundred attendees, many of them masked, would dance to an orchestra until 2 in the morning.
For tickets, go to staugustineyachtclub.com/event/xkjUpSXibM. Questions may be sent by email to manager@sayc.club.
Read about the club's history by clicking HERE.
