devon yacht club history

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New book celebrates 100 years of devon yacht club, the book was presented to a number of amagansett and east hampton town organizations this week..

Lisa Finn , Patch Staff

AMAGANSETT, NY — History was captured forever in Amagansett recently.

On Thursday, Lucy Sachs, Devon Yacht Club’s current Commodore, and Past Commodore John Hossenlopp were pleased to present the recently published book celebrating 100 Years of Devon Yacht Club to Amagansett Free Library, The Amagansett Historical Association, East Hampton Library and East Hampton Historical Society for their collections.

Photos by Richard Lewin Professional Photography, [email protected] .

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Devon Lawsuit Settled: We Must Get Along About Oceans and Bays

One year ago, the Devon Yacht Club filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County about oyster farming activity in Gardiners Bay. It was the strangest thing.

Devon Yacht Club sits waterfront on Gardiners Bay in Amagansett, serving as an exclusive summer beach and sailing club for members of the social set and their friends since 1908. It is almost never in the news. It does not cause trouble. In recent years, some restrictions regarding membership have been removed, but it is still basically serves that group. Summer people come out and join the Maidstone Club for golf and the Devon Yacht Club on the bay for sailing.

Why in the world would they file a lawsuit against anybody? Basically, the activities of the State would impinge on their offshore sailing course. Buoys mark it off. The course has been there for 50 years or more. Now the state is marking off a parcel of the bay as an operation of an underwater oyster farm.

The parcel would be 10 acres in size, and would sometimes be filled with floating oyster cages, which often, tied together, float just below the surface. The County marked this spot and nine others as part of the Suffolk County Shellfish Aquaculture Lease Program where outfits such as the Amagansett Oyster Company can help improve the oyster population, whose members when they grow up snuggle on the sandy bottom of the bay, a noble occupation indeed.

At the time, the general public largely considered the Devon’s lawsuit an example of noblesse oblige. Get out of the way. We go sailing here.

Indeed, it took a lot of guts for the Devon Yacht Club to file this suit. Polite attempts to get the oyster lease moved elsewhere got them nowhere. The County would not budge. And so the yacht club filed a lawsuit. They must have known it would not be popular for them to do so, and they went into it whole hog, including in the lawsuit the Suffolk County Planning Department and its director, the Town of East Hampton, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Amagansett Oyster Company, which was given this lease, and other individual leaseholders.

Last week, a settlement was announced ending this lawsuit. The County will shut down this particular lease (it hasn’t even begun, since it’s been the subject of a lawsuit.). And they will give the Amagansett Oyster Company a new lease at a new location, where it doesn’t interfere with the Devon sailboat races.

The Yacht Club says that’s fine because the other locations don’t interfere with the sailing.

As for the Amagansett Oyster Company, their president told The East Hampton Star that this settlement would have no bearing on his business. One spot was just as good as another. However, it will be a while before operations can begin anyway, because further applications and permits must be approved by the Coast Guard, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers . Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.

It seems to me that Devon has done the right thing. And officials and County bureaucrats have been, for one year, ridiculous.

In the old days, if someone wanted to drop a lobster pot, they’d consult with others to see if this was a good place to do it. They wouldn’t do it where it might interfere with navigation or surfcasting or clamming areas. They might move along if a spot was already taken. Everyone would work it out with everyone else who used the bay.

What should have happened, from the very beginning, is that the County should have considered everybody else who uses the bay. But it seems in the end they took the position that they are government officials and whatever they say goes. Indeed, now, after the expenditure of all this money for lawyers, they now have pledged to consult with everybody else about where these leaseholds go. Everybody has a stake in what goes on in the bay. This is a situation where everybody has to get along.

This kind of government overreach is a hallmark of what many people think is a government gone nuts to get everything just so. It reminds me of the revolt a few years ago when the State of New York declared that they were, for the first time, instituting fishing license requirements for surfcasters .

What? It’s the ocean. Surfcasters have been down at the beach in waders trying to catch fish since the beginning of time. Catching one fish at a time this way is not, and has never been, an issue about the environment. It’s about getting your dinner. And yet, all of a sudden, the State wants everybody to get in line to buy a permit, which will cost at least enough to pay for the State to hire people to administer it. I think the initial fee was supposed to be $75. And they wanted the fishermen to line up at State offices to get them or go to a local bait-and-tackle shop to get them.

The fishermen rebelled. The owners of the bait-and-tackle shops rebelled. And nobody bought any of the permits.

