A
Perspective of the Miami Yacht Club From 1927 To 2007
In
the words of Cicero: “History is the witness of the times, the torch of
truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life and the messenger of
antiquity.”
Originally Written By
Lynn Hummel and Suzy Burrows; Rewritten By the Club’s longtime Historian,
Harold Cobb; and Edited By Jim Ori, Club Secretary 2006-7
The history of the Miami
Yacht Club is entwined with the history of the City of Miami. The early
Commodores from 1927 to 1950 (John Robinson, 1927 to 1930, Arthur Bosworth,
1931-36, Henry Thompson, 1937-38, Robert Collins, 1938-40, Jack Wirt,
1941-46, ‘48 and ’50, John C. Oakes, 1947, and Paul Palmer, 1949) and their
fellow Flag Officers and Members are remembered for their adventures and
contributions to both the Club and the City.
In the post World War I era,
development fever swept over the Greater Miami area and brought about the
birth of Coral Gables, Fairchild Tropical Garden, Miami Beach, the
University of Miami, and Vizcaya. The Twenties also saw the rise of many
hotels, as well as other commercial and residential buildings. Attracted by
all this development, people came to sunny Florida, and many settled in
Miami. Among the new residents were sailing enthusiasts who loved boat
racing and yachts, and in mid-1927, the South Florida Boat Racing
Association grew out of the monthly meetings held by these sailboat lovers,
mostly people of modest means who owned small vessels, such as Snipes,
Crickets, Suicides and Moths.
On July 19, 1927, Commodore John
Robinson signed the Association’s original charter, notarized by Bertha Cox;
and Circuit Judge W. L. Freeman approved the charter on July 25, 1927, which
is the date of record for the founding of what would eventually become the
Miami Yacht Club. As suggested, the Association’s original Members came
from all walks of life and met along Miami’s waterways to plan sailboat
races. Their first get-togethers took place on Star Island at the Third
Street Anglers Club, now the Miami Beach Rod and Reel Club, and later at
Pier 5’s Old City of Miami Fishing Docks, now Bayside Market Place, and also
in a sail loft where Bicentennial Park now stands. They held races off
Point View, SE 15th Road and Biscayne Bay. Most Members stored
their boats at home and trailered them to the ends of public streets to be
launched.
Despite the Association’s modest
origins, it gained an international reputation starting in 1928 as a proven
success by organizing and sponsoring “The Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup
Race,” a regatta off the coast of Miami Beach. The Lipton Race was named for
the renowned tea magnate, who three times challenged for the America’s Cup
in his Shamrock. He also donated the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, as
the cup for the regatta and in so doing helped to put Miami on the map of
international regattas. Nine years later in 1937, the Club deeded the
trophy and race to Miami’s oldest yacht club, the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club,
for continuance of the regatta. The reason for turning the Lipton Race over
to the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club had to do with the fact that the former
Association, which by this time had become the Miami Yacht Club, held two
annual races, the Lipton Cup and the Miami to Nassau Race, and the Board of
Governors decided it was “to the best interest of the sport of yacht racing
and yachting in general in the Miami waters to have the two races conducted
under separate sponsorship.” Thus, the Board passed a resolution inviting
the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club to sponsor and conduct the Sir Thomas Lipton
Challenge Cup Race, with full custody of the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, “upon
condition that such race is held annually during the week preceding the
Miami-Nassau Yacht Race and upon further condition that should the Biscayne
Bay Yacht Club fail for any reason to continue the race as an annual event,
then the custody of the Trophy and the right and privilege to conduct the
race shall revert to the Miami Yacht Club.” The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club
accepted these conditions and have to this time sponsored and conducted the
race.
By 1932, the South Florida Boat
Racing Association had moved to the area of Miramar Hotel, near the present
location of Omni, just north of the Venetian Causeway. The Members raced
along the Intercoastal Waterway and in the waters of the surrounding
Biscayne Bay, doing their best to avoid the trap of the pilings to their
east that had been set for the never built Isles of Capri. For many years,
the Association’s “committee boats” were the docks, including the concrete
dock at the foot of NE 18th Street.
