Looking Back...

Twenty-Five Years of RBSA History

The Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association actually started in 1963 as a way for three ambitious and energetic young students- Budge Upton, Skip Snyder, and Bill Parks- to make some extra money. The three boys decided that a god job for that summer would be to rent sailboats and give sailing lesson on Rehoboth Bay. Demonstrating admirable enterprise, they persuaded Judge John L. Smith to let them use a stretch of beach belonging to him, not far north of the present Clubhouse, free of charge. They got a loan, purchased a couple of surplus army tents for storage and several Sailfish for rental and set themselves up in business.

During that first summer Bob and Gale Ginsberg and Turner and Sarah Hastings and a number of other adults became interested in the three boys and their enterprise. They sent their children to them for sailing instruction, and used the site as a base for adult sailing fun as well. At that time sailing on Rehoboth Bay was rarely seen.

That December a group of interested men met in Wilmington to talk about forming an association that would transform the boys' informal enterprise into a regular organization. In June of 1964 a charter was drawn up and capital was raised among ten life members. The boys agreed to being bought out by the new association, were given honorary membership, and were retained to run the sailing school: Thus RBSA was born.

In 1965 the first concern was the purchase of a permanent site for the new Club, since Judge Smith was unwilling to continue to allow the use of the site granted to the boys. At first a tract of land across the Bay near the present Country Club was purchased. But a little later Judge Smith was persuaded to sell the present site to the Club under a lease-purchase agreement. Construction of a clubhouse and a marina was begun, and history on the present site began.

Also in 1965, the sailing program got under way, and the first Dixie District Races for Lightings were held here. Turner Hastings, an enthusiastic Lighting sailor, worked hard during the early years to develop the Club Lightning fleet, which at one time numbered 12-15 boats. Pictures of both him and Blades Derrickson, another great Lightning sailor, appear on a

dedication page in the official program for the 1972 North American Championships, the first to be held here. Both of these founders of the Club had died tragically young not long before.

During the 1970's there were more Dixie District Championships, and in 1978 another North American. The original Sailfish races eventually turned into Sunfish races as the newer  boat grew more popular, and the McConnell Cup for this class was inaugurated. The great Whale Race for Sunfish made its debut around this time, with its 200 pound weight requirement and the mandatory capsizing.

During this period Clubhouse facilities were also growing. The original Clubhouse was expanded, a storage building was erected, and water and sewage facilities were brought in. In 1969 the first two tennis court were constructed; not long after the first tennis pro was hired, and the tennis program was launched. Blades Derrickson was instrumental in the construction of the deck not long before his death.

From the beginning there was a regular program of informal social events, always involving the whole family. The Club founders wanted to involve the kids in everything and they emphasized sailing and tennis activities rather than formal adult social functions. Members who were active then look back with nostalgia to the times where there were lots of big families involved in the happy barbecues, picnics, and clam chowder fests on the beach during those long- ago summers. For some years on the Fourth of July Bob Ginsberg put on a special fireworks display (illegal) which drew crowds from all along the shore. On one never-to-be-forgotten occasion he even arranged to have a fly-by of four jets from Dover Air Force Base roar over the Clubhouse!

Many things have changed since RBSA's beginning 25 years ago. But one thing that was passed on to us by the founding members we hope will never change: our determination to remain together as a real sailing and tennis club and as a real family institution.

Frank F. Hubbell, Summer 1988

NOTE: Mr. Hubbell, a retired English professor and Sunfish racer, compiled this history on the anniversary of RBSA 's 25th year. RBSA is planning to update this history for its 35th year, to be celebrated in 1998.