Pearl Harbor Yacht Club - 100 Years Ago!
Pearl Harbor Yacht Club has a rich history. Established in 1924, "It was the place to be, and the place be seen, whether one happened to own a yacht, or not"
The Club was located out of town at Pearl City Peninsula. A house donated by Alfred Afong provided a luxurious waterfront paradise on the Middle Loch of Pearl Harbor. It was the hub of many sailboat races and even more a center for social events and famous visitors to the islands. The club flourished until the events of December 7, 1941. All sailing stopped at that time and the War took center stage. The Club appeared again in the 1950's and 60's in the Ke'hi Lagoon area and enjoyed another beautiful location and great racing, but after the reef runway was built, it was displaced again. Next, the club came to Rainbow Bay Marina and enjoyed a club house and many memorable racing routes, including sailing around Ford Island. Today Pearl Harbor Yacht Club partners with the Navy's MWR program and is located at Rainbow Bay in East Loch.
At the entrance to Pearl Harbor Yacht Club
✩ HYSA Junior Sailor’s Awards Banquet, and Recalls past generations of Youth Sailors
This #FlashbackFriday, November 15, 2024, PHYC celebrates all youth sailors in advance of this weekend’s Hawaii Youth Sailing Association HYSA Junior Sailor’s Awards banquet, and recalls that youth sailors have been an important part of sailing on Pearl Harbor for generations.
In the pre-war club, the first organized program on record was the Peninsula Junior Yacht Club, founded in 1930 by Earl Thacker (PHYC Vice Commodore that year) for sons of PHYC members. The following year the club sailed on the sampan Ohayo Maru to Maui for the weekend. Although only for boys, girls also participated in youth sailing, winning awards and participating in the numerous tours of visiting yachts and warships.
A 1936 article on the program clarified the mission of youth sailing. “It was to develop interest in yachting among the youngsters of the city, to bring forward skippers who some day will sit at the helm of the Stars and the bigger boats, and who will eventually find their way to the international regattas that have already seen Hawaii’s flag and felt the power of Hawaii’s yachting skill.”
Congratulations to all youth sailors on a fine season of racing!
SOURCES
"Pearl Harbor Yacht Club to be scene of Races" - pt 1 – photo of Margery Macintyre (age 15), Star-Bulletin - 12 Apr 1930 - pg 21
"Pearl Harbor Junior Yacht Club sails on Sampan to Maui" - pt 1 – photo, Advertiser - 6 Aug 1931 - pg 8
"Peninsula Junior Yacht Club visits yacht Tusitala" – photo, Star-Bulletin - 28 Nov 1931 - pg 8
"Baron Jean Empain visits PHYC" – photo of Betty Lou Dillingham (age 11), Star-Bulletin - 23 Jul 1932 - pg 19
"Junior Yacht Club will race at PHYC" – photo, Advertiser - 11 Dec 1932 - pg 12
"PHYC Yachtsmen in Making" – 2 photos, Advertiser - 7 Jul 1935 - pg 31
"Yachtsmen in the Making" - photo of Laurie Dowsett, 12, and Jean Kangeter, 13, Advertiser - 25 Oct 1936 - pg 13
✩ In honor of this weekend’s 73rd Bullship at Kaneohe Yacht Club
In honor of this weekend’s 73rd Bullship at Kaneohe Yacht Club, #ThrowbackThursday September 26, 2024 remembers that big sailors in small boats is a time-honored tradition!
In 1936, PHYC staged a “novelty race” where skippers of large yachts tried their hand at sailing small, Moon-class boats, which were developed and built locally. Early 1931 models appear smaller than the final, 1935 model, which was 11.5’ long with a beam of 4.5’, designed as “a safe and sturdy ship for the juniors” and costing $60 total ($1,380 in today’s dollars).
A “three-drinks-and-out” variant, using overflowing, large cups of beer, was won by Duke Kahanamoku (recall Prohibition only ended 2.5 years earlier). Later, a Moon boat relay was won by Mrs. George Patton, with (Lieutenant Colonel, US Army) George Patton, Bob Childs, and Andy Anderson as relay teammates.
Though “novelty races” continued for a few more years, this was apparently the only instance of using Moon boats as the vessel of choice.
Best of luck to all sailors in their El Toros at the upcoming Bullship!
SOURCES:
PHOTO “Peninsula Kiddies in Their Latest Creations” Advertiser - Tue, 3 Feb 1931 - Pg 10
“New Race Boats to be shown – Moon Class Sailed for First Time” Advertiser - Tue, Feb 12, 1935 - Pg 10
“Shoreside Shorts – Moon Boats Described” Advertiser - Wed, Feb 20, 1935 - Pg 11
PHOTO “Pearl Harbor Racing Season Gets Under Way” Advertiser - Sun, Feb 24, 1935 - Pg 4
PHOTO “Yachtsmen in the Making – Skippers of Tiny “Moon” Craft at Pearl Harbor” Advertiser - Sun, Jul 07, 1935 - Pg 32
ARTICLE “Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Closes 1936 Season” Advertiser - Mon, 8 Jun 1936 - Pg 10
“Pearl Harbor Yacht Race Season Ends” Star-Bulletin - Mon, 8 Jun 1936 - Pg 11
✩ 100 years of the friendly rivalry with “cross-town rivals” Kaneohe Yacht Club!
This #ThrowbackThursday, September 20, 2024 PHYC celebrates the beginning - 100 years ago this weekend! - of the friendly rivalry with “cross-town rivals” Kaneohe Yacht Club! KYC also celebrates its Centennial this year – part of the rich history of yachting in Hawaiian waters.
Reporting a race at Kaneohe on Sunday, September 21, 1924, the Star-Advertiser said “Races will be held every two weeks and the new organization (Kaneohe Yacht Club) will offer friendly rivalry to the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club, adding to the already keen enthusiasm for “inside sailing” in Oahuan waters – a sport which has been revived during the past year.”
The two clubs worked closely together in the 1920s and 1930s, arranging hosts for TransPac yachts, holding combined luaus for the participants throughout the 1930s, and advocating for increased opportunities in local yachting.
Newspaper sports summaries often posted weekend race results from both clubs in adjacent columns, or sometimes even in the same article.
In 1928, PHYC’s first Commodore, Herb Dowsett (see March 8 #Throwback), with KYC crew, Bob Cowen, won the “Visitors Cup” Race at KYC, where PHYC skippered boats owned and crewed by KYC members.
In March 1931, the two clubs raced against each other, with KYC’s Spartan 15s sailing into Pearl Harbor to race against PHYC’s Mower 18s, winning the regatta by 0.23 percent!
Later that year, PHYC Past Commodore Buck Afong (see March 21 #Throwback) and KYC Commodore Bob Cowan won the Guest Day regatta at KYC aboard the club’s Spartan 15s.
The following year, in November 1932, the “Windward Clubmen” continued the tradition with their “Pearl Harborite” brethren. Regrettably, weather forces a cancellation of PHYC returning the favor later two weeks later.
Records show that, in late-1937, the inter-club rivalry resumed. PHYC expressed interest in buying Mid-Pacific (MP) boats (which KYC first purchased in 1934), looking towards a single class for intra-island yacht races, inviting KYC to bring their MPs and compete against Star boats. The MPs were five feet longer than the Spartan 15s, and carried 125 sq ft of sail, compared to the Spartan’s 145 sq ft – perhaps an advantage in the Island’s persistent trades? The Star-Advertiser reported the “M.P. is a speedster designed for Island waters and suitable for sailing in all sheltered waters, enabling the members of the various clubs to compete.”
The result was an epic Team Race, held at Pearl Harbor on November 14, 1937. Navy Captains James Willson and Kenneth Whiting headed the Red and Blue teams, with Herreshoff S-boats, Kettenburg PCs, Star boats, and KYC’s MPs starting all at once – a fleet of 21 boats drifting across the line in light Kona winds. Willson’s team prevailed, through frequent dog fights, with the S-boats proving fastest in the gentle breeze.
Two years later, in November 1939, PHYC was back at KYC as guests for an informal race, skippering the MPs. A few weeks later, PHYC hosted KYC aboard their Star boats. But, with rising tensions in the Far East, President Roosevelt restricted access to Pearl Harbor on May 31st, so future inter-club races were limited.
Though this signaled the end of the pre-war rivalry between the two clubs, the spirit of competition remained. Following the war, inter-club regattas resumed in MPs, Stars, and Lightnings.
Congratulations to Kaneohe Yacht Club on their Centennial, and best wishes for many more years of racing with our fellow sailors!
