HISTORY

With a growing interest in establishing an organization to conduct races for sailboats of various sizes on the Shrewsbury River, interested parties composed of 11 boat owners and crews met in March of 1936. The result of this initial meeting was a decision to pursue the formation of a club to conduct sailboat races to be held on Saturday afternoons from the 4th of July through Labor Day. Following this initial gathering the first “official” meeting of the organization identified as the Shrewsbury Handicap Sailing Association was held on April 23, 1936 where by-laws were adopted, dues collected, and club officers were elected. The inaugural race was held in late May 1936 and racing continued until mid-September with a variety of classes competing, including Indians, Sneakboxes, Comets, and Lancasters (a clinker-built Cape Cod dory sloop).

The original name of the club was changed a few years later to Shrewsbury Sailing Club and in 1951 changed again to the Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club. Initially sailing out of area member homes, the evolution continued and in 1947, the club obtained four adjacent 25-foot lots on the Shrewsbury River for a purchase price of $400. This is the part of the club's property where the main clubhouse is currently situated. In 1949 construction was completed on the clubhouse. Additional lots were purchased from the Borough of Oceanport in 1954, 1957 and finally in 1960 to create the total grounds on which the club facilities presently reside.

In 1953, the SSYC Junior Program was established. This program was hugely successful with program participants winning many honors for the club, statewide, regionally, and nationally. In support of the program, the junior building was built in 1985-1986 along with an expansion of the main clubhouse to the current footprint that exists today. The Junior Program remains a key component of the club with many participating families becoming members, as the experience proved to be great for their children’s self-esteem, personal growth and subsequent camaraderie.

As racing continued to grow, it became apparent that there was a need for a starting boat to support racing. Through the efforts of the founders and the cooperation of the City of Long Branch, a life raft from the historic “Mary Patten” of the Sea Bright & Long Branch Steamboat Company (more commonly known as the Patten Line), which was in a state of decay at the Pleasure Bay dock was obtained. The name “Mary Patten” came back full circle a number of years later when the club purchased the first of a series of pontoon Race Committee boats and designated each one of these boats as the “Mary Patten”, a tradition that carries forward to this day.

And that’s just the beginning! For over 80 years, Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club has served to encourage sailing and sailboat racing, promoted the science of seamanship and navigation, and provided a beautiful clubhouse for the educational, recreational, and social use of its members, families, and guests.