The club began in the late 1930’s when a group of teenagers got together to form a “down to earth” sailing club on the City Pier, which was located where Marina Jacks is today.  The club was disbanded in 1942 during World War II.  Upon returning home from their tours of duty the former members reconstituted the club and named it the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.

 

In 1958, the old City Pier was demolished and the club moved to its current location on City Island which at the time was mostly a city dump and swamp.

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Ralph Twitchell, the founder of the Sarasota School of Architecture, designed our first clubhouse and another pioneer, Tim Seibert designed the Stone House.  The initial clubhouse was nothing more than eight power poles supporting a roof.

 

In the 1960’s, the club saw its first expansion, and created sailing programs, including Optimist prams, dinghies and keelboats.  Since the 1970s with a fulltime manager, the club has thrived and grown. The clubhouse has continually been expanded and seen upgrades to the youth sailing facilities, boat storage areas, and docks.