SOURCES:
“Bigelow Yacht Wins Kaneohe Sailing Race” Star-Advertiser - Tue, Sep 23, 1924 - Pg 9
“Plans Made for Race from San Pedro to Honolulu” Star-Bulletin - Sat, Dec 05, 1925 - Pg 12
“Hilo-Honolulu Both Want Yacht Race Terminus: Honolulu Yachtsmen Get Busy” Star-Bulletin - Wed, Feb 24, 1926 - Pg 7
“Yachting Becoming Popular: Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Yacht Club Officials Predict Banner Year” Star-Bulletin - Mon, May 09, 1927 - Pg 7
**“Dowsett Wins “Visitors Cup” at Kaneohe Bay Club” Star-Advertiser - Mon, Oct 08, 1928 - Pg 8
“Luau is Given to Yachtsmen by PHYC and KYC” Star-Bulletin - Wed, Jul 23, 1930 - Pg 6
“Kaneohe Yachtsmen, Peninsula Skippers Race Tomorrow” Star-Advertiser - Sat, Mar 21, 1931 - Pg 11
**“Kaneohe Club is Winner in Race” Star-Bulletin - Mon, Mar 23, 1931 - Page 26
“Spartan Skipper Win Team Race by Very Scant Margin” Star-Advertiser - Mon, Mar 23, 1931 – Pg 3
“Windward Clubmen Hosts Pearl Harborites” Star-Advertiser - Mon, Nov 7, 1932 - Page 8
“PHYC race postponed” Star-Bulletin - Sat, Nov 19, 1932 - Pg 1
“Hoomalimali - New Boats at Kaneohe” Star-Advertiser - Tue, May 08, 1934 - Pg 12
**“Streamline M-P Boats Race at Kaneohe” Star-Bulletin - Sat, May 2, 1936 - Pg 12
**“Kaneohe Yacht Club opens 1936 Season“ Star-Bulletin - Mon, May 4, 1936 - Pg 15
**“Kaneohe Yacht Club Racing Season Opens” Star-Bulletin - Sat, May 9, 1936 – Pg 8
“Expected Fleet of Ten (M.P boats) to be Ready for 1938 Races” Star-Bulletin - Fri, Sep 3, 1937 - Pg 14
“M-Ps Gain Favor” Star-Advertiser - Tue, Sep 7, 1937 - Pg 9
“Kaneohe Yacht Club Closing ‘37 Racing Tomorrow” Star-Bulletin - Sat, Oct 16, 1937 - Pg 15
**“Capt. Willson’s Red Team wins race at Pearl Harbor” Star-Bulletin - Mon, Nov 15, 1937 - Pg 12
“Yachtsmen Meet on Wednesdays” Star-Advertiser - Sat, Mar 18, 1939 - Pg 10
“Pearl Harbor Yachtsmen Guests at Kaneohe Club” Star-Advertiser - Tue, Nov 7, 1939 - Pg 10
“Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Entertains Kaneohe Skippers” Star-Advertiser - Tue, Nov 28, 1939 - Pg 8
“Trans-Pacific Committees Selected” Star-Advertiser - Tue, Jul 01, 1941 - Pg 12
“Starting Time Changed for Star Boat Race” Star-Bulletin - Sat, Oct 27, 1945 - Pg 16
✩ Robert Witlam "Bob" Atkinson, 2nd Commodore of Pearl Harbor Yacht Club in 1925
#ThrowbackThursday August 22, 2024 remembers Robert Witlam "Bob" Atkinson, 2nd Commodore of Pearl Harbor Yacht Club in 1925.
Born in Honolulu in 1877, son of a British educator who came to Hawaii in 1868, he was one of five founders of the Hawaiian Trust and Investment Company in 1898. In 1902 he joined Walter Dillingham in organizing the Hawaiian Dredging Company, which dredged the Pearl Harbor Canal and constructed dry dock and waterfront facilities there, dredged the Ala Wai Canal, and developed Waikiki and the Honolulu waterfront.
In 1915 he and seven other sailors moved their regular races of 15', gaff-rigged sloops from the busy Honolulu harbor to (then less busy) Pearl Harbor. US entry into WW1 in 1917 ended these races, but the sailors knew they'd found an ideal venue for the future.
In 1924 they were back, and the second meeting to organize the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club was held at Atkinson's home on the Peninsula on March 9 (see our February 22 post). Atkinson was one of ten founders and loaned the club its original clubhouse and anchorage facing Middle Loch, known as the "Old Parker Place." The home no longer exists but was perhaps located near the current site of Parker Court.
The 1928 PHYC Yearbook noted he was the club's second Commodore in 1925, and that he owned both a Mower 18' and a Herreshoff S-class sailboat. In the latter craft, S-5 "Kamaoli Pua", he won the "S" Fleet Cup in 1929.
In November 1935, Atkinson leased his Pearl City Peninsula property (near the PHYC clubhouse) to Pan-American Airways, which used it as their clipper base in Hawaii for those legendary, trans-pacific flights.
Atkinson died on December 24, 1939 at age 62 after an extended illness, and his ashes were spread at sea.
SOURCES:
"Harold Dillingham wins Yacht Race at Pearl Harbor Sunday" Star-Bulletin - Mon, 1 Nov 1915 - Pg 11
"Scenes In Sunday's Races Over Pearl Harbor Course" Advertiser - Wed, 14 May 1924 - Pg 9 (photos)
Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Yearbook – 1928
"Three Classes of Yachts in Races at Pearl Harbor" Star-Bulletin - Sat, 27 Jul 1929 - Pg 11 (photo)
Men of Hawaii – 1930, Vol 4. Retrieved online at Internet Archive (photo)
"PAA Leases Pearl Harbor Base" Advertiser - Sat, 16 Nov 1935 - Pgs 1-2 (photo)
"R. Atkinson, Contractor, Dies at 62" Advertiser - Mon, 25 Dec 1939 - Pg 1
"Atkinson Ashes To Be Spread on Sea" Star-Bulletin - Tue, 26 Dec 1939 - Pg 11
Hawaiian Dredging and Construction Company History: https://www.hdcc.com/about/our-history/
Historic American Building Survey (HABS) HI-393 – US Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Pearl City Peninsula; Ann Yoklavich, October 2004. Retrieved online at https://loc.gov/pictures/item/hi0650
May 11, 1924: 3rd race of PHYC's inaugural season. Left: Harold Dillingham, skipper; crew, Ollie Sorenson, Lowell Dillingham, H.D. Dillingham Jr. Right: R.W. Atkinson, skipper; crew, Albert Waterhouse, Richard Walker.
Mower 18' sailboats described at https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/the-18-mower-dory/ though these pictured are Gaff- rather than Bermuda-rig from the magazine website.
✩ 79 years ago today, Japan announced its surrender, ending WW2
#ThrowbackThursday August 15, 2024 commemorates the day, 79 years ago today, when Japan announced its surrender, ending WW2. Among the tragedy, terror, and ultimate triumph of those war years were also moments of humor, including one involving a sailboat at Pearl Harbor.
After the attack of December 7th, the Navy seized PHYC facilities for wartime use (see February 15 post). Possibly using the marine railway there, Admiral Nimitz' boat crew refurbished an abandoned dinghy for the old man's use, sometime late in 1942, as related by Nimitz' flag lieutenant, Hal Lamar (1911-2002), in his 1985 book "I Saw Stars."
Nimitz thanked the crew and told Lamar to take it out for a test sail but – due to wartime restrictions on sailing – get permission from the Commandant of the Navy Yard and the Commander of the Hawaiian Sea Frontier. On a Sunday afternoon, Lamar sailed out in the newly varnished dinghy under fresh, white sails, emblazoned with Nimitz’ personal, visual call sign of “2 Fox 2.” No sooner had Lamar rounded Ford Island when four, brand-new destroyers coming up the channel began bearing down on him. The wind veered and he was stuck trying to tack back and forth out of their way. After much confusion, yelling, and pointing from the ship’s bridge to the letters on the boat’s sail, the destroyers reversed engines to avoid the craft. Just then, the admiral’s barge came by and tossed the dinghy a line, towing Lamar out of the channel. Admiral Nimitz, it seemed, had arranged for his barge to shadow the test run.
The following day the Commodore of the destroyer squadron and his four captains came by precisely at 11 am. The Commodore apologized for almost chewing out the admiral on his sailboat. Nimitz laughed about the incident but did not reveal that it was actually Lamar on the tiller.
Three years later, Commander Lamar was still with Nimitz when the Japanese signed the surrender document aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
SOURCES:
I Saw Stars: Some Memories of Commander Hal Lamar, Fleet Admiral Nimitz' Flag Lieutenant, 1941-1945. H. Arthur Lamar. 1985. Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Fredericksburg, TX. Retrieved at Internet Archives: archive.org/details/isawstars0000lama
Film "PT Activities, Pearl Harbor Area", 30 April 1942, retrieved at National Archives: catalog.archives.gov/id/75605
✩ PHYC's connection with Hawaii's five-time medalist in three consecutive Olympics, Duke Kahanamoku
As the 33rd Olympics close, #FlashbackFriday August 9, 2024 recalls PHYC's connection with Hawaii's five-time medalist in three consecutive Olympics, Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968). The legendary Hawaiian's life covered an incredible range, and PHYC was honored to be a small part of it. A master waterman, Duke probably first worked with PHYC as chairman of Regatta Day for the 1930 Kamehameha Day celebrations, where PHYC donated a trophy. Later that year, PHYC members involved in the 1930 Transpac worked with Duke on the Reception and Entertainment Committee. In May 1934, Duke sailed as Boatswain aboard Harold Dillingham's Manu'iwa, which won the race (see July 18, Transpac post), and in January 1935 PHYC elected Duke a life member in recognition of “the unselfish manner in which he has given his every aid toward the betterment and credit of Hawaii.”
Over the next seven years, the future Ambassador of Aloha helped the club recognize famous guests like Shirley Temple (see January 4 post), John Ford (see December 14 post), and other Hollywood stars. Duke appeared in PHYC race results beginning in 1936 and was winning races in the Pacific Class boats from August 1937, later Herreshoff S Class boats from July 1940.
On December 6, 1941 he sailed from the club to Waikiki, and planned to sail back the following day but never did (see December 7 post). Duke understood more than most that PHYC could not return to Pearl Harbor after the attack and was instrumental in getting Waikiki Yacht Club established later in the war and afterwards.
In 1958, at age 67, Duke helped educate the next generation of sailors from the newly organized Pearl Harbor Sailing and Pacific Yacht Clubs on the true art of sailing, notching three wins in Catamaran and dinghy classes to clinch the inaugural Pearl Harbor Sailing Club Challenge at Ke'ehi Lagoon (see February 1 post).
