Some good things did come out of the Great Depression (1929-39); among them were the formation of the Corinthians and the beginning of the sailing club’s friendship with the Little Ship Club in London.
In 1934, when many New York YC (NYYC) boat owners could no longer afford paid crews, they formed a sailing organization meant to connect sailors with available crew, modeled it after the Little Ship Club (LSC), and nearly named it LSC of America. Within a few years, LSC acknowledged the Corinthians and stated that its master (Corinthian-speak for commodore) would be made an honorary member.
In 1955, Corinthian member Sid Adler visited LSC, then in Beaver Hall, headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company. LSC rolled out the red carpet for him, a tradition that would continue over the years.
Back on home soil, in the late 1950s, the Corinthians evolved and added the New England and Philadelphia Fleets. Up until that time women were not allowed to be members, but at least on an informal basis, women were permitted in the Philadelphia Fleet. In 1980, members amended the by-laws to permit women to become members. The Annapolis fleet was added in 1988; the next year Carla Cronin became the first female Corinthian fleet captain. In 1996, Alice Neilly Mutch, also of the Annapolis fleet, became the first female master of the Corinthians.
In 1991 a delegation of Corinthians, led by Clint Springer, attended the London Boat Show, and had a party at the Naval Club on Hill Street in Mayfair, where LSC was a tenant at the time. The Corinthian delegation of some 20 or so people received a warm reception. Three years later, the Corinthians (celebrating their 60th anniversary) invited LSC to participate in a week-long Chesapeake cruise. This was the first of many biennial reciprocal cruises between the Corinthians and LSC.
Since the 1990s, Corinthian/LSC cruises have unfolded every two years. LSC has hosted Corinthian members in the Inner Hebrides in Scotland, Normandy and Channel Islands, Croatia, and West Country. The Corinthians have hosted LSC members at their Maine cruise, Boston area “Heritage Cruise,” and Chesapeake cruises. LSC members will join the Corinthians this upcoming May for another Bay cruise.
Annapolis fleet member Larry Blount and his wife Susan have traveled to a number of the overseas cruises, Normandy and Croatia among them, and have enjoyed the sailing experiences and camaraderie. Blount eagerly shared the clubs’ histories with SpinSheet and plans to attend future joint cruises.
Debbie Wheeler of the Little Ship Club in London has sailed on a number of Corinthians cruises in the U.S., including Chesapeake cruises.
In an article about the joint cruises, Debbie Wheeler of LSC says, “Almost everyone who has been on one of these joint cruises will have an anecdote illustrating how you do things differently from us and everyone will have a story to show how we are actually much the same. The fact that we speak similar versions of the same language does not always help on a boat. Over the years, long term close friendships have been formed.”
In an email, Wheeler writes, “I wanted to say how much I have enjoyed sailing with the Corinthians and how pleasant it is to sail in the sunshine of the Chesapeake in contrast to the UK. I have been sailing with the Corinthians and particularly the Annapolis crowd at regular intervals for about 20 years. Not only has the sailing been great, but I have made some really good friends. I think a good number of my fellow Brits would say the same if they had the chance. There has been no shortage of volunteers for the committee to organise the next joint cruise this side of the Atlantic in 2016.” thecorinthians.org
