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The Club Today Transportation and accessibility have improved notably since then, but many other aspects of the Port Bay Club have remained virtually unchanged. Authorized membership is still just 100 regular members, 25 fishing members, and 10 honorary members. The original Club buildings still stand and serve, albeit with updating and modernization. When Sorenson moved his operation in 1909, he floated two buildings on barges across the bay. These modest turn-of-the-century structures functioned as the Club's kitchen and dining room until totally rebuilt. Added to them through the years are two dormitory sections, separate houses for the Club's manager, guides and cook, plus a recreation room. The main buildings are joined together by short breezeways and graced with a 200-foot long bayside front porch. They are painted in the classic Texas Coastal colors of white and battleship gray. As of old, the interior hallways are lined with members' lockers. Rooms are named after ducks and fish - Mallard, Spoonbill, Widgeon, Pintail, Perch and so on. The rooms, high ceilinged and spacious by contemporary standards, sleep two to six persons each. Each contains, in addition to beds, a lavatory basin and mirror with hot and cold water, a bar table (with ice bucket), and a gun rack. Floors are linoleum with throw rugs to protect against cold feet. Plentiful hooks and gadget shelves line the walls for hunting gear and personal paraphernalia. Modem bathrooms and showers are down the hall. There is nothing fancy about Port Bay's accommodations, but they have the charm and proven function of comfortable Texas "hunting camp" tradition. All of the rooms are air-conditioned for summer comfort and well heated - an essential to winter duck hunting comfort on cold December and January nights when a brisk north wind is blowing off the Bay. One welcome change that has occurred over the years is that many members now bring their wives and families with them. In the late '40s or early '50s, a women's bathroom and shower was installed in the first dormitory building. It was recently expanded and remodeled to meet ladies' standards. The Club property today is 46 contiguous acres and 115 acres of nearby marshland. Originally it was 240 contiguous acres, but nearly 200 acres were sold during the Great Depression to keep the Club afloat during that difficult time. Our current acreage suffices well for today's activities, the waterfront and pier giving access to the entire Bay over which it is practical to range from the property. The Clubhouse is located about 160 yards from the bay front, where the Club's boats and marine facilities are located. These include a 750-foot pier with tolerable fishing off the lighted end, a boathouse, a duck picking/fish cleaning house, and a motor storage house. The Club owns a motor launch and a number of small, flat bottom skiffs powered by small outboards. Additionally, the Club lays claim to (and its claim is honored) 40 duck blinds constructed over the expanse of the Bay, Swan Lake and Marsh, all within reasonable distance of about two miles of the Clubhouse by motor launch and skiff. Each fall these blinds must be laboriously rebuilt and renewed, but their locations and names endure - from season to season. Gradually they become old friends with whom one renews acquaintance each new year - though with varying degrees of affection depending on past luck in different ones. Those most prized are located in and around Swan Lake across the Bay, where hunting is often - though not always - best. Hunters' blind selections are determined by draw at breakfast and lunch just before each morning and afternoon hunt. Home Early History The Club Today The Port Bay Tradition The Hunting Experience at Port Bay Fishing at Port Bay The Past, Present and Future of Texas Duck Hunting Port Bay Club Amenities Pictures Jan.2006 Newspaper Article Sept.2006 Newspaper Article Jan.2007 Newspaper Article - KING OF CLUBS - NEW! Port Bay Club brochure - pdf format 
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