Clearwater Yacht Club By Dave Ellis
members soon turned their attention to raising families and cashing in on the boom days of Florida. The financial bust came to Florida early. The club lapsed into inactivity. Finally, on November 3, 1928, an old house was rented, and new enthusiastic members fixed it up. Card games, dances, fish and grits once a week were about the only social activity in the boom-busted community. By the end of the year, CYC had as a bank balance the princely sum of $1600. By 1932, the club had moved across Clearwater Bay to the beach, gaining a perpetual lease from the city for a plot of land. There were 68 members with dues of $10 a year.
The marina and patio at the Clearwater Yacht Club. Photo by JJudy Widger.
C
learwater Yacht Club on Florida’s west coast had its beginning in 1911, when the small coastal town had sand streets and a single railroad line. Only an occasional automobile, owned by one of the wealthy winter visitors, made its way to the waterfront. However, within a couple of years, the 28 casual members lost interest. After World War I, a new group of younger folks reformed the club and had a flurry of sailing and powerboat activity. In 1923, speedboat racing ruled the waters, but
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September 2007
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