American Yacht Club (New York)

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American Yacht Club
Burgee
Short nameAYC
Founded1883
Location499 Stuyvesant Avenue, Rye, New York 10580
Commodore Richard Jessop
Websitewww.americanyc.org

The American Yacht Club is a yacht club located in Rye, New York distinguished by a long history of competitive racing [1] and leadership in growing the sport among women and junior sailors.[2][3][4][5]

American Yacht Club aerial 2015

History[edit]

The American Yacht Club, also known as AYC, was founded on May 1, 1883. Its original 15 incorporators were: William P. Clyde, president of the Clyde Steamship Company; Washington E. Connor; Alfred de Cordova; William B. Dowd; Jay Gould and his son George Jay Gould; Jesse R. Grant; Cornelius Hatch; James B. Houston; Frank K. Lawrence; Christopher Meyer; Thomas C. Platt; Henry O. Taylor; Cornelius F. Timpson; and George S. Scott. Many of these men worked in the shipbuilding and engineering fields.

Unlike the New York Yacht Club, American Yacht Club had the particular object of promoting the development of steam yachts.[6] One of the principal founders Jay Gould,[7] had his 228-foot steam yacht, Atalanta, built that same year.

On August 7, 1884, AYC held its first regatta which was also the first race of steam yachts ever held in America.[8]

Clubhouses[edit]

Club members initially gathered in rooms in Manhattan on Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue. They briefly considered making a home on Charles Island in Milford going as far as to place a down payment on the property in the spring of 1884 [9] before pivoting to the purchase of land in Rye from the Wainwright family. A large Queen Anne-style clubhouse was finally constructed on the tip of Milton Point on Long Island Sound[10] in 1894.[6][11] The architect of this building was Edward A. Sargent.[12]

On July 27, 1951,[13] a fire devastated the club house and a new structure was erected for $375,000 under the leadership of Commodore William L. Crow.[14] The architect of the colonial styled building was Jonathan Butler of Rye.[15]

In the 20th century[edit]

The club always included sailboats and today many different designs can be found moored in the club's harbor or competing with other boats from around the country or the world in high performance regattas.[16] Boats in the AYC fleet include everything from antique, classic boats to foil models like Moths and Waszps.[17] The composition of AYC's membership and its governing board has also changed with many women sailing both on their own and through a program called Women on the Water (WOW).[18] In 2021, AYC voted in its first woman flag officer as Rear Commodore.[19]

Women's sailing[edit]

AYC has attracted many accomplished women competitors and sailing mentors including Adams Cup Champions Lorna Whittelsey Hibberd (sailing out of Indian Harbor Yacht Club, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934); Frances Wakeman (1935, 1936, 1937, 1938); Sylvia Shethar (1939, 1940, 1947); and Allegra "Leggie" Mertz (1947, 1950, 1954, 1959, 1963). Mertz was president of the Women's National Yacht Racing Association and in 1956, she envisioned a day when there would be an Olympic women's sailing team. She was also president of the International Blue Jay Class Association.[20]

Courtenay Becker-Dey brought home a bronze medal for sailing in the 1996 Summer Olympics.[21] More recently, AYC women won the 2016 International Keelboat Championship in a one design J/70 with Clemmie Everett at the helm of a crew that included Alix Hahn, Carolyn Russell and Erin Sprague.[22][23]

Junior sailing[edit]

AYC has long had an active junior sailing program. In 1925, shortly after the founding of the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island (JSA) in 1924, the club developed a new class of boats specifically for junior sailors. This initiative under the leadership of then Commodore Philip Mallory, introduced a new type of boat called the Wee Scotts.[24][25] AYC's role in promoting sailing has continued with its active participation in the JSA. The club's Young American Junior Big Boat Sailing Team, established in 2013,[26] have placed first in the 2016 Bermuda Race (Class 10) while other AYC junior sailor honors include winning the Stephens Brothers Youth Division Trophy and Storm Trysail Boomerang Trophy.[4] In 2018, American Yacht Club became the home base for the new non-profit Young American Sailing Academy, Inc. (YASA).[27]

Regattas and trophies[edit]

The club awards several perpetual trophies for racing including the Joyette Trophy for PHRF Division Racing; Zilph Trophy for One-Design; the Cynosure Trophy for the ORC Division; and the Roger Sherman Memorial Trophy[28]

