Port of New Bedford welcomes New York Yacht Club

New Bedford, Massachusetts– The Port of New Bedford will welcome the New York Yacht Club August 5-6 at Pope’s Island Marina. Several members of the club will begin to arrive Monday, August 5 around 1:00 p.m. as they race from Cuttyhunk.

 

“This is a historic year for the New York Yacht Club as we are celebrating our 175th anniversary. New Bedford last served as a stop on the Annual Cruise more than a century ago, in 1911. We’re pleased that we can once again make this historic port a part of the Club’s oldest tradition,” said Fleet Captain Jim Wilson.

 

Monday evening, club members will attend a dinner and reception at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, spend the night at Pope’s Island Marina, and then depart Tuesday morning.

 

The cruise squadron this year will include roughly 80 boats, from 35 to 141 feet in length. The Annual Cruise is the Club’s oldest tradition, dating back to 1844, three days after the Club was created on board John Cox Stevens’ Gimcrack in New York Harbor. Stevens and the eight other founding members departed New York Harbor for Newport. This year will be the 163rd edition of the Annual Cruise.

 

Fairhaven resident Patty Jayson, also a longtime member of the New York Yacht Club and one a New Bedford Whaling Museum board members, was integral in bringing the cruise to the New Bedford Harbor. “Because of my love for the harbor, I have always thought they should bring the cruise here,” Ms. Jayson said.

 

Throughout its distinguished history, the New Bedford Yacht Club has had numerous members with ties to New Bedford and its surrounding towns, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and William F. Robinson.

 

“Each year we have continued to attract more and more yachting clubs to Pope’s Island Marina,” said Ed Anthes-Washburn, Executive Director of the New Bedford Port Authority. “The marina has become a recreational boating destination, introducing hundreds of visitors to downtown New Bedford.”

 

Pope’s Island Marina is located in the heart of Buzzards Bay, allowing easy access to the best fishing grounds, great beaches, and downtown New Bedford. With 204 slips, 810 feet of fixed pier and more than 300 moorings, Pope’s Island Marina can accommodate seasonal and transient boaters.