A Good Year for the Yacht Club
Since the Dartmouth Corinthian Yacht Club was founded by James B. Moore Jr. '32 it has gone through many stages of development. It has an excellent location on the bank of Lake Mascoma, only eleven miles from the College. The new club house that was built in 1949-50 is large enough for the club at present but is designed to take another deck topside. We hope to complete this as soon as we are financially able. The latest improvement on the physical plant is the reinforcement of the jetty that was started last fall. This now gives us a wider and more stable jetty, and makes the movement of the boats to and from the lake much easier.
The club is organized to give full facilities to the student whether he be a pleasure sailor, beginner, or racer. To develop the abilities of the novice the club has a recreation program which is designed to teach him the art of sailing and maintaining boats. Every afternoon school is held in which the novice learns water safety, seamanship, basic sailing, and a little of everything from navigation to line splicing. As soon as a novice shows some ability in handling a boat he is taken in tow by a "veteran" member of the club. Together they theorize and practice various racing situations; the novice learns a lot from the experienced skipper and in this way he gets a great deal of experience before actually sailing in a regatta. After a freshman sailing meet the new skipper gets together with his adviser and they discuss any new or difficult situation that may have arisen during the meet. In this way the club keeps its racing team in good shape from year to year.
The fleet of the club consists of seven M.I.T. "Tech" dinghies. These twelve-foot, lightweight Fiberglas boats are ideal for sailing on New England lakes. They handle extremely well under light and strong winds. The picture above is of this type craft. Unfortunately the boats are not in the best shape possible, nor does the club have enough of them, but we hope to change this by the end of the next season.
The club is also well placed for social functions. The beautiful outdoor setting makes it an excellent place for members to bring their dates on a big "weekend" or just for a casual afternoon of sailing. There is a permanent barbecue built on the lake shore so that sailing appetites can be satisfied by charcoal-broiled wieners and hamburgers. An afternoon at the club is obviously popular with all hands.
Recently the club had its annual election and a new executive committee was elected: John Sherwood '58, Commodore; Dave Melick '58, Vice-Commodore; Dann Lewis '59, Secretary; Frank Raymond '59, Team Captain; and Dave Porter '59, Treasurer. The new executive committee has many ideas for improving the club and its racing program which will be reported later. We hope to do even better next season in the N.E.I.S.A. regattas and everything indicates that it will be another successful season.
Part of the fleet of Tech dinghies racing on Lake Mascoma
