Club History
On August 29th, 1910, a group of boating enthusiasts formed an organization for
the purpose of advancing the interests of yachtsmen in Mattituck, New York. Thus,
the Mattituck Yacht Club was born. Two years later, in August of 1912, the club
received its Certificate of Incorporation from New York State.
Little is known about the club’s early days as the documents in our archives date,
at the earliest, to the late 1920’s. By that time, the yacht club was strictly a
motor boating organization. In the August 23rd, 1928 issue of The Watchman of the
Sunrise Trail, next to a story announcing that New York Governor Alfred E. Smith
had accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, an article entitled
“Water Sports Again Shine” appears. The report, which was printed on the front page,
detailed an outboard race series held one Saturday afternoon.
Outboard racing continued to be the staple of our club’s activities throughout the
1930’s, though the social side of the yacht club was also an important matter to
the membership. Published in the July 31, 1930 issue of The Watchman was the following
article, given the simple title “Annual Ball of the Yacht Club”:
The sixteenth annual ball of the Mattituck Yacht Club is scheduled for Friday evening,
August 15th, in Library Hall. The Committee has secured the Sunrise Serenaders,
so good snappy music is assured.
Mr. Fred Aldridge, who had charge of the decorations last year, has kindly accepted
the post of chief interior decorator for this year’s affair.
The annual ball is an effort on the part of the Yacht Club to provide a social evening
where summer residents may become better acquainted with the all year round folk
of the community.
The date of the dance is chosen for the Friday preceding the annual regatta in Mattituck
Bay. So reserve the date and plan to be there.
The annual regatta, mentioned above, consisted of an outboard racing series in connection
with other events, including swimming, diving, row boating, and canoeing. Today,
this regatta has evolved into the Sunfish Derby. The 1932 series was held at the
Harbor Inn Hotel’s anchorage in Mattituck Harbor. Prizes included compacts, pastries,
and scrapbooks for winners in the girls category; pocket knives, fish knives, and
cigarettes for winner in the boys category; and clocks, fountain pens, and ashtrays
for winners in the adult categories.
The 1933 regatta was an even larger event, with participants coming not only from
the club membership and other residents of Mattituck (to include summer house guests)
as usual, but also from two organized camps in the area, Camp Malloy and the Catholic
Daughters of America (CDA). The event chairman’s report indicates that the large
amount of children, and especially of campers, proved a bit much for the adults
present, though “a good time was had by all.”
The club’s annual meeting for 1933 was held in late August in the basement of the
Episcopal Church in Mattituck. Topics of discussion included a new dock, financed
by the Yacht Club, and installed at the end of Love Lane. Records indicate that
the total cost of the dock was $388 and that $135 remained outstanding. In an effort
to settle the balance, the club charged $1.50 per ticket to its annual ball, held
that year at the North Fork Country Club in Cutchogue. Though the event raised only
$50, The Watchman reported that the annual ball was a “huge success,” adding in
its headline: “Full Moon Favors Dancing at Yacht Club.”
The remainder of the 1930’s saw extremely eventful summers. In an effort to get
members even more involved, more racing events were added to the schedule, especially
in the beginning of the various seasons. Additionally, instead of just one ball,
the club now held two.
Though the first mention of sailboat racing in club records was at a meeting on
July 31, 1931, nothing had ever come about. In 1934, the yacht club announced in
The Watchman that it was establishing a committee “for the purpose of introducing
a sailboat class for the season of 1935.” Still, no progress was made. The minutes
of a board meeting from August 2, 1935 tell us that “the matter of sail races was
again brought up but nothing definite was settled upon.” However, by the 1940’s,
sailing had become the predominant activity of the yacht club.
Personal recollections tell us that the club fell dormant during the Second World
War and was later revived by several individuals. Among them was Past Commodore
Arthur Weese who, according to Edwin Ehlers, Jr., “would put out buoys” and “sit
in a rowboat” while “all manner of sailing craft would go around the buoys.” Meetings
were held in the living room of the Weese residence on Maratooka Lane.
As the 1940’s came to an end, the club’s membership figures increased exponentially.
