| Past Commodores |
| Many Clubs have an
interesting story to tell about their existence, and Buccaneer is no
exception. Founded in 1928 as a member-run club which emphasized sailing
and racing above all other amenities, it still remains devoted toward
pursuing these same goals. Even today, we are probably one of the very few
Yacht Clubs on the Gulf Coast which operate all the facilities and
functions without a single employee. We are in many ways a true
"club", where the members collectively decide on the goals and
policies of the Club, and then work together as a single unit to carry
these out. This is probably best summarized by the motto adopted 75 years
ago and still with us today: |
"All for one
and one for all !"
|
| It is somewhat unique;
after all, most Yacht Clubs are usually named after a city, bay, river,
etc. Despite the name, we are not ruthless pirates, nor do we have buried
treasure under the Clubhouse. We came by this unusual name due to the
circumstances of our Club's founding. In 1928, Leon Delaplaine, Foster
Pfleger, John Mandeville, and Ben Mayfield joined forces to have a thirty
foot gaff-rigged cabin sloop built. The boat was christened the
"Buccaneer", and the four young men soon caught yachting fever,
spending nearly all their spare time on the boat, and taking others with
them. So enthusiastic were they about sailing on the Bay, the idea of
forming their own yacht club came upon them quickly and forcefully. By
July of 1928 this was a completed deal, officers were elected, a
Constitution was drawn, and the name for the Club was selected from the
boat that got them all together - the sloop "Buccaneer". |
REMEMBER THE
RESOLUTE
|
| This motto has a special
meaning for all Buccaneers, for the Resolute was a four-masted cargo
schooner that served as our Clubhouse for many years. Purchased by the
Club in 1932 after she had brought in her final cargo of lumber to Mobile,
the "Resolute" was tied up at Arlington Pier and retrofitted as
a Clubhouse. She served this purpose very well for many years until the
Army Air Corps requested use of it during WWII as a storage facility. They
eventually purchased the vessel outright, which brought an end to our
involvement with her. She was very much a part of our history, however,
and as you can see from the many pictures and artifacts in our Clubhouse
bar, we still "Remember the Resolute". |
TO THE PRESENT
|
| Today you see Buccaneer
Yacht Club in its present location, having purchased the property in 1947,
then known as Foster's Beach. We have gone from towing fish boats out of
Dog River for club racing to the construction of the recently renovated
harbor facilities. Buccaneer Yacht promotes sailing and inter-club
competition and we still proclaim, "All for one and one for
all!" |
BUCCANEER AND THE
GULF YACHTING ASSOCIATION (GYA)
|
| Buccaneer has had its fate intertwined with
the GYA almost from its inception. So anxious were the founding members to
test their skills against other Gulf Coast sailors, they applied for
membership in the GYA when the Club was barely three years old. During
this period the Club commissioned three new Fish Class boats to be built,
with One-Design competition in mind. Although rebuffed at first, they
persisted and with the support of Southern Yacht Club, Buccaneer was
admitted into the GYA in 1933. These early members apparently knew what
they were doing as they immediately went on to win the Lipton Trophy for
1934! Since then, we've embraced the GYA and the philosophy of Inter-Club
racing as the best way to showcase our sailing talents! |
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