The story of sailing in Chatham in the first two decades of the twentieth century is a subject of ongoing investigation. Photographs in the collection of the Chatham Historical Society document a continuing interest in yachting, especially among those who spent their summers here. Many who came to the summer camps that began to appear around Pleasant Bay during this period were introduced to sailing. Less is known about the various clubs that had sprung up in the 1880s and 90s. Local newspapers like the Barnstable Patriot reported on club activities such as the relocation of the Cape Cod Yacht Club from Orleans to Provincetown in 1897 and regattas in the early 1900s. But activities then seem to slow and when the name Chatham Yacht Club appears in 1921 it is associated with an entirely new organization from that formed in the 1890s. This one grew out of the Regatta Committee of the Chatham Country Club, forerunner of Eastward Ho! In the years that followed, the Stage Harbor Yacht Club was organized in 1932 and the Monomoy Yacht Club in 1937.

The organization of the Chatham Yacht Club and Stage Harbor Yacht Club mark the beginning of a new chapter in the story of yacht racing here. The clubs each identified a "one-design," a boat type that could be built in numbers following clearly defined specifications for all aspects of their design, dimensions, construction, and materials. With all competitors using boats of standardized design, regatta results would better reflect the skill of those sailing them. Chatham's clubs selected boats suited for challenging conditions here and for teaching young people how to sail, and built fleets of these for use by their members. At the Chatham Yacht Club the first fleet was comprised of 19 Baybirds. A year after it was organized Stage Harbor experimented briefly with the Corsair before settling on the Catabout. The 1930s also saw the clubs begin to develop a more structured approach toward teaching as evidenced by Stage Harbor's hiring its first instructor in 1937. Not surprisingly, club activities diminished during the war years. In the late 1940s, however, there was renewed enthusiasm for the programs and both clubs settled on a new design, the Whistler.

Sailing in Stage Harbor, circa 1950

The Corsair, Catabout, and Whistler all came from the hand of a single designer, F. Spaulding Dunbar. Dunbar grew up in Mansfield, Massachusetts and spent his summers in Chatham. After training in the Naval Architecture program at MIT, a period of work at sea, and a brief stint with the designer Gordon Monroe, he settled here in 1932 and established not only a practice as a boat designer but a boat yard, first on Bridge Street and later on Chatham's Mill Pond. He was also a moving force in the early years of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club.

Over the next four decades Dunbar designed a remarkable series of boats. All were wooden. In addition to his one-designs he created a number of larger boats, primarily ketches, for individual clients. During the Second World War he also contributed to efforts to design PT boats, work which led to the development of Bristol runabouts. All of Dunbar's designs, from his 10 foot plywood skiff to his largest private commissions, are notable for their elegance and grace. His cruising designs were also valued for the handsome yet functional quarters he provided for his clients. For those whose knowledge of boat design extends beyond the aesthetic the name Dunbar also calls to mind his technological sophistication. He was an innovator in developing boats of very shallow draft, that is, boats that were capable of navigating in shallow waters like those around Chatham, yet fully seaworthy in demanding conditions. Ocean Pearl, the ketch Dunbar created for E. Seward Johnson, is the design in which the multiple facets of his genius come together most clearly. The 62 foot boat was built almost entirely of teak and had fully equipped quarters below deck. It was built with two centerboards, and with them up Ocean Pearl draws only 5 feet 6 inches of water.

Ocean Pearl moored in Mill Pond

A year ago when Ocean Pearl returned to Chatham's Mill Pond news spread fast and many found their way down Eliphamet's Lane to admire her from Pease Boat Works & Marine Railway, which now occupies what had been Dunbar's own yard. Some recognized who she was and knew her story, others simply responded to her beauty. For the Atwood House Museum the presence of one of Spaulding Dunbar's crowning achievements set us thinking about how important sailing and the beautiful boats that call Chatham home are to our identity as a town. With Wood, Wind & Water: The Genius of Chatham's F. Spaulding Dunbar, our summer exhibition which opens on June 15th, we will celebrate this, keeping in mind and perhaps sharing with our visitors a playful warning in that 1892 Hotel Chatham booklet, "One must be resolute indeed if in Chatham he does not soon become a sailor, for an object lesson in sailing is ever before him from the moment of his arrival." 

Chatham Alliance for Preservation & Conservation - The Year's Highlights

The past year at the Chatham Alliance was varied and informative. I will try to provide some substance on a few topics I feel are particularly important. Our three fall meetings featured the following speakers: Chatham's new Town Manager Jill Goldsmith, the new Director of Community Development Deanna Ruffer, and the new Planning Board Chair Peter Cocolis.

Goldsmith reviewed her first year on the job and shared some ideas and plans for the future. She described organizational changes, in particular within the newly reorganized Planning Office. She cited Ruffer's broad background including economic development, conservation and planning. Ruffer's focus will be on planning and zoning issues. Goldsmith is confident that Ruffer will be a hands-on, customer service oriented director. One goal is for Ruffer and her staff to do much of the legwork for the Planning Board so the Board can focus on making decisions. There was also discussion of the new Economic Development Committee Goldsmith has formed, and in particular how its agenda will dovetail with issues of conservation and preservation. This new committee had not met yet, so it was a little early to tell how it will take shape.

