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

out the suggestions of an outline of conditions for the race, which I enclose herewith. Glance over it and see if you can figure it differently...” “The boys” of whom Gidge speaks, and who constituted the organizing body and race committee, were members of several area clubs and each member took on a specific task in preparation for this landmark event. Also like CYC’s later Key West Rendezvous, the St. Pete to Habana regatta was conceived as both a serious sporting event and a chance to “party hearty” in a famous tropical port. Gidge informed Caesar in his 1929 letter that “the gang thought you would be willing to handle the international phases and do your best to promote woopee with Posso and the Cuban government money and hospitality.” Just what kind of “woopee” Caesar was supposed to promote with Commodore Posso of the Havana Yacht Club is a bit questionable. The draft of the official notice of race contains the following: “Arrangements have been made for a special party of wives and sweethearts to make the trip in 24 hours aboard a modern, comfortable steamship. Bring one of the ladies, but not both.” While CYC does not seem to have had a representative on the organizing or race committees, the club was well, and famously, represented among the racing sailors. Haligonian (at this point owned by Houston Wall of Tampa Yacht

Bottom: Boats gathering for a regatta at the public pier in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Heritage Village Archives and Library (P261010). Top: “And they’re off:” racing at the City Pier in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Heritage Village Archives and Library (P1788001).

and Country Club) was one of the eleven boats to participate in the 1930 race. Along with Caesar Irsch, Houston Wall and his dad Perry, and four other men, the visitation permit issued to Haligonian by the Cuban government lists CYC’s Theodore Kamensky as a member of her crew. Haligonian took first place in the inaugural race finishing in forty-one hours and forty-two minutes. According to Franklin David Hewitt’s booklet The Habana Race :

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