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History of Navy Yacht Club Pensacola |
Sailing at the Pensacola Naval Air Station had a rather inauspicious beginning. On 12 April 1931 a challenge by the Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) was answered out on Pensacola Bay by a team of hardy sailors from the air station. The following NYCP sailors, who are most likely our founders: *A. Dixon winged in 1931,*William Masland winged in 1931, H. Starves winged in 1931 and J.H. Smith winged in 1932. This inaugural challenge race was sailed in the venerable Fish Class sailboat. This class of boat was inaugurated by the famous America's Cup challenger, Sir Thomas Lipton and is still sailed by the members of the Gulf Yachting Association; an organization that the Navy Yacht Club has been formal member since 1932. On the day of the challenge, the weather conditions were somewhat less than perfect and the race rapidly turned into a Keystone Cops farce. One crew fell over the side prior to the starting gun. He swam across the starting line and claimed a last place finish. Another Navy crew was only able to sail downwind, for some unexplained reason. A third crew, being advocates of the "discretion is the better part of valor" school, sought the refuge of the Yacht Club immediately after the start. The last surviving Navy crew, undaunted, finished the race in a close last place. On the 19th of April 1932, in an effort to redeem the Navy's tarnished reputation, four Navy Fish boats met four Fish boats from PYC. The tide was turned and the Navy managed a clean sweep. At this time, the Navy had four Fish boats as well as two Star class boats which were kept at the Yard Craft basin: a historical nautical area that is still in use today. On the 13th of June of that year, PYC hosted a regatta to commemorate the opening of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. The Navy took firsts in the ladies Fish class and the Star class. PYC took a first in the team race. At that time a program was underway on NAS Pensacola to train flight students in the fine art of sailing and rowing. Intramural sailing was instituted by the Navy and a club of semi-formal nature was formed. Application was made to the Gulf Yachting Association for formal membership. In 1940, the Club, now known as the Navy Yacht Club,finally wrested the Patterson Cup from PYC and swept the race to Ft. Walton Beach in both the Fish and Star class sailboats. 1941 through the end of the War saw a marked decline in sailing activity. Membership in GYA was allowed to lapse and all boats were sold to various clubs, including PYC. Please note we do not have a narrative of the clubs activities from the end of the war through end of the forties, into the fifties and not until the start of the sixties. If anyone has this information from this time period please send it to our secretary or historical archivist so we can update the club’s history.
Five Penguin and two Windmill sailboats were purchased. The Club sailed out of an inlet next to the Sherman Cove fishing area. The official burgee was adopted in this time frame (a Navy Blue and white pennant with a set of gold navy wings emblazoned in the middle of the pennant) and membership in the North American Yacht Racing Union was granted. In June of 1962, the first Navy Cup Regatta was held. Since facilities were still not available at NAS Pensacola, the regatta was hosted at PYC. The perpetual trophy, donated by the Navy, was won that year by PYC with Paul Schreck and Leif Ericson taking individual honors. In October, sailing operations moved to the old "ski beach" at Bayou Grande. The first annual Navy Fall Regatta was held in November and thus the winter Frostbite Series began. In 1963 the club added a Lightning and another Penguin sailboat to the Fleet. Additionally, a catamaran, the Liki Tiki, and a 44-foot yawl were acquired. Operations were now being held out of Barrancas Beach, but during the summer finally moved to the almost completed present marina and clubhouse at Bayou Grande. In 1964, the Navy Yacht Club participated in its first ocean racing regatta, finishing 1st place in the St. Pete to Venice overnight race. Sailing its newly acquired 44-foot yawl, Challenger, the boat lost her rudder twenty miles from the finish and sailed the rest of the course using her mizzen for steerage. The 1964 Navy Cup Regatta was sponsored by the Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Naval Aviation Air Station and saw ten yacht clubs and 57 boats entered. Races were held in Windmills, Penguins, Lightnings, Flying Dutchmen, Flying Scots, and an Open and Cruising class.The Navy almost succeeded in taking its own trophy by finishing a close second to PYC. The Navy had 19 boats entered in that regatta. In 1964 the Navy Yacht Club rejoined the Gulf Yachting Association and, more recently, renewed active participation in GYA Capdevielle events with the Navy's Flying Scot. The format of the Navy Cup has evolved over the years from the original offshore regatta with small boat racing in the bay and bayou, to the more recent format of small boat racing in Bayou Grande and PHRF racing on the bay. Although PYC has garnered a majority of the wins since 1962, Grand Lagoon Yacht Club, Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, the Point Yacht Club and Navy Yacht Club have claimed several of the trophies. The Navy Cup regatta has been held every year since 1962, with the exception of the year 2005 following Hurricane Ivan when boats were destroyed and many of the community sailing facilities were under repair. 