The Orleans Yacht Club, Inc. (OYC), located at the western end of Orleans' Town Cove, Cape Cod, MA, was chartered and incorporated, in 1947 for "the purpose of encouraging yacht building, sailing, promoting interest in yachting and aquatic sports, as well as social interaction among its members" and lives up to those goals today.

The OYC indeed encourages all aspects of sailing: the Club runs a very popular summer youth sailing program, it provides the Nauset Regional High School Sailing Team with a home base for its practices and competitions, it hosts its own DaySailer (Fleet 15) sailboat racing every Sunday on Town Cove, and offers an adult sailing course to its membership.

The Club currently has a fleet of forty-five boats, both sail and power, to promote and support participation in our sailing programs. Its sailboats include: (6) 14.2 foot Catalina Capri centerboard models built to Tabor Capri Fleet specifications, (12) 14 foot Club 420 Class racing sailboats and (16) 7.5 foot Optimist (Opti) dinghies and six (6) new 15.0’ Precision 15 sailboats. The Club's power boats include: three 13 foot Boston Whalers, a 16 foot Maritime Skiff, a 19 foot AquaSport and a 20 foot Grumman Float boat.

The OYC's dedication to the "social interaction among its members" is evident from the variety of the many social activities throughout the year; these events include a progressive dinner, summer lobster/clam bake, a Commodore’s reception (every two years), holiday themes parties, summer picnic nights, bingo/casino nights, dance parties, weekly suppers & cocktail parties - all of which are enthusiastically participated in by the membership. The Club currently has 419 memberships which are divided into four categories, Senior, Emeritus, Corinthian, and Life; each category allows for a ceiling which can fluctuate to meet the Club’s needs.

The operation of the not-for-profit Club is directed by the Executive Committee which in turn is led by our five Flag Officers: Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, Secretary and Treasurer. Along with a small permanent staff, the Club heavily relies upon it's Member volunteers for such things as its leadership, maintenance, marine support, landscaping, event organization, etc. By participating in the Club's functioning, members have a great sense of ownership in "their" Club.

The OYC also has it's own 501c3 charitable organization known as The Robert Radtke Memorial Fund, Inc. The "Radtke Fund" was established in December of 1989 in memory of Robert Radtke who was a very active sailing member of the Orleans Yacht Club. The purpose of this charity is to provide scholarships to children who are in need of financial assistance, which will allow them to participate in the Orleans Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing Program. Up to thirty-two (32) weeks of scholarships are awarded each year to eligible Nauset Regional School system students. “Radtke Funds” may also be used to defray expenses for Nauset Regional School system students participating in regional, national or international championship sailing series.

Nauset/Outer Beaches Tide Chart