{"id":134,"date":"2024-06-14T18:12:33","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T18:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/?page_id=134"},"modified":"2024-06-20T15:10:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:10:07","slug":"dobson-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/?page_id=134","title":{"rendered":"Dobson History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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History<\/h1>\r\n

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The Dobson Yacht Club, like so many other good ideas, had a humble beginning. The year was 1953 a time of relative prosperity in Cape Breton. Sydney Steel was booming and coal was still \u201cKing\u201d. It was a time of rebuilding and hard work following the war, but it was also a time when recreation was important as a diversion from the everyday realities of life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

One such diversion was Snipe racing. These small sailing vessels provided an inexpensive form of entertainment. Sydney Harbour\u2019s only yacht club, the Royal Cape Breton was reaping the benefits of the increase in the number of Snipe racing enthusiasts. However, several members of the Royal Cape Breton\u2019s Snipe Sailing Fleet had become disillusioned with some of the restrictive practices of that club. So, with nothing more than a dream, they began to consider starting their own yacht club.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

These dreamers had absolutely no assets, but they were attracted to a piece of land directly across the harbour. A build-up of stone ballast dumped there over the years formed a crude breakwater filled in with sand and gravel. The resulting piece of property was called Shingle Point. There was safe anchorage on the southwest side of the property that would be ideal for the Snipe fleet. This property formed a part of the \u201cDobson Estate\u201d, located across the Westmount Highway from Shingle Point. This estate was an early land grant from the Crown to the Dobson family and included all the rights to the water frontage bordering on the estate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In 1953, the estate belonged to Mr Sidney Dobson and several of his sisters. One of the sailors trying to establish this second Sydney Harbour yacht club was a young man named Roy MacKeen. His mother was Myrtle Mac\u00a0Keen, n\u00e9e Dobson, and she was one of the sisters in control of the Dobson Estate. She was also very sympathetic to the cause that had captured her son\u2019s attention.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Roy Mac Keen recalls:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe name Shingle Point was based upon the \u2018shingle beach\u2019 created on the north side of the point. The land was like a Bras d\u2019Or lakes \u2018barrachois\u2019, a rocky point enclosing, or almost enclosing a pond. The land was the Westmount southern \u2018terminus\u2019 for the ferry which shuttled passengers from Westmount to Sydney during the navigable season. The Sydney Terminus (wharf) was at the base of the steep hill on the water side of the Isle Royale Hotel. The northern Westmount terminus was further to the north at the end of Ingrahams Lane.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe ferry was called the\u00a0Mary\u00a0and, as I recall, was probably about 40 feet in length; a two\u2011man, raised pilot house forward and an enclosed cabin for passengers. The cabin would hold about 12 people on each side on slatted full\u2011length benches; life jackets above on a rack. A potbelly stove kept the cabin warm in spring and summer. Of the two\u2011man crew\u2014captain and mate\u2014I can remember Captain Jackson, a very stern looking man, in my young eyes, with a bushy moustache and the young mate, Ashley Aitkens who took over on the death of Captain Jackson, and remained master until the ferry service was retired, the year that Westmount Road was paved. It was amazing to me how Mr Aitkens could throw a large diameter coil of rope over the piling every time. The ferry ran annually until ice prevented further navigation. Then, the passengers who used the ferry to get to work in Sydney, had to stay home until the harbour either froze solid enough to hold their weight or until the spring melt permitted the\u00a0Mary\u00a0to run again. There was no dependable alternate route around the harbour at that time. Just a single\u2011lane, dirt road which turned into mud in the spring and a dust trail in the summer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe Dobson Yacht Club land was owned by Job Dobson, marine contractor and farmer. The original land, approximately bounded by Corbett Street on the north, Pretoria Street on the south, the harbour on the east and the Murphy Road on the West, was a considerable tract of land. The estate consisted of only two homes and the farm barns, the rest was open fields. The bungalow to the north, lately owned by the Daleys was the summer home of Harvey O. Dobson, a New York criminal lawyer, son of Job Dobson. There was, in the 30s, a boathouse on the harbour side of the bungalow which I can recall housed a canoe, two lapstrake rowboats, a Hickman Sea Sled (one of the few manufactured), and the\u00a0Ciboux, Sid Dobson\u2019s fast, gaff-rigged sloop. The Dobsons were a sea oriented family. The\u00a0Aspinet, a 60\u2032 schooner whose lines are stored at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington was usually berthed at the DYC ferry dock.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe present land occupied by DYC was his (Job\u2019s) shipyard, which supported the marine contracting business, complete with marine railway, building shed, etc. Wonderful odours of creosote, pine tar, and wood chips filled the air. Walter Pinaud was brought over from St\u2011Pierre to work at the yard by my grandfather Job Dobson.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Negotiations began between the sailors and the Dobson family and a price of $3,000 was placed on the property known as Shingle Point. Now it was just a matter of raising the $3,000 and this dream could become a reality. Twelve original members paid $100 each, plus a membership fee of $20. Some of the members fronted a loan for the balance and, in 1954, adopting the name of its benefactor, The Dobson Yacht Club was born.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The original clubhouse was a shack from the construction site of the then-new Federal Building on Dorchester Street. In the spring of 1954, the water\u2019s edge in the southwest cove was only 9\u201312\u00a0metres from the clubhouse itself. The next order of business was to purchase a new clubhouse.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

