Established in 1952 with a view to promote yacht racing,the Onerahi Yacht Club began as a predominantly centreboard fleet racing off the beach with an assortment of yachts but activities soon grew around the P class and R class although it included Idle-alongs, cherubs, Cherokees, Oks and the like. The keeler fleet quite quickly established into a worthwhile fleet with some adventurous souls in its midst.

In the manner that things were done in those days a clubhouse was built using volunteer working bees and scrounging materials from all sources including donated prestressed concrete flooring/roof and club-members recovering concrete blocks from the disused cement works on nearby Limestone Island . The two-storey building erected then still forms a part of our much extended premises today.

Coastal Races such as the ‘Round the Isles' and the ‘100miler' were added to the harbour racing and then in 1964 the club introduced an offshore race to Noumea which was met with an enthusiastic response and a significant fleet of 35 yachts lined up for that first start. It is interesting to compare the sizes and nature of the yachts sailing offshore then when much of the fleet was 28 –32' long and the race winner, Brian O'Donahue's “Tarua”, was a “big boat” at 36 feet. This race became a significant part of the club's calendar for over 20 years until political unrest in New Caledonia curtailed activities.

At a time when New Zealand 's yachtsmen moved into a heyday era, the OYC enjoyed a vigorous level of participation that has allowed the club to have a remarkable number of past and present members achieving high honours, both at national and international levels.

Present-day activities still cover a spread of both smaller and larger boats although, like all sports clubs today we no longer see the large turnouts of the heady days of the ‘70's and the ‘80's, however the club enjoys a strong spirit and an ongoing focus on developing opportunities for all those interested in yachting.