The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

A selection of race committee boats through the years—it takes a lot of boats to run a regatta. Top row: 1. Very old (unidentified) race committee photo from the Taver Bayly archives; 2. Taver Bayly’s Venture served as CYC’s race committee boat in the 1930s and 1940s until she sank in the pass coming in from a regatta; 3. PC Bill Welbon’s Pardon Moi served as race committee boat in the 1970s and 1980s. Next row: 1. Clearwater Yacht Club owned a race committee boat in the 1950s and 1960s and Arthur Kisby was her captain; 2. John Ardolino’s Destiny in 2009. Next row: 1. Dick Crowl’s Anna K (2010); 2. Liz Phillip’s Mama’s Happy (2008). Bottom row: 1. PROs Boblenz and Brinkley aboard Gene Fleming’s Mermaid, now owned by Jim and Gloria Bone and Dell Lewis; 2. Dick Boblenz’ Flying Cloud — signal boat for the 2005 Finn Nationals. CYC Archives.

114 The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011 The Clearwater Yacht Club Race Committee has been a very instrumental part of the history of racing in the Tampa Bay Area. Comprised strictly of volunteers, the Race Committee has an international reputation for excellence in race management. Because of this reputation, the Clearwater Yacht Club has hosted numerous prestigious regional, national, and international events, including the International Snipe Midwinters Championship, Western Hemispheres, and Pan American Trials; the Laser Midwinters East; the US Multi Hull Championship; the Finn Nationals and the Florida Sailing Association (FSA) State Championships. The club’s annual regatta schedule routinely includes: the Clearwater Championship, the Clearwater Challenge, the Laser Midwinters East, the International Snipe Midwinters Championship, For the Love of Sailing, and the Clark Mills Regatta. CYC also provides