Mahalo nui loa, Duke
SOURCES:
"Outrigger Canoe Sailing Races To Be Revived for Regatta" Star-Bulletin - Fri, May 23, 1930 - Pg 7
"Trans-Pacific 1930 Entrants to Set Sail Next Friday" Star-Advertiser - Tue, Jul 1, 1930 - Pg 12
"Yacht Club Elects Duke Life Member" Star-Advertiser - Wed, Jan 23, 1935 - Pg 1
"Carl Brissons at Royal Hawaiian" Star-Advertiser - Sun, Mar 17, 1935 - photo:dukeswaikiki.com/duke/
"Alex Anderson Wins Navy Gaboon Cup Yacht Series" Star-Advertiser - Mon, Aug 9, 1937 - Pg 6
"Kahanamoku Is Pacific Race Victor" Star-Advertiser - Mon, Feb 28, 1938 - Pg 11
"Duke Wins Yacht Race" Star-Advertiser - Fri, Jul 5, 1940 - Pg 10
"Huapala Wins Series – Dillingham, Kahanamoku Win Title" Star-Advertiser - Wed, Aug 21, 1940 - Pg 8
"Kahanamoku Race Winner" Star-Bulletin - Mon, Oct 14, 1940 - Pg 12
"Nadine Alexander Kahanamoku" 1987 Interview re: Dec 7 1941 - Pg 8 - site: manoa.hawaii.edu
"Waikiki Yacht Club – The First 60 Years" Michael Simpson - 2004 - retrieved online
"Duke Kahanamoku Sails Off With Most Honors" Star-Bulletin - Mon, Feb 3, 1958 - Pg 19
✩ PHYC's 14th and last pre-war Commodore, Dr. Paul Withington
#ThrowbackThursday August 1, 2024 remembers PHYC's 14th and last pre-war Commodore, Dr. Paul Withington.
Born in 1888 in Escondido, CA, his family came to Hawaii in 1903. Withington graduated from Punahou in 1905, then attended Harvard where he lettered in football, track, crew, wrestling, and swimming. He competed for a spot with the US swimming team at the 1908 Olympics in London but was not selected. He was nominated to the 1909 All-America Second Team as a center in football. Withington graduated from Harvard in 1910 and received his medical degree there in 1914. He served as assistant football coach at Harvard until 1915, leaving in 1916 to become head coach at Wisconsin.
During WW1 he volunteered briefly as an honorary lieutenant with the British Royal Medical Corps in France in 1917, then served with the US Allied Expeditionary Force's 89th Division. In France, he attained the rank of Major in the Medical Corps, received a commission as a Major in the Infantry Reserve Corps, and was decorated for gallantry in action. He came back to Hawaii in May 1920, returning to the mainland twice, during the fall of 1923 and 1924, to serve as assistant then head football coach at Columbia University (New York City).
Dr. Withington joined PHYC in 1927 and newspaper articles over the next 20 years show him consistently improving in sailing, winning races in the late 1930s. He sailed with Harold Dillingham and Duke Kahanamoku on Manu'iwa, winning the Transpac Race in 1934 (see our 7/18/24 Throwback). Elected Commodore of PHYC in December 1940, he negotiated with the Navy to keep the club sailing at Pearl Harbor, with a contingency to build an alternate clubhouse at Ala Moana. Following December 7th and the Navy's seizure of the peninsula clubhouse in January 1942, he remained caretaker Commodore of the club during WW2 and led activities to attempt to return the club to active status (see our #Throwback on Coconut Island).
During WW2, he served on active duty with the Navy at the Naval Station hospital and as assistant 14th Naval District medical officer. He finished the war as a Captain in the Naval Reserve.
In 1947 he stepped down as PHYC Commodore after serving 7 years – our longest-serving Commodore! He was appointed Chairman of the Territorial Boxing Commission Chairman in May 1947 and served until October 1954.
After PHYC became inactive, Dr. Withington continued sailing with the Waikiki Yacht Club, sponsoring several trophies there. He passed away on April 2, 1966, and is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl).
SOURCES:
"Paul Withington asked to swim in London" Star-Advertiser - Mon, Jun 29, 1908 - Pg 3
"Honolulu Brothers Win Distinction in Harvard athletics" Star-Advertiser - Sun, Sep 25, 1910 - Pg 8 (photo)
Oct 1, 1941"Returned Athlete has Great Record in Peace and War" Star-Advertiser - Wed, Aug 11, 1920 – Pg 14
"Dr. Paul Withington" Star-Advertiser - Sat, Aug 21, 1920 – Pg 12 (photo)
"Tyler Winner in Ocean Classic for Star Boats" Star-Bulletin - Tue, Jul 05, 1927 - Pg 3
1928 PHYC Yearbook
"Withington Commodore" Star-Bulletin - Fri, 20 Dec 1940 - Pg 16
"P.H. Yacht Club to Build at Ala Moana" Advertiser - Wed, 1 Oct, 1941 - Pg 1
"Paul Withington Promoted to Captain in Naval Reserve" Star-Bulletin - Tue, Jan 23, 1945 - Pg 4
"Yachtsman's Paradise" Motor Boating Magazine - December 1946 - Pgs 44-45, 102-106
"Yacht Club Plans Meeting" Star-Bulletin - Fri, 24 Jan 1947 - Pg 13
"Dowsett Named Yacht Club Commodore" Star-Bulletin - Thu, Jan 30, 1947 - Pg 24
"New TBC Chairman Rated as Great Athlete in His University Days" Star-Bulletin - Mon, May 12, 1947 - Pg 10 (photo)
"Sailboat Competitors" Star-Advertiser - Sun, Jul 16, 1961 - Pg 77 (photo)
"Dr. Paul Withington, 78, dies" Star-Bulletin - Sat, Apr 02, 1966 - Pg 1
"Final Rites Tomorrow for Dr. Paul Withington" Star-Bulletin - Sun, Apr 03, 1966 ·Pg 50 (photo)
"Paul Withington; Coach, Physician" New York Times - Sun, Apr 03, 1966 - Pg 85
Dr Withington at Wisconsin in 1916: https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/A7QARUAFIHGTC78Q
https://bulletin.punahou.edu/hall-of-fame-dr-paul.../
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Withington
✩ PHYC Past Commodore Harold Dillingham captained the legendary Manu'iwa to win the 1934 Transpac Race
#ThrowbackThursday July 18, 2024 recalls the date, 90 years ago yesterday, when PHYC Past Commodore Harold Dillingham captained the legendary Manu'iwa to win the 1934 Transpac race on Tuesday night, July 17th, 1934 with Duke Kahanamoku as boatswain. The Star-Bulletin reported:
"Several thousand Honoluluans who lined Diamond Head Rd. between 9 and 10 o'clock last night witnessed one of the most beautiful sights one can imagine as they watched Harold Dillingham's yacht Manuiwa, under full sail and illuminated by searchlights from shore and the coast guard cutter Itasca, sail majestically across the finish line of the transpacific yacht race. With every inch of canvass spread in an attempt to capture a rapidly fading breeze, the Manuiwa crossed the line shortly after 10 p.m."
It was just the second Transpac win for a boat from Hawaii (HYC's "Hawaii" was first in 1910) and highlighted the leadership role PHYC played in pre-war sailing.
At the same time, Dillingham’s fellow Harvard classmate, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was en route to the islands as the first sitting President to visit Hawaii. According to the LA Times,
"President Roosevelt… was pleased at news that his old friend, Harold Dillingham of the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club had won the annual San Pedro-Honolulu yacht race with his trim Manuiwa. The President personally will congratulate Dillingham on his arrival."
The two yachtsmen met a few days later, at a Harvard Club picnic on the Pearl City Peninsula on Thursday, July 26th, and again during a private reception with the Dillinghams on Friday the 27th where FDR offered his congratulations in person.
With this year's Pacific Cup now underway, it used to be the Transpac that ran in even-numbered years (except in 1923). It was only after the 1936 race that the Transpacific Yacht Club decided to shift to odd-numbered years to avoid conflict with the Newport-to-Bermuda race.
SOURCES:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Sat, May 12, 1934 - Pg 10 - "Manuiwa Sails for Coast Monday" (photo)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Tue, May 15, 1934 - Pg 8 - "Manuiwa Starts on Long Trip" (photo)
Honolulu Advertiser - Tue, Jul 17, 1934 - Pg 10 - "Manuiwa Jumps Away to Fast Start" (photo)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Wed, Jul 18, 1934 - Pg 1 - "Brought the Manuiwa in Tuesday Night" (photo)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Wed, Jul 18, 1934 - Pg 8 - "Thousand Cheer Manuiwa at Finish of Ocean Race"
Honolulu Advertiser - Mon, Jul 23, 1934 - Pg 1 - "Roosevelt to Congratulate Race Winner" (photo)
Los Angeles Times - Mon, Jul 23, 1934 - Pg 6 - "Roosevelt Attends Service on Cruiser"
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Fri, Jul 27, 1934 - Pg 8 - "Fair Harvard" (photo)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Sat, Jul 28, 1934 - Pg 24 - "President Roosevelt is Visitor at Harvard Picnic"
Honolulu Advertiser - Sun, Jul 29, 1934 - Pg 21 - "La Pietra Scene of Roosevelt-Dillingham Visit"
Hawaii Tribune-Herald - Wed, Nov 18, 1936 - Pg 6 - "Club to Meet to Decide on (Transpacific) Race"
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Mon, Feb 01, 1937 - Pg 10 - "Morgan Adams New President of (Transpacific) Yacht Club"
✩ PHYC almost moved to Moku o Loʻe – or Coconut Island!
#ThrowbackThursday July 11, 2024 recalls the time when PHYC almost moved to Moku o Loʻe – or Coconut Island!
