[4][5] Since its founding, New Orleans Yacht Club has been home to many regional and national regattas as well as sailing champions.

The club holds one of the largest Wednesday Night Racing regatta series in the United States with on average 50 boats participating weekly throughout daylight saving time and has an active junior sailing program.

[6] New Orleans Yacht Club is an extremely active sailing club[7] and is the organizing body for Mardi Gras Race Week, the Bastille Day Regatta[8] and Wednesday Night Racing on Lake Pontchartrain.

New Orleans Yacht Club also is host to an active Viper 640, Easterly 30, Optimist (dinghy), S2, 420, and Sunfish fleet as well as multiple Handicap and Offshore Racing Fleets and several high school sailing programs.

[9][10] Members were actively involved in rescuing stranded individuals off of rooftops utilizing their boating skills and knowledge of the surrounding neighborhoods[11] with much of this documented during this time on the blog Gulfsails.