Pre-War Yacht Club Activities
From about 12 members in 1933, the Thomas Lipton Yacht Club grew rapidly and through default by the Corpus Christi Yacht Club became the center of sailboat racing activities on the Corpus Christi waterfront. The Club held regular meetings at Draughan's Business College, across the street from the present Continental Bus Station above the old Alamo Loan and Jewelry store. Jesse Farnsworth, an enthusiastic sailor and who at one time was Commodore of the Club, ran the business college for over 40 years. When construction started on the seawall in 1939, the meeting place was moved to North Beach at one of the Edgewater Beach Cottages.
In the late 1930's, all sailboat racing and cruising activities centered about the Thomas Lipton Yacht Club. An active racing program developed involving tactics sessions, practice racing, and open and invitational regattas sponsored by the Club and the Rockport Sailing Club. One-design racing was just coming into its own. Snipes, Meteors, Comets, Lightnings, and several other one-design class boats were in evidence with the many one-of-a-kind sailing craft as Corpus Christi moved out of the depression. People could now afford to buy better boats.
There was a spirited rivalry between the young sailors of Rockport and Corpus Christi at this time. The two Clubs look turns holding regattas, including races between the Clubs of Corpus Christi and Rockport, often through the Morris and Cummins Act.
Due to the inactivity of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club during this period, many of the members left that club to join the Thomas Lipton Club, or became members of both clubs. Some of our members, Bob Dunn and Bill Allen for instance, were at one time members of both clubs. Bob Dunn was Commodore for one year. James Dinn, who is survived by his wife Louise and their sons, was a very active sailing member of all the Clubs in which our present Club has its roots.
When the Guy Warrens came to Corpus Christi in 1937 they found the Corpus Christi Yacht Club completely dormant. A small group of members were keeping the charter in force in the name of Clyde Norris, Commodore and Mrs. J.Y. Blair. Secretary/Treasurer. But there were no meetings, no Clubhouse, and only a few listed members. Dr. Blair, and later Guy Warren, however, kept the franchise in force by personally paying the franchise taxes and maintaining the Club's listing in Lloyds Register. Then during the war years, from 1941 to 1945, all pleasure boating and yacht club activities ceased completely.
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