As WW2 wound down, PHYC members looked to resurrect the club, if not at Pearl Harbor, then perhaps elsewhere. Some members opted to help create Waikiki Yacht Club in 1944, but another possibility arose in May 1946 when Los Angeles oilman and political leader Edwin W. Pauley, plus four other investors, purchased Coconut Island from the estate of Chris Holmes II. In November, the Advertiser reported PHYC was actively looking for new sites, and on January 26, 1947 the club met at Coconut Island for an informal meeting. Ten days later, newspapers across the country carried a story of “Coconut Island Club International” with plans of “docks and anchorages for boats, bathhouses and boat houses… a bowling alley… tennis courts… quarters for the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club, (and) a lookout tower commanding a stunning view of Kaneohe Bay and Oahu.”
The plans never materialized, and by August the club concept was abandoned. In 1950 a small hotel opened on the island, which then closed in 1952. The island eventually became entirely devoted to a marine research station for the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, which it remains today.
SOURCES:
Wikipedia - Coconut Island (Oahu Island)
“Moku o Loʻe: a history of Coconut Island” Bishop Museum Press, 2007; P. Christiaan Klieger, Philip Helfrich, Jo-Ann Leong.
Southern California Architectural History blog: “Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones: Coconut Island Club International, 1946” socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/2009/12/paul-r-williams-and-quincy-jones.html
“PHYC Yachts moored in Ala Moana near temporary WYC” – LA Times – Mon, 4 Nov 1946 – pg 13
“PHYC meets to consider new site” – Advertiser – Tue, 26 Nov 1946 – pg 12
“PHYC Plans Meeting at Coconut Island” Star-Bulletin – Fri, 24 Jan 1947 – pg 13
“Promoters Buy Pacific Paradise” – Fort Myers News-Press - Sun, 9 Feb 1947 – pg 6
“Coconut Isle Club May Be Converted Into Deluxe Hotel” – Star-Bulleting – Tue, 20 May 1947 – pg 1
“Coconut Island to Remain Private Retreat” – Star-Bulletin – Fri, 1 Aug 1947 – pg 4
“Coconut Island Membership Drive Launched” – Star-Bulletin – Sat, 10 Apr 1948 – pg 29
“Coconut Island Could Be Bought for $1M” – Star-Bulletin – Fri, 9 Jul 1948 – pg 1
“Coconut Island Leased to Group for Hotel Use” – Star-Bulletin – Mon, 19 Dec 1949 – pg 1
“Coconut Island Hotel Now Open” – Star-Bulletin – Tue, 14 Feb 1950 – pg 19
“Chase Denies Offer for Island” – Star-Bulletin – Thr, 3 Jul, 1952 – pg 2
reports hotel closed in February 1952
✩ PHYC returned Hawaii sailing’s oldest and one its most prestigious trophies, the Kalākaua Cup, to competition on July 4th, 1925
#ThrowbackThursday July 4, 2024 recalls the role that PHYC played – 99 years ago today – in returning Hawaii sailing’s oldest and one its most prestigious trophies, the Kalākaua Cup, to competition on July 4th, 1925 with a Star boat race from Pearl Harbor Yacht Club to Honolulu and back. First raced in 1889 as the Hawaiian Challenge Cup and won by King Kalākaua's yacht Healani, his majesty instituted the tradition of filling the 15" tall, sterling silver cup with champagne and passing it for all to enjoy.
Competition for the trophy was sporadic in the following years, and the Cup disappeared after 1911. Rediscovered in 1925 in a Castle and Cooke bank vault, following archival research by Herb Dowsett (PHYC's first Commodore), the race for the Cup served as a competitive qualifier for which team would represent the Hawaiian Star Fleet in the Star World Championship. In 1930, the newly-deeded Lipton Cup assumed that role, but the Kalākaua Cup regatta continued every July 4th. Both cups were last competed for in 1941, after which WW2 ended all racing in the islands for the duration. They remained unaccounted for until their rediscovery in 1981, then returned to competition in 1986 (Kalākaua) and 1987 (Lipton). Note: there is also a historic King Kalākaua Trophy for Transpac Race winners.
Best of luck to competitors in this coming weekend's Kalākaua Cup Regatta at Kaneohe Yacht Club, who are also celebrating their Centenary year!
SOURCES:
"Regatta to be held on July 4th, 1889" Honolulu Advertiser – Wed, Jul 03, 1889 – Page 2
"La Paloma Wants a Try for Hawaii Challenge Cup" Honolulu Advertiser – Sun, Sep 06, 1903 – Page 2 (photo)
"Challenge Cup, Mysteriously Missing, Bobs Up. Hawaiian Yacht Clubs' Famous Old Silver Mug is Up for Competition" Honolulu Advertiser – Sun, Jul 12, 1925 – Page 24 (photo)
"Kalākaua Cup – First Yacht Trophy to be raced here" Honolulu Star-Bulletin – Sat, Oct 24, 1936 – Page 13 (photo)
"History of Yachting in Hawaii, part II: King Kalākaua Stirred Up Yachting Action" by Edna Whiting, Honolulu Star-Bulletin – Tue, 23 Feb, 1937 – Page 12
"Isle Yachting Marks 70th Birthday Today" Honolulu Advertiser – Thr, 6 Jul, 1939 – Page 1
"Yachts Take Beating in Open Water races – Duke Kahanamoku, Laurie Dowsett... Triumph" Honolulu Advertiser – Sat, 5 Jul, 1941 – Page 6
"The Kalākaua Cup Took the Long Way Home" Honolulu Star-Bulletin – Thu, 27 Feb, 1986 – Page 33 (photo)
"The Kalākaua Cup" Honolulu Advertiser – Wed, 9 Apr, 1986 – Page 18 (photo)
History of the Hawaiian Challenge Trophy, 1984, online at:
https://www.hyra.us/about/historical-trophies-advisory-board
"The Kalākaua Cup" by Kimo Stowell, Nov 14, 2014, online at: https://activerain.com/blogsview/4540483/the-kalakaua-cup-and-the-trans-pacific-yacht-race.
"Hawaiian Challenge" by Peter T Young, Jun 18, 2016, online at: https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/hawaiian-challenge/
Waikiki Yacht Club: Sailing – HYRA Trophies – Kalākaua Cup, online at: https://www.waikikiyachtclub.com/Sailing
✩ Annual Maritime Day Race into Pearl Harbor, which Started on Saturday, May 20, 1950 and Ran Until about 1985
#ThrowbackThursday May 16, 2024 recalls the annual Maritime Day race into Pearl Harbor, which started on Saturday, May 20, 1950 and ran until about 1985, though possibly as early as 1982. Records are scarce, and PHYC welcomes stories any readers may have!
We know a yacht race back into Pearl Harbor occurred for the first time, post-war, to celebrate Navy Day in 1948. On Saturday, Oct 30th, 16 yachts started off Honolulu harbor, rounded Ford Island’s western side and finished near McGrew Point. The race was sponsored by the Navy, with Waikiki Yacht Club providing the Race Committee.
Intended as an annual event, the race wasn’t held in 1949. In August that year, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson (of the recently established, Department of Defense) ordered all “single-service” celebrations (such as Navy Day) occur as part of “Armed Forces Day” the following May.
The 1950 the race date moved, ostensibly to Armed Forces Day, but billed as part of Maritime Day (May 22nd) celebrations. The “first annual Maritime Day Pearl Harbor Regatta” was sponsored by the Honolulu Propellor Club, racing from Honolulu harbor to Diamond Head, and then ending at McGrew Point. Over 50 boats participated, and 400 attended the awards ceremony at the Naval Shipyard O’Club that night. The regatta remained known as the Maritime Day race ever after.
Pearl Harbor Sailing Club first competed in the 1958 regatta, just 9 months after the club was founded. The race grew in size, reaching 150 yachts in 1971! By the mid-1980s, we suspect the short period between PHYC’s Easter Invitational (see our March 28 post) and Maritime Day resulted in the shifting the latter race to other locations outside Pearl Harbor.
SOURCES:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilUhlStudiosHawaii
“Navy Day Feature: 16 Racing Yachts in Regatta” Advertiser - 25 Oct 1948, Mon - Pg 13
“Navy Observance To Be Unofficial” Advertiser - 11 Aug 1949, Thr - Pg 13
“Navy to Be Host of Yachtsmen During Weekend” Star-Bulletin - 29 Apr 1950, Tue - Pg 14
“Sailing Classic Maritime Day” Star-Bulletin - 9 May 1950, Tue - Pg 14
“First Armed Forces Day Parade” Star-Bulletin - 15 May 1950, Mon - Pg 3
“Confusion: Sailing Chatter” Advertiser - 21 May 1950, Sun - Pg 48
“Navy Host to Yachtsmen” Advertiser - 25 May 1950, Thr - Pg 22
“Manuiwa wins Yacht Regatta - Maritime Day 1953” Advertiser - 24 May 1953, Sun - Pg 20
“Yacht, Canoe Races on Tap” Star-Bulletin - 21 May 1958, Wed - Pg 47
“Local Yachts Leave Waikiki for Maritime Day” Advertiser – 21 May 1967, Sun -Pg 38
“Bicentennial Maritime Day Regatta” Star-Bulletin - 16 May 1976, Sun - Pg 67
“Maritime Day Race” Advertiser - 21 May 1977, Sat -Pg 41
“Float Plan” Advertiser - 16 May 1985, Thr - Pg 52
✩ Lipton Cup, presented to PHYC in 1930 on behalf of Sir Thomas Lipton by his friend, Commodore Clarence Macfarlane, himself the “father” of the Transpacific Yacht Race.
#FlashbackFriday April 26, 2024 recalls the original Lipton Cup, presented to PHYC in 1930 on behalf of Sir Thomas Lipton by his friend, Commodore Clarence Macfarlane, himself the “father” of the Transpacific Yacht Race.
