As the first German sailing club the SpYC started to make use of the possibilities of electronic media, especially the Internet, in 1994. The club which is more than 120 years old does not count as one of the youngest anymore and therefore keeps up many traditions, shows that it is innovative and up to date.

The Spandauer Yacht-Club was founded as "Segel Club Tegel See" 1885 on the small Havel island Valentinswerder. Three years later the club was one of the 12 clubs that founded the German sailing association (Deutscher Segler-Verband, DSV).

Because of the threat of being separated from the open water by newly build bridges, the club moved to the lower Havel in 1913/14 where it was able to acquire a location at the Scharfe Lanke.

In the late thirties the club merged with the "Märkischen Yachtclub" and changed its name to "Spandauer Yacht-Club" under which the sailing club with its black, white and red pennant is still known.

Meanwhile the SpYC counts over 400 members and is the fifth biggest sailing club in Berlin. Its main task is youth work and the promotion of young recruits. As a result over 90 junior members train regularly on the club premises in the classes Optimist, Europe, 420 and 470 as well as in the 49er, the Laser and the national Pirate class.

The success of this work is reflected by several successful participations in world championships and Olympic games in 1936, 1988 and 1996 as well as the organisation of the German Junior Championships in the Optimist class in "Damp 2000" in 1994 and the organisation of the German championship of the Nordische Folke-Boote in 1997.

In 1989 and 1999 the SpYC Berlin was honoured with the "Green Band of the Dresdner Bank" (Grünes Band der Dresdner Bank) for its outstanding youth work.

In the year 2000 the International German Championship of the 49ers and the Berlin Junior Championships in the Optimist class will be organised by the SpYC.

The cruising sailors are also integrated in Spandau's oldest sailing club. Not only since the fall of the Berlin Wall have they been able to reach their main sailing area, the Baltic, via the river Oder. From all over the world they have brought back pennants from other clubs and marinas of which a small selection is shown in the club's mess-room. Cape Hoorn, Cape of Good Hope or Greenland for example were places reached by members and their yachts. The reports which are regularly published here, speak for themselves.

The club is also active in environment protection. The environment delegate keeps an eye on the correct disposal of waste and also on the correct choice of antifoulings which are used by the Sailors.

The SpYC has a special boat-cleaning-facility which prevents biocides of trickling into the Sharfe Lanke. Since 1992 the club has been awarded the European blue environment flag without interruption for its environment protection achievements.

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