Your Historian is always delighted to receive photographs from members that highlight our FBYC community in past years. Sandy Clark, recently reelected to membership, has submitted several pictures of his family’s boat, Dixie. Murray Clark and his family were early members shortly after the Club moved from Urbanna in 1949 and acquired a beautiful 42-foot wooden gaff-rigged sloop named Dixie about 1960. She was constructed in 1915 by Reuben Huiseler, a renowned Down East boat builder, as a Bermuda Race contender. She was scary fast…her CCA rating indicated that she was considered to be the 5^th fastest racing yacht on the Chesapeake Bay at that time.

The first photograph displayed here spotlights her gorgeous lines and powerful sail rig. Dixie would look fast even in a dead calm which she certainly isn’t experiencing in this picture.  

The next photograph conveys the joy of Sandy’s sister, Janet (L), and her friend Cacky O’Ferrall (R) frolicking on Dixie’s huge bowsprit on a bright Chesapeake summer day circa 1961-62. The picture is perfectly framed and composed and would not look out of place gracing the cover of any sailing magazine today.  

Unfortunately, some ten years later Dixie was consumed by flames in a spectacular fire while anchored off FBYC. Like so many of those beautiful old wooden racing yachts, she has been lost to history and is now only a fond but misty memory.

Your Historian, once again, entreats our members to comb through their photo albums and shoeboxes for old photographs that dramatize the history of our club. Please scan and send them with a description to jerepaula@verizon.net, and you may see them in a future issue of the Log.  

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