Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club revitalizes itself and Marina del Rey Community


MARINA DEL REY, Calif., June 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club (SMWYC), announces subsidized membership for Military, Law Enforcement and First Responders. Newly expanded services include full service breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Regatta Room, bar and patio.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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Incorporated as ‎Santa Monica Yacht Club in 1941, the club has served the community through times of war and economic uncertainty. Highlighting the passion for sailing, known as Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club, SMWYC is once again re-energizing itself and the Marina del Rey community. 

While Yacht Clubs are ‎often status symbols and very exclusive, Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club has a membership for every age group and every walk of life. They serve the community and its members through water safety classes, adult sailing instruction, a year round Junior Sailing program, summer Sail Camp, sailing regattas and cruises along with organized paddling activities designed to clean local waters. According to Steve Potter, Director for the Junior Sailing Program, more than 90% of sailing campers are children of non-members including programs for out-of-the-area schools.

‎Christine Rohde, a past International Commodore of the Classic Yacht Association, member of the LA MarinaFest committee and the new Historian at SMWYC said, "We have long wished for a nautical museum in Marina del Rey, a place schools can bring students, where the public can learn about the resilience of America and WWII. With Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club selected to curate Chula Mia, the oldest and biggest private pleasure vessel built in 1942 and launched just after WWII, and a collection of other boats and nautical artifacts on loan from the Seneviratne estate, the nautical museum will further promote Burton Chase Park as a year-round educational destination, supporting the community."

Commodore Ronald Orr, a retired attorney, and Rear Commodore Saman Seneviratne‎, a retired banker, are promoting a subsidized membership to active duty military, active duty law enforcement, and first responders. The new membership packages are by far a greater value than any other Yacht or Country Club’s membership. The new membership is expected to quadruple the club's membership in the next 6 months during which the initiation fee is waived. The expanded activities such as paddle boarding, Kayaking, cruising, regattas and festivity will attract the Millennials, Silicon Beach and professional crowd. 

The Regatta Room will serve breakfast starting at 7am - a menu for the fit to the hungry. The dining menu as well as the Bar and Patio menus will serve until 10pm. Happy Hour and Sunday Brunch bring fun seekers and foodies.  Away from the traffic and with a beautiful marina view, business lunches and dinners will surely fill the tables. Restaurant, bar and patio of SMWYC is run by professional restaurateurs (www.jvt.la). 

Natalie Brill, a new member and a Goodwill Ambassador, said that while other Yacht Clubs focus on exclusivity, SMWYC focuses on being inclusive. “just fun, food and safety".

Visit us at 13589 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. For further details, contact RearCommodore@smwyc.org or call (310) 827-7692.

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