For all the variety in my live on the water, there are some surprising gaps in my experience. As some of you may remember from a long ago post, I have only been in a single sailboat race since dinghy racing in High School. That was just a neighborhood pick up race without even a committee boat.
Prior to this summer, I had only set foot in a yacht club twice, once was to pick up a girlfriend who worked in the snack bar at Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead. That was back in 1970. My next venture into a club was a bit more serious, sitting in the model room of the New York Yacht Club with the Commodore discussing the boat I was designing for him. I was just thinking Gee, this is pretty amazing. when he pointed out that, of course, if this was a “real” boat project, Sparkman and Stevens would be doing it. It was pretty real to me and the result was a very nice Friendship sloop that he was sponsoring the Rockport Apprenticeshop to build.
Twice, on this cruise, I have been a guest of members at yacht clubs which has disposed me a little more favorably towards such institutions. I learned that there is one here in Saint Marys which is my kind of outfit. The clubhouse is an old houseboat and the dining room is a gas grill on the afterdeck. Since I’m going to be in this town a lot in the next few years, I decided to join in order to have some contacts and a southern anchor point.
http://www.stmyc.org/
So, the next time you see Strider look for me in blazer and pink pants with one of those cute little hats with the gold braid. Drinks will be served precisely at 1700 and the ensign will be taken in smartly a moment after the evening gun fires at the local yacht club, wherever I may be anchored.
Prior to this summer, I had only set foot in a yacht club twice, once was to pick up a girlfriend who worked in the snack bar at Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead. That was back in 1970. My next venture into a club was a bit more serious, sitting in the model room of the New York Yacht Club with the Commodore discussing the boat I was designing for him. I was just thinking Gee, this is pretty amazing. when he pointed out that, of course, if this was a “real” boat project, Sparkman and Stevens would be doing it. It was pretty real to me and the result was a very nice Friendship sloop that he was sponsoring the Rockport Apprenticeshop to build.
Twice, on this cruise, I have been a guest of members at yacht clubs which has disposed me a little more favorably towards such institutions. I learned that there is one here in Saint Marys which is my kind of outfit. The clubhouse is an old houseboat and the dining room is a gas grill on the afterdeck. Since I’m going to be in this town a lot in the next few years, I decided to join in order to have some contacts and a southern anchor point.
http://www.stmyc.org/
So, the next time you see Strider look for me in blazer and pink pants with one of those cute little hats with the gold braid. Drinks will be served precisely at 1700 and the ensign will be taken in smartly a moment after the evening gun fires at the local yacht club, wherever I may be anchored.
