TheSan Francisco Model Yacht Club (SFMYC) is dedicated to the hobby, arts and sport of building and racing working model boats of all descriptions. It is anchored by the Spreckels Lake Model Yacht Facilityin Golden Gate Park which includes the lake itself and the SFMYC's WPA-era Clubhouse. The club draws its membership which varies annually between 120 and 160 from throughout northern and central-coastal California as well as nationally and overseas.
Vintage postcard of the northwest corner of Spreckels Lake, c1904/05, looking north toward 36th Avenue and Fulton Street on left with the boats of the San Francisco Model Yacht Club.
The San Francisco Model Yacht Club is a historically significant club, It was at the request of this group that Spreckels Lake was created by the San Francisco Parks Commission between 1902 and 1904 as a lake dedicated specifically for model boat sailing and competition. The Parks Commission built the club's first clubhouse in 1909. The WPA built the current clubhouse closer to Spreckels Lake at the 'corner' of JFK Drive and 36th Ave in the late 30's .After completion in 1938, the federal government, via charter, deeded the clubhouse in perpetuity to the Model Yacht Club.
Founded in 1898, the club coalesced from a group of affiliated model boating enthusiasts, including a number of socially-prominent and wealthy San Franciscans. Originally home-ported at Golden Gate Park's Stow Lake, it is now the oldest, continuously operating model boating organization in the western hemisphere