Historic Overview
The Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc. of Annapolis, Maryland was organized in 1960 by a group of black men with a common interest in boating. They initially met in members' homes, and later in a rented one-room storefront in Annapolis, giving the building a nautical motif while continuing to look for other opportunities. Founding member of the Club, Ellsworth Randall, once said that “members cut down on beer and cigarettes and playing poker in order to buy their boats”.
In 1967, the members purchased an abandoned schoolhouse at Third Street and Chester Avenue that had been built as an elementary school for black children. This became the Club House that remains until today. In later years the building was thoroughly renovated with the addition of a swimming pool and a deck overlooking Back Creek. Today the Club is comprised of over fifty members and is well known for seamanship and community service.
In 1986, a 24-slip pier, located in the same city block as the Club House was leased from the Thompson family. This served as the principal location of Seafarers’ yachts until the spring of 2003, at which time dockage was relocated to Edgewater Boating Center on the South River. Club Members’ yachts now number around forty, ranging from twenty-six to fifty-eight feet in length. Members cruise the entire east coast from Maine to Florida. Several have sailed to the Great Lakes and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and others have participated in local and more distant sailboat races.
Throughout its history, the Seafarers’ activities have not been limited to fun in the sun. Always aware of community, the Seafarers have provided swimming lessons for neighborhood children, and exposed children of Annapolis and neighboring communities to classes in boating safety along with practical experience on the water. Many members of the Club belong to the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 75 which was organized at the Seafarers Yacht Clubhouse in 1970. The activities of the Flotilla include education, safety inspections, and search and rescue.
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