Knickerbocker Yacht Club Article

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

Op-ed piece in Newsday about the closing of the Knickerbocker Yacht Club
in Port Washington.

OPINION: If it could happen to the Knickerbocker. . .

[CalebD]

Link that does not require Optimum Online or Newsday subscription:
OPINION: If it could happen to the Kn... - Google Docs

Who is next? Indeed.

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

Thanks Caleb!
I forgot that Newsday recently limited access to it's website.
This is the original version:

SOUNDBOUNDER: Farewell To The Knickerbocker

[WanderingStar]

I read the Newsday article and really liked it. I also found Knickerbocker to be friendly.

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

I read the Newsday article and really liked it. I also found Knickerbocker to be friendly.

Thanks WS!!!
They always treated me well too.

I think there are several other clubs in serious danger of closing right now. One of the City Island clubs could be gone in less than a year.

[chef2sail]

The Maryland Yacht Club I belong to is similar to the Knickerbocker with quite a lot of memeber sweat equity by the memebership to keep it up. Although not required, and we have a full time maintainence person, most major projects are accomplished with the memebers doing them as a group. We are the oldest yacht club on the Chesapeake at 102 years. We have also experienced our share of declining membership in the last 2 years with some of the 105 slips empty. As a memeber of the Board of Governors and in charge of its Food Services for a couple of years, it is always a business struggle to maintain our financial position. That being said what saved us from the state of the Knickerbocker Club was the the newer memebers took over the leadership of this club and ran it like a business to maintain iots financial solvency. The old gaurd who wanted to maintain all the old time tradition perks and prices were heading the club to the brink of insolvency.

Its a balance and one which we decided correctly to save our club from the fate of what happened to the knickerbocker Club

Dave

[Hesper]

Very nice post, Soundbounder. I didn't realize until I saw your by-line that we know each other, casually anyway. My moniker should be the giveaway. You're one of the people whose posts I generally make sure to read. Now that I know who you are, I'm not surprised.

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

Originally Posted by Hesper

Very nice post, Soundbounder. I didn't realize until I saw your by-line that we know each other, casually anyway. My moniker should be the giveaway. You're one of the people whose posts I generally make sure to read. Now that I know who you are, I'm not surprised.

I would recognize that boat anywhere!

Hey, thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope your off season is going smoothly, and Happy New Year.

[Jeff_H]

The whole Knickerbocker saga really depresses me. When I was growing up my family were members of Knickerbocker and its where I learned to race.

At that time it was the third oldest surviving yacht club in the United States. It had begun as an everyman club, when canoe sailing was popular. The club house had originally been constructed on City Island and was floated over to its current site on a barge in the late 1800's.

Back in the 1960's it was a great club with a very active membership. It had a very strong sailing program with very active and well organized racing, cruise races, other cruising activities and junior sailing program.

America's Cup defender Bus Mosbacker had learned to race in its Jr. Program. It was the best club that I ever belonged to in terms of the mix of active knowledgeable sailors who were willing to give back to the sport.

Back in the bad old days of "exclusivity", Knickerbockler was one of only two yacht clubs on Long Island Sound who would accept Jewish and African American members.

So it was with a very heavy heart that I heard of its passing...

Jeff
So it is that I so very sad to here of its demise.