On February 27, 1934, the
Association realized one of its fervent dreams, when in conjunction with the
Nassau Yacht Club and the sponsorship of the City of Miami and the Mayor,
the first Miami to Nassau Race was held. It is still on going today and
will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2009.
Ten months later on November 27,
1934, Judge Worth W. Trammell of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Florida
approved the Association’s November 23rd petition to change its
name to the Miami Yacht Club, symbolizing the Members desire to be a part of
the City of Miami. Historically, the Members obtained the use of the name
when a night club called “the Miami Yacht Club” to the north of the Royal
Palm Yacht Basin closed. In 2009, the Club will also celebrate the 75th
anniversary of this name change.
Later, the Members also obtained
the flagpole now located at the foot of the Club’s T-Dock. Shortly after
the Club changed its name, the Membership began the forerunner to the Miami
to Key Largo Race, which to this day is one of Miami’s principal regattas
and benefits the City’s youth being taught to sail in the Club’s Youth
Sailing Program.
By the time World War II started
in Europe, the Club met in the Boy Scout Troop Headquarters at Bayfront Park
and provided assistance in the Sailing Merit Badge Program. Private homes,
the downtown Miami Public Library, Bayfront Park, and the Chess Club also
served as meeting sites. During the war in 1943, the Mid-Winter Regatta
first started.
Following the war and the return
of the GIs, many of whom settled in Miami as new residents just as happened
after World War I, the City became a permanent family town; and in this
climate of stabilization, the Miami Yacht Club began to look for a permanent
home. A site was found on what had been an old sandbar along the route of
the then named County Causeway (later General Douglas MacArthur Causeway) on
the northeast corner of Watson Island. This place had been a dumping ground
for the spoil from deepening the harbor and also served as a
garbage/construction debris dumping ground. Covered with Australian Pines
and other weeds, it looked quite desolate. Watson Island itself was named
after a Miami City Manager and Florida legislator, father and son. The
Miami Outboard Club (founded in 1938) and Chalks Airlines also occupied
sites on the Island, and when the State of Florida transferred title of the
Island to the City, the occupation and use by the two clubs and Chalks
Airlines of their respective sites were “grandfathered” as existing
occupations.
By 1947, the Miami
Yacht Club negotiated a lease for the occupied land and obtained approval to
clear it and build a clubhouse. The Members then cleared the site from the
Miami Outboard Club to where the Brown House was to be re-located, from the
Omni area, in the future. The Brown house partially collapsed during the
move and later was burned down by vagrants in 1998.
The only condition for the
removal of the clubs and Chalks Airline could be for a more civic use of the
land. Officials of both the City of Miami and State of Florida applauded
the Club’s philosophy of service to the educational, cultural and
recreational needs of the youth of the City. For decades, the Club has
continually provided very successful youth sailing, adult sailing, boating
safety, and inner city programs of the highest caliber.
The next Commodores from 1951 to
1971 were: Ralph C. Knowles, 1951, Charles S. Wilson, Jr. 1952-53, Dr.
Robert C. Noble, 1954, Edwin S. Morris, 1955, A. J. Grelin, 1956-58, Dr. W.
T. Mooney, 1959, William E. Sunders, 1960-61, Meyers Noell, 1962, James
Eahly, 1963, Jerry A. Siegenga, 1964, Dr. Lothar Patelsky, 1965 and ‘71,
Gideon J. Stocks, 1966, Frederick C, Stebbins, 1967 and ’71, John F.
Greaner, 1968, Fred P. Darlow, 1969, and Fred A. Bremen, 1970.
By 1950, the Miami Yacht Club’s
meeting room and the original T-dock had been completed. The rest rooms,
showers and lockers came next. Members with expertise in architecture and
engineering drew up the plans and had them approved and permitted. Miller
Beer donated a water pump to provide water for the site from a small storage
tank. Trucks brought water to replenish the supply. The water main on the
far side of Watson Island, next to the existing pavement of the MacArthur
Causeway, was located and a tap made so meters could be installed for both
clubs. Two-inch water lines were run for the clubs’ use, and the Miami
Yacht Club’s line was also used to irrigate Watson Island Park.
