In 2024, the Town of Sherborn is celebrating the 350th anniversary of the incorporation of the town. As the SYC’s contribution to the celebrations, we felt it was only right to look into our history as a club, although we have not been around for as long. Through collecting sources, speaking with former club leaders, and consulting social media pages, we have compiled the following history.

For further information on Sherborn’s 350 Celebrations, visit their website here.

We will be updating throughout the summer with stories and photos from the community. If you would like to contribute, please submit them to this form!

In February of 1961, four friends Bob and Gair Brooks and Arnold and Barbara Whitman decided to form a yacht club on Farm Pond. An inaugural meeting was held on May 20, 1962 to elect board members and decide on a name, Sherborn Yacht Club, which was chosen because of the humor of having a yacht club on a pond. The Sherborn Board of Selectmen approved a mooring ramp to the right of the launching ramp, and the Yacht Club was formed. 

During the early years, the club grew quickly, with the purchase of Wee Nips (1963), Dublin Sloops (1964), Pearson Petrels (1965), and international 420s (1968-1972). Two hundred feet of shoreline was leased from Irv and Jane Pockel to allow for social gatherings which became popular with members. These included a 4th of July clambake and a midsummer moonlight sail. 

The ‘70s saw the start of regattas for the yacht club by Esther Parker, who is the namesake of the the Parker Cup. One of multiple cups, including the Riley Cup, the Anderson Cup, among others, these were races on long weekends that would finish with a cocktail party at the abutter’s house that was the namesake for the cup.

The first annual Yankee Duo Regatta was in 1970, co-hosted by the Orleans Yacht Club. This Regatta consisted of two days of racing Sunfish and was the final segment of the New England Sunfish Championship. The SYC last helped organize the event in 2018, but it still carries on annually at Orleans Yacht Club. 

In 1970, the first Buoy-Room Ball was held by the SYC at the Natick Labs Officers Club with an entrance fee of $5 ($40 in 2024).

Labor Day in 1972 saw the first cancellation of a Regatta from a hurricane, following the rules set in place in the founding documents:

For the 300th anniversary of Sherborn in 1974, the Yacht Club was mentioned as having “155 families, 16 singles and 3 juniors” (A Guide to Sherborn, 1974).

By the mid ‘70s, the demand became so intense for moorings that anyone who wanted a new mooring permit was advised to arrive before dawn to wait in line for the Town Office to open on the first day of issue. Celebrity resident and Club member Jack Williams (news anchor at WBZ TV) was one of those who did just that to get a Sunfish mooring spot.

Start of Junior Racing

With the popularity of Senior Racing (for those 16+), kids who saw their parents sailing wanted to join in. Junior Racing was held on Wednesdays for Sloops and Thursdays for Sunfish/Sailfish.

Previously, the SYC repurposed docks that the town had discarded. In the early 1980s, the Club designed and builded docks from scratch to accommodate the growing membership. Windmills (1985-1994) were used during this time.

Start of the Sherborn Yacht Club Sailing School

In 1984, as newcomers arrived in Sherborn not having sailed before, the junior racing program started to dwindle in numbers. Deb Barnet, the first female Commodore, understood the need to continue the racing program and began what is now the Sherborn Yacht Club Sailing School. In the first year, there was no knowing how popular the classes would be, and the Sailing Program started offering classes for $25 ($75 in 2024). Two college students went to a WSI “Learn to Teach Sailing” camp and Deb called around to various sailing schools, ultimately deciding on the 30 hour, 3-hour a day for 2 week structure that the SYC still follows today. When sign-ups (in-person in 1984) went up, classes filled quickly and there were waitlists to join.

Following the success and understanding there would be a need for more instructors, the 1985 season had the price of classes raised to $100 ($300 in 2024). After a few years of in-person sign-ups, the Club switched to mail-in applications, with previous participants having a two-week period to secure their spot before it opened to the public.

As more students became comfortable sailing on their own and started learning the rules of racing, the Junior Racing program picked up again after a few years with the intermediate and advanced classes not having class on Wednesday afternoons so they could participate in races.

Short-lived Windsurfing Trend at the SYC in the ‘80s

In the 1980s, windsurfing gained popularity and became an Olympic Sport at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Following this spike in interest, the SYC purchased two boards. As Farm Pond is known for its southwest wind, Deb Barnet recalls that the dock staff would spend most days paddling out to retrieve members when they could not get back from the north shore.

