November 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7. S H Y C
STOCKTON SPRINGS – Over the last de- cade or two many changes have taken place along the waterfront of Stockton Springs. First, up went a number of condos, followed by another set and then another set. The con- do developer originally had plans to include a yacht club on the harbor’s waterfront, but it never materialized until this year and what a nice club house they have created. Jim Grossman, a member of the Stock-
ton Harbor Yacht Club and local resident said, “I don’t know exactly when the condos were constructed. They were constructed in several batches. The fi rst batch is the ones that you can see down towards the point. They are painted in a light shade. The second batch is gray with dark green trim. Then there is a small cluster called the South Cape and another cluster down this way just as you get on to the Cape.” The building that houses the yacht club
was built around 2005. It was constructed on pilings and a septic system was put in, but the water comes from the city water supply. The developer, who is from Friendship, designed the building to be a yacht club, however, for a short time he used it as a sales offi ce for his condos, but the town objected to that, due to the zoning. Jim added, “It sat vacant for about ten years and there had been some off ers on it, but last fall it was acquired by a couple who live on Cape Jellison. This is a couple who are avid sailors and they felt that a yacht club would be a great place for people to socialize, bring their families to learn to sail and to convey these skills for the next generation.” “The place was neglected for ten
years,” continued Jim. “When they went underneath in the crawlspace they saw that a lot of the fl oor stringers and other wooden elements supporting the building needed
to be torn out and replaced. They put in a concrete fl oor and that not only secures the building’s structure, but it gives us a place to store people’s kayaks and dinghies for the winter. The furnace is down there so it is a heated space. However, no outboards and no fuel are stored of course. We’re keeping the building heated all winter, because we plan to continue other activities. For example, Friday we had our fi rst soup night, which was potluck consisting of soup and other food with an open bar. We needed to get some variety in the Friday night socials, which seems to be catching on.” Of course sitting idle for ten years there
was some repairs to do to the decks, dock and fl oats. “Some of the pressure treated planks on the stairs and decks needed to be replaced,” added Jim. “The docks needed to be overhauled as they were weathered and moldy. They were repaired, pressure washed and sealed and they look very nice now. The fl oats were actually in usable condition and it was only after they were deployed that we did the work on their surfaces. We then brought water down to the docks, however, we have not been able to get electricity down there but we hope to for the next season. We have video surveillance cameras around for security. There is one out on the docks and one in front of the main building. We plan to expand that security set up so people feel confi dent leaving their boats here.” Despite being vacant the inside of the
building was in pretty good shape. They gave it a good cleaning and did some routine repairs. They wanted to off er a full bar, so they had to build a kitchen that could serve food. Jim said, “Building the bar was a col- lective eff ort. One of our members built the tables and another member built the bar. A number of others donated labor and helped
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The Stockton Harbor Yacht Club in Stockton Springs.
set up a computer system which keeps track of business and membership.” They hoped to have the bar up and run-
ning early last season, but the license was tied up by the town. Finally in September they received their license and the bar is open. This is a major revenue maker and without it last summer they had a hard time fi nancially. For several years Stockton Springs has
had a sailing program and the yacht club will be affi liated with them, which operate out of the town dock, which is right next door. One member, who came up from Rhode Island, was associated with a women’s sailing pro- gram, which they off ered this last summer and that was well received. They hope to expand that program next year. Jim said, “We do have Flying Scots that
belong to the other program that we have been using. We want to get people onto the
water and do some hands-on sailing with instruction.” This past season was the fi rst summer
they had been open. They had a couple of presentations and a visit by the Rockland Yacht Club. They were so pleased that they returned a second time. As for members, they are half way to
their goal of 200. They have drawn some from other harbors in the area, mainly Searsport and Belfast. Also a number of the people who have condos there have become members. They have had a couple of open houses, which are well attended and this has brought in additional members. There is a waiting list for a mooring in
Stockton Springs, which seems to be limited by the number of parking spaces. However if you become a member of the Yacht Club
Continued on Page 9.
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