yacht clubs marblehead

Monday, November 6, 2017

The three yacht clubs in marblehead, massachusetts.

I haven't been in any of the three yacht clubs in Marblehead, Massachusetts, for some years, but I remember how each used to demonstrate physically its place on the New England social ladder. Out on Marblehead Neck, where all the summer people have their places, are the Eastern Yacht Club and the Corinthian Yacht Club. Old families with old money — that is, families that have been in the area (including the Boston area) for a number of generations — belonged to the Eastern Yacht Club. No one else was allowed to join. The clubhouse itself always looked to me as if it might collapse. It needed stain or paint, there always seemed to be a loose board or two out on the porch, and the dining and other facilities were modest, though with a certain quiet, old charm. However, belonging to the Eastern meant you were "in." If you didn't belong, you were "out" — and might just as well join the Corinthian Yacht Club.

The Corinthian accepted new people with new money, and its clubhouse and docks were new, meticulously maintained, modern, and posh. To a Texan or anyone else not knowledgeable in New England ways, inspection of the physical facilities of the Eastern and the Corinthian back in those days would have caused the Corinthian to be the immediate and obvious choice. From the New England point of view, that would be all well and good. As my aunt on my father's side once told me, "A Texan may be a braggart, but he can never be a snob."    

Then there was the Boston Yacht Club, located across the harbor from "the Neck," in the town of Marblehead. It was always considered the place for those not in any way interested, or able to be interested, in social considerations. It was for townspeople. So its clubhouse was neither run down nor posh. It was straightforward, perfectly comfortable, practical. Of course, some members of old area families, particularly the young ones with old money, deliberately chose the Boston Yacht Club over the Eastern. That's a related but slightly different form of snobbery, which was negated completely if you belong to both, as some did.

- Judson Hale, Inside New England < http://amzn.to/2x2m576 > 

13 comments:

Very amusing, but where does the Boston Yacht Club fit in this pecking order--the yacht club on the other side of the harbor not on "The Neck" and the sponsor of the venerable Marblehead-Halifax Ocean Race?

In my opinion, it's number 1!!

Meghan, right? :)

This all reminds me of the book The Status Seekers written in 1959 by Vance Packard. It's one of the most searing and sardonic looks at social status I've ever read. It really opened my eyes.

Jud with one d - I bet he'd write it the same way now!

But what about Pleon?

Pecking order is quite a bit different today. And Marblehead has 3 clubs on the town side and 3 clubs on the neck side.

Hilarious, but I think a Texan can be a snob. A lot are old southern families going back to the First Families of Virginia and the Jamestown group can be just as snobby as the Plymouth haha

If that's the case you will never know it because FFV and Jamestowne Society members do not brag. The snobs are the Highland Park new monied.

For many years my family enjoyed "belonging" at the Boston Yacht Club. We always parked just outside that quite small parking lot at the club and for good reason. We would take the launch out to our sailboat and sound the horn for pickup when it was time to get a ride back at the end of the day....one prolonged, two short if my memory serves me right. What a wonderful aura to the place...until they finally figured out we weren't actually members! Ooops! My father had an uncanny knack for walking into places he didn't belong as if he owned them. Ultimately we joined the Corinthian for real...I think. If we weren't members there I feel for whoever had to pick up our food tab at the pool.

That is a great story, I'll bet your father is/was an interesting man.

Are these ‘rules’ still applied in 2018 ? I am a member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club ( 44 years good-standing) and I can tell you things have changed. When I joined in 1974 I was given a ‘look up, and down’. I recall a superior of mine, possibly twice my age, who applied at the same time but was ‘blakballed’ as not being ‘suitable’. Somehow I doubt this still goes on. Except perhaps at certain clubs in the St James club area in London.

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• Marblehead Yacht Club, Massachusetts, United States

United States

Massachusetts

Sailing / Yacht Club

Marblehead Yacht Club

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Kevin Neumann

Founded Year

Marblehead Yacht Club is a wonderful small jewel in the heart of a bustling boating community. Our members are congenial and friendly, our club house offers a place to relax, a place to dine, and a place to commiserate with fellow members. Our clubhouse offers one of the most beautiful views up Marblehead Harbor, being especially nice on a summer evening when the sun lights up all the boats in the harbor. Our launch service provides easy access to the harbor and members boats while welcoming visiting yachtsmen.

781-631-9771

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[email protected]

http://www.marbleheadyc.org/

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Marblehead – Yacht Clubing

A visit to Marblehead’s sailing society

With more boats per capita than anywhere on the planet, Marblehead has long been known as “the sailing capital of the world.”

