The club was founded on January 5, 1905, and Edward H. Raymond was named its first commodore.

In the words of the Edgartown Yacht Club website "The Club sponsored the formation of the Edgartown Junior Yacht Club, one of the first of its kind, to encourage young people to learn sailing, seamanship, racing rules and tactics and other phases of yachting.

At present, the Club owns a fleet of 30 + Optimist sailing dinghies, 22 420’s and a few Rhodes 19s and Lasers.

The summer program is under the direction of an experience staff of 10 or more instructors led by the Sailing Director".

[1] It was on the weekend of the club regatta on July 18, 1969. that Mary Jo Kopechne was found drowned at Dike Bridge, Chappaquiddick, through the negligent driving of EYC member Edward M. Kennedy.