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The Wichita Falls Yacht Club was originally founded in 1935 at Lake Wichita.  The club was dominated by the Snipe in the 40's and 50's, but in the 1960's the Windmill became the popular boat.  In the early 70's, the first cabin boats, Venture 22 and 24, started to appear.  The club decided to look for a new location when Wichita Falls experienced a very dry summer.  The move to our current location on Lake Arrowhead occurred in 1973.  The club gained a one-design fleet in 1990 when Flying Scot fleet 170 was established.  The club's name was changed in the 1990's to better reflect our specific interest in sailing as opposed to motor boating.  Lake Arrowhead was created in 1966 as a source of water to Wichita Falls.

So, what's with the derricks?  An unusual feature of Lake Arrowhead is that it contains 16 oil derricks.  None of the wells are active, but the derricks are a reminder of the importance of the oil and gas industry to the area.  The lake is large enough that there is plenty of area away from the derricks for cruising or racing, and they make excellent landmarks for returning to the slips.

The philosophy of the Wichita Falls Sailing Club is simple - Sailing is fun and everyone should do it!

We don't require members to be expert sailors, or even own sailboats.  All we ask is that you show an interest in sailing.  Members who do own boats are always looking for willing crew, and it's a time-honored nautical tradition for the seasoned veterans to welcome the novices aboard and show them the ropes.  There's no pastime we know of where the saying "the more the merrier" better applies, so bring the whole family along!  Sailors the world over are always eager to meet one another and welcome converts to our sport.

It's been said that whenever two sailboats are on the water together, there's a race in progress.  That's why our club has an active racing program.  Honing your sailing skills in an atmosphere or friendly competition is guaranteed to "peg the fun meter".