One of San Diego’s unique residential attractions lies in Point Loma along San Diego Bay. Just a short distance across from Shelter Island is an area of elegant serenity called La Playa. This is a place of beautiful homes and gardens that surround a blue water lagoon with a white sandy beach. A few boats are tied up to a small well-kept wooden pier with a colorful sign claiming that it belongs to the La Playa Yacht Club. One would assume that this claim of ownership is nothing but a humorous gesture. The reality is that there truly is an organized La Playa Yacht Club, with a membership of more than 200 families. The purpose of the club is to foster interest in yachting and to maintain and preserve the historical pier located in the La Playa neighborhood. On Aug. 29, this one-of-a-kind club, with simply a pier as a home, came together for its annual bayside barbeque at the Southwestern Yacht Club. Members enjoyed a beautiful summer evening, having dinner, taking care of business and welcoming new members. The highlight of the evening was a few words from Edwina Goddard, the last surviving member of the original La Playa Yacht Club. She shared fond memories of the early days in Point Loma. At age 90, Goddard eloquently described her life living along the bay in San Diego during the Great Depression and World War ll.
In the early days, La Playa Cove was over 100 feet of mud flats at low tide. Launching or accessing a boat during those days was virtually impossible. During the late 1920s, eight families in the area each put in $50 to build a pier at the foot of San Antonio Street that would span the mud flats to a floating platform. By 1931, the first La Playa Yacht Club was established to maintain and preserve the pier. The membership grew over the years, and eventually the organization became a member of the Yachting Club of America (YCA).
Reciprocity for club members is available with other yacht clubs around the world. The little wooden pier, with a funny mermaid and penguin as a logo, continues to be the landmark for the beautiful La Playa community of Point Loma.