Dering Harbor’s Discovery Changes Shelter Island Forever Part 5 of 9 Compiled by Patricia Shillingburg

Yachting     Two weeks after the incorporation of the S.I.Y.C. in 1886 the American Yacht Club with Commodore Hoagland's Lagonda at the 'head of the line' of eleven yachts embarked on its Third Annual Regatta to New London and Shelter Island. It was a major social and nautical event, including Jay Gould's Atalanta. The New York Herald followed the cruise with many columns of copy detailing the cups to be awarded, the parties at the Pequot House in New London where ex-President Arthur stood among the spectators, the passage of Plum Gut, the steam launch races off Greenport and, finally, the naptha launch races between Shelter Island's two big resort hotels.     As a new feature eager guests at the big hotels were invited to visit each and every yacht with transportation furnished by the regatta committee. Finally, the ball at the Manhanset House was a most elaborate affair, a great success. Overnighters from the boats took up every available inch of sleeping room at the hotel, including bathrooms, barber shop and billiard room.     Less than a week later the Atlantic Yacht Club under Commodore H. H. Hogins arrived from New London on its way back to Brooklyn and was duly saluted by cannon salvos from the lawn of the Prospect House and greeted by scores of sailboats. Next day, we are told, many from the cruise came ashore to stroll about the Island “while others played tennis with recognized experts of the summer residents.     Just a few days later, on July 24, the New York Yacht Club arrived on its cruise with thirteen yachts and one hundred fifty additional passengers aboard the chartered Cygnus. Cannon boomed again, costly and handsome fireworks exploded.     These events, treading on each other’s heels, may help to account for the mysteriously long interval between the granting of the S.I.Y.C. charter on July 3 and the first meeting of the trustees on August 14. The quick succession of visiting cruises may also have stimulated the hurried decision — only a week later-- to hold the first S.I.Y.C. regatta next week. Henceforth, the first order of business at the annual meeting in September was to appoint a Regatta Committee to schedule the next season’s cruises and races.       Waldo Kraemer’s memories of the early years of the 20th century, are equally enthralling: The one hundred foot or over yacht was very popular, and there were always eight or ten moored off Manhanset.  We often on fine evenings, would get into a rowboat and row around the yachts. One of them belonging to Dr. Humphries, of cold pill fame, was called the Wautauga and looked like a miniature battleship, Great White Fleet style. It even had a piano. Such luxury: Some evenings we would make a round trip on the ferry. It was such a pleasant open upper deck. It’s course took it practically through the yacht fleet. The day of the ninety-foot waterline schooners, like the Elmira, Queen, Elena and West Wind had not, as yet. come, so that anything big was steam. There were of course, no gas engines or Diesels.