Sir Thomas (1848-1931) started as a simple cabin boy on steamers, made his fortune in grocery stores and later, most famously, in the tea business. An avid yacht racer, he challenged for the America’s Cup five times between 1899 and 1930, losing every time with grace and humility. To encourage interest in the sport, he donated many “Lipton Cups” for both individual and perpetual regattas.
Hawaii’s connection with a Lipton Cup began with the first Transpac race in 1906. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser noted on January 1st that Sir Thomas was asked to provide a cup for the winner of the coming race. Though it didn’t occur that year, Hawaii Yacht Club did host the awards banquet for sailors from that first Transpac at their Pearl Harbor Clubhouse on June 30th (see our #Throwback post of December 28)
Commodore Macfarlane persisted. His photo album (in the Hawaii State Archives) contains news clippings that document his meeting with Sir Thomas at the New York Yacht Club, and his continued attempt to have the Baron sail to Hawaii. Separate Lipton Cups were finally awarded in 1926 and 1928 to Transpac winners with the best corrected time each year.
In 1930, the perpetual Lipton Cup – the one we have today – was deeded to PHYC. It was the fifth such cup awarded in the U.S., and bears enameled replicas of Sir Thomas Lipton’s personal flag and the burgee of the original Pearl Harbor Yacht Club. Commodore Macfarlane represented Sir Thomas when, on May 18, acting Governor Brown presented the trophy to PHYC at their clubhouse on the peninsula. The cup was awarded to the winners of an elimination series to represent the Hawaiian Star fleet in competition at Internationals. The first winners were R. Alexander Anderson (see our post of December 21) and Clarence Dyer. The 12th and last, pre-war awardees were Laurie Dowsett (age 17!) and Lloyd Osborne on August 10, 1941. The trophy disappeared after the war but returned to competition in 1987. It’s now known as the Lipton Challenge, or Lipton 1 Cup, to differentiate it from the Lipton 2, or Lipton One Design Cup, which Waikiki Yacht Club had created in 1954 to replace the original when it was still missing.
SOURCES:
“White Wings to Sail Across Pacific” Pacific Commercial Advertiser - Mon, Jan 01, 1906 ·Pg 5
“Governor Presents Yachting Trophies” Honolulu Advertiser - Sun, Jul 01, 1906 ·Pg 1 (photo)
“Lipton Cannot Come to Hawaii” Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Mon, Nov 25, 1912 ·Pg 3
“Sir Tom Knows About Pacific Yachting Race” Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Mon, Feb 12, 1923 ·Pg 8
“Lipton Trophy and Yachtsman who helped get it” Honolulu Advertiser - Sun, Jun 20, 1926 ·Pg 8 (photo)
“Exhibits the Lipton Cup” Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Sat, May 26, 1928 ·Page 9
“Beautiful Award Put Up for PHYC Competition” Honolulu Advertiser - Sun, May 04, 1930 ·Pg 11 (photo)
“Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy” Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Sat, May 24, 1930 ·Pg 8 (photo)
“Lipton Cup is Awarded to Anderson” Honolulu Advertiser - Mon, Jun 09, 1930 · Pg 1
“Laurie Dowsett Wins Lipton Trophy” Honolulu Advertiser - Mon, Aug 11, 1941 · Pg 10
✩ Wyatt E. Coley, Chief Boatswain’s Mate, US Navy (Ret)!
April 18, 2024 #ThrowbackThursday remembers Wyatt E. Coley, Chief Boatswain’s Mate, US Navy (Ret)!
Born in Raleigh, NC in 1914, his family moved to Tampa, FL when he was 15. He enlisted in the Navy in January 1940 and served during WW2 as a deep-sea salvage diver aboard the USS Ranger. The carrier served mostly in the Atlantic and North African campaigns, but shifted to the Pacific in mid-1944. Wyatt probably saw Hawaii for the first time when the ship steamed into Pearl Harbor on August 3rd, 1944.
After the war, he returned back to the mainland but remained in the Navy, which included a recruiting tour in Tampa from 1949-1951. He came back to Oahu around 1957 and ran the Pacific Fleet boathouse for more than four years. During this time, he oversaw the maintenance and operation of the boats there, and hosted Presidents, Kings and innumerable Hollywood stars on tours to the USS Arizona. He was also present during construction of the current Arizona memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day, 1962.
Retiring that year, he became harbormaster at the Navy’s Ke’ehi Lagoon Facility. The 1964 Honolulu Advertiser article, which announced the “new” PHYC, said Coley was largely responsible for the success of the new club due to his well-rounded knowledge of small boats. The same article pictures him with PHYC’s first post-war Commodore, CAPT Richard Latham (see our February 29th post)
Coley and his family lived on Oahu until the early 1970s, when he moved briefly to Flint, MI for a few years before settling back in Florida in 1976. There he perfected his golfing game and became a prolific winner of tournaments. Chief Coley passed away in Inverness, FL in 1995.
SOURCES:
“Boys No Longer Can Quit School and Join Navy” Tampa Bay Times - Apr 14, 1949 - Pg 11
“Chief Coley and Justice Black” Advertiser - Sep 21, 1959 - Pg 13
“Navy Men Are Guides at Historic Sea Tomb” Lancaster Eagle-Gazette - Dec 07, 1959 - Pg 12
“He’s in Charge of the Admiral’s Barge” Advertiser - Oct 08, 1961 - Pg 84
“Pearl Harbor Yacht Club” Hawaii Yacht Club Bulletin - Mar 25, 1963 - Pg 16
“PH Yacht Club Active Again at New Location” Advertiser - Feb 23, 1964 - Pg 46
“Coley back strong” Tampa Tribune - Sep 27, 1986 - Pg 158
“Wyatt E. Coley” Tampa Tribune - May 10, 1995 - Pg 74
✩ Lt. Col. George S Patton Jr and His Equally Remarkable Wife Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton
#ThrowbackThursday follows up our post from February 9 – about Lt. Col. George S Patton Jr – with more info on the better sailboat racer in the family, his equally remarkable wife Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton (1886-1953)
The couple married in 1910. Both knew how to sail and were PHYC members during their tours on Oahu (1925-1928 and 1935-37), and both were accomplished equestrians as well. While George’s off time activities focused more on polo, Beatrice was a prolific racer aboard Star yachts. Skippering her own boat, she occasionally finished second in the fleet during races in the latter part of their first tour, and then began winning some races against long-time Hawaiian Star Fleet champions during their second tour. George’s record was less stellar, finishing 5th and 6th (out of 7) during a weekend when Beatrice was on the Big Island with the children. The couple also donated the Mrs. George S Patton trophy for Star competition in 1935. It was a “special trophy in the form of a modernistic cocktail shaker” – sadly lost to time.
As mother to three children (Beatrice, born 1911; Ruth, born 1915; George, born 1922), she also enjoying acting and writing. She authored a book during their second tour, “Blood of the Shark” and later edited her husband’s famous battle memoirs “War as I Knew It” following his untimely death.
SOURCES:
Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Sat, Nov 23, 1935 ·Pg 1
Star-Bulletin, Mon, Nov 25, 1935 ·Pg 15
Advertiser, Mon, Nov 25, 1935 ·Pg 13
Star-Bulletin, Mon, Dec 02, 1935 ·Pg 11
Star-Bulletin, Tue, Dec 17, 1935 ·Pg 12
Manchester Yacht Club (www.manchesteryc.org)
1910 05 25 - Patton Wedding
1936 - Pattons on When and If
1936 novel, Blood of the Shark
1936 12 06 - Beatrice Ayer Patton, one of the first women to sail a yacht
1925 12 17 - Mrs Patton Yacht Winner
✩ Inauguration of the Easter Invitational Regatta
#ThrowbackThursday remembers this exact date 60 years ago today, March 28th, 1964, when the new post-war PHYC (less than 1 year old!) inaugurated the Easter Invitational Regatta. One year later, when the club was a founding member of the Hawaii Yacht Racing Association, this race became the first event of the racing season.
Sailed initially out of the PHYC’s Ke’ehi lagoon facility, and later from Rainbow Bay when the club moved there, the legendary regatta ran for 37 years. Early years at Ke’ehi involved racing in the lagoon and offshore, a Saturday evening banquet, Sunday breakfast, more racing and then Sunday night trophies. Boats were divided into two major divisions – large, offshore yachts and smaller boats. Dozens of boats participated, sometimes more than 125 in popular years.
In 1966, the regatta moved to the weekend after (or sometimes before) Easter, to not conflict with the holiday.
In 1974, after the club moved to Rainbow Bay, a trip around Ford Island was usually included in the course, complete with colorful displays of spinnakers on the downwind side.
In 1975, the regatta contended with strong trades, and shifting wind patterns caused by the “new” Aloha Stadium.
In 1997, the race made its last circuit around Ford Island, just before the Ford Island Causeway finished construction.
The 37th and last regatta was conducted on April 16th, 2000.
On February 9th, 2001 the Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collided, sinking the Japanese training ship with the loss of nine lives aboard her. Out of respect for the families, the Easter Invitational was postponed to September 22-23, but never held due to the 9/11 terror attacks that sent the US to war.
Phil Uhl took many wonderful photos of the race, and the club welcomes any other photos or stories that readers may have from this legendary regatta.
