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

Appendix D Clearwater Yacht Club Timeline

1. In the early 1800s, Clear Water Harbor was a sleepy little village whose inhabitants made a living from the sea and some agriculture. Everything not produced in the area had to be brought in by ship. 2. The US government built Fort Harrison in 1841 as a place of recuperation for soldiers fighting in the short-lived but bloody Seminole Indian War. Development of the area continued to be slow until the end of the decade. 3. Clear Water was incorporated in 1891. 4. In 1902, the City Pier at the end of Cleveland Street was built and became a hub of social and yachting activity. 5. New Year’s Eve of 1910 saw the conception of Clearwater Yacht Club at the home of Lowe Emerson. Emerson, CYC’s first commodore, asked his friends: “How many of you gentlemen are in favor of a yacht club, someplace where we of sailing gentry can gather for social activities as well as to arrange Sporting contests?” 6. Clearwater Yacht Club was incorporated on Valentine’s Day in 1911. The three original yacht clubs in the Tampa Bay Area were Tampa Yacht and Country Club (1904), St. Petersburg Yacht Club (1909), and Clearwater Yacht Club (1911). 7. The law separating Pinellas County from Hillsborough County was signed in May of 1911 and, after heated debate, Clearwater was chosen as the county seat. Pinellas County began official operation on January 1, 1912. 8. In 1912, the first Pinellas County Courthouse was built by volunteer labor. Men worked around the clock, women brought food, and armed guards, organized by Taver Bayly, stood ready to make sure that the “St. Petersburg people” did not burn it down. 9. In 1919, CYC reorganized and began to meet in the two-story pavilion at the end of the City Pier. 10. During the Florida Land Boom of the early 1920s, CYC roared along with the times and was an active participant in both sailing and power boat racing. The club headquarters was the ballroom on the top floor of Lester Dicus’ Sunset Point Hotel. 11. In 1923, Buford Edgar brought a forty-five and a half-foot yacht to Clearwater and CYC had its first competitive ocean-racing sailboat. The name of this vessel was Haligonian .

Appendix D 145