Standing: Ogden Mills Reid, Bayard Smith, Edmund Penfold, Henry Pendleton Rogers, Lewis S. Thompson, Henry Hotchkiss; Seated: Whitelaw Reid, Anson Phelps Stokes, Simeon J. Drake, William Hall Penfold, at Birch Island, 1897. Stokes Records, vol III, after p. 62 
Idems racing on Upper St. Regis Lake, c. 1900. Stokes Records, vol III, after p. 68 
Spectators watching the race from camp launches and canoes, c. 1900. Stokes Records, vol III, after p. 68 
The races continue today: Running before the wind, 2010. The St. Regis Yacht Club was founded in 1897 to encourage sailing on the St. Regis Lakes.
Commodores of the St. Regis Yacht Club
| Anson Phelps Stokes | 1897-1913 |
| Edward L. Trudeau | 1913-1916 |
| Robert W. Stuart | 1916- |
| Henry L Hotchkiss | 1927-1930 |
| Ogden Mills Reid | 1930-1932 |
| Ransom S. Hooker | 1932-1934 |
| George H. Townsend | 1934-1936 |
| William S. Spaulding | 1936-1937 |
| John B. Trevor | 1938-1939 |
| Ralph Earle | 1939-1941 |
| John B. Trevor, Jr. | 1941-1945 |
| S. Leonard Kent, Jr. | 1945-1947 |
| Rudolph S. Rauch | 1947-1949 |
| Frederic R. Pratt | 1949-1951 |
| Harrison Garrett | 1951-1953 |
| Dyson Duncan | 1953-1955 |
| Clark J. Lawrence | 1955-1957 |
| Whitelaw Reid | 1957-1960 |
| F. Huston McIlvain | 1960-1962 |
| John B. Trevor, Jr. | 1962-1964 |
| Bronson Trevor | 1964-1966 |
| Ransom H. Duncan | 1966-1968 |
| C. Convers Goddard | 1968-1970 |
| Edward C. Brewster | 1970-1972 |
| Abbott M. Swift | 1972-1974 |
| Lyman Phillips | 1974-1976 |
| Philip B. Weld | 1976-1978 |
| George H. Easter | 1978-1979 |
| John B. Trevor, Jr. | 1979-1980 |
| Lawrence B. Van Ingen | 1980-1982 |
| S. Leonard Kent, III | 1982-1984 |
| George H. Earle, V | 1984-1986 |
| Richard R. Harwood, III | 1986-1988 |
| Henry B. Roberts, Jr. | 1988-1990 |
| Mrs. Don-Michael Bird | 1990-1992 |
| Carl B. Ely Shedd | 1992-1994 |
| Daphne Chace Montgomery | 1994-1996 |
| Brandon Reid | 1996- |
Source:
St. Regis Yacht Club Centennial 1897 - 1997,
Carl B. Ely Shedd, editor, 1997
From Anson Phelps Stokes' Stokes Records, Vol. III, p. 63
"We spent the summer and autumn at Birch Island and at Shadow Brook. After I left Birch Island the St. Regis Yacht Club was organized, and I was elected commodore. As all the principal camp owners were members of the club, all matters affecting the common interests and welfare of the campers have been discussed at these meetings. These discussions led to the establishment of the Upper St. Regis post-office, to regulations preventing the pollution of the lake by sewage, dish-water, laundry water, etc.
New York Times, August 2, 1903
PLEASURES AT PAUL SMITH'S.
Special to The New York Times.
PAUL SMITH'S. - N. Y., Aug. 1.—The month, of August in the Adirondacks opens with all the camps occupied, with possibly a few exceptions, and in those instances preparations are hastened to have everything in readiness for the coming in the near future of those who are to occupy them. Of camp life in the Adirondacks this season it may be said that it is the most fashionable of years, for the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Reids, the Morgans, the Blaines, the McCormicks, the Stokeses, the Mortons, and many others are in their camps, some of which are new and others of which were enlarged and extended In anticipation of entertaining many friends during August and September. This, together with the number and class of the applicants who have reserved apartments at Paul Smith's for August and September indicates that the St. Regis Chain of Lakes will he the rendezvous of many persons distinguished in the financial and business worlds; as well as the social world. For those who are in camp on the St. Regis Lakes the principal source of amusement and entertainment is the races of the St. Regis Yacht Club, of which the Commodore is Anson Phelps Stokes, and who has several boats entered in the various classes. These races are held on Wednesday and Friday mornings and Saturday afternoons. While camp life on the St. Regis Lakes is one of retirement to a very great extent, there are about thirty yachts sailed in the regattas by their various owners; there is a coaching party now and then to some of the other lakes in the region; there are excursions through the lakes in launches, of which nearly roads, along which the guide may carry his canoe on his shoulders. Ofttimes there is a rifle range at the camp, where both the men and women practice. The camp has all the wonderful musical instruments of the day, and about the grounds play the denizens of the forests who may have been tamed beginning with the time that they were picked up in the woods, little things too young to get along by themselves. The natural shyness and antics of these animals, among which there may be deer, rabbits, a stray grouse, squirrels, and chipmunks, the score made on the tennis court, at the rifle range, or in golf or bowling, the catch of fish, or the journey to distant waters, or the visit to another camp furnish the little themes of camp life, while the automatons render concerts of an evening and add another delightful feature to this existence among the pines in the mountains.
