Community Boating, Inc. (CBI) is a private

not-for-profit corporation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

run in association with the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...

. Located on the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

Esplanade between the

Hatch Shell The Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell (commonly referred to as the "Hatch Shell") is an outdoor concert venue on the Charles River Esplanade in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1939–1940, it is one of the city's prominent ...

and the

Longfellow Bridge The Longfellow Bridge is a steel rib arch bridge spanning the Charles River to connect Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bridge carries Massachusetts Route 3, US Route 3, the MBTA Re ...

Community Boating is the oldest public sailing organization in the United States. CBI was founded by Joe Lee, an affluent Bostonian with an eye for social justice and a penchant for rebellion. He realized that sailing could enrich the lives of children who lived in Boston's working-class West End neighborhood. Starting in the 1930s, his “Lee Boys” began venturing onto the Charles with plywood sailboats and makeshift canvas sails, dodging conflicts with skeptical state officials and well-heeled nearby boat clubs. Lee's program gradually grew less mischievous and more formal, but his kids insisted that the city needed a permanent place for cheap public sailing. They were ultimately successful: CBI was officially incorporated in 1946, and it earned 501(c)3 status by 1951.

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the '' Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, th ...

learned to sail here as a child.http://www.leonardnimoy.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1722:my-early-days-in-boston&catid=4:other-appearances&Itemid=3, title=Leonard Nimoy's Boston, publisher=, accessdate=20 April 2017}

References

External links

* Boating associations Non-profit organizations based in Boston 1936 establishments in Massachusetts {{US-org-stub