In January 1950, 14 men, who shared a passion for boating, came together to form the Dolphin Yacht Club with the purpose to "promote and foster the nautical spirit among its members regardless of color, race, or creed.” The club began in a space rented from the Rockmere Hotel (now the site of Glover Landing) before Lewis Athanas acted as a straw purchaser for the founding members and bought the current location from the Marblehead Harbor Yacht Club in 1955. the DYC has grown from a membership as small as 45 to its current status of 730 members.

The Dolphin Yacht Club has an active waterfront with full launch services for Marblehead harbor, Kayak storage facilities, and temporary moorings for out-of-harbor members. The club boasts two outdoor decks with breathtaking views of Marblehead harbor and a main dining room that serves casual dining to members and their guests. The restaurant has two full-service bars including an indoor/outdoor bar on the upper deck which hosts weekly musical entertainment and trivia nights for members and their guests.