The country’s most famous yacht club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Rushcutters Bay, is relaunching its 300-seat restaurant in an overhaul by the ambitious Boathouse Group.

This is the first major change to the dining experience at the waterfront club, which is home to the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, in eight years.

The Boathouse Group is known for its eponymous venues at Rose Bay, Balmoral and Shelly Beach, in addition to Manly Pavilion.

The group has transformed the CYCA dining room and terrace using a similar design ethos used across many of their 10 (predominantly waterfront) properties, including greenery, white rattan and hanging crab pots.

Group executive chef James Brownrigg has created an all-day menu which members and visitors (from outside a five-kilometre radius) can eat at a table overlooking Rushcutters Bay.

The lunch and dinner menu features a seafood-leaning selection of share plates, such as calamari fritti ($19), prawn toast ($24) and crab pasta ($36). There’ll also be a new pizza oven pumping out hand-stretched prosciutto, margherita and prawn pizzas.

Margaritas, mojitos and spritzes are part of the new drinks list, which retains its emphasis on celebratory champagne (a sailing staple).

And for breakfast, there’ll be a small selection of classics like bacon and egg rolls ($14) and avocado toast ($19) alongside coffee by Sydney roasters Single O.

“I’m hoping [the changes] bring a younger group of members into the club, so we can introduce more people to this sport we’re so passionate about,” CYCA chief executive officer Justine Kirkjian says.

Kirkjian explains that, after eight years of relying on Blond Catering to service the club’s bistro and Cafe 44 offering, “it was time for something different”. In particular, the club wanted to partner with a multi-venue hospitality group, able to weather the service challenges associated with Sydney’s ongoing staffing shortage.

“When people come in, they’ll straight away see the aesthetics have changed …. But they’ll also see a big change in the food and the food service,” Kirkjian says.

“We hope it will be fast, efficient, and look spectacular.”

The partnership is part of an expansion of The Boathouse Group, under new chief executive officer Antony Jones. Jones came on board this year, after working (most recently) as the chief commercial officer at hospitality giant Merivale.

During his time under Merivale chief executive officer Justin Hemmes, Jones learned the atmosphere within a venue is just as critical to its success as the food and beverages on offer.

“That means it’s important to consider everything from temperature, to music, to style of service,” Jones says.

“It’s not just about the food on the plate.”

Jones says the partnership came about as The Boathouse Group sought a greater presence in the eastern suburbs, following the success of The Boathouse at Rose Bay.

The group has plans over the next year to open a new 200-seat beachside venue in North Wollongong (“It probably has the best views across all of our properties, says Jones”); overhaul another boathouse in an undisclosed location between Manly and Palm Beach; unveil renovations at Manly Pavilion; and convert its Palm Beach homewares store into a pop-up cafe and restaurant called Casa.

The original owners of The Boathouse Group, Andrew Goldsmith and Pip Robb, are no longer involved in the business, having departed along with Robb’s parents, former Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb and wife Maureen.

Goldsmith and Pip Robb founded The Boathouse Group in 2008, with financial help from Robb’s parents. The couple sold the business in 2019, and in 2020, Goldsmith declared bankruptcy, owing more than 500 creditors a total of $21.5 million.

The company is now owned by property developer brothers Ben and Jono Isaac and the Sorrensen family.