Fairwind Yacht Club boats sailing together off the Southern California coast

Marina del Rey · Channel Islands Harbor · Est. 1966

Sailing, education,
community service.

Fairwind Yacht Club is an all-volunteer sailing cooperative. Members share a fleet of forty-plus sailboats, learn from ASA-certified instructors, and cruise the Channel Islands together, all at a fraction of the cost of boat ownership.

Apply for membership Visit an Open House

1966

Founded as a non-profit

Harbors: MdR & CIH

40+

Boats from 14 to 40 feet

100%

Volunteer run

Popular:

What we do

A club built on three ideas

Low-cost sailing, real training, and giving back. Everyone who joins is expected to volunteer, and that is the secret of six decades of successful operation.

Sailing

Fairwind Yacht Club is a non-profit, all volunteer, civic-minded organization with a mission to provide low-cost access to the sport of sailing. In Marina del Rey and Channel Islands Harbor, our Club owns a fleet of sailboats that are available to our members by reservation.

See the fleet

Education

Fairwind is an affiliate of the American Sailing Association. We like applicants to our Club to have sailing experience, then we provide intermediate and advanced sailing education to our members, included in their membership dues, to make everyone better and safer sailors.

How training works

Community service

Fairwind offers free sailing to anyone interested every Tuesday and the second Saturday of each month in Marina del Rey. We also co-operate programs with the Boys and Girls Club and with Veterans Affairs Volunteer Services each summer.

Youth program

Two harbors

Where you will find us

Come to a monthly Work Day and Open House to meet members, tour the boats, and, most likely, get invited to sail in the afternoon.

Marina del Rey

13589 Mindanao Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

The MdR slips are situated in G-Basin at the end of Mindanao Way, adjacent to Burton Chace Park. Our boats are located on docks G800, G1000 and G1400; the Hobie cats are on dock G2600.

Work Day & Open House: second Saturday of every month, 9:00 AM – Noon
Tuesday work days: 9:30 AM – Noon
Afternoon sailing with our community of sailors after the work day

Just show up at dock G1400, fill out a name tag and look for the Membership Secretary for work assignments and the Prospective Member Orientation.

Harbor details Email the MdR Membership Secretary

Channel Islands Harbor

3700 Peninsula Drive, Oxnard, CA 93035

The CIH slips are on E-dock and F-dock near the Peninsula Yacht Marina parking lot. Small and medium boats are on F-dock, large boats on E-dock. Most Capri 14s are in the “Pond” behind the Vons supermarket at Wooley Rd. and Victoria Ave.

Work Day: third Sunday of the month, 9:00 AM – Noon
Club training follows from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Open House visits by appointment

On Work Day, show up at the Peninsula Yacht Marina parking lot at 9:00 AM, fill out a name tag, and look for the Boat Chiefs, Rear Commodore or an Assistant Rear Commodore for work assignments.

Harbor details Contact the CIH Membership Secretary

The fleet

Boats from 14 to 40 feet, ready to sail

Small day-sailers, cruise-rated mid-size boats with galleys and heads, and large boats with multiple staterooms for longer trips, plus Hobie cats, kayaks and paddle boards. Reservations are made online, and checked-out members can bring family and guests.

Explore the fleet Membership rates

Fairwind sailboat under full sail off the coast

Cruising

Upcoming club cruises

More than a dozen cruises a year leave from both harbors. As a crew member you can go as soon as you join.

Full 2026 schedule

CIH

September 11 – 13

Santa Cruz Island cruise

MdR

September 29 – October 3

Buccaneer Days

36th Annual Buccaneer Days at Two Harbors

CIH

October 10 – 16

Santa Cruz Island cruise

MdR

October 20 – 26

Newport Beach

Sail via San Pedro and return via Long Beach.

Members say

Why people love Fairwind

“Fairwind is a beautiful thing because it allows poor people like me to sail!”

— Sean Comstock

“We hire professionals when we must, but 80% of the work is done by members.”

— Marc Levine

“It's the best deal in town, but you have to volunteer your time and skills.”

— John Quickley

“I've been sailing since 15, and Fairwind has made me a better sailor.”

— Richard Windebank

“Fairwind is an asset of tremendous value to me and to the local community.”

— Barbara Zarzycka

Articles worth reading

Fire Ports Added To MdR Boats To Aid In FirefightingRon Sasiela, MdR Safety Officer · August 2016

Mobile Sailing ApplicationsRon Sasiela and John Goebel · May 2016

How To Stay Out Of Trouble During A DaysailNeil Kelliher · April 2015

Monthly newsletters are archived on the Newsletters page.

Recognition

ASA Outstanding Sailing School

The American Sailing Association has named Fairwind Yacht Club an ASA Outstanding Sailing School. Congratulations to all the Fairwind instructors for volunteering their time and all their hard work!

Our affiliations

Affiliated with