In concert with Larchmont Yacht Club, AYC has hosted the Robie Pierce Regatta, a regatta for sailors with disabilities, for more than 11 years.[29]

Environmental advocacy[edit]

When a proposal to build a bridge from Oyster Bay to Rye was proposed and threatened the ecology of Long Island Sound, American Yacht Club led by Hugh Cuthbert partnered with Sheldrake Yacht Club to lead a "boatercade" in protest.[30]

Notable members[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Interest in Small Boats". The New York Times. November 23, 1902.
  2. ^ Glen Perry (June 2, 1934). "American Gets Adams Event N.A.Y.R.U. Makes Definite Award to Long Island Sound Club". New York Sun. p. 40.
  3. ^ "American Yacht Club". National Sailing Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Chris Szepessy (June 2017). "The Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound". Windcheck. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Youth big boat sailing goes to next level". March 22, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Harry Brown (1901), The History of American Yachts and Yachtsmen, pp. 36–37
  7. ^ "In the Sporting World, Why the American Yacht Club Was Organized". The World. New York. April 20, 1884. p. 12.
  8. ^ "American Yacht Club, Atalanta Wins the Races From New London to Larchmont". New York Herald. August 8, 1884. p. 3.
  9. ^ "American Yacht Club, Election of Officers and members at the Annual Meeting". New York herald. New York. April 1, 1884. p. 5.
  10. ^ Clary, Suzanne,"Sailing and Tennis and Golf Clubs, Oh Rye!", Rye Magazine, Weston Publishing, (July 2015)
  11. ^ Woodman, Ruth (1952), A Brief History of the American Yacht Club
  12. ^ "The American Yacht Club House, Milton Point". Scientific American Architects and Builders Edition: 3–4. July 1892.
  13. ^ "Review of Past Year Through Files of the Rye Chronicle". The Rye Chronicle. December 31, 1952. p. 12.
  14. ^ "Long May It Endure". The Rye Chronicle. November 27, 1951. p. 4.
  15. ^ "Yacht Club Plans Formal Dedication". The Rye Chronicle. November 13, 1952. p. 1.
  16. ^ New York Yacht Club (September 8, 2010). "Cream of US Yacht Clubs". The Daily Sail. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  17. ^ Benjamin Cesare (November 2017). "American Yacht Club High Performance Regatta". Windcheck Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  18. ^ "Committed to the Development of Women Sailors". Women on the Water. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  19. ^ "About AYC - Officers". American Yacht Club. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "Leading Lady Sailor Sparks HRYRA Fete". Citizen Register. Ossining, New York. December 1, 1956. p. 9.
  21. ^ Angus Phillips (September 13, 2000). "Back Where She Started". Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  22. ^ Mike Cronin (August 19, 2016). "Clemmie Everett and Crew Earn International Women's Keelboat Championship". US Sailing. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  23. ^ Nancy Haggerty (August 19, 2016). "Rye team wins International Women's Keelboat title". LoHud/Journal News. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  24. ^ "87 Yachts, Including Several New Craft, Compete in the Seasons Biggest Regatta". New York Times. June 28, 1925. p. 5.
  25. ^ "Jr. Yacht Club Sailors Winners In Two Races". The Rye Chronicle. August 25, 1955. p. 11.
  26. ^ Benjamin Cesare (July 2014). "AYC Junior Big Boat Team Sails to Victory in the Block Island Race". Windcheck. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "Youth big boat sailing goes to next level". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. March 22, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  28. ^ "American Yacht Club Fall Regatta 2021 - Days 3 and 4". Sail World. October 3, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  29. ^ Jan Hodnett (May 28, 2019). "Robie Pierce Regatta for sailors with disabilities at American Yacht Club". Sailworld. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  30. ^ "Democrats Sponsoring Boatercade In Protest Against Sound Bridge". The Rye Chronicle. October 9, 1969.
  31. ^ a b c The Official Register of American Yachting. 1892. pp. 1–6.
  32. ^ "Awards & Trophies Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy". US Sailing. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  33. ^ "Frances Fannie Wakeman". National Sailing Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  34. ^ Ezra Bowen (January 21, 1957). "Sailor's Dream". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  35. ^ John Rousmaniere. "Two Gambles". Wooden Boat. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  36. ^ Tom Andersen (1987). "A Seasoned Sailor". Nyack: Journal News.
  37. ^ "Allegra Mertz Wins Sailing Championship". The Rye Chronicle. July 18, 1963. p. 3.

External links[edit]

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