Bar Harbor Yacht Club - Bar Harbor

Over the years, yachting was a popular pastime at Bar Harbor. Frequently this was in the form of the Summer cruises of the New York Yacht Club or the Eastern Yacht Club. But eventually this would lead to the creation of Bar Harbor Yacht Club. This club actually had three iterations over time, before the current club, each with its own unique burgee.

Burgee of the First Bar Harbor Yacht Club 1885-1887

The first Bar Harbor Yacht Club was organized on July 21, 1885 with William Minot of Boston as Commodore, Aulick Palmer as Vice Commodore, and Authur Ryerson of Chicago as Secretary and Treasurer. Newspaper records show it active from 1885 to 1887. Its first regatta was held August 15, 1885. Minot was an estate and trust lawyer as well as president of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company. Ryerson became Commodore in 1886.

The last recorded regatta of the first Bar Harbor Yacht Club was held on August 25, 1887. At that time Ryerson was serving as Secretary of the club.

Burgee of the Second Bar Harbor Yacht Club 1900-1907

The second Bar Harbor Yacht Club came into existence in 1900 and operated until about 1907. While the second iteration of the club, like the first iteration, did not possess a clubhouse, they did hold their first ball on September 5, 1900 at the Music Hall in Bar Harbor. For the following year, Scott convinced five of his friends to buy the Crowninshield-designed and Lawley-built “Bar Harbor Restricted Class” knockabouts (LOA 41'3", LWL 25') named Cherub, Rip, Bobs, Dicky, Scud, and Papoose.

Bobtail

The club was formally organized on June 25, 1901. Then, in 1902, Scott brought the first Herreshoff boat to Mount Desert Island, the (LOA 40'5", LWL 26'5") sloop Bobtail (hull number 579 Ordered Jan 18, 1902 Edgar Scott cost $4,580). She was joined by H.M. Sears’ identical Bogey (hull number 581 Jan 25, 1902 H.M. Sears cost $4,500).

Bobtail

In 1902 W.C. Allison of Philadelphia was elected Commodore and T.G. Condon was elected Vice-Commodore. The first regatta was held August 14, 1902, with races also held on August 19th and 26th. The club was a rival to the racing association which sailed 30 footers. The Bar Harbor Yacht Club raced three classes, knockabouts over 35 feet water line, sloops, and raceabouts or small knockabouts.

Bar Harbor 31

In 1903, Herreshoff delivered 13 new Bar Harbor Raceabouts, known as Bar Harbor 31s, built in Bristol, Rhode Island especially for the Bar Harbor Yacht Club. They were all contracted to be built on October 3, 1902 for the cost of $4,960 each. The boats had an overall length of 48'10", waterline length of 30'9", beam of 10'4", draft of 7'3", and sail area of 1,425 square feet. The first group of boats were Astrild (hull number 593) owned by Henry Lane Eno of New York, Joker (hull number 595) owned by Herbert M. Sears of Boston, and Bat (hull number 596) owned by Edgar T. Scott of Philadelphia. The first race of this new class was July 11, 1903, involving nine of the boats, which included the above boats as well as Kawuna (hull number 592) owned by John B. Trevor, Zara (hull number 594) owned by Joshua Montgomery Sears of Boston, Ben (hull number 597) owned by Antonio Y. Steward of New York, Curlew (hull number 598) owned by R. Horace Gallatin, Scud (hull number 603) owned by Alexander Johnston Cassatt of Philadelphia, and Papoose III (hull number 604) owned by Valentine Everit Macy of New York.

Bar Harbor 31

The other four boats had not arrived in time for the first race and belonged to Indian (hull number 599) owned by William Clare Allison of Philadelphia, Flight (hull number 600) owned by Edward de Veaux Morrell, Redwing (hull number 601) owned by Thomas Gerald Condon of Tuxedo Park, and Cricket (hull number 602) Walter Graeme Ladd of Pasadena, California. The final year of club racing was 1907.

