The founding of North Cape Yacht Club in 1962, evolved from the efforts of several members of the Toledo Yacht Club (TYC) that dates from 1865. The location of TYC up the Maumee River frustrated the sailors of the one-design Dragon fleet who made the long, back and forth trek to their racing venue in the open waters of Lake Erie and Maumee Bay. Led by Walter Swindeman, Richard Krauss, John Holton, James Bernard and John Turin, in the late 1950’s this group began searching for a location where the Dragon fleet could be moored closer to deep-water sailing.
The site they eventually located was a match with the business plan of Virgil Gladieux, a Toledo businessman and entrepreneur. In 1961, Mr. Gladieux was planning to construct a marina on lakefront property he had acquired near the mouth of South Otter Creek that was then a duck marsh and the remnants of the old Toledo Beach Amusement Park. Following a series of proposals and counterproposals, it became apparent that, if the group was represented by a more formal organization with financial resources, Mr. Gladieux would allocate space for it on the north side of the channel that would be dredged to connect his Toledo Beach Marina and lagoon to Lake Erie.
Because the board of Toledo Yacht Club declined to become involved in the project as a sailing station annex or possible future site for TYC itself, the group, with Walter Swindeman as a driving force, sought to organize a new yacht club. The initial lease, dated December 14, 1961, was actually between Mr. & Mrs. Gladieux and five individuals, each of whom personally guaranteed one-fifth of the proposed club’s $12,500 share of the cost to dredge the channel and lagoon. These were Orrin Keller, Phillip LeBoutillier Jr., James Bernard, Walter Swindeman and Richard Krauss. On January 9, 1962, the North Cape Yacht Club was properly incorporated and the lease was assigned to it. The club’s first commodore was founding member Walter Swindeman who was succeeded, after a 2-year term, by founding member Richard Krauss.
Within a year of its founding, NCYC had grown from 14 original members to 216. With a majority of the labor provided by the members themselves, the club constructed 75 docks, 15 dry storage spaces and a clubhouse with a bar. Five regattas were planned for 1963. In 1971, the club purchased the previously leased site for $125,000 with the proceeds of bonds sold to its members. Significant expansions of the clubhouse occurred in 1974 and 1984.
Total membership is now more than 400, including other membership categories such as junior, intermediate A&B, non-resident, emeritus and honorary. Reflecting its founding heritage, the majority of members own sailboats. And many of the club’s powerboats are operated by former sailors who love boating but wanted to abandon the rigors of hauling halyards and grinding winches. The small, one-design sailboats that represented the foundation of the club in 1962 have generally given way to larger cruising/racing sailboats.
North Cape Yacht Club sponsors very active sailboat racing programs for both adults and junior members. The club currently hosts 10 annual racing regattas, 4 mid-week racing series and has hosted many national and international regattas. Most recently, the club hosted the Lightning North American Championship in 2002 and the Bemis and Smythe Cups in 2003. We look forward to hosting the Interlake North American Championships, the Finn North American Championships and the District Championships for the Thistle class.
