style="font-size: larger;" | Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club

Founded	1871
Clubhouse	314 Yacht Club Rd., Oyster Bay, NY 11771
Country
Website	http://www.seawanhaka.org

The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the Western Hemisphere http://www.seawanhaka.com/about.htm, located in Oyster Bay, New York

Oyster Bay, New York

Oyster Bay is the name of a hamlet and census-designated place on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County in the state of New York, United States...

, with access to Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

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History

The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was founded (as the "Seawanhaka Yacht Club") in September 1871 aboard the sloop Glance, anchored off Centre Island. Glances captain, William L. Swan, was elected Seawanhaka’s first Commodore. For many years, club meetings were held aboard this flagship.

In 1887 the organization leased a club house in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. Finally, in 1891-1892, the club returned to Centre Island, where a new club house was opened, and the club merged with the Oyster Bay Yacht Club. Recognizing its important history, the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1974. In 1881, the club leased space on Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, and the word "Corinthian" was incorporated into the club’s name

Seawanhaka Rule

In 1882, the club adopted a rating rule that would govern all its races:



Simply known as the "Seawanhaka Rule", it served as a rating for all eastern seaboard races from 1887 onwards, including the America's Cup from 1893 to 1903. The Load Waterline Length

Waterline length

The Waterline length is a measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water...

was usually placed under a class limit, where any amount beyond the limit was counted double.