High Rock Boat & Ski Club
by Susan Shinn

If you’re looking for good friends, great food and good times on High Rock Lake, the place to be is the High Rock Boat & Ski Club.

Founded in the early 1980s, the restaurant has expanded numerous times over the years, ultimately housing event and dance facilities. It’s the headquarters of the Salisbury Shag Club.

The club is open from 6 p.m. until, Wednesday-Saturday year-round. Seating 250, there’s no event too large or too small for the club to accommodate, according to proprietor Curt Cloutier.

Located off Goodman Lake Road in Salisbury, the restaurant is accessible by boat from Little Crane Creek. It’s not unusual to see two or three dozen boats docked for dinner, Cloutier notes.

The restaurant is known for its steaks and seafood. Regulars come Thursday nights for the seafood platter. The meal includes shrimp cocktail, soup and salad, with a platter full of flounder, clam strips, Calabash-style shrimp, crab cakes and choice of side item.

“We serve it as one dinner but it’s more than one person can handle,” Cloutier says.
Other popular menu items include shrimp and grits and chicken marsala. Fried pickles and batter dipped fries are favorite appetizers. Steaks include filet mignon, ribeye and New York strip.

Cloutier characterizes the boat and ski club as a one-of-a-kind restaurant on the lake. You can come for an evening of cocktails, dinner and dancing, or just spend time with friends.

The club is the site of weddings, receptions and class reunions, with Christmas parties planned for the holiday season.

Cloutier has been a club member for 15 years, he says. “It’s great food in a beyond casual atmosphere.”

The High Rock Boat & Ski Club is a private membership club.

"Come as a guest, and we’re sure you’ll want to sign up as a member,” Cloutier says, adding that memberships are a very affordable $15 a year.

“People leave saying they’ve had a great time and they’ll be back,” he says.

For information about upcoming events, visit www.theboatandskiclub.com. Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday nights.