The Fourth of July Yacht Club and the Santa Catalina Island Company signed a new long-term agreement for the Fourth of July Cove on Sunday, Dec. 9. The cove is located immediately adjacent to Two Harbors on the West End of Santa Catalina Island.
The new agreement has an initial term of 7 years plus an option for an additional five years, making it potentially effective through Dec. 31, 2024.
The Fourth of July Yacht Club and the Santa Catalina Island Company signed a new long-term agreement for the Fourth of July Cove on Sunday, Dec. 9. The cove is located immediately adjacent to Two Harbors on the West End of Santa Catalina Island.
The new agreement has an initial term of 7 years plus an option for an additional five years, making it potentially effective through Dec. 31, 2024.
“This was a win-win agreement,” said Bill Davidson who spearheaded the FJYC team tasked with negotiating a new lease with the Island Company. “We were seeking a long-term commitment for the cove to help attract and retain club members as well as to justify additional investment in the facilities.
“The Island Company was willing to give us that security, asking, in return, for our cooperation in allowing them to make the facilities available for other groups during the period of the year little used by our members. The new agreement maintains our member’s ability to use the cove as they have in the past, provides FJYC a partner invested in helping us upgrade and maintain the cove facilities, and creates an opportunity for others to enjoy a very special place.”
The agreement grants the yacht club with year-round use of the premises with unchanged priority access in the prime summer season from April 15 through Oct. 15 and shared usage during the underutilized winter and spring months.
In an effort to generate business for Two Harbors and provide greater opportunities for small groups wishing to visit Catalina during the off-season, the Island Company will begin marketing the Fourth of July Cove and its facilities during those months as an “idyllic destination” for large family reunions, corporate retreats, yoga groups, hiking clubs, scuba diving clubs and other similar market segments.
Facilities at the cove include a large dining room, deck and a commercial kitchen that can serve meals for up to 125 people. The cove can also accommodate up to 55 guests overnight in cabins and tents with cots. The facilities include separate men’s and women’s shower and bathroom buildings, a children’s pavilion equipped for games and movies at night, and paddle tennis, volleyball, bocce ball courts and a pier.
Island Company officials reportedly plan to help upgrade some of the cove facilities and has committed to unspecified capital improvements over the next 18 months. Previously, the on-site club manager and yacht club volunteers were performing almost all of the work necessary to maintain the expansive facility.
“As we have learned in Avalon, the off-season on Santa Catalina Island—previously known as the ‘un-discovered’ season—represents an undeveloped business opportunity for our creative marketing and operations staff. This agreement with FJYC ensures a well-maintained facility for yacht club members during their summer season, while allowing other groups and organizations access to this beautiful cove the rest of the year,” said J. Paul DeMyer, senior vice president of real estate for the Island Company.
The Fourth of July Yacht Club was founded in the late 1950s when several yachtsmen signed an agreement with the Island Company to lease the cove and its facilities after the Girl Scouts relinquished it. By the mid-1970s, the group had accumulated enough members to become a non-profit corporation.
The Banning Family, who owned the Island from 1894 to 1919 and built a home in Two Harbors that now serves as the Banning House Lodge, gave Fourth of July Cove its name after picnicking at the cove. Visiting the idyllic beach and cove was one of the family’s favorite traditions.
For information about booking the Fourth of July Cove, visit www.visitcatalinaIsland.com.