SOURCES:
“PHYC will sponsor Easter Invitational” Advertiser · 26 Mar 1964, Thu · Pg 23
“Nautical Notes” Star-Bulletin · 13 Apr 1966, Wed · Pg 72
“100 yachtsmen at Pearl today” Advertiser · 20 Apr 1974, Sat · Pg 48
“Nautical Notes” Star-Bulletin · 9 Apr 1975, Wed · Pg 42
"Pearl Harbor Once a Yachting Center" Star-Bulletin · 7 Dec 1983, Wed · Pg 3
“Pearl Harbor Regatta” Star-Bulletin · 29 Mar 1997, Sat · Pg 16
“Sailing” Star-Bulletin · 18 Apr 2000, Tue · Pg 26
PHYC “The Dinghy” August 2001
1978 - Pearl Harbor - Tuia - S & S 49 © Phil Uhl
1983 - Dec 07 Sailboats pass Arizona Memorial during race
✩ PHYC’s 4th Commodore, Albert Fayerweather Afong
#Throwback Thursday recognizes PHYC’s 4th Commodore, Albert Fayerweather Afong, whose home the club purchased 96 years ago (March 31, 1928) for use as a clubhouse - the foundations of which we visited on the Pearl City Peninsula!
Born in Honolulu in 1877, he was the 13th child of Chun Afong (1825-1906), a Chinese businessman who came to Hawaii in 1849 and became the first Chinese millionaire in Hawaii, and Julia Fayerweather (1840-1919), daughter of an ali’i family and distant relative of the House of Kamehameha.
An 1896 Punahou graduate, Albert attended Annexation Ceremonies at Iolani Palace in 1898 but was not a supporter of Annexation. Along with many other sons of influential families in Hawaii, he attended Harvard, studying business and law, and graduated in 1903. During a visit to his older sister, Henrietta, and her husband, Rear Admiral (and Civil War vet) William Whiting, he met the Admiral’s niece, Anna Elizabeth Whiting (1883-1976). They married in 1906 and had four daughters.
An avid sailor, he was one of the seven yachtsmen who started sailing in Honolulu Harbor in 1915, then moved to Pearl Harbor, cited as inspiration for founding the club. Elected PHYC’s first Vice Commodore in 1926 (when the position was established), and then Commodore in 1927, his name frequently appears in news as winner of Star, S-boat and Mower 18-foot regattas.
President of the Honolulu Stock and Bond Exchange, he attended the Harvard Club picnic for fellow alumni President Roosevelt during FDR’s first visit in July 1934. Also attending were fellow alumni and PHYC Commodores R.W. Atkinson (#2), Harold Dillingham (#3), and Dr. Paul Withington (#14 and last pre-war Commodore).
Albert Afong passed away in 1948 and is buried in O’ahu Cemetery.
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chun_Afong
“Dillingham wins race among yachtsmen at Pearl Harbor” Star-Bulletin, 1 Nov 1915, Mon · Pg 11
“PHYC Commodore Afong returns” Star-Bulletin, 17 Nov 1927, Thu · Pg 10
1928 PHYC Yearbook
“Albert F. Afong dies at home” Star-Bulletin, 2 Jul 1948, Fri · Pg 2
“The Story of the Afong Family – Albert Afong pt 1” Star-Bulletin, 22 Dec 1953, Tue · Pg 30
“The Story of the Afong Family – Albert Afong pt 2” Star-Bulletin, 23 Dec 1953, Wed · Pg 22
PHYC purchased Afong home 96 years ago (March 31, 1928) for use as a clubhouse - the foundations of which we visited on the Pearl City Peninsula!
Albert Afong - 1927 PHYC Commodore
1903- Albert Fayerweather Afong - student
✩ The Anchor of the Wandering Minstrel!
#ThrowbackThursday recalls the one of the last remnants of pre-war PHYC – the Anchor of the Wandering Minstrel! Since 1937 the massive, iron anchor has sat next to the old clubhouse foundations on the Pearl City Peninsula. The USS Pelican (an aircraft tender) recovered it on May 6 of that year at Midway Island, when the ship weighed anchor and found the relic fouling Pelican’s own anchor. Pelican’s CO, Lieut. A. P. Storrs, donated the relic to PHYC when they returned to Pearl Harbor, as reported by the Star-Bulletin on June 9, 1937. The origin of the old anchor was unknown at that point.
A year later, on June 25, 1938 the paper identified the anchor as belonging to the bark Wandering Minstrel, which sailed from Honolulu on December 10, 1887 bound for Midway on a shark fishing expedition. The ship was jinxed with a rebellious crew and a stern skipper, and poorly provisioned for the journey. Caught by a hurricane while anchored at Midway, the Wandering Minstrel sank in the lagoon on February 3, 1888. It was not until over a year later that the emaciated crew – those who still survived from their meager rations of fish and bird eggs – were rescued. The star-crossed story of the Wandering Minstrel supposedly inspired, in part, Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “The Wrecker, a “Treasure Island-esque mystery” revolving around a Remittance Man named Tom Hadden.
The anchor last appears in print on February 8, 1941 with a photo of Mrs. G. Douglas Crozier (Alice Brown Lasher) chipping rust off it in preparation for PHYC's Pirate's Ball Costume Party the following weekend. Thirty years later, about 1970, the anchor reappeared again. Ken Pajari, son of a Navy dentist stationed at Pearl, was playing outside his home in base housing. He recalled throwing a Frisbee to his brother, which got stuck in some overgrown bushes in their backyard. After clearing the bushes, they discovered the old anchor. The club revisited the anchor two weeks ago, as part of our Centennial.
SOURCES:
Honolulu Evening Bulletin, 8 Apr 1889, Mon · Pg 2
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9 Jun 1937, Wed · Pg 1
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 25 Jun 1938, Sat · Pg 39
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 8 Feb 1941, Sat · Pg 24
✩ The Very First Meeting of PHYC!
The first meeting of PHYC was held 100 years ago yesterday on March 6, 1924. At that and a following meeting held three days later, Herbert Dowsett was elected the club’s first Commodore.
Herbert Melville Dowsett was born in Honolulu April 14, 1890 - a 4th generation descendant of Captain Samuel Dowsett, a British Naval officer who settled in Honolulu in 1828. A life-long sailor, he was one of seven owners of small boats in 1915 that started racing in Honolulu Harbor and then moved to Pearl Harbor due to increased shipping traffic. That group stopped racing in 1917 due to wartime restrictions in Pearl Harbor, but later became of the nucleus of the ten founders of PHYC in 1924.
A highly skilled sailor of Star boats, he was one of six charter members of the Hawaiian Islands Star Fleet. Herbert was skipper of the first team to represent Hawaii at the International Star Race Championship in 1925 off Long Island, and again in 1926 at the same location. Sailing was definitely a family passion as he and wife, Laura, won the right to represent Hawaii in 1929 in New Orleans but could not attend due to family illness (Laura was subject of our 1/24/24 Throwback). Four years later, he saw his son, 15-year-old Herbert Jr “Puck”, represent Hawaii in 1933 off Long Beach, CA. In 1940, he saw his other son, Laurie, also represent Hawaii in Los Angeles.
Following WW2, Herbert was elected second-to-last Commodore of the “old” PHYC in 1947. He passed away on February 17, 1969.
SOURCES:
Honolulu Advertiser, 30 Jul 1925, Thu · Page 7
Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Yearbook, 1928
Honolulu Advertiser, 6 Aug 1933, Sun · Page 8
Honolulu Advertiser, 10 Aug 1940, Sat · Page 8
Honolulu Advertiser, 29 Jan 1947, Wed · Page 7
Honolulu Advertiser, 18 Feb 1969, Tue · Page 27
✩ The First Commodore of the “New” Pearl Harbor Yacht Club
#ThrowbackThursday remembers the first Commodore of the “new” Pearl Harbor Yacht Club, elected in June 1963 when the club re-established itself under our current burgee.
Captain Richard C. Latham, US Navy from Waterford, CT was a 1934 graduate of the US Naval Academy. A veteran sailor from Long Island Sound, he owned a 27-foot Thunderbird-class sloop and was a member of the New York Yacht Club, Hawaii Yacht Club and Pacific Yacht Clubs as well. During WW2, he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism as CO of USS Tinosa (SS-238) during her 11th War Patrol from May through July 1945, for actions in enemy waters off the eastern coast of Korea. His final tour was as CO of the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor from December 1960 to July 1964. After retiring he remained in Hawaii and was an Oceanographic Specialist on the faculty of UH. He passed away at home in Honolulu on July 20, 1984 at the age of 73.
SOURCES:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/19344 - Navy Cross for Richard Latham
Honolulu Advertiser, 05 Jan 1968, Fri · Page 11 “Navy, Isle Research Role Linked”
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 01 Jul 1964, Wed · Page 30 “Change of Command”
Honolulu Advertiser, 23 Feb 1964, Sun · Page 46 “PH Yacht Club Active Again at New Location”
✩ PHYC Was Founded 100 Years ago!
#ThrowbackThursday commemorates the occasion, just under 100 years ago, when Pearl Harbor Yacht Club was founded. Yachting in Hawaii had fallen out of interest during and after the First World War, but the return of the TransPac race in 1923 – after an 11-year hiatus – rekindled interest. According to the Club’s 1928 Yearbook “The first meeting of the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club was held at the Pacific Club, March 6, 1924. A second meeting was held at the home of Mr. R. W. Atkinson at the (southeast end of the Pearl City) Peninsula on March 9, 1924. At these two meetings, the club was organized and plans were made for the securing of a club house and the proper hauling and the care of the boats.”
The attached collage depicts all 10 founders and the Pacific Club. Also pictured is the cover of the 1928 Yearbook.
Centennial celebrations on the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd will highlight the club’s storied past and plans to continue sailing into our second century!
SOURCES:
"Pearl Harbor Yacht Club", 1928 Yearbook, Committee: C.W. Dickey, Chairman; Clarence Dyer, James Pell. Available at UH Mānoa, Hamilton Library-Hawaiian & Pacific (Library Use Only); GV823 P4 P4
✩ When PHYC Went to War!
