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

Sr., Ted Kamensky, and Don Cochran, Jr., at the Gasparilla Regatta. Larry Roberts won the Studebaker Trophy in 1949. Francis Seavy won first place in the Snipe Nationals in 1951 and second place in the Snipe Worlds in Havana in 1952. Morris Whitney won the Snipe Nationals in the Junior Division in both 1951 and 1953. Kenneth Lippincott (1958), Bruce Cochran (1960), and Danny Flaherty (1964) also brought the Snipe National Junior Championship home to CYC in later years. The Clearwater Yacht Club Snipe Fleet was the team to beat in the decades following World War II (Martin, Gray and Mains, 2004; Ransom and Tracy, 1961). Things were also busy in the clubhouse in the post-war years. In 1949, the club made major renovations—adding a new galley and lounges. The little club that would not give up had earned a place at the heart of the sporting and social world in Clearwater. In 1954, the burgee registered with Lloyds of London in 1935 was replaced with the current red, white, and blue design. In 1957, members of the club voluntarily purchased non-interest bearing bonds in order to build an Olympic-sized swimming pool—continuing the tradition of pitching in with money, time, and talent when the need arose. The Clearwater High School swim team started practicing in the pool—giving the club another important link to the community (Ransom and Tracy, 1961). In 1960, the club again underwent some major renovations and also participated in the formation of what is now the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs. According to the Tampa Yacht and Country Club’s historians, one of the first meetings

Postcard of the Clearwater Yacht Club as it looked during WW II. Courtesy of the Fleming/Green family.

CYC members in uniform during WWII. J. B. Stewart is squatting in the front row. Others are (from left to right): Fred Taylor, Arthur Kisby, Clay Kyle, Bob Keller, Russ Elwell, Dick Shoemaker, C. A. Becker, and Jack Taylor. Courtesy of Dave Perkins.

Postcard of Cleveland Street (mailed 1949). Courtesy of the Fleming/Green family.

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