CONSTITUTION
YACHT CLUB
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The Club's History
A Preliminary
History
by Our club was officially "chartered" by a filing with the Massachusetts Secretary of State as a not-for-profit social organization in 1980. Sven Tullberg was our first Commodore. The roots of CYC are actually much older. In the sixties and seventies there was a social life and some organized yacht racing at the Lewis Wharf marina known as the Bosport Marina. Bob Davidoff and Jack Roberts were the founders of a marina that catered to pleasure craft in downtown Boston at a time when the waterfront was officially marked on the charts as a "condemned area in magenta.” The harbor was so dirty that songs were written about it! True Visionaries! The Club was then known as the Bosport Yacht Club. Meetings and parties were held aboard the work boats and barges used by Bosport Docking Company in their commercial endeavors. In the mid eighties, Bosport Marina moved to new quarters at its present site attached to the Housaic Wharf following the Massport renovation of the area and the construction of the Constitution Plaza office buildings on the wharf. Being next to pier one in the former Boston Naval Shipyard and the frigate USS CONSTITUTION led to a name change of the marina to Constitution Marina. About 1987, the club in turn officially changed its name to Constitution Yacht Club and so filed with the Secretary of State along with newly updated bylaws. One thing was missing since the move - a clubhouse. We lost the use of the old steel barge sometime after the move to Constitution Plaza so that the social functions were hampered. Were do we have the spaghetti dinners? Were do the racers meet on a cool spring evening? Most importantly, where do we set up the keg? Commodores Don DaCosta and Bill Smith successfully lobbied the owners of the marina for a place to meet which led to the acquisition of a clubhouse in 1989. The arrangement was that the marina purchased a new 50 foot river type houseboat with a built in galley and head with room for meetings and parties and the Club would buy furnishings and cooking and entertainment appliances. The Club also promised to pay any out of pocket costs related to the clubhouse and the marina would provide complimentary dockage. This spring, the "clubhouse" underwent a renovation to create two furnished studios so that Constitution Charters (a division of the marina) can expand their current boat and breakfast charters.
We traditionally extend honorary membership to the captain
of our namesake Past Captains (all honorary members of CYC)
NOTE: We view this “history” as a work in progress. We recognize that there are, indeed, many “histories.” We welcome the additions of other perspectives and memories of CYC members. Please submit yours to the webmaster. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