And, after years of meeting in local halls, homes, and churches, the club was finally
in a position to construct it’s own clubhouse. Thus, in 1948 a building committee,
chaired by Albert Ehlers of Laurel, was formed. At the annual mid-winter meeting
held on December 27th, 1948, Mr. Ehlers’ committee reported that the Mattituck Park
Commission was willing to lease to the club a parcel of land adjacent to the Town
Beach just off Peconic Bay Boulevard. Thus, the following motion was made and approved:
Be it so moved that the Mattituck Yacht Club lease the west side of the Mattituck
Park Commission grounds on [Peconic] Bay Boulevard, for a period of five years,
with the option to renew for the sum of $1.00 per year: further, that a suitable
dock be erected and that a clubhouse be constructed.
Funds were secured and the building’s construction was completed on schedule. There
was no money for a dock, however, and the park commission, which agreed to the dock
on the condition that the public be permitted to use it, could not provide any financial
support until, at the earliest, 1953. So, in July of 1951, the yacht club raffled
an outboard runabout, collecting approximately $2,000.00 in the process, all of
which was used to construct the badly desired dock. A copy of a flyer entitled “This
Is Your New Mattituck Yacht Club,” which outlines the details of both the clubhouse
and dock, can be found in this journal.
Aside from lots of construction, the early 1950’s were abuzz with a tremendous amount
of sailing activity. Not only did regular sailing instruction for juniors fill the
summer schedules, but the yacht club also participated in the Eastern Long Island
Regatta, the Round Robin Race, the Comet and Lightning Sectionals (which it regularly
hosted), and (Wednesday and Saturday) afternoon races in New Suffolk. Always safety
conscious (and wary of insurance costs), the club began requiring that juniors who
had difficulty swimming wear personal flotation devices. Additionally, in 1951,
the yacht club adopted the practice of using crash boats during sailboat races in
order to “prevent serious accidents.”
This time frame also saw several developments to both the clubhouse as well as the
program of events. In July of 1951, a public telephone was installed. The next year,
draperies were ordered and the building was furnished. Also, in June of 1952, the
club began holding junior dances, complete with instruction in square and ballroom
dancing. Admission was set at twenty-five cents.
By 1955, the sailing program grew to even larger proportions. The junior yacht club
had more members than the volunteer staff could handle. Thus, the Board of Governors
approved the hiring of an instructor staff, to include one head instructor, an assistant
instructor (a college student), and additional instructors as necessary. The board
stipulated that “discipline seems to be better when there is a girl [in] the instructors
program,” and thus required that at least one of the instructors be a young lady.
It authorized a weekly salary of $55.00 to $65.00 depending on the position held.
Also in 1955, the club hosted the Comet Internationals in an effort to drum up more
community interest as well as, quite simply, make some money. In referencing the
internationals, Past Commodore Wilbur F. July wrote, “In order to make revenue on
these races everyone will have to put their shoulders to the wheel.” Thus, maximum
participation was expected. Not only did the races have to be planned and executed
by the membership, but the members were also charged with housing 150 sailors from
around the world in their own homes. Also in 1955, sailboats of the Penguin class
were first introduced to the sailing program.
Despite the heavy emphasis on sailing during these very active years, the social
side of life had not been forgotten. Meetings were often held at the Garden City
Hotel and dances were regularly scheduled at the North Fork Country Club. Bridge
nights were not uncommon, and an active Entertainment Committee, headed by Ned Thoet,
saw to it that members had ample opportunity for family fun and excitement on land.
While there are few records that outline the club’s activities in the early 1960’s,
it is clear that the organization was abuzz with activity towards the end of the
decade. In July of 1967, the club marked the passing of Rear Commodore Jean McKown,
a well-known member who supported it in many varying ways. At the Board of Governors
meeting held that month, a moment of silence was observed in her memory and the
board unanimously agreed to establish an award in her name, to be presented annually
to the most improved junior sailor. The previous year, the club similarly dedicated
an award to the memory of Robbie Ryder, an accomplished sailor who, with his brother,
Stretch, as skipper, crewed his way into three straight Eastern Long Island Yachting
Association (ELIYA) One Design Regatta championships in the early 1960’s.