After December 7th, 1941 the Navy took over the club's property and turned it into the headquarters for a Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat Squadron. Sailboats tied up to the pier were soon replaced by PT boats nested several abreast, and naval officers lodged in rooms at the old clubhouse. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron One (MTB Ron 1), which fought at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, moved in to the newly created “Sub-Section Base” on March 16th, 1942. In mid-1943, when they deployed to the South Pacific, MTB Ron 26 replaced them. Sailors and officers passed the time training and practicing, enjoying the weather and tolerating the monotony, but also wishing they were with the front line of the Pacific war that moved increasingly westward. MTB Ron 26 was decommissioned on December 3rd, 1945, and the deserted clubhouse demolished sometime in the early 1950s.
SOURCES:
“Waikiki Yacht Club: The First 60 Years.” Michael E. Simpson, 2004
“War Diary for Period 1 March to 31 March, 1942.” Commandant, Fourteenth Naval District, April 9, 1942.
“US PT Boats List: Squadron List.” http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/pt/squadron.htm , revised 11 Aug 1997.
“PT Activities, Pearl Harbor Area”, April 30, 1942, video retrieved from National Archives, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75605
“PT Boat Docked at Pearl City”, April, 1942. National Archives II, 80-G-20379
“Emergency Drill for PT Boat Crews”, April, 1942. National Archives II, 80-G-66239
“Movie Crew at Pearl City Yacht Club”, April, 1942. National Archives II, 80-G-11859
“Officers Dining at Pearl City Yacht Club”, April, 1942. National Archives II, 80-G-63489
“Motor Torpedo Boat Photo Archive: PT-259” http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05259.htm
Baker, Botts in World War II: A Collection of Narrative Accounts of Their Service Experiences Written by Men of the Law Firm of Baker, Botts, Andrews and Wharton, Houston, Texas, 1947. See pg 656 by LT A.B. White, USNR.
The General Said “Nuts”: Firsthand Accounts of Wartime Heroism, Horror, and Humor, by Bill Walraven, 2009. See pgs 169-170 and 186-188.
✩ PHYC’s (arguably) most famous member – George S. Patton, Jr!
#ThrowbackThursday remembers PHYC’s (arguably) most famous member – Lt Col (later General) George S. Patton, Jr!
Lt Col (later General) George S. Patton, Jr. The multiple-Oscar-winning movie “Patton” (released 53 years ago this week) revived popular fame for the legendary soldier.
During two tours in Hawaii (1925-1928 and 1935-37), George and Beatrice Ayer Patton were members of PHYC, from our 1928 and 1937 rosters. Over 600 references to the couple appear in island news of the time, mostly for military, social, and polo events. George was an experienced yachtsman and avid horseman, as was Beatrice (who was probably the better sailor, and subject of a future post!)
For their second tour here, the family sailed their yacht Arcturus to Oahu in June 1935, where it stayed at PHYC. The following year they took a six-week cruise to Fanning Island and Palmyra Atoll, returning to Honolulu just a few hours before Hollywood director (and fellow PHYC member) John Ford arrived from California aboard his yacht Araner. In June 1937, the Pattons sailed Arcturus back to the mainland.
Though the original Patton family members have now all passed away, Arcturus is still afloat. Refurbished and available to charter, she now sails out of Marsden Cove in New Zealand.
SOURCES:
1928 Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Yearbook
1935, Jun 4 – Seafaring Army Officer Here on Yacht, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, pg 5
1936, Oct 6 – Two yachts expected today – Araner and Arcturus, Honolulu Advertiser, pg 13
1936, Oct 13 – Pattons Back from Voyage, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, pg 5
1937 Blue Book of Hawaii Nei – PHYC roster
1937, Jun 12 – Pattons Sail for Mainland, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, pg 4
www.classicboatcharter.com - Charter the classic yacht Arcturus
✩ Celebrating our History the Pacific Yacht Club!
#ThrowbackThursday celebrates the history with our fellow yacht club here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam – the Pacific Yacht Club! Formed in 1957 – the same year the Pearl Harbor Sailing Club organized – the two clubs share 67 years of friendly rivalry and social interaction.
The Hawaii Star-Bulletin of October 19th, 1957 welcomed Sgt. Lew Foster to the island, noting his previous assignment in Japan, where he started the Kisarazu Corinthian Yacht Club, and his ongoing work to establish the Pacific Yacht Club at Ke'ehi Lagoon.
Then, on November 28th, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Commodore Art Blank's new Pearl Harbor Sailing Club had found a permanent location right next to the Air Force, at Ke'ehi Lagoon's Navy Recreation Beach. Facilities there included “a clubhouse, excellent beach and volleyball courts (which) offer a variety that can keep the family busy while father is contesting Air Force superiority on the water.” Despite the dated language, it did not take long before Wahine sailors were also fully engaged in sailing and competing!
Just two months later, the legendary Duke Kahanamoku (at age 67!) showed members from both clubs the true art of sailing when he won the inaugural Pearl Harbor Sailing Club Challenge at Ke'ehi on February 2nd, 1958. Representing Waikiki Yacht Club, but also a life-member of the former Pearl Harbor Yacht Club, Duke notched three wins in Catamaran and dinghy classes to clinch the prize.
Initially separated by just a few hundred yards of beach, the new Reef Runway construction in 1973 brought major changes to the clubs. PYC's sailing area was reduced, while PHYC's clubhouse and beach were demolished and the club relocated 3 miles away to the new Rainbow Bay Marina, back in Pearl Harbor again.
Throughout the decades, and generations of military, retired and civilian families, both clubs have shared a common love of sailing, and the camaraderie built on a long-term respect for one another.
SOURCES
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 19 Oct 1957, pg 11
Honolulu Advertiser, 28 Nov 1957, pg 15
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3 Feb 1958, pg 19
✩ One of PHYC’s First Wahine Sailors: Laura Nott Dowsett.
#ThrowbackThursday honors one of PHYC’s first Wahine sailors, Laura Nott Dowsett.
Born in 1891, her great-grandfather was Dr. Gerrit P Judd, a famous missionary who arrived in Hawaii in 1828. In 1912 she married Herbert Melville Dowsett. Queen Liliuokalani was a guest at the reception following their honeymoon. Herbert was elected first Commodore of PHYC in 1924, the year their fourth child was born. She crewed for him on Star boats, and they won the race to represent Hawaii at the 1929 International Star championship in New Orleans but couldn’t attend due to family illness. In 1931 she began skippering Star boats herself and, a few months later, was the first woman skipper to win a Star race. A 1936 article cites her as the first woman yachtist in the territory, and by 1938 women skippers and crew were abundant in PHYC’s season opening photo. Laura continued winning races into her late 40s and 50s, but WW2 interrupted her sailing and she turned to establishing occupational therapy departments in Army and Navy hospitals. Outside of sailing, she was the island’s first occupational therapist and, in 1929, first person to be director of occupational therapy in Hawaii. The Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii and Junior League of Honolulu have perpetual awards in her name. A Star sailing award cup existed in her name in the 1930s but is now lost. She passed away in 1981 at age 90.
SOURCES
Honolulu Advertiser, 21 Jul 1912, pg 6
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 21 Nov 1925, pg 28
Honolulu Advertiser, 23 Feb 1929, pg 10
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1 Jan 1930, pg 9
Honolulu Advertiser, 14 Mar 1931, pg 9
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 28 May 1931, pg 28
Honolulu Advertiser, 25 Oct 1936, pg 31
Honolulu Advertiser, 02 May 1937, pg 39
Honolulu Advertiser, 17 Sep 1939, pg 8
Honolulu Advertiser, 15 Sep 1941, pg 10
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 05 Nov 1943, pg 3
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 17 Feb 1969, pg 36
Honolulu Advertiser, 27 Mar 1981, pg 15
Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 19 Jun 1983, pg 12
Honolulu Advertiser, 18 Jun 1984, pg 10
✩ The First of Many famous Visitors to PHYC: Ernest Smith and Emory Bronte
#ThrowbackThursday commemorates the first of many famous visitors to PHYC: Ernest Smith and Emory Bronte, the first civilians to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii on July 14-15, 1927.
Though not fully successful (the plane crashed on Molokai), they were heralded as pioneers and enjoyed lunch and sailboat races while guests of PHYC on July 17. They were also greeted by (honorary PHYC member) Governor Wallace Farrington.
They flew just six weeks after Lindbergh’s trans-Atlantic flight, which inspired a prize by James Dole (pineapple magnate and PHYC member) of $25,000 ($438K today) for an Oakland to Honolulu flight. Smith and Bronte’s flight, plus other crashes in the “Dole Air Race” illustrated the challenges of early flights to Hawaii. It would be another nine years before the first commercial airline service to Hawaii began in October 1936 aboard the famous Pan Am Clippers – seaplanes that docked right next to PHYC’s Pearl City clubhouse!
SOURCES
The Honolulu Advertiser, Monday, July 18, 1927, page 1
https://www.historynet.com/emory-bronte-and-ernie-smith-flew-from-california-to-hawaii-in-1927/
https://aviation.hawaii.gov/aviation-pioneers/emory-bronte/photos-of-bronte-smith-flight/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dole_Air_Race
https://beatofhawaii.com/history-of-hawaii-travel-by-ship-and-plane/
✩ A Group of Hardy Sailors at the Navy Recreation Facility, Ke'ehi Lagoon: The Pearl Harbor Sailing Club!
This #ThrowbackThursday, PHYC remembers a group of hardy sailors: the Pearl Harbor Sailing Club! Active from 1957 until 1963 at the Navy Recreation Facility, Ke'ehi Lagoon, they became the “new” Pearl Harbor Yacht Club from June of 1963 onwards.