After the approval of
the expansion, additional plans included a concrete patio and a connecting
link between the two-story lockers, rest rooms and steward’s quarters and
the meeting room. Partial loads of left over concrete from Acme Concrete
were poured to form the patio on the east side of the Clubhouse nearest to
the water, and a drive-up circle was laid on the opposite side. For access
to the property, a road was constructed from MacArthur Causeway to the
drive-up circle.
Around the same time in 1955,
footings were formed and reinforcing bars placed for the connecting link
that also included the Bar & Restaurant (named the Latitudes Lounge), a
covered loggia facing Biscayne Bay, and the patio. An open breezeway
between the meeting room and the Bar & Restaurant connected the patio to the
drive-up circle, and the kitchen was placed on the other side of the Bar &
Restaurant.
The centerpiece of the drive-up
circle is the historic anchor from the Prinz Valdemar, formerly a
Danish cadet training ship used by the Germans during World War I to run
iron ore to Germany and later in the coconut and gun running trade. On
January 25, 1926 after being converted to a floating hotel, the Prinz
Valdemar capsized on what was to become Watson Island, and effectively
blocked the Harbor. After that, the Prinz Valdemar lived out the
remainder of her life as an aquarium, across Biscayne Boulevard from the
Miami News Building (now the Freedom Tower). Eventually, she rusted through
and was scrapped.
In 1957, when the first lease
expired, the Club and the City signed an additional 20-year lease and plans
moved forward for a pram shed (1965), boat lift, south ramp, additional
north docks and north ramp, and dry storage facilities. The area was
reduced and a boat ramp constructed by the City between the Miami Yacht Club
and the Miami Outboard Club. In this decade, the Youth Sailing Program,
noted in time as one of the finest in the nation, began with the use of the
first Clearwater prams. International Optimist Dingy Association prams
(IODA) replaced the original Clearwater prams in the advanced classes, and a
youth sailing program was started in the summer for all Miami residents as
well as an adult sailing program. In the last fifty years, the youth and
adult sailing programs have trained thousands of participants in boating
safety. Trophies named for our world class sailing instructors continue to
be given at statewide regattas.
Over the last thirty
plus years, the following individuals served as the Club’s Commodores, one
of whom, Patricia Peters, became the first female Commodore of a major yacht
club: Karl T. Seeley, 1972, Charles T. Lynch, 1973, Mark L. Albury, 1974,
Joseph J. Judge, 1975-76, Victor J. Cribb, 1977, Ernest Guirola, 1978 and
‘82, Don Manson, 1979-80, Jack Schuh, 1981, Henry Anoll, 1983, Thomas A.
Trump, 1984, Patricia Peters, 1985, Lynn Hummel, 1986, Francis “Pete”
Schweers, 1987, Augustine “Augie” Canamero, 1988, Michael Hannau, 1989,
James M. Campbell, 1990, ’97 and ‘99, Thomas A. Wilson, 1991, Jonathon D.
Stiles, 1992, James M. Jordan, 1993-94 and ’96, David M. Quick, 1995 and
’98, Angel B. Canete, 1995, Sean Ferrell, 2000 and ’05, Steve J. Evans,
2001-2, Larry Newberry, 2003, Linda Evans, 2004, Rick Harty, 2006, and Gus
Zuloaga, 2007-8.
By 1975, the waterway on the
north shore had been dredged and new docks built for the Club’s expanding
membership. The original T-Dock and J-Dock were replaced. The Club created
a new water source, upgraded the buildings’ exteriors and the lounge got new
lighting and a custom made bar. On a daily basis, Members donated time and
materials and worked on maintaining the Club’s property and training boats
for youth and adult sailing classes.
In 1989, Astrid Dalins, the
Club’s “artist in residence”, completed the mural on the south wall of the
Bar & Restaurant. With love and skill, Astrid turned a blank wall into a
masterpiece.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck
South Florida and Miami. Wind gusts of 175 mph hit Miller Drive in South
Miami-Dade County as the eye wall passed through, and the storm surge at
Watson Island rose in excess of 12 feet above mean low water. The concrete
base of the flagpole was under water.
