Pamet Harbor Club History

In the early 1950s, the boatyard known as Pamet River Yachts was located on the site where the Club stands today. It operated as a full-service boatyard, including boat building, boat repairs, outdoor boat storage, and a marine railway. The two owners, Roy Blaney and Dave Foster, lived in what is known as “Down East” Maine. Among the better-known boats constructed at the yard were Charlie Mayo’s charter boat Chanty III and the first of the Dolphin fleet, Al Avelars’ Dolphin I. The yard ceased operations around 1955 and was subsequently acquired by Wilbur and Sheldon Rockwell of Wellfleet, who operated it for another three to four years before operations ended for the final time.

Once the boatyard property became available, the idea of forming a yacht club was conceived. In early August of 1960, a meeting was held at the Marshall home on Marshall Lane, located off Depot Road. Leo D. Marshall, Fred Davis, Jerry Hobbs, Joe Flanagan, Raymond Cadorette, and Lyman Bowker were in attendance. At this meeting, the Pamet Harbor Yacht Club was established. Funding for the Club was raised through the sale of shares of stock valued at $100.00 per share. The original directors purchased enough shares themselves to enable the acquisition of the vacant boatyard property.

It is interesting to note that of the original six directors, three had never owned a boat, and only one, Jerry Hobbs, owned an 18-foot sailboat. None of the original directors had ever been members of any type of yacht club. The purchase of the boatyard was, in essence, a purchase of land, as the existing building was in extremely poor condition—so deteriorated that it was held up with wire rope strung from one side to the other.

In late August or early September of that same year, a hurricane was approaching the Eastern seaboard. Two days before the storm struck, Leo D. Marshall had Tony Duarte (Duarte Insurance) place an insurance binder on the building for $35,000.00. The hurricane hit the lower Cape, and the boat shed was a total loss. The insurance proceeds of $35,000.00 enabled the directors to construct the Yacht Club building that still stands today. Leo D. Marshall designed the building, and William Sturtevant of Wellfleet built it. Once the building was completed, membership increased, and both tennis and sailing programs became a reality. Quickly, through the efforts of the original Board, the Pamet Harbor Club grew into a full-service Yacht Club.