Kuwana flying the burgee of the Bar Harbor Yacht Club


Indian flying the burgee of the Bar Harbor Yacht Club

Burgee of the Third Bar Harbor Yacht Club 1924-Present

The third Bar Harbor Yacht Club was organized in August 1924, and arranged to use the former Mt. Desert Island Reading Room, then owned by the Maine Central Railroad, as its clubhouse. The club initially raced S and MDI class sailboat and adopted the old Mt. Desert Yacht Racing Association burgee as the burgee of the "new" club. (The original association was incorporated in 1900. A second Mt. Desert Yacht Racing Association would be founded in 1927 by representatives of the Northeast Harbor Fleet, Winter Harbor Yacht Racing Association, the yacht clubs of Bar Harbor, Seal Harbor, Sorrento, and Kollegiwidgwok, North Haven, and Pulpit Harbor Yacht Clubs.)

In 1924, Edward Browning Commodore, Dr. Joseph Blake Vice Commodore, and Joseph Pulitzer Rear Commodore. The club began racing 17ft one designs known as the Mount Desert Island or MDI class, designed by Ralph E. Winslow and built by Lawson's Yard in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Built in 1923-24 and were Vixen owned by Mrs. Anne Archbold, Moreta owned by Mrs. Robert McCormick, Jean owned by Mrs. Reginald Johnson, Ripple owned by Mrs. Fulton J. Redman, Alita owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and Massey owned by David H. Morris. Four other boats of the class were in Seal Harbor, Eleanor owned by Edsel Ford, Jack Tar, Jr. owned by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Trouble owned by Edward K. Dunham, and Vera owned by Dr. D.W. McAlpin.

S-Class

Then in the December 1924, several members of the club ordered S-Class boats from Herreshoff. On June 10, 1925 five new S-Class boats belonging to club members left Bristol, Rhode Island for Bar Harbor arriving on June 20, 1925. These boats were Mab owned by George C. McMurtry (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 909 ordered Dec 6, 1924 cost $3,500), Albatross owned by William S. Moore (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 910 ordered Dec 6, 1924 cost $3,500), Elinor owned by Joseph Pulitzer (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 911 ordered Dec 6, 1924 cost $3,500), Emily II owned by George H. McFadden (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 912 ordered Dec 6, 1924 cost $3,500), and Spray owned by Fulton J. Redman (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 913 ordered Dec 6, 1924 cost $3,500).

S-Class

The class immediately proved popular and additional boats were ordered by other club members. These were Firefly owned by John Shillito Rogers (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 956 ordered Aug 24, 1925 cost $3,500), Seafarer owned by Paul Arnold (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 957 ordered Aug 24, 1925 cost $3,500), Robert B. Bowler (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 958 ordered Sep 1, 1925 cost $3,500), Periwinkle owned by Mrs. Walter Ayer & Mrs. McCormick (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 959 ordered Sep 18, 1925 cost $3,500), Artemis owned by Warwick Potter Scott (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 960 ordered Sep 18, 1925 cost $3,500), Koshare owned by Mary G. Ogden (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 963 ordered Oct 1, 1925 cost $3,500), Bridget owned by John J. O'Brien (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 964 ordered Oct 3, 1925 cost $3,500), Avocet owned by D.B. Cummings Catherwood (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 965 ordered Oct 6, 1925 cost $3,500), Vixen II owned by Mrs. Anne Archbold (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 980 ordered Oct 30, 1925 cost $3,500), Seafarer owned by Parker Cording (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 1013 ordered May 17, 1926 cost $4,100), Pronto owned by Elizabeth Beale (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 1014 ordered Jul 16, 1926 cost $4.100), and Rowena owned by James Rothwell (S-Class for Bar Harbor Hull number 1015 ordered Jul 23, 1928 cost $4,100).

The club would occupy former Mt. Desert Island Reading Room until September 1932 when it decided to give up the clubhouse, which would be occupied by the Shore Club from 1933 until about 1937. The Bar Harbor Yacht Club would continue operations through 1941, when World War 2 would put an end to its operations. The club would be revived, again using this third burgee, in 1947.

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