Hurricane Andrew destroyed all
the docks (the J-Dock, the T-Dock, and the North Dock) and drove the vessels
anchored offshore onto the beach and into the docks. Once again, the Club’s
Members joined forces and cleaned up.
As many other businesses
discovered as a result of Andrew, the Club was underinsured for the damages
done to the property. A small settlement from the insurance company
permitted the restoration of the J-Dock and the north and south launching
ramps. These repairs allowed the trailer-based boats to come back to the
Club and their owners to return to the enjoyment of sailing and the use of
the facilities, which helped to restart the sailboat racing schedule and
youth sailing program.
With the cooperation and
assistance of City officials, the Club obtained approval for a grant from
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which gave us the funds to
rebuild the T-Dock and the North Dock. Since then, Members continue to work
daily on maintaining the Club’s property and vessels, as well as many other
activities and functions enjoyed throughout the year.
During the rebuilding period, the
Club operated on a month-to-month rental basis with the City. Negotiations
for a long-term lease began and were conducted for a period of several years
by the Commodores. Finally in December 1997, Commodore Jim Campbell signed
a twenty-year lease, with two five-year options for extension, for the
remainder of the property the Club had occupied since 1947. The new lease
and extensions allowed the Club to obtain financing for the construction of
a swimming pool adjacent to the patio. As a gesture of good will, the Club
agreed to terms in the lease that provides the City Marine Patrol partial
use of the second floor as offices and also the use of a number of wet slips
and dry storage spaces as well.
Historically, prior to the City
taking title from the State, both the City and State acknowledged the Club’s
occupation of the site prior to the transfer of title, as was also the case
for Chalk’s Airline and the Miami Outboard Club, meaning that the occupation
of the sites were “grandfathered”. But the new lease dropped this
condition.
Since our
Club’s inception in 1927, we have continuously had from 300 to 400 of
Miami’s finest sailors as Members, currently boasting approximately 350
Members from the Greater Miami area and an additional 150 Non-Resident
Members from outside Miami, or from other States and foreign ports.
For all this time, our Members have continued to support the education of
our youth and other adults by teaching them how to sail while enjoying every
moment and experience upon Miami’s beautiful waterways. In 2007, the
Miami Yacht Club will celebrate 80 years of service to the sailing community
and the City of Miami and sixty years of residence on Watson Island, where
the Club thrives today and is known to yachtsmen the world over as “the Home
of Sailing Champions.”
Our most prestigious racing
event, of course, is the Miami to Key Largo Race, which we sponsor in
conjunction with West Marine. The first named Miami to
Key Largo Race occurred in 1957. Other Key
Largo races existed in the 1930’s, as well as a later motorboat race and an
“Around Key Largo Race” for catamarans. But the current Miami to Key Largo
Race is the only one that has endured, and it will see its 52nd
anniversary in 2007. The proceeds from the race are donated to the Youth
Sailing Foundation for the continuance of its sailing programs.
Throughout the world’s
sailing community, the Club continues to proudly fly its burgee and bear the
name of the City of Miami. In effect, our Club has become a Miami
institution, serving our community and supporting the best interests of our
youth and the sport of yacht racing on an international level, for we are
“the Home of Sailing Champions.”
In the processing of completing
the original draft, authors Lynn Hummel (Commodore, 1986) and Suzy Burrows
gave special thanks to Jim Church (an Honorary Life and Life Member), Willie
Saunders (Commodore, 1960-61, a Subscriber to the MYC Constitution, and an
Honorary Life and Life Member), and Jack Wirt (Commodore, 1941-46, ‘48 and
’50, a Subscriber to the MYC Constitution, an Honorary Life and Life Member,
and currently the Club’s Senior Member) for sharing their warm and vivid
memories of the past. Lynn updated the Club’s history into the Eighties,
David Quick updated it into the Nineties, and now Harold and Jim have
updated it into the first decade of the 21st Century.
We all hope that you, the reader, have enjoyed this history of our Club and
that it will inspire you someday to continue the updates for later
generations to enjoy.
Links to the original 1927 Charter when
the Club was founded as the Southern Florida Boat Racing Association and to
the 1934 documents involving our name change to the Miami Yacht Club:
1927 Charter
Name Change
