Boat U.S. - March 2009 - (Page 71)

about keeping it at Seafarers’ fully handmade wood swimin Washington. This would platform and rail. It’s a boat be the club’s saving grace. owned by a man who loves to Green suggested that Martin work with wood. take over the club and keep it Seafarers’ Future going. “I talked to the guys in On The Anacostia Annapolis, and some were too scared to do it,” says Martin. Though now more than “Remember, this was a differ50 years old, the future of ent time. They thought we’d the Seafarers Yacht Club on get ourselves in trouble with the Anacostia is by no means the government, that they’d definite. Each year their propconfiscate our boats.” But the erty contract is renegotiated majority took a leap of faith, with the District of Columbia legally merged with Seafarers whose jurisdiction replaced the A paddleboat dock on the Potomac. in Washington, and went with Department of the Interior’s. Bob Martin. Never a choice piece of land, Martin remained commodore for the next it continues to have its problems, says Martin. 20 years, and quickly set about improving the The river is silting up; heavy rains empty grit club. First, with his son Chubby, he built the back into the Anacostia, which has been lowclubhouse. “People said it would fall into the ering depths to an almost impossible level for river because the whole ground would shake Seafarers’ members who own deeper-draft boats. when those heavy steam engines came down Plus, the ever-present encroachment of realestate the track,” he laughs. Today, the steam engines development puts pressure on the city to use are long gone, replaced by modern locomo- the land for other purposes, as the surrounding tives that trundle by, and the club still stands areea becomes more and more desirable. But, for now, the members are proud, the solidly. Martin’s own woodworking and construc- club active, its current membership today stands tion skills are on display in the clubhouse. at about 45, and is now multi-racial. “It was an Angled windows run the entire length of the all-black club for so many years,” remembers south side of the building, giving it a panoram- Martin. “Over time, a lot of white people would ic view over the river to the quiet greenery of stop in and sign the papers to join, and we’d say, Anacostia Park on the far bank. Dotted on the ‘Oh, yes, we’d be glad to have you.’ Then they’d simple white walls, between the many plastic find out it was an all-black club and they’d be tables and chairs, are photographs of past com- gone!” he laughs. “That doesn’t happen much modores and memorabilia collected by mem- anymore.” These days, Seafarers is known for bers over the years. A neat bar is tucked into its Friday fish fry, its neighborly members, and its efforts to clean up their end of the Anacostia another wall. Martin’s 41-foot Chris-Craft sits proudly in River. Stop in some time. The welcome is warm. front of the club. On his dock is a self-made Ann Dermody writes for various publications in her native boarding ladder with elaborate banisters that Ireland, and as a freelancer for BoatU.S. Magazine. She and pull Natatchia, named for his late wife, closer her husband Ed recently completed a two-year cruise aboard 48-foot for easy access. The boat’s stern has a beauti- their home in Chris-Craft, Desperado, from San Francisco to their Virginia. BoatU.S. Magazine M arch2009 photo courtesy of washington Dc tourisM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Boat U.S. - March 2009

Boat U.S. - March 2009 Contents Reader Forum Boat U.S. Reports What’s New In The Brew? The Perfect Paint Job Launch Into Spring Boats Gear Wheels One Mom, Two Teens, No Exit So, Nigel Had This Idea Ice Devices It Was A Club Of Their Own Expanding The Boating Universe Tech Connection A Case Study In Getting Results Let’s All Do This Together Classifieds Member Benefits/At Your Service

Boat U.S. - March 2009

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