and ensure that his members could still those who sought ro use the boatho use fo r the D epart m ent of Co n servatio n a nd commercial purposes. In 1946, with little Recreation, is a highly valued partner that sai l. Pro blem s with the new boars surfaced immediately. Ar 225 pounds, they were so fanfa re, Communi ty Sailing Association m ain tains the boathouse facili ty. The M IT heavy no one could lift them on to the racks was dissolved and Communi ty Boating, sailo rs and the m any rowers peacefully cobuilt fo r them, certainly nor kids. During the Inc. (CBI), a chartered , non-pro fi rdedicared exist with CBI members, which now total to preserving public access to the Charles approximately 4,000 adult m embers and first season, amo ng other things, most of the m as ts bro ke and the boars leaked . Many of River Basin, rook over operations at the more than 2,5 00 juniors througho ut the the boars began to split apart, layer by laye r, boatho use under the motto "Sailing for all." season . The current curriculum includes likely a resul t of the handmade plywood. In The new board co nsisted of many of the sailing, kayaki ng, windsurfing, navigatio n, the end, rwo full-rime paid boar builders first generation of CBC sailors, incl uding and, recently, boarbuildingwas reintroduced were required ro keep the new boars in usable Jack D onovan, Arthur Arhanas, and Steven to rhe program. T he U niversa l Access condition. "Sully" Cudlirz-bur nor Joe Lee. Instead, p rog ram acco mmod ates blind sa ilors, W ith the US entry into Wo rld War II , he watched from the sidelines as the C BI sail o rs with developmental o r phys ical m any of Joe's boys answered the call. The board acqui red the rights ro the boathouse limi tat io ns, a nd p atients fro m nearby 194 1 and 1942 sailing seasons passed with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The Mass lease from the MDC fo ur years later. Bay High School Sailing ever-increasing tensio ns that fin ally cam e to a Association partners with unity Boating, in its various forms, has been getting city head in July of 1942, C BI ro provide safe sailing kidS in Boston out on the water, sailing boats, fo r 74 y ears. res ul rin g in Do uglas fo r high schoolers, and Lawso n's resignatio n as the junior prog ram has a racing team . Volun teer chair and Joe Lee leaving the o rganization . After wo rk p arries kee p t he rhe 1942 season , Wood, m embership ac ti ve and Marino, and Donovan invested in club activi ties all re tired a nd Owen during the win rer offseason. was d ro pped fro m the Today's fl ee r n ow ad v iso ry co mmi t tee. W ith no o ne left from the b oas t s 7 5 Cap e Co d original cl ub, the rhreeMe rc ur ys, a s talwa rt mas red schooners fro m fib erglass sailing dinghy the o ri ginal fleer were rhar has been the mainstay left o utside all winter, of the fleer since 1952, as s u ffe rin g exte n s ive well as Rhodes l 9s, Sonars, damage. 420s and Lasers. The old In 1943, w hen a raring system still exists friend of Lawso n's was put in charge of the Although Joe wo uld eventually return and a m ember as yo ung as 10 and as old as boathouse, Joe roo k the Communi ty Boar ro rhe boathouse as a m ember of C BI's 100 can ea rn solo skills sufficient ro skipper C lub fl eer, which had only been loanedro the board, tensions rem ained betwee n him a boar on their own. O perating expenses Communi ty Boat Association, and starred and the boatho use crew. H e refused to give are covered entirely by in com e from adult reachi ng city kids sailing at a nearby public up his spot on the public landing, and he membership fees and private donatio ns. land ing. Lawson seized his opportunity continued to mento r boys and girls fro m the Junior tuiti on remains just $ 1 per year for and immedi ately placed a sign o n the old neighborhoods at that locatio n well into any child aged 10- 18. The dock staff is boathouse door that read, "Members and the 1960s, reaching them ro sail in retrofitted populated wi th junior program graduates G uests O nl y." W hile Joe raged, rhe MDC open whaleboats that he bought fro m the who grew up sailing w ith CBI and who o rdered Lawso n to remove the sign, bu t Charlestown Naval Shipyard for $300 a perpetuate the cultu re ofknowledge-sharing Lawso n refused and the sign stayed on the boar. Iro nically, our of loyalty to Joe, this and volunreerism with adults and chi ldren door. Returnin g veterans, m any of them the new generation of sailo rs also viewed C BI alike. 1 h e general members are still always original Communi ty Boat Club "lobbyists" with suspicion. Although so me of them ready ro help, reaching classes, wo rking on who had fo ugh t hard for the boa tho use, were ended up working and sailing at C BI, m any commi ttees, o r doing whatever needs to be now faci ng ano ther battle, bur this rime, of the public landing gro up rem ained apart, done. W ith out the enthusias tic participathey were ready ro rake a stand on thei r own, content ro sail their whalers roo close ro the tion of its members, C BI co uld not exist, CBI docks (much ro the irritation of dock let alone co ntinue ro thrive as it has done. without thei r mento r. After the war had ended, the men mas ter Leo Manfredi, who wo uld shoo them And what happened ro Joe Lee? As the away). battle for public sa ili ng access ended and who re turned in place of the boys that had To day, CB I o perates a yea r-ro und CBI grew, Joe concentrated on his o th er left were m uch changed. D etermined to co mplete their childhood miss ion, a small program on the C harles Ri ver and time has cause, public education, where he rem ained gro up wo rked behind the scenes against m ended old wo unds. The MDC, renamed distinctly visible, serving o n the Boston 24
SEA HISTO RY 130, SPRING 2010