In 1968, the junior yacht club was reorganized in accordance with guidance set down
by the “Book of Junior Sailing,” published by Sports Illustrated. Reforms included
the adoption of a team racing program, as emphasis had previously been placed on
the individual success of sailors. Additionally, sailors were now required to wear
life preservers at all times. That same year, the first recorded club purchase of
a Sunfish sailboat can be found in our archives, entered as an expense of $412.00.
In 1972, the club again hosted the Comet Internationals. Undaunted by such a huge
task, the club opted, just two years later in 1974, to host the Penguin Class Internationals.
And, as if that weren’t enough, in 1978 the Comet North Americans came to Mattituck.
As one might expect, such an active and internationally competitive fleet produced
some outstanding sailors.
One such sailor is Stretch Ryder. Successful as a both junior sailor and instructor
and later a U.S. Army aviator, Stretch went on to crew the Courageous, with Ted
Turner as skipper, and capture 1st Place in the 1977 America’s Cup. Later, in 1980,
he began serving as navigator on board the Infinity, an ocean racing yacht, finishing
first in the Key West Race Week and the Block Island Race Week. Additionally, the
Infinity sailed into the winner’s circle in Hawaii in 1996, capturing the coveted
Kenwood Cup. Today, Stretch is the navigator for the Solution racing team.
Another notable sailor is Blake Marriner, who in 1984 represented Mattituck Yacht
Club in a bid to sail in the Olympics. Blake captured first place in the Eastern
Olympic trials held at Fort Lauderdale, ranking him amongst the top 5 sailors in
the United States. He then went on to capture sixth place at the Olympic trials,
held in Long Beach, California.
The 1980’s were full of sailing, sailing, and more sailing as the junior program’s
enrollment grew to over 90 sailors. Mary Motto, a former junior sailor and later
an instructor, reminisced, “M.Y.C. had the best sailing team on the two forks.”
Sailing lessons in Mattituck were routinely complemented (biweekly, at the least)
with trips to other clubs, allowing team sailors to compete in the various races
and regattas on Long Island. In 1981, the club hosted the Sunfish Woman’s North
American Championships with Pam Corwin placing second and Janice Meinke coming in
third. Four years later, in 1985, M.Y.C. hosted the ELIYA One Design Regatta.
As always, the social side of life was as busy as ever, with such things as hors
d’oeuvres at the yacht club every Saturday night. Past Secretary Carol Kraebel recalls
that on some Saturdays the members would gather instead on the Rozansky boat, Reel
Estate, and have a great evening cruising the bay and, of course, eating their hors
d’oeuvres.
In the early 1990’s, the M.Y.C. team again dominated local sailing with sailors
such as Britt Colombo, who regularly found himself in possession of a first place
trophy. Later in the decade, John Condon, both a former junior sailor and instructor,
captured third place in the Downstate Sunfish Regional Championship in 1997 and
another third place in the 1999 Long Island Sunfish Championship. Additionally,
he went on to qualify in the top third of all Sunfish sailors at the 1998 Sunfish
World Championship in Sayville, NY. In 1999, the Old Timers’ Race was renamed the
Kraebel Cup in honor of Past Commodore George Kraebel and Barbara Dillingham was
first to capture it.
Thanks to all those who have given to the organization, from countless man-hours
to financial support, sailors of the Mattituck Yacht Club have gone on to many great
things. Through happy times, and sad, smooth sailing, and rough, boating enthusiasm
in Mattituck has persevered for ninety years and no doubt will go on for ninety
more.
Fleets
Although not all of these fleets are currently active within our sailing community,
MYC has been home to the following:
- Comet Class Fleet #104
- Lightning Class Fleet #141
- Sailfish Class Fleet #26
- Sunfish Class Fleet #260 (Currently Active)
- Windmill Class Fleet
Taken from the Mattituck Yacht Club 90th Anniversary Celebration Journal by Bryan
Pillai.