Forest City Yacht Club History 1938 - In the summer, dockage was obtained at Yacht Terminals Inc., a boat storage yard, now called Sailing Inc. Dockage consisted of four-by-four pilings and two-by-four docks. The docks were constructed behind two sunken 100-foot barges, and were rented on a first-come-first-serve basis. 1939 - On August 20th, the group held it’s first meeting and decided to name the club Forest City Yacht Club. During the months that followed, a charter was obtained from the state of Ohio. A club burgee was designed and approved. 1941 - In October a severe northeast storm hit Cleveland at 11 p.m. one evening, and led to destruction of the Yacht Terminals harbor. A week or so later an even more severe storm hit Cleveland and Yacht Terminals. The storm broke up the barges, and about 25 boats. Some boats 30' in length were reduced to kindling wood. 1942 - Not much progress was made until 1942 when FCYC’s big break came. Land and water rights on a tract of undeveloped waterfront property adjoining Cleveland’s Municipal Light Plant was acquired from Yacht Terminals Inc. A land fill was started north into Lake Erie, then veering westward over an old packet freighter called The Sturgeon, making it one of the safest harbors on the south shore of Lake Erie. 1946 - In the spring the crane was ready for use. One drawback - The winches had to be hand cranked. 1948 - Plans were made for our clubhouse. Construction was started in the spring of 1949, and in no time we had a new 20' x 40' clubhouse. 1952 - The crane was motorized. 1955 - The center docks were installed. Two war surplus winches were purchased and installed on the crane, which completely motorized the crane. On December 12th our lease request had its first council hearing. 1956 - April 14th celebrated the signing of our new lease. 1958 - Construction of new north shore main docks was started, also an addition to the clubhouse was added that doubled it in size. 1959 - The gas dock was constructed. 1968 - Another addition was added to the clubhouse, which included new rest rooms, showers and a storage room. 1975 - The old south dock was ripped out and rebuilt, catwalks were raised, and some badly needed pilings were driven. 1979 - On March 30th we had the privilege of signing the first lease given to a Cleveland yacht club by the State of Ohio covering ten years with a five-year option. 1980 - In August, ground was broken for the new John "Pop" Suvak Memorial service building. The building was dedicated in November. 1981 - New electrical service was installed on the docks. The crane was renovated, and the restrooms were remodeled. 1982 - A new 30 amp electrical system was completed on south and center docks. 1983 - The crane came crashing down in July. Luckily no one was injured. Spurred on by the Commodore and with the help of many staunch volunteers the new rail crane was completed by lift out. 1985 - In August a leak was detected at the gas dock. In December the old gas dock paraphernalia was removed and replaced complete with a new tank, plumbing, and pump. The Clubhouse was remodeled and new windows and doors were installed. The members constructed the center dock pavilion. 1989 - Forest City Yacht Club celebrated our 50th year anniversary. 1990 - The long range planning committee began preparing a presentation for the State of Ohio to secure a long-term lease for the club. The upper parking lot was graded and covered with limestone. 1991 - In July we received a document extending our lease until March 30, 2004. We received written permission from ODNR and the Corps of Engineers to proceed with the center dock expansion. On August 8th the membership agreed to purchase a wishbone trailer. Work was also started on the center dock expansion. 1992 - We finally received a copy of our lease signed by the Governor. The center dock expansion was completed adding eight additional docks. 1994 - Approval was received by ODNR for the clubhouse expansion. 1995 - Clubhouse expansion was completed adding a large room on the North side, larger bathroom and storage facilities. 1996 - Due to erosion on the North shore riprap was installed attractively shoring up the shoreline from further erosion. 1997 - The center dock was raised with wood decking due to high water. 1999 - The State granted an extension to the lease through 2010 with an option through 2020. The Northeast Ohio Sewer District installed a catch screen for the Marquette street overflow. 2000 - Sheet piling was installed at the gas dock and pavilion area and a large deck was built at North point welcoming all who enter the harbor by water. 2001 - New pilings were installed and some were filled with concrete to reinforce deteriorating pilings. 2002 - Air conditioning was installed in the clubhouse. A new work barge was constructed. Safety ladders were purchased and installed in the harbor. Two new pump-out stations were installed along with new cement walkways at the gas dock/pavilion area. 2003 - New furniture was purchased for the clubhouse and ten new synthetic wood picnic tables were purchased for the common areas. A no smoking in the clubhouse policy was initiated. An upright dock box area was installed behind the gas dock and the lower parking lot was paved with asphalt. 2004 - Six docks were revised on North and center dock and a 65" HDTV was purchased for the clubhouse. 2005 - A new entrance into the clubhouse was constructed with a canopy. Our lease was revised and extended until 2027. 2006 - The sheet piling was installed on North dock at the entrance to the club by water and also at the dry sail area. The dock at the dry sail area was also rebuilt at this time. A floating dock was installed at the dry sail area for the launching of smaller boats and jet ski’s. The clubhouse was interior was redecorated with fresh paint and window treatments.