Past Abeam

by Prentice Cushing

1990

Right after World War I the Douglaston Club started publishing a news magazine for its members entitled "Between Ourselves." Looking over Volume IX, I find a special Yacht Squadron number, dated August 1927. It commemorated the first meeting and commissioning on July 15. Among the elected officers were    

Commodore:

E.T.Daizell (of the tugboat family and donor of the Dalzeli Trophy still presented to our outstanding Junior sailor.)

 

Vice-Commodore:         

Paul H. Bilhuber (later, owner of a beautiful schooner which helped inspire out Windjammers Race, and donor of the brass canon in the Squadron room.)

 

Rear-Commodore: 

Harold C. Parsons (owner of several magnificent power yachts and of "Parsons Point," the whole developed area at the end of Bay Avenue on which was his gracious mansion, scene of the film "The Arrangement," ending with the spectacular fire many still recall.)  

 

The Charter Members listed are those shown on the framed document posted in the Squadron Room, and, in a much reduced version, on the cover of this issue. The last survivor was Frank B. Smithe.

One article discusses the safety of swimming in Little Neck Bay and explains the Department of Health's sampling, stating that "everyone interested in preservation of our bathing should encourage decreased pollution" and that "the sewers now emptying into Little Neck Bay are illegal and that the Health Department has promised to cooperate with the Yacht Squadron in eliminating them."

An old print of the SAPPHO (still hanging) was presented by Mac Demarest, who "discovered it in an old Flushing gin mill." He also donated three colored lights to bang at the dock as a night signal (still there). Mr. Chapman donated a bronze plate about the SAPPHO mast (now in our trophy case) for use at the flagpole at the dock.

The tide table was published, along with some comments to the effect that "there are a lot of people around town who don't own yachts and don't even dress up in their white flannels and tote crocks of potato salad out to other people's yachts" and an expressed fear that "the yachtsmen wantonly sea food and may take over the Club restaurant." There was also a discussion about the difference between monkey- wrench sailors (power-boat owners), racing sailors and non-racing cruising types, such as Alain Gerbault who sailed his 30-foot cutter FIRECREST across the Atlantic alone and related his experiences at Zion Church hall before taking off alone on an around-the-world voyage. The racers were especially interested in establishing a Star class and could buy a new one from Ike Smith in Port Washington for 575 dollars.

One article explained the design of the Club burgee as a derivation from George Douglas's private signal and its "historical background of which the Squadron maybe proud, as it floats triumphantly at the masthead or bow staff of a victorious boat owned by one of our members." Incidentally, although many different designs seem to have appeared on Club matchbooks, napkins, etc., the correct dimensions are on the next page.

Another article mentions our cooperative racing program with Manhasset Bay and Bayside Yacht Clubs. Both of these are offspring from the original Douglaston Yacht Club, whose burgee is now Manhasset Bay's red with two white chevrons. Bayside's is blue with one chevron and a circle. Motor Boating magazine of June 1927 printed an article on the Bayside Yacht Club opening with "In 1902 the Douglas- ton Yacht Club, which had a club-house at the southerly end of Little Neck Bay, moved to Port Washington and formed the present Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. This left the residents of Bayside without an organization. Ten men from Bayside who did not see their way clear to go to Port Washington, and believing that Little Neck Bay, on account of its natural beauty and accessibility, together with its freedom from rocks, sand bars and other obstructions, was well adapted to sailing, met and formed the Bayside Yacht Club in August 1902. The ever-present knocker started saying 'Of course it will fad; did not the Douglaston Yacht Club have to give up and move away? The Bay is too shallow and people win not join.' But prosper it did. Moorings are dropped in the fall, raised in the spring, and stored over the winter for five dollars. Small work on yachts is done well at fifty cents an hour."

It seems that some things never change (except prices)!