Their predecessor, the pre-war PHYC, lost their Pearl City clubhouse and Pearl Harbor racing area during WW2. From 1946-1949 those members tried resurrecting the club at various locations on Oahu, to no avail. But around 1952, recreational sailing in Pearl Harbor apparently resumed in limited form for servicemembers at NAS Ford Island. By mid-1957, these active-duty sailors also realized that sailing and inter-club competition were limited by restrictions inside Pearl Harbor and established the Pearl Harbor Sailing Club over at Keehi Lagoon. Commodore Art Blank and 150 members started with 6 boats and limited facilities and grew to a club with youth and adult sailing lessons, a small clubhouse, and entries in major regattas on-island. In 1960, the club fielded a winning team in the Maritime Day regatta’s “S” Class competition. By 1963 the group was ready for a name change from Pearl Harbor SAILING Club to Pearl Harbor YACHT Club.
Photos:
Sailing dinghies from Honolulu Advertiser, 21 May 1959
Winning Crew from All Hands magazine, August 1960
Sources:
“Comdr Hinckley of NAS Ford Island will compete in regatta” Honolulu Advertiser, Wed, 1 Oct 1952, pg 14.
“Anchors Aweigh – Pearl Harbor Sailing Club growing under Commodore Art Blank” Honolulu Advertiser, Thr, 28 Nov 1957, pg 15.
“Dinghies provide sailing joy at Pearl Harbor Sailing Club” Honolulu Advertiser, Thr, 21 May 1959, pg 13.
“Maritime Day race – Capt Cook wins S Class” Honolulu Advertiser, Mon, 23 May 1960, pg 12.
“Pearl Harbor Sailing Club” All Hands magazine, August 1960, pg 25.
✩ PHYC’s Youngest (Honorary) Commodore – Shirley Temple
#ThrowbackThursday celebrates the New Year – our 100th! – with a memory of PHYC’s youngest (Honorary) Commodore – Shirley Temple.
Born in 1928, the seven-year-old film star visited Hawaii for the first time in 1935, a few months after receiving a special Academy Award for her work as a juvenile performer. 16,000 people attended a performance at Iolani Palace. In the days before television, everyone went to the movie theaters, and everyone knew who Shirley Temple was.
On August 3rd, Shirley visited PHYC, arriving by Navy gig. She attended a picnic, met children of PHYC members, and watched races, narrated by PHYC life-member Duke Kahanamoku. Commodore Jack Balch also made her an Honorary Commodore!
Years later, in 1950, she met Charles Black at a party in Honolulu. Working for the Hawaiian Pineapple Company at the time, Charles was a combat vet of WW2 PT boats, a recreational yachtsman, Transpac sailor, and naval reserve intelligence officer. The couple were married later that year, and stayed together until he died in 2005.
After her film career, Shirley continued in public service, and was appointed US Ambassador to Ghana by President Ford, and then Ambassador to Czechoslovakia by President H.W. Bush. She was in Prague during the Velvet Revolution, and helped establish relations with the newly elected, democratic government of Václav Havel. She passed away in 2014.
Sources:
Shirley Temple: Wikipedia. Retrieved at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Temple
Charles Alden Black: “The Spy Who Loved Her”, Standford Magazine. Retrieved by web.archive.org at www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/novdec/classnotes/black.html
Shirley Temple in Hawaii, National World War II Museum website. Retrieved at www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/shirley-temple-hawaii
“Shirley Adds Commodore to List of Titles”, Honolulu Advertiser, August 4, 1935, pgs 1 and 4
“Shirley is Commodore of the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club”, Honolulu Advertiser, August 11, 1935, pg 25
✩ Looking back 120 years ago to New Year’s Day 1904
#ThrowbackThursday prepares for 2024 – Pearl Harbor Yacht Club’s centennial – and looks back 120 years ago to New Year’s Day 1904.
Native Hawaiians knew well the waters of Wai Momi, and then kamaʻāina and malihini sailors discovered wonderful yachting in Pearl Harbor lochs by the late 1880s. Newspapers marveled at the perfect combination of calm waters and steady breezes. In March 1889 the Honolulu Yacht and Boat Club considered a clubhouse there, and informal yacht races began in 1891. Rowing clubs established boat houses on Pearl City Peninsula in 1895, and in 1902 the newly formed Hawaii Yacht Club established a temporary clubhouse at Pu’uloa, near present-day Iroquois Point. Late the following year, they built a larger headquarters on the Peninsula, pictured in the Honolulu Advertiser’s 1904 New Year’s Day edition.
By 1913, Hawaii YC found the clubhouse underused – perhaps because easiest access required a train from Honolulu – and moved downtown. The Honolulu Yacht Club then bought the house, but by 1917 it also found the location unsuitable and later sold the home.
After WW1, newspapers lamented the decline of yachting and yacht clubs, one blaming the introduction of the automobile and sailors “diverted into driving speed wagons.” But on March 6, 1924 a group of ten yachtsmen gathered at the Pacific Club for the first meeting of the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club. Three days later they met at member Robert W. Atkinson’s home on Pearl City peninsula – perhaps driving there – and the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club was on its way.
Sources:
"Honolulu Yacht and Boat Club", Honolulu Advertiser, 8 Mar 1889, Fri · page 3
"July 4th Race at Pearl Harbor", Honolulu Advertiser, 23 Jun 1891, Tue · page 3
"Regatta on Pearl Harbor", Honolulu Evening Bulletin, 25 Feb 1892, Thu · page 2
"A New Land Mark", Hawaiian Star, 20 Feb 1902, Thu · page 1
"Hawaii Yacht Club interest in Lipton Cup and leaving Pearl Harbor", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 30 Jan 1913, Thu · page 9
"Save the Boat-Clubs!", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2 Jun 1917, Sat · page 6
"Pearl Harbor Yacht Club - new addition to yachting in Hawaii", Honolulu Advertiser, 14 May 1924, Wed · page 9
Pearl Harbor Yacht Club Yearbook, 1928 Year-Book Committee, C.W. Dickey, Chairman - page 17
✩ Past PHYC Commodore, Star class yachtsman, and composer R. Alex Anderson.
It’s the holiday season this #throwbackthursday as we remember past PHYC Commodore, Star class yachtsman, and composer R. Alex Anderson.
Perhaps most famous for his song “Mele Kalikimaka”, sung by friend Bing Crosby in 1950, he composed more than 125 other songs, including “Lovely Hula Hands.” Here's a seasonal one, and another nugget I recently made the connection to. Note that, in the 1938 photo at PHYC of him as Commodore, he's kneeling next to Duke Kahanamoku:
Born in Honolulu, Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1894, he graduated from Cornell University in 1916, and flew combat missions in Europe during WW I. Shot down in 1918 over Belgium and taken prisoner by the Germans, he escaped back to England via Holland. He returned to Hawaii in 1919 and began a career in business. An avid sailor, he represented Hawaii at the International Star Regatta in New Orleans in 1929, and again in 1930 in Maryland. Elected PHYC Commodore in 1938, he also served as Rear Commodore in 1937 and 1940. He passed away in 1995, one week short of his 101st birthday, and is buried in Oahu Cemetery.
Sources:
Robert Alexander Anderson - https://www.betathetadata.net/alum/AndersonRA.pdf
“1929 Star Series at New Orleans”, Honolulu Advertiser, 10 Oct 1929.
“Men of Hawaii: A biographical record of men of substantial achievement in the Hawaiian Islands.” Vol IV, published by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, LTD, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, 1930.
“Participated in Season’s Opening at Pearl Harbor Yacht Club”, Honolulu Advertiser, 1 Mar 1938.
“R. Alexander Anderson elected Rear Commodore for 1940”, Honolulu Advertiser, 19 Dec 1939.
“Famed isle songwriter Alexander Anderson dies”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 31 May 1995.
Star Class – History – World Championships: https://starclass.org/history/world-championships
“Behind the Hawaiian Christmas Song ‘Mele Kalikimaka’”: https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-hawaiian-christmas-song-mele-kalikimaka/
✩ Legendary Hollywood Director John Ford joined PHYC in August of 1935
Legendary Hollywood Director John Ford joined PHYC in August of 1935.
When he arrived on Oahu aboard his yacht Araner, flying the colors of Pearl Harbor Yacht Club. His name appears in PHYC’s membership rolls from 1935 to 1941, and the yacht flew PHYC’s burgee until it was donated to the Navy for use in coastal patrols off California during WW 2. Following the war, the vessel appeared in Ford’s 1963 film “Donovan’s Reef” with John Wayne and Lee Marvin, filmed on Kauai.
Sources:
Naval History and Heritage Command: John Ford’s IX-57 Araner I
John Griffin Hanna ARANER - Classic Sailboats
https://classicsailboats.org/john-griffin-hanna-araner/
Wartime designation: USS Araner (IX-57) Type: Auxiliary Ketch LOA: 106′ 5″ / 32.44m – LWL: – Beam: 25′ 2″ / 7.67...
Searching for John Ford, by Joseph McBride, pg 345
✩ Throwback Thursday for December 7th
82 years ago today, this photo was taken by a Japanese plane during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The view looks southeast over Middle Loch, and the PHYC pier and clubhouse are just offscreen to the left on the near side of the Pearl City Peninsula. Explosions from torpedo strikes on the USS West Virginia and USS Oklahoma are visible. Saturday, the day before, PHYC life member Duke Kahanamoku sailed from the club to Waikiki, and planned to sail back on Sunday afternoon, but never did.
Sources:
Naval History and Heritage Command, Overall Views of the Pearl Harbor Attack, NH 50929 (image)
Nadine Alexander Kahanamoku interviews (page 6)
https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/30996f73-9676-447f-b74e-b83c6a65e88b
✩ PHYC Ladies Prepare for Pirate Ball Costume Party, 1941
Pearl Harbor Yacht club hosted many social events. Here are women getting the club house ready at the Pearl City Peninsula location for a Pirate's Ball Costume Party on February 14, 1941.