For those who wish to join the sailing set, Marblehead has a variety of clubs to choose from.

Two of the town’s clubs are found on Marblehead Neck, an exclusive community separated by the mainland by a long causeway that is perfect for jogging or biking.

Founded in 1885, the Corinthian Yacht Club on Nahant Street ( www.corinthianyc.org ) offers a beautiful clubhouse as well as swimming and tennis facilities.

“There’s many things yacht clubs can offer,” says Dave Titus, Corinthian’s clubhouse general manager, “but the view of the harbor we have here is spectacular!”

In addition to their frequent social events and tennis tournaments, Corinthian also hosts special yachting events, including the Trans-At Challenge in September, which brings a squadron of 60-foot boats from as far away as England.

“They’re quite a [thing] to view,” Titus says.

At present, Corinthian has 520 members.

“We have an extremely active membership, which is happy with what the club offers them,” says Titus. “It’s a very friendly community.”

According to membership committee member Jack Frankel, however, the club doesn’t take unsolicited applications.

“It’s a private club and new members are sponsored in a multiyear process,” he says.

Nearby on Foster Street is the Eastern Yacht Club ( www.easternyc.org ) with its six tennis courts and pool.

According to club lore, EYC was started in 1870 by “12 hardy men.” Its halls are packed with trophies, including one that was once carried on the flagship of famed British sailor Admiral Nelson! No wonder, then, that the Eastern has often been chosen to host Olympic sailing trials and many vanguard regattas.

“We consider ourselves a yacht club and try to encourage it at all levels,” says a member who wished to remain anonymous (the Eastern places a premium on privacy).

Across the harbor are the Boston, Dolphin, and Marblehead yacht clubs.

Organized in 1866, the Boston Yacht Club ( www.bostonyachtclub.net ) offers a dining room and bar, commodore’s lounge, and other facilities. And as it is located on Front Street, which runs along the harbor, the BYC also offers an amenity that the Neck clubs don’t.

“You can get dropped off here and walk around downtown Marblehead,” says general manager Mark McMahon, citing his club’s proximity to mainland shops and restaurants.

According to membership chair Martha Quigley, the BYC also requires sponsorship for new members. Even so, McMahon noted, around 20 slots tend to open at the end of each sailing season.

Though it may be difficult for people to gain immediate entrance to some clubs, there are other ways to get into the sailing scene. Among these are getting started early as a member of Marblehead’s youth yacht club, Pleon ( www.pleon.org ), or taking memberships at clubs that do not require sponsorship, meeting others at multi-club events (such as Marblehead’s world-famous Race Week) and then having them sponsor you down the road.

Though the 55-year-old Dolphin Yacht Club on Allerton Place ( www.dolphinyachtclub.com ) has no tennis courts or pool, the view of the harbor is beautiful, the kids’ room is a great place for younger sailors to hang out, and the food (provided by Sylvan Street Grill) is rather tasty. As for membership, it is inexpensive and does not require sponsorship.

“You don’t need to wait 10 years to get in,” says commodore/treasurer Patti Cohen of the club that, for many years, was the only place for Jewish sailors to congregate. And, as the club’s website states, “We are actively seeking new members!”

One caveat: If you want a full boating membership, you need to have a mooring in Marblehead Harbor. There are 1,400 of these and the waiting list is about 15 years. However, you can still be an out-of-harbor member for $350 or a social member for $225. The Dolphin also offers a kayaking membership for small-craft fans.

Lastly we come to the club that takes its name from its hometown. Built in 1878, the Marblehead Yacht Club on Cliff Street ( www.marbleheadyc.org ) is the most down-home of all.

“This is by far the most inexpensive club,” says club manager Steve Karger, who has been a member for 25 years.

With food service Friday through Sunday (the MYC is BYOB), the club offers its 356 members three launches that cover 60 percent of the harbor and a fleet of rowboats you can take to your yacht.

“We’re the mirror image of the Corinthian,” Karger says, pointing across the harbor, “only in this way.”

In philosophy, the club mirrors the Dolphin more closely, as it was the first place Irish-Catholic sailors could join. In 1935, the MYC instituted a policy requiring that  “anybody joining be considered as an individual, not part of a group.”

These days, however, the only “group” that most members want to be counted among is Marblehead’s large group of sailors.

So whether you want cotillions and pool parties or just a way to get to your boat, join the club!