Motor Yacht Club of Tasmania

The Motor Yacht Club of Tasmania (MYCT) is a long-established boating club at Lindisfarne, on the eastern shore of the River Derwent at Hobart. Founded in 1924 as a powerboat club, it is today a marina and cruising base, with powerboating, cruising and sailing all represented among a membership it reports at over 800 people. It is one of the older maritime clubs on the Derwent.

The club

MYCT sits at the entrance to Lindisfarne Bay, a sheltered pocket of the River Derwent on Hobart's eastern shore. Unlike the Derwent's dedicated racing-yacht clubs, its centre of gravity is the marina and clubhouse: the club operates one of the larger floating marinas in the state, alongside moorings, dinghy storage, hardstand and slipping facilities, and offers full and social membership.

Powerboating is the club's founding sport and remains a strong part of its identity, but cruising and sailing are both part of the mix, and the marina and moorings accommodate a broad range of vessels — including yachts. Dragon boat racing also operates from the site. For sailors, MYCT functions primarily as a well-equipped base on the Derwent rather than a fleet-racing club; the neighbouring Bellerive Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania run the eastern shore's dedicated yacht-racing programs.

History

The club dates to 1924, when it was formed as the Derwent Motor Boat Club, and powerboat racing was its founding activity. That heritage is substantial: the club held its first Commemoration Day Race in 1929, ran the first Tasmanian State Speedboat Championships in 1930, and hosted the first Australian Speedboat Championships in 1935. Powerboat competition continued through the decades, with offshore and superboat events staged from the club in the 2000s.

The Lindisfarne clubhouse opened in 1974, giving members a modern base with a restaurant, bar and marina, and the site has grown into a significant boating hub in the years since. The club is also custodian of a piece of the state's maritime heritage — the historic Huon pine and teak launch ML Egeria, built in 1941 and later restored under the club's care. MYCT marked its centenary in 2024, a hundred years after its founding on the Derwent.

Where it sails

The club is based on the River Derwent at Hobart, with Lindisfarne Bay providing sheltered water for berthing, launching and easy access to the wider river. From there, boats reach the broad, deep expanse of the Derwent — the same celebrated stretch of water that hosts much of Hobart's summer boating and the finish of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, framed by the city and kunanyi / Mount Wellington.

The Derwent is a genuinely varied waterway: sheltered in its bays and reaches, but capable of turning lively when the sea breeze fills or a southerly comes through. Lindisfarne's position on the eastern shore, tucked behind the bay, gives boats a protected departure point before they reach the more open water lower down the river. For the full picture of the conditions, tides and seasons on this water — and how the Derwent behaves through a Hobart summer — see our venue guide to sailing in Hobart and the Derwent.

Following the club

The Motor Yacht Club of Tasmania publishes its facilities, marina and membership information, and its events, through its official website. Because the club spans power, cruising and sail, its calendar is broader than a racing-only club's — reflecting its role as a Derwent boating base rather than a single-fleet racing club. Membership is offered at full and social levels, and the marina, moorings and hardstand are a practical draw for owners looking for a home berth on the eastern shore.

For sailors weighing up where to be on the Derwent, MYCT is best understood as a marina and cruising home, with the eastern shore's dedicated yacht racing centred on Bellerive Yacht Club nearby and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania across the water. Many Derwent boat owners move between these clubs depending on whether the day calls for racing, cruising or simply a berth close to town. The sailing terms glossary covers the vocabulary you will meet across the powerboat, cruising and sailing worlds that share this stretch of water.