Tourists Handbook of Boothbay Harbor wrote that the “reputation among navigators that our harbor has accounts for its popularity. A well-organized yacht club – supporting free landings and an open clubhouse during the season’s much appreciated.” The next decade brought a new kind of visiting boat to Boothbay when the Portland (Maine) Power Boat Association chose the harbor for its 1911 destination cruise, with 12 boats arriving in June. This event captured the attention of the Portland newspaper, which noted, “With the numerous flittings in and about of the motorboats, the scene of yachting activity is worth going miles to witness. With their brilliantly lighted lanterns at night, there is a genuine maze which lights up the entire harbor and makes this a never to be forgotten sight.” Sailing yachts continued to aim for Boothbay as a destination; the Boston Yacht Club arrived in July that year after a run of 108 miles across the Gulf of Maine. As the 1920s approached, American yachtsmen exhibited a growing fascination with the internal-combustion engine, and the popularity of power boats exploded. In 1919, over 835 motorboats were registered in Boothbay Harbor. The 1925 motorboat races include the Fisherman Race (for fishermen or lobstermen), the Bang-and-Go-Back Race (an out-and-back race in which skippers were disqualified by altering speed once the race started), the Free for All Handicap (with staggered starting times which allowed the slowest boat to actually beat the fastest boat), and a simple Speed Boat Race. The popularity of these races resulted in plans for still more powerboat events in 1926, and the discontinuation of any sailing yacht races that summer, although Boothbay Harbor continued to be the destination for cruises of a number of New England yacht clubs. It wasn’t long, however, before this trend changed. Just a few years later, the “Boothbay Register” noted, “It seems to be generally conceived [sic] that the former motorboat enthusiasts are now getting their fun out of their automobiles.” By 1931, sailors brought back sailboat competitions in Boothbay Harbor with the beginning of the BHYC One Design Races. These
continue today on a weekly basis, along with the weekly J/22 races. Each race brought out an increasing number of boats from the surrounding midcoast. At the same time, the deepening Depression affected the powerboat racing scene: It was simply getting too expensive to buy fuel needed to achieve winning speeds. The year 1935 marked the end of BHYC-sponsored powerboat racing. The following year, the BHYC again hosted many sailing yachtsmen on their summer Downeast cruises. With WWII, recreational boating activity declined markedly, although some small sailboat racing continued. Many area sailors readied their boats for war work and spent many nights patrolling the waters of Midcoast Maine. As the nation prospered following the war, so did the Downeast boating scene. Increasing numbers of sailors came to realize that the Boothbay Harbor Region is home to some of the best cruising grounds and racing venues on the East Coast. Today, the BHYC hosts yacht clubs from all parts of New England, north and south, as they begin their summer cruises of Maine’s 5,000-mile coastline. And for the racing yachtsman and yachtswoman, BHYC sponsors competitions including the Gulf of Maine Ocean Racing Regatta, the Commodore’s Cup, the Around Southport Race, the Maine State Optimist Championships, and twiceweekly club races, open to members and nonmembers. For participants in this year’s Corinthian Lobster Run, Boothbay Harbor and the BHYC were the perfect destinations for relaxing after the race, as well as a harbor from which to begin a cruise north to explore the fabled Maine coast, or head south to return home. And, upon leaving the harbor, remember a fundamental law of nature: When heading out, whether going north or south, if there are two or more similar boats going in the same direction, it is going to be a race. After 25-years of sailboats, Susan and husband Larry went to an Eastbay 43 sedan powerboat, and after a summer in Maine, they plan to go south to Florida, the Keys, and maybe the Bahamas next winter.
This was yachting in the year 1916. We spot three gaff-sloops, a schooner and a motor launch.
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