On Sunday there is an entertaining parade of launches, yachts, canoes, and row-boats which, carry the people to the churches here at Paul Smith's. Ashore here on a, pleasant Sunday the simple white and unpretentiousness of the weekday garb is laid aside, and the parade of Fifth Avenue is repeated. Even in the midst of this display of fashionable gowns by the churchgoers there appear every now and then men and women attired for the trail and for the canoe journey. So it is a cosmopolitan crowd, after all.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Vanderbilt arrived at their camp on the Upper St. Regis Lake on Monday. They will remain in the mountains until Autumn and will entertain many friends, Mr. Vanderbilt's catboat Mystery will enter the races of the St. Regis Yacht Club and will be sailed by Mr. Vanderbilt himself.
Whitelaw Reid has a new catboat, No. 17, that will participate in the events, and it will likely be sailed by Ogden Mills Reid, who has the large Idem boat Water Witch. Commodore Anson Phelps Stokes has a number of fine sailboats in the races, among which are the Shadow, of the large Idem class; the Delos, and one of the cat-boat type. Harold. P. Stokes also has a catboat which carries the number 13 in the races. The other boats entered are as follows: Catboats—Osowa, owned and sailed by Henry L. Hotchkiss; Cecilia, Louis F. Slade; Lafayette, Walter Ferguson. Jr.; Heron. Stuart Hotchkiss; Defiance, Dr. E. L. Trudeau, Jr.; Echo; William Rauch; Caprice; Dr. Thomas R. French; Spider; Harry Livingstone; Spitfire, J. Roosevelt Roosevelt. Large Idem boats (jib and mainsail)—Malta, Louis F. Slade; Kingfisher, H. L. Hotchkiss, Flying Fretz. Louis S. Thompson; Elfmere, George H. Earle; Peeka Boo, Robert W. Stuart, and Aquia, William French.
In the events of the Idem class on Friday morning Mr. Slade's boat won, and Commodore Stokes's boat, the Shadow, was second. The open race on Saturday, in which cat-boats and boats of the large Idem class participated, Mr. Durkee's Achicohi was first and Dr. Trudeau's Defiance second. In the open races the boats of the Idem class, which carry jib and mainsail, are penalized for the jib, but it has been, found that the boats which carry only the main-sail, the catboats, are much faster in these waters, as they get into the wind better.
New York Times, August 16, 1908
The meeting of the St. Regis Yacht Club, which was held at the camp of the Treasurer, Simeon J. Drake, was the largest in the history of the organization. All officers were re-elected, and are: Commodore, Anson Phelps Stokes; Vice Commodore. Dr. Edward L. Trudeau; Secretary, Col. J. C. R. Peabody; Assistant Secretary, William Rauch; Treasurer, Simeon J. Drake; Race Committee, Simeon J. Drake, Chairman; George Brewster and Charles Henderson.
The point races of the club are being contested with unusual spirit this year. Robert W. Stuart, who is also a member of the New York Yacht Club, has kept to the fore and won the event of the First class again this week, with Henry L. Hotchkiss second. In the second class Richard Peabody finished first, with Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes second.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, September 3, 1980
UPPER ST. REGIS LAKE, — Earle, Fenn and Goddard sailboats won their respective classes in the St. Regis Yacht Club's Labor Day race.
George Earle skippered the Idem-class sloop 'Elfmere' to an impressive finish more than five minutes ahead of his closest competitor.
Fenn won the 'O' class, while Daniel Goddard took honors in the M-20 class.
The Club's Labor Day race is held the Sunday before the holiday so vacationers have the next day to close their camps and pull their boats from the water before heading home.
The ninth and last race of the August racing series was cancelled because of a fierce and sudden squall which leveled nearly all the boats under sail on the lake in just minutes.
The cancellation meant that contenders leading the series before the weekend were named as the overall victors.
Audrey Bird was awarded the George Earle Jr. Memorial Trophy for her performance on Peek-a-Boo, one of five Idems racing last month.
Nine of the 12 original boats built just after the turn of the century remain on the lake here for which they were designed. The other three boats still exist but sail on other waters. 1
George Earle V, great-grandson of the boatsman for whom the trophy is named, was leading Saturday's race and felt he "had the trophy in his back pocket" until the weather broke.
The antique Idems, gaffrigged with cotton sails, suffered ripped jibs and batten sleeves and a broken shackle.
Spectators in power boats quickly moved in to tow the craft to shore, where the sailors immediately began repairs for Sunday's race.
The lake's variable winds have forced the cancellation of races before, according to race starter Margaret Goddard.
But several crewmen said Saturday's was the worst knockdown they'd witnessed in 30 years of racing.
The Club sponsored 30 races in August and untold numbers of meets for both junior racers and regular members since it was organized in the late 1800s.
Beth Duncan won a trophy in the 'O' class series named after her great-grandfather, Dr. Ransom Hooker.
About eight 'O'-class boats, technically 17-foot knockabouts designed by John Alden in the 1920s, are left on the lake.
Whitelaw Reid captured the Wild Air Trophy in the M-20 class. M-20s are bilgeboard scows which move quickly in good winds.
External links:
Footnote
1. One of the original twelve Idems is on display in the lobby of the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake
Comments
2013-04-13 17:51:19 I have a book titled St. Regis yacht club 1897-1947 which has a lot of information about the first 50 years of the club I'm going to be listing it on ebay if anyone is interested —67.142.165.25
