The Block Island Race (1946)
With the end of World War II, a great many letters were written to round up the scattered membership and the Club was slowly reassembled. The first of the post-war races, which was to start off the series of Memorial Day races, was held in 1946 and each year since, The Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race has been an early season fixture in New England. The Club celebrated the 50th Block Island Race in 1995 with the rededication of The Harvey Conover Memorial Trophy to the Overall Winner.
More History
The birth of The Storm Trysail Club dates to the 1936 Newport-Bermuda Race, the gale that battered fleet and the winter that followed.
The first generations of American ocean racers believed the best test of a boat was whether she could blast her way safely across the Gulf Stream bound for Bermuda and then house her crew once she got there.
With the end of World War II, a great many letters were written to round up the scattered membership and the Club was slowly reassembled.
In 1964, Commodore Jakob Isbrandtsen and NY Herald Tribune yachting reporter Everett B. Morris were jointly instrumental in urging The Storm Trysail Club to establish Block Island Race Week.
By the end of the 1960s, the time had come for the Storm Trysails Club to expand beyond its roots in New England.
All this suggests that The Storm Trysail Club’s growth has become more national, and its influence in ocean racing is expanding further in this country.