Crescent Sail Yacht Club
276 Lakeshore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
History
On September 23rd, 1932 a group of young men in Detroit agreed to the formation of a Club for the purpose of fostering yacht sailing.
"Crescent", as it is known in the world of sailing, is a club exclusively for sailors. The only power boats moored at the club are work boats used for running regattas. The club's man-made harbor juts into the waters of Lake St. Clair at 276 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Crescent was founded in 1933 by a determined group of sailing and racing devotees. Their depression-era experiences had a telling effect on the concepts and principles under which Crescent functioned then and now. Founded as a sailing club for "men of moderate means" (which now includes women), Crescent has the tradition that members work eighteen hours annually for the club as part of their membership. Two annual workdays organize the effort to improve and maintain the facility. These workdays also provide the benefit of developing close friendships and camaraderie that extend into Crescent sailing activities.
Distinctive among the twenty-five yacht clubs in the area, Crescent's special mission is to promote the skills and traditions of racing one-design craft.
Today, Junior Sail and Adult Learn to Sail Educational and Training Programs operate out of Crescent utilizing Optis, FJs,420s, Lasers, Flying Scots, Cal 20s, and F-18 Catamarans each summer with over 100 students, eight paid licensed instructors, numerous volunteer support.
One Design races for Lasers, Snipes, Thistles, Lightnings, Flying Scots, Cal 20s and F-18 Catamarans are held twice a week, Wednesday evening and Sunday mornings at Crescent. Lasers frostbite each fall, racing well into December. Other one-design classes active at Crescent include Cal 25s, Express 27s, Melges 24s, International Etchells, Bennateau 36.7s, and Tartan 10s. Over the years, Crescent sailors have earned both national and international recognition at the championship level in many classes.
During the "hard water" season (winter), Arrow, DN, J14 and Renegade iceboats emerge from storage and carry the CSYC Burgee into competition. Crescent also hosts regional and national regattas and an annual DRYA regatta that is typically one of the best attended of the year. In truth, except for time spent earning a living, Crescent sailors devote their passion and energies to just one thing… the sport of sailing.
Click on the following links to view:
80th Anniversary of Crescent Sail Yacht Club
A year by year account, of what has been published in the Clubs newsletter, is provided below.
1934 The Club finds a permanent home
1935 Getting the new Club home into shape
1937 Getting the new Club home into shape
1939 Crow’s Nest and the First Breeze
1940 New Club workboat The Wrangle
1943 Another year of war rationing in Detroit
1944 1945 1946 Records for this years are minimal
1947 Crescent Day features a new event — a free-for-all called the Watermelon Race
1948 Picnics, Parties & Banquets
1949 Two Past Commodores honored
1950 Lightning, not Lightnings, was our problem that year
1951 Dues for Senior Resident Members raised to $35 per year
1952 A year long remembered in Club history
1953 Box Social and Square Dances
1954 The Heads at Crescent have always been inadequate
1955 August was an important sailing month
1956 Crescent admitted its first Senior Member in 16 months during July
1957 Time and the water level caught up with the Club this year
1958 Replacing its long-time faithful Bosun William Andrews, the Club retained Jim Bruce
1959 Membership has become so affluent that Two-car families now fill the parking lot