1964 also saw an historic beginning for the Regatta Al Sol sailboat race to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The history of the Regatta Al Sol (Race to the Sun) dates back to 1964 when Victor Skiro (Mayor of New Orleans) decided to honor Mexico by unveiling a statue of Benito Juarez who was President of Mexico in 1940’s. Juarez defeated Maximilian of Austria and formed an alliance with the United States. Miguel Aleman Valdez and Jose de Jesus Lima Gutierrez were appointed by the President of Mexico Adolfo Lopez Mateos to assist at the unveiling on behalf of Mexico. Jose de Jesus Lima decided to also use the opportunity to promote tourism to the easterly part of the Yucatan Peninsula where Isla Mujeres and Cozumel are located. The U.S. and Cuba had ended their political relations and sailors were not willing to come to Isla Mujeres because of the proximity to Cuba. Mr. Lima, the Federal Government and the Government of Quintana Roo had everything ready to host a “Regatta” but no sailboats were willing to participate.
In 1981, Lloyd T. Stagg, OMC, USN, was the Commodore of Navy Yacht Club Pensacola. He and his wife Beverly had previously been stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and active in the Navy Yacht Club JAX. They were also members of North Florida Cruising Club which sponsored an annual Bikini Regatta to encourage women in sailing and racing. Lloyd thought a Bikini Regatta would have the same positive effect to draw more women into the sailing/racing community in Pensacola. Ron McAffee was the Fleet Captain of NYCP that year and he scheduled the Inaugural Bikini Regatta in the summer of 1981. The rules were simple—a female had to be on the helm of the sailboat throughout the entire race, from 1st warning until finish. There was no restriction on the numbers and gender of the remainder of the crew. The race was a success and it was decided to continue and improve the event the next year. The first winner was Ann McBride from the Pensacola Yacht Club aboard Super Fly. In 1982, the rules were changed to require that a female should be on the helm throughout the race and that 50% or greater of the crew must be female (babes in arms did not count). Subsequently, throughout the years, the rules have been modified. Although the first regatta was for non-spinnaker class only, later (and at the request of the female skippers) a spinnaker class was added. By the fourth year of this regatta, 41 boats participated and they were broken into classes A through F. There was also special recognition for all-female crews. They were awarded a bouquet of red roses, and this inspired the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club to originate “The Race for the Roses” a regatta for all female crews which was established in 1988 by Ellen Hunt & Karen Kriegel. The Bikini Regatta has not been conducted without controversy. In 1996, the title of the then - politically- incorrect name “Bikini Cup Regatta” was changed for three years to “The Bev Stagg Regatta”. After that time, the event’s name was restored to the “Bikini Regatta.” The Point Yacht Club in Josephine, Alabama was inspired to follow in the footsteps of the “Bikini Regatta” and created in 1992 their own version of a women’s race called “The Fast Women” Regatta. The Point Yacht Club also created in 1999 a “Virgin Skipper” award to recognize the accomplishments of a first time skipper and the “Best All Female” award to recognize an all female racing team. First winners were: Savannah Phillips Easy Lady – Virgin Skipper & Kathy Holler Conjure II – All Female.
Today, the Navy Yacht Club still holds their Commodore’s Cup Series. In 2008, the series changed from 6 races per year with the first three races known as the Spring "Mr. T" Series and the last three races of the series known as the Fall "Frank Hubbard" racing series. The Spring and Fall Series were are combined to award a Commodore's Cup trophy to the overall winner. Due to scheduling and manpower challenges the series was reduced in 2008 from six races to four races throughout the year with the Overall Commodore’s Cup Trophy for each sailing class awarded at the annual Commodore’s Ball. In addition, other trophies such as the Commodore Tedford Cann Trophy for Excellence in Sailing is awarded to the Top Sailor of the Year as well as Sportsman of the Year, Boat of the Year and Yachtsman of the Year trophies.
Boat types have varied, as has participation in club events and regattas, but the Navy Yacht Club of today is still a busy sailing and social club for active duty, former military, DoD employees and retired military sailing enthusiasts and their families.
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