In 1995, JY14s, a sailboat similar to a Laser in size and function, were purchased. These boats were purchased to replace the Windmills, which had their last summer of use in 1994. 

The start of Deb Barnet’s tenure as Waterfront Director started in 1994. She went on to lead the waterfront until 2018.

Dover-Sherborn High School Sailing Team at Farm Pond

Towards the end of the 1990s, the club purchased Club 420s (1990s-2022) in response to the need of the Dover-Sherborn High School Sailing Team. The team had started out sailing in Boston at Community Boating, but wanted to be closer to home after gaining the recognition as a varsity team. The 420s were put in the water by April 1st (or as soon as the ice melts!) and DSHS Sailors had to purchase memberships for insurance purposes. For several years, Farm Pond was home to the DSHS Sailing Team but they have since moved to Lake Massapoag which allows power boats.

In 2005, the SYC was featured in the Boston Globe, advertising the adult sailing lessons, “Mothers and Others” in the fall of that year. In 2009, the Golden Retriever Race made it into the local newspaper. At this point, the club owns Sunfish (-2022), Vanguard 420s (1990s-2022) and Hunter 146s (-2019). 

The 2010s started out with a bang with the Sailing School featuring a fourth session for the first time in history due to overwhelming demand! The 40th Parker Cup was held in 2010, with Roger Demler finishing in first.

In 2011, the SYC hosted multiple regattas featuring various boats including the Libby Itse Memorial Sunfish Regatta, Sailing with Stars, and the Double Handed Series.

With the rise in interest in stand-up paddle boards (SUPs) from members, the SYC purchased their first set of six in 2015, and offered two small, two medium, and two large boards. As of 2024, they are now the most used vessels by members, accounting for 60% of reservations made in 2023.

2018 saw the last year with Deb Barnet as Waterfront Director. After 25 years of managing the waterfront, and holding countless roles from Social Committee Chair to Commodore (3 times!), Deb took a step back to be able to enjoy the water! You can usually find Deb at any one of our races, she loves Farm Pond and racing with members.

In 2019, the Sailing School was upgraded to include new titles for classes and they are as follows:

• Mariners, the beginners class

• First Mates, intermediates

• Skippers, advanced/racing

Towards the end of the decade, Commodore Brian Moore proposed a potential move to public land closer to the boat ramp and Farm Pond beach.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most activities, the SYC opened in their new location and with a new boathouse built by Commodore John Hyde, Charlie Siegal, and others. With a new reservation system and mask requirements, the yacht club was able to stay open to allow members to enjoy the outdoors. For the first time since the start, the Sailing School could not run, giving instructors the opportunity to expand the private lesson offerings.

Further, the new boathouse brought organization and shelter for equipment, and with the addition of solar panels, music and light to the club. 

In 2022, the first Ricotta Regatta was held at the end of the summer as a way for members to gather and celebrate the season.

In 2023, RS Zests joined our fleet to replace the worn out sunfish. These boats are similar to the larger RS Quests, so are great for sailors looking for more independence on the water, but not quite ready for the O’Pen Skiffs.

• Deb Barnet, SYC sailing director for many years and holder of many SYC trophies.

• Roger Demler, sailing team captain at Cornell, champion of five SYC classes.

• Steve Falk, US Sailing racing rules committee, holder of many SYC trophies. 

• John Ingalls Jr., World Champion Yingling class, Windmill class champion, top college sailor with US Merchant Marine Academy, boat builder. Read about his first place finish in the 42-boat Open Division here!

• Cam Lewis, full time professional sailor - read about him in this article here Go, Speed Racer, Go or read his memoir, Around the World in 79 Days.

• Meg Siegal - current SYC Commodore, 1999 Silver Medalist, ISAF Team Racing World Championships, 1999 & 1998 Silver Medalist, USTRA Team Racing National Championships, 1999 Collegiate All-American in Sailing.

• Mark Shaughnessy, 470 class Olympic trials, President of Windmill class. 

• Nora Shaughnessy, sailing team captain University of Vermont.

• Toby Shaughnessy, designer of America’s Cup masts and booms. 

• …and too many high school and college sailors to count!

For a more comprehensive history on Farm Pond through the years before and after the Yacht Club, visit www.sherbornstories.org/about-1-9

Updated: May 20, 2024

Explore through the decades

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