At this time the old military barracks on Royal Avenue, near the Sydney City Hospital, were being sold for one dollar each with the condition that they be removed from the site. After purchasing one of these buildings the members hired Mr W. Carson to move the building. This was done by separating the building in two and moving it through the streets of Sydney down to the Cape Breton Dairy on the waterfront. Total costs to the members was $1,440. Mr Henry Bettens of Glace Bay installed a foundation on the Dobson property for $350 and the actual relocation took place by floating the structures across the harbour in September of 1955.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

During the mid-fifties to mid-sixties, the Snipe Sailing Team from Dobson became a force to be reckoned with in Maritime racing circles. The team won the Provincial Snipe Championships three times, the Maritime Championship three times and the Dominion Championship once. Many other trophies, including the McCurdy Cup (emblematic of the Championship of the Bras d\u2019Or Lakes) took their place at Dobson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

By 1965 Snipe Class racing was losing popularity, and the Club found itself $2,300 in debt. In an act of desperation, the membership turned to the very yacht club they had left twelve years earlier, the Royal Cape Breton, and offered the Dobson to them for the $2,300 debt. The Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club refused and, in hindsight, that was the best thing that could have happened. Shortly thereafter, a \u2018saviour\u2019 appeared in the form of the Maritime Foundation Company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Maritime Foundation was drilling for bedrock around Sydney Harbour and they needed a suitable place to build cement cribs to be used in the construction of Steel Company loading piers. Dobson was the ideal location and a three-member committee consisting of Ray Kennedy, Frank Elman, and Harold Schwartz hammered out a deal with Maritime Foundation on September 1, 1965.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The deal meant Dobson would own outright the Maritime-built docking area known as \u2018the camber\u2019, which would be left behind when the job was finished. This project was like a blood transfusion to Dobson. The new camber meant bigger sailboats and power boats could now use the facilities, beginning a new era in the local yachting world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Another bright spot in the Dobson history was the arrival of Captain Dennis Moore. Captain Moore was the head of navigation at the Canadian Coast Guard College and Commodore of Dobson in 1970\u201371. His mastery in teaching the art of navigation made it possible for the Dobson sailors to venture farther afield than other Cape Breton sailors, thereby producing some of the island\u2019s most experienced skippers and crewmen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In 1997 new marina facilities were opened at the Club. The members of the day took the decision to seek funding for protected berthing facilities for the Club\u2019s boats. This support was found at Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, a Crown Corporation. The Club acquired demolition rubble from the old City Hospital, St\u00a0Rita\u2019s Hospital, and the Cape Breton Hospital for construction of breakwaters, and installed foating docks with finger piers. There are now berths for 49 of our boats within the sheltered confines of the marina.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A need arose in 1999 to expand the clubhouse facilities. A committee was formed and funding was sought. The members came forward with personal funding and the remainder was secured from a mortgage company. The work included: a renovated bar that provides service in two different areas; a new lounge area; a fully equipped galley facility; a conference\/reception room; a members lounge; a boardroom on the second floor; and decks, both up and down, for viewing the harbour and across to the downtown area.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Founding Members:<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

