History of the Salem Yacht Club
Respectfully submitted by Sally Collins
Salem Yacht Club (SYC) was organized in 1930. The first commodore on record was Thomas Hilliard of Salem, NJ in 1936. The first commodore who was not a Salem resident was Dudley Pancoast in 1951, followed by Pete Collins in 1952. William Harris, J. Evan Hitchner and Ernest Sutton were all Salem residents. Raymond Mowers was an Alloway, NJ resident and George C. Rogers, Jr. was from Woodstown, NJ. Then the Club had commodores from other parts of New Jersey and later from Pennsylvania or elsewhere. Their commitment to the Club was the only requirement. Morant Hassler is the last commodore from Salem. He served in 1987; and again in 1994.
In the early days, the only event was the Planked Shad Dinner held at the Salem Country Club. In 1959, about 200 people attended. Friends of the Yacht Club members were invited and there was an orchestra and dancing, while some members hosted cocktail parties at home, in order to have everyone get together instead of at separate parties, the Yacht Club started serving free cocktails at the Country Club. This continued for many years.
In 1963, the first roster was printed. The roster was the idea of Joseph Crane. At that time, the SYC had 96 members and 73 boats. Only male members were counted – wives were listed but not considered voting members. There were four events listed:
one cruise (3 days on Labor Day weekend)
a November dinner meeting
a January dinner dance
April 1964 shad dinner with installation of officers
The 1964 roster shows:
March 28th shad dinner with installation of officers
three cruises
three meetings
There was also an April 24th shad dinner with installation of 1965 officers.
In 1970, the shad dinner included the selection of a princess. She was Debbie Ann Smith, an excellent choice, but the Club was led to believe that she could not be Queen of the Chesapeake because our Club was not on the Chesapeake. Therefore, SYC could never attain the status of Queen.
In 1970, there were five cruises including a “shake-down” cruise in May and a “frost-bite” in October. In 1979, SYC had its first one-week cruise, which has now become an annual event.
In 1970, the roster lists 212 members and 186 boats. This was the peak for SYC. The large enrollment happened because members of the Great Oak Yacht Club (GOYC) joined for the then current fee of only five dollars. They were than able to show our card at the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) and receive all privileges of the AYC. Membership in the GOYC was considered a commercial club, which operated for profits while Salem did not. These members did not attend any events of the SYC so the rules for admittance were changed.
From 1973 to 1981, the home of the SYC was the Conquistador Restaurant and later the Cohansey Casino, located on the Cohansey River just off Ship John Light at Greenwich, NJ. There is a marina and boat yard there today, but no restaurant or casino in operation.
One event that was well attended by SYC was opening day at Baltimore Yacht Club (BYC), Sue Island, Middle River. The event was always held on Memorial Day weekend for three days and all yacht clubs were invited. BYC gave free electric and water connections, but because of the crowd many boats had to raft out beyond the slips. SYC attended from 1966 to 1995. During that time, SYC received many plaques whose count has now reached 18. Some were given to the Fleet Captain, who was an officer when the plaques were won. From BYC, the SYC has five for the most boats attending and four for the boat traveling the longest distance.
The SYC has plaques from Maryland, Bodkin, Northeast and Bush River Yacht Clubs for the longest distance traveled. They also have one plaque from the Chesapeake Commodores Club for having the most attendees at their weekend in January 1985 for the installation of officers at an Ocean City, MD hotel.
Salem Yacht Club had several winter land cruises in the past and they were held at Hotel Hershey, Pocono Mountain Resorts, Harrison’s at Inner Harbor and the Steamboat Model in Lancaster.
When Salem Yacht Club was young, yacht clubs often gave free dockage because they did not have to supply electric or water. Boats had iceboxes and alcohol stoves. Boaters were welcome just for what they spent on meals and gasoline, but now expect to have power for air-conditioning, cooking and refrigeration plus a swimming pool, bar and restaurant.
As with most membership organizations, SYC has had its ups and downs in membership, but has had a healthy rejuvenation the past few years, with 39 members and 20 boats actively participating in club activities in 2004. The Club boasts an eclectic membership with an age range of 50 years and members from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. While there is no homeport, you can find members at nine marinas around the Chesapeake, gathering often at the centrally located Tolchester Marina in Chestertown.
Salem Yacht Club has been a member of Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club Association (CBYCA) for many years. CBYCA is a viable, non-profit volunteer association of yacht clubs dedicated to the concerns and interests of its member clubs, safe boating, quality legislation regarding recreational boating and the bay environment.
(This history was complied from the records in the rosters and from memory. If more detail is desired, it can be found in the minutes of the Salem Yacht Club meetings.)