A RIVER CLUB
The Yeocomico Club was formed to provide waterfront for everyone. Based in charming Kinsale, Virginia on the banks of the Yeocomico River, the club gives easy access to the water and a place to meet and socialize with other members. Here you’ll find a welcoming group excited to share their passion for fishing, boating and floating.
KINSALE’S STORY
A protected and historic deep-water port on the Yeocomico River, the village of Kinsale was founded in 1706 and named after a village in County Cork, Ireland, meaning “Head of Salt Water.” Several tobacco warehouses were built nearby during the Colonial period, accounting for much of its early boat traffic.
The village’s most vibrant days actually came at the beginning of the 20th century with the Steamboat era. Kinsale prospered as a strategic port and commercial center, serving as the distribution point for the area’s rich agricultural offerings and functioning as a busy stop for passengers on steam ships from D.C. and Baltimore. The village was home to hotels, taverns and barrooms, commercial stores, and canning factories.
The same sheltered and remote location that made Kinsale a coveted port in the past has been key to preserving so much of its vernacular charm, sense of community and classic Tidewater hospitality.
CLUBHOUSE HISTORY
In the heart of Kinsale and adjacent to the steamboat landing, this property was first the site of a tomato canning factory in the 1880s. In 1956, more than a decade after the tomato canning factory closed, local Harry Lee Arnest, Jr., converted it into a marina. Here he traded in everything from Johnson outboards, to Browning shotguns, to chocolate milkshakes and created a lively riverside hub.
He sold it in 1984 and the canning factory was torn down by the next owners and replaced with the building that is there today. Harry Lee’s granddaughter, Annie Arnest, purchased the property in 2020 and is reviving it as The Slips marina and Yeocomico Club.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to those who share a love for the river and desire to use the club and clubhouse to promote boating, fishing, and networking with other members. The club hosts regular events focused on river recreation, education, and fun.