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On a warm summer
day in June 1966 a group of yachtsmen at the BOATEL MARINA (now
Tugboat) was standing on the docks having a good time laughing and
telling jokes when Vernal Furbush, owner of the BOATEL, came down
on the wharf and wanted to know why we didn't start some sort of
a "FUN CLUB" because the group was always getting together on one
boat or another having such a good time.
It was talked
over amongst the yachtsmen in the Marina and adjoining docks and
they thought it sounded like a good idea. We told Mr. Furbush that
we would start a club and he offered us a room, in what was the
old Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, where we could hold our activities.
On September
17th, 1966 a meeting was called; an agenda was prepared so that
the meeting would cover all pertinent points. At this time Janie
Hart seemed to be the prime mover in getting the project into gear.
 The
idea of forming a "FUN CLUB" was thoroughly explored and it was
the consensus that we should form an "in town" yacht club since
BHYC had moved to West Harbor. Arthur Rousseau was elected Chairman
and the business meeting was as follows:
- The objectives
of the club were discussed and finalized.
- The name
Down East Yacht Club was selected.
- It was decided
to lease some dock space and the club room from Mr. Furbush.
- We agreed
to acquire some furnishings for the Club Room.
- We drafted
a tentative program for the current year.
- We elected
a slate of officers to serve until our annual meeting a year hence.
- We established
club dues at $15.00 for boat owners and $10.00 for non-boat owners.
- It was decided
that the club should be incorporated under the laws of the State
of Maine and this was done by Janie Hart and Bob Marden.
- It was decided
to rent a Post Office Box in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
- Paul Adam
was appointed to draft a set of By-Laws to be presented at the
Annual Meeting in August 1967.
The design for
the Burgee was presented by Paul Adam at a meeting in mid October
1966 and it was well received by all members. The club was also
listed in Lloyds Register along with the Burgee in full color.
The officers
elected at the organizational meeting for the 1967-68 were as follows:
- Commodore
Arthur Rousseau
- Vice Commodore
Waldo Kelleigh
- Rear Commodore
Kenny Baker
- Fleet Captain
Paul Adam
- Secretary
Sis Hart
- Treasurer
Janie Hart
Board of Directors:
- Vernal Furbush
- Leslie Black
- Richard Marion
Thirteen people
attended the initial meeting and by the end of 1967 had grown to
77 members. As you can see we have a very popular club as we have
grown to 275 with more on the waiting list that are anxious to join
our "FUN CLUB".
We now have
our Burgee flying from the East Coast to the West Coast, and we
are an important link in the chain of yacht clubs along the East
Coast and our Burgee can be seen flying from Maine to Florida.
Let's all hope
that these next years will be as successful as the previous ones
and we will continue to enjoy a marvelous group of friends.
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