About Lakeside Yacht Club
Lakeside Yacht Club is a private members' yacht club and marina at the eastern edge of the downtown Cleveland harbor, adjacent to Burke Lakefront Airport. Founded in 1945 by a group of Great Lakes powerboaters, it is one of four major private clubs on the central Cleveland lakefront, alongside Cleveland Yacht Club (Rocky River), Edgewater Yacht Club, and Shoreby Club in Bratenahl.
History
Post-War Origins
The club was established by a group of returning WWII veterans and local power-boating families in 1945, seeking a more accessible alternative to the then-existing Cleveland Yacht Club in Rocky River. The original facility was a wooden clubhouse and a dozen slips on a small harbor carved out of the downtown lakefront just east of Burke.
Successive expansions and reconstructions in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2010s have brought the marina to its current capacity of roughly 150 slips, with a full clubhouse including dining, a pool, tennis courts, and social programming.
Today
A Working Club
Lakeside remains a members-only facility, with slip access tied to membership. The club operates a substantial junior-sailing program, runs weekly summer race series, and hosts occasional Great Lakes regatta events.
Its location — the easternmost of the downtown-area marinas, sheltered by the Cleveland Breakwall — offers straightforward access to the open lake and relatively calm conditions even during strong northwesters.
Nearby on the Shoreline