West Dennis Yacht Club

By Martin Geraghty

The WDYC received its non-profit corporation papers on February 27, 1959.  As you can imagine a lot happened before that date.

The land on which the Club now stands, as was most of the land west of the yacht club to Wrinkle Point, was marshland.  In the early 50's two developers, Charles Cassidy and Joseph Merchant, purchased the area from Loring Avenue to the Weir Creek.  Weir Creek was a tiny stream flowing out of Kelly Pond to the Bass River. 

The developers proceeded to fill the marsh.  They did this by first using a dragline, a piece of construction equipment with a long boom which reaches out seventy or eighty feet and drags a large bucket back towards the equipment.  By dragging the top surface of the marsh, they were able to use the turf to construct the outlines of what we now call the Fingers.

They pumped sand for many months from Weir Creek until they had the entire area level so that they could start building houses.  In doing this it transformed the tiny Weir Creek into the large mooring basin we now have from the Club to Decimal Point.  The wood or steel sea walls you now see on most of the waterfront property, including the Club's have all been added through the years by property owners. 

In the summer of 1958 some of the residents heard a rumor that a commercial marina was proposed for the area where our Club now stands.  Several of the area residents decided that they could have a clubhouse and access to the water if they were to purchase some of the land before it was all gone.  The original capital for the club was raised through the sale of $100 bonds.  The best salesman was Russ Milligan, who later became the Club's third Commodore; he even sold $500's worth to a member of the Somerville Winter Hill Gang,  which was learned when a trust attorney contacted the Club years later to redeem the bonds.  They were redeemed post haste.  130 bonds were soldand that $13,000 was used to purchase a lot and contract to build the shell of a building.  Since about 40 of the bond purchasers were multiple purchasers or had just purchased a bond because they were working in the area, or because they were being neighborly,  There were about 90 original members. 

During the winter of 58/59 the founders met in Atty. Michael Connolly's office in Waltham, several times a month, working out the building plans and the bylaws etc.  When it came time to build they found that the lot was too small for the building that had been designed.  One of the developers, Joe Merchant, was nice enough to sell the Club half a lot and take the second mortgage. He was paid back in about five years.  The members then had a shell of the building and the club started its programs.  That first year the WDYC was a bottle club and a liquor license came then next year.  A sailing program for the children was begun by sending them over to Ted Frothingham at the Bass River Club.  The next year the Club started its in-house sailing program.  A couple of years after the Club was started a next door neighbor complained about the noise generated by Club activity.  The same old story: you move in next door to an airport and want to close it down.  The members decided that they better get some space as there were two lots between the complaining neighbor and the Club.  The Club had no funds, so several members purchased bonds to buy the land and hold it till the Club could afford to purchase it from the buying members.  The Club did this in about five years, resulting in the land now owned.  Oh, incidentally, the complaining neighbor moved. 

Shortly after the sailing program was started, racing came to the club.  Early series racing, in Beetlecats, attracted a large crowd of children on Wednesdays and Saturdays and men on Sunday afternoons.  In the early 70s, a Knockabout fleet was developed.  Following the trend towards higher performance, national class boats occurring throughout the area, 420s and Optimists were successfully introduced in the mid 90s for the children's programs.  In recent years, an offshore PHRF fleet has begun racing on Sunday afternoons. 

The present clubhouse has seen many changes.  The building when first built had a porch running the entire length of the building.  That porch is now part of the building.  An addition at the west end of the building now houses the Junior Yacht Club  along with the stewards' room and the restrooms.   In the beginning the lounge was at the west end of the building.  The entire wall, with chart, was moved to its present location, in one piece.  The area housing the office and entrance was added by filling in the area between the two wings.  An outside deck has been added little by little over several years and isn't that covered deck area a great addition.  

In 2005, the JYC was renovated and expanded and more storage for the dining room was created.  The following year saw extensive renovation of the entire Clubhouse, resulting in a larger, cathedral ceilinged ballroom which is openable to the lounge for large functions, more bar storage, handicapped access throughout the club, a fresh new look to take the Club into its second half century.

WEST DENNIS YACHT CLUB
COMMODORES
1959 – 2009