Deanna Ruffer presented herself as a conscientious, experienced and fair professional with wide experience, who is honored to lead the newly organized Planning Department. She sees herself as a facilitator who can help communities achieve their goals. She endeavors to seek input from as broad a spectrum of community voices as possible and then relay this to the decisionmakers on relevant boards and commissions, to ensure they are informed and engaged in the planning process. In the near term Ruffer will also work with the Planning Board to prioritize tasks.

The fall series of meetings concluded with a presentation from the new Planning Board Chair, Peter Cocolis. He shared his hopes and aspirations for the position. A relative newcomer to Chatham, Cocolis brings considerable planning experience from years of service in Virginia communities possessing significant historical assets. He spoke highly of the talent that he sees on Chatham's Planning Board. It was noted that the Planning Board does not include a preservationist among its members. Cocolis indicated he intends to take on that role in light of his preservation background. He emphasized that preservation does not exist in a vacuum, but needs to be balanced with growth related objectives in the Comprehensive Plan. With these three in lead, there is the possibility of some exciting new opportunities in Chatham.  

Winter meetings began with a presentation of competing plans for the Ryder's Cove waterfront. The Friends of Marconi Park proposed that the upland portion of the Ryder's Cove waterfront -Marconi Wireless Station triangle could be made into Chatham's only upland coastal walking park. The other plan, offered by the Town's Waterways Advisory Committee, proposed expanded parking on the upland to accommodate the vehicles and boat trailers of seasonal bass fishermen out of Ryder's Cove.

In early spring Kristin Andres, Chatham's Conservation Agent, came before the Alliance with the power point presentation "Issues Facing Chatham - A Conservation Perspective."  She discussed water quality, the proper use of fertilizer, sustainable landscapes, and invasive species and the problems they create. Andres illustrated the surprising diversity of life on Chatham's conservation lands, and concluded with a plea to respect and protect these hidden treasures. At the same meeting, Carole Ridley, Coordinator of the Pleasant Bay Alliance (PBA), explained their new five year plan for Pleasant Bay.  The PBA was established in 1987, including member representatives from Orleans, Chatham, Harwich and Brewster, with a goal of preserving and conserving Pleasant Bay as a shared natural resource for the four abutting towns.  A plan update has been approved every five years by each of these towns, Their current project is to help implement, in concert with the State, the return of the natural tidal flow under Rte 28 between Muddy Creek and Pleasant Bay, to what it was a century ago before the inlet was filled in for the highway.  The plan proposes to designate the area  as a Critical Marine Habitat.  a 110 foot span bridge, to replace the existing small culvert has been designed, and now needs Mass DOT approval.  

The Alliance's year concluded by hosting an "Ask the Candidates" forum in which the three selectmen candidates (one in absentia) were given the opportunity to showcase their positions on preservation and conservation. A question was raised from the floor asking how they would balance homeowners' rights to do whatever they choose to their property with their neighbors' right to retain neighborhood integrity in so far as that contributes to the value of their property. Of course no answer to this impossible question was given, but the ensuing discussion revealed volumes about the candidates' positions on matters of conservation and preservation.

Although the Alliance has yet to come to grips with how it will meet the action portion of its mission, it had an interesting and informative year. Once again the Alliance demonstrated its value as a forum within which local citizen non-profit groups can share information, problems and solutions.

~ David MacAdam 

 Events in the Village and Close By   

July 1- Village Kids for Food Drive, 9 am - 12 noon, rain date Tuesday, July 2.

The Porches

August 1- Iced tea at The Porches. 1-3pm, a convivial get-together. Bring your own chair if you wish.    

August 25- Annual Meeting at the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club.  The Chatham Historical Society's new director, Dennis McFadden will be our entertaining speaker!                                                                                                    

Chatham Alliance meetings are open to everyone, and usually held 3:30 to 5:00 pm at the

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Remembering Russell Bearse    

Do you remember Russell Bearse, or Russell A. as he was often called? He lived on Silverleaf Avenue (probably) from his birth in 1879 till his death in 1953. He was a true Cape Codder - he did for himself, didn't waste anything, only spent money on things he needed, fished and hunted for eating, and grew what he could in his garden. He dug quahogs and put them into empty milk bottles when he had extras to share. He and his dog

Bearse's geese enjoy the breezes

Spud delivered eggs to the neighbors. Spud carried one egg in his mouth as a way of learning how to treat wildfowl gently when working with Russell on hunting expeditions. A sister-in-law of his, Lonnie Willis, donated a number of family items to the Atwood House before she died. One of the items donated to the Atwood House is a Register containing signatures of folks who visited his Inward Point Shack. Since Lonnie's death last November, a pair of geese decoys that belonged to Russell have also been donated. If you have memories of Russell, please share them with Nancy Koerner at [email protected] as she is gathering stories about him.                      

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Happy Summer!