The fact that DYC is a viable operation to this day is due to the efforts and sacrifices of many people. We salute the founding members who had the courage to take on the venture in the face of many roadblocks and who had the determination to stay with the project when it looked doomed. They were:<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
  • \r\n
      \r\n
    • Frank Elman<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Murray Elman<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Emerson Henderson<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Harry Henderson<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Lawton Isherwood<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Earl Johnson<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Dr Ray Kennedy<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Willington MacCoubry<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Rankin Mac\u00a0Keen<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Roy Mac\u00a0Keen<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Jim MacKinley<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Lloyd MacKinley<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Walter MacKinley<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Harold Schwartz<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    • Irving Schwartz<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

      \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      Commodores:<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

      1953 – Walter Mackinley
      1954 \u2013 Lawton Isherwood
      1955 \u2013 Earl Johnson
      1956 \u2013 Dr Ray W. Kennedy
      1957 \u2013 James MacKinley
      1958 \u2013 Harry Henderson
      1959 \u2013 Roy Mac Keen
      1959 \u2013 Frank Elman
      1960 \u2013 Walter MacKinley
      1961 \u2013 Bob Bezanson
      1962 \u2013 Dr A. R. Prossin
      1963 \u2013 Harold Schwartz
      1964 \u2013 Grant Butler
      1965 \u2013 Don Tower
      1966 \u2013 Al Goldstein
      1967 \u2013 Ivan Aitkens
      1968 – Bruce Campbell
      1970 \u2013 Dennis Moore
      1972 \u2013 Bruce Campbell
      1973 \u2013 Dr Ray W. Kennedy
      1974 \u2013 Henry Bennett
      1976 \u2013 Joe Birette
      1977 \u2013 Ernie Skinner
      1977 \u2013 Allan Henderson
      1978 \u2013 Arnold Lathigee
      1979 \u2013 Sandy MacNeil
      1980 \u2013 Wayne Jackson
      1981 \u2013 Aubrey MacNeil
      1982 \u2013 Rick Maclnnis
      1983 \u2013 Rick Maclnnis
      1984 \u2013 Pat Corbett
      1985 \u2013 Brian Young
      1986 \u2013 Brian Young
      1987 \u2013 Dave Wright
      1988 \u2013 Rick MacInnis
      1989 \u2013 Frank Elman
      1990 \u2013 Greg Rudderham
      1991 \u2013 Ken Hanson
      1968 \u2013 Bruce Campbell
      1969 \u2013 Ted Latimer
      1970 – Dennis Moore
      1971 \u2013 Dennis Moore
      1992 \u2013 James Black
      1993 \u2013 Gordon Sutherland
      1994 \u2013 James Black
      1995 \u2013 Albert McArthur
      1996 \u2013 Gordon MacDonald
      1997 \u2013 Charles Mahoney
      1998 \u2013 Gordon Sutherland
      1999 \u2013 Albert McArthur
      2000 \u2013 Albert McArthur
      2001 \u2013 Ervin Meery
      2002 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2003 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2004 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2005 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2006 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2007 \u2013 Ray Campbell
      2008 \u2013 Robert Etheridge
      2009 \u2013 Robert Etheridge
      2010 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2011 \u2013 Leo Bennett
      2012 \u2013 Dan McCarthy
      2013 \u2013 Dan McCarthy
      2014 \u2013 Robert Etheridge
      2015 \u2013 Dan McCarthy
      2016 \u2013 Dan McCarthy<\/p>\r\n\r\n

       <\/p>\r\n

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      [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] History [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””] The Dobson Yacht Club, like so many other good ideas, had a humble beginning. The year was 1953 a time of relative prosperity in Cape Breton. Sydney Steel was booming and coal was still \u201cKing\u201d. It was a time of rebuilding and hard work following the war, but it was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-134","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264,"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions\/264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dobsonyachtclub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}