The Raritan Yacht Club (RYC), located in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...

, is the second oldest

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mari ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and is thought to be one of the oldest yacht clubs in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Founded in 1882, The Raritan Yacht Club came into existence via a merger of two smaller local boat clubs: the Carteret Boat Club (founded in 1865 and included mostly

canoes A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

and rowing) and the Perth Amboy Yacht Club (founded in 1874 and included mostly

sailboats A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

). Both clubs utilized waterfront buildings within close proximity to each other. The original Carteret Boat Club was housed in a one-room building containing a pot-belly stove, some canoes hanging from slings, and a

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

where members would sit in rocking chairs watching the boats on the water. The original Perth Amboy Yacht Club consisted mostly of prominent citizens with sailboats -- though their numbers were relatively few -- with a clubhouse located not far from the Carteret Boat Club. As they both eventually faced near-

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

, the two clubs merged in May 1882 and assumed the name "Raritan Yacht Club," along with adopting the earlier founding date (1865) of the Carteret Boat Club for their official "founding" date as it also shares this date with the construction of the current RYC building. In December 1915, the Raritan Yacht Club was completely destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1916 at its current location.

Through its history, the club held regattas in the

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by P ...

, and members participated in larger races like the Newport to Bermuda race. As of 2022, Raritan Yacht Club is a members-only facility with

dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...

slips, moorings, a

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

restaurant. The club hosts

regattas Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

for members and offers sailing lesson programs for children, teens, and adults during the sailing season, which is generally from mid-Spring to mid-Fall. RYC adopted the St. George’s Cross, which is a red cross on a white background dating back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

for it’s official

burgee A burgee is a distinguishing flag, regardless of its shape, of a recreational boating organization. In most cases, they have the shape of a pennon, pennant. Etiquette Yacht clubs and their members may fly their club's burgee while under way ...

(

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Location

The original club building — and all its contents — was destroyed by a fire on December 22, 1915. In 1916, the club purchased the property of its current address (160 Water Street) which was originally the home of Perth Amboy resident Thomas E. Cooper. The Cooper home is waterfront

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

styled

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

built in 1865. The current building has endured additions over the years. The lot measure 6,957 square feet sitting upon .98 of an acre respectively with a combined assessed value (as of 2020) of $1,279,000 USD.

Hurricane damage

The club endured significant damage from hurricanes over the years, including

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

Images

File:Raritan yacht club clubhouse before 1915.jpg, Raritan Yacht Club clubhouse before 1915 File:Raritan yacht club new clubhouse 1907.jpg, New clubhouse, Raritan Yacht club, 1907 File:1915 Raritan Yacht Club fire.jpg, 1915 fire burning the Raritan Yacht club

Sources

* Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ. Published by The Club, 1882 * Constitution and By-laws of the Raritan Yacht Club of Perth Amboy, NJ. Published by The Club, 1903 * MotorBoating, December 1929, Vol. 44, No. 6. ISSN 1531-2623.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.ryc.org/ 1882 establishments in New Jersey Perth Amboy, New Jersey Yacht clubs in the United States