1954 - a visit at New York's Yacht Club

In July 1844 nine men met aboard the schooner Gimcrack, anchored off the BAttery at the foot of Manhattan Island, and formed a yacht club has changed headquarters six times and now is high and dry, without dock or yacht basin, just off 5th avenue - most members belong to other clubs in order to get anchorage for their boats. The club smells more of old mahogany than salt water, but its model room and walls contain evidence that its yachts and yachtsmen have long been busy at sea.

The world's most famous yacht, the schooner America, carried the N.Y.Y.C. burgee across the Atalntic in 1851 and outraced 14 crack yachts of Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron. The cup she brought back was rechristened The America's Cup. Sixteen times the British Empire sent its best to try to win the cup, but all challengers were turned back by N.Y.Y.C. racing yachts like Vigilant, Enterprise and Ranger.

Primarily a big-boat club, it staged transatlantic races on which members bet as high as $30,000. In the steam-yacht era, J. P. Morgan's sumptuous Corsair was its flagship. But in 9154, when the fleet rendezvoused for the club's 100th annual regatta, it was plain how much smaller N.Y.Y.C. boats had become. With the trend away from boats with paid crews, even N.Y.Y.C. veterans of the good old days were finding it more fun to do the work themselves.

_________________________

images and info provided by the LIFE Magazine / LIFE Magazine International / LIFE Magazine Atlantic ARCHIVE from the Zetu Harrys Collection