Finally, the State just decided to give out the licenses for free . They’d already set this thing up and had to do something with all the licenses they’d printed. Actually, they said, they just wanted to know how many people were surfcasters. It would be for statistical purposes. States are great on statistics. The fishermen considered this offer with suspicion, but when the State went ahead with it and gave them out free, they got them. Problem solved. Or was it?

This year, I went to a New York State Park office to apply for a permit to use my 4×4 on the beaches where driving is permitted . They make sure you have a vehicle that has 4×4, that you have a rod and reel, fishing tackle and all the other gear. They actually look in your car, or at least ask if it was all there.

This year, the State 4×4 permit requires that, among all the other things, you get a New York State Saltwater Fishing License before they consider you for a 4×4 permit. And they don’t sell the surfcasting licenses right there. That’s from the NY State Department of Conservation office.

What if you just want to go surfing? Or have a picnic? Or bird watching? Or driftwood gathering? Or maybe you want to drive around without any purpose at all. Just to look around. Well, there are different prices for different locations and activities. And it depends where you are from. The 4×4 permit is $80 to residents of the state for the area I go to, and it costs $125 if you are not a county resident.

Locations include 4×4 beach, Camp Hero ($40 and $75), sport fishing ($35 and $60). For hang gliding or surfing or whatever, they don’t need the surfcasting number from the Saltwater Fishing License Registry. But if it’s for fishing, they do. Tires shall not exceed either 33 inches in diameter or 12.5 inches in width.

An office use section is filled out by the clerk after asking questions. 4-wheel drive fishing? Night fishing? Star Gazing? Regional Diving? Caumsett Fishing? What is Caumsett fishing?

At the Saltwater Fishing License Registry, some bureaucrats have actually sat around thinking of different things you might do and what they want to charge, and they’ve also come up with a bunch of questions about other personal things—height, eye color, date of birth, primary address and apartment number that do not seem relevant. They want you to give the answer to a security question. They want you to create the security question. I could go on and on.

Race and religion are not on there, but I bet they’re coming. Maybe they’ll want to know which political party you want to be identified with. They’re all coming. Finally, they don’t give out surfcasting licenses for sharks. That comes from still a third party, the Federal Government.

I might add that the beach-driving permit from the State Park Office is only good for one year, which is from January 1 to December 31, but is actually good for less than a year because you can’t buy it until January 1 and then not after April 1, and all expire on December 31.

I told a longtime friend of mine, somebody I’ve known since we were growing up out here, about the new requirements and he said he didn’t know about it. I’ll quote him exactly. But I won’t name his name.

“I don’t get any permit,” he said. “I just drive on the beach.”

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Devon Yacht Club in East Hampton Details Major Reconstruction Plans

The Devon Yacht Club plans to demolish and reconstruct its buildings in a major upgrade effort that would require multiple permitting agencies' approval. CHRISTOPHER WALSH

In a first phase of planned upgrades, the Devon Yacht Club's clubhouse would be demolished and reconstructed farther from the dune crest. CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Already five years in the planning stage, the private Devon Yacht Club’s proposal to dramatically upgrade the Amagansett institution’s physical and environmental conditions, which would require approval from multiple regulatory... more

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Is This Wooded Enclave the Best-Kept Secret in the Hamptons?

Tucked away from the opulent seafood towers at Le Bilboquet in Sag Harbor, The Surf Lodge’s famously raucous summer soirees in Montauk, and the designer boutiques in downtown East Hampton is a quiet, under-the-radar enclave in the Amagansett North area that is known to those in the know as Devon Colony. Among its laid-back charms are its tiny, no-frills downtown area and its 116-year-old yacht club, its swathes of preserved agricultural land, its authentic fish markets, and historic residences.

Devon Colony, between East Hampton and Amagansett, was founded in 1908 by four wealthy businessmen from Cincinnati: William Cooper Procter (of Procter & Gamble), Richmond Levering (of Lever Brothers), Joseph Rawn, and William Rowe. The men first came across the area during a hunting trip—back then, hunting was common on the East End of Long Island—and they eventually acquired 1,000 acres in the Amagansett Highlands, where they built a cluster of homes they used as their summer residences.

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The enclave was one of the first gated communities in the Hamptons, but because Procter & Gamble’s soap sales helped pay for the homes within Devon Colony, it initially garnered a contemptuous reputation among some of the more high-brow Hamptonites as “Soap Hill.” The foursome also founded the still-standing Devon Yacht Club, which includes a small private marina.

Mickey, Marilyn, McCartney

“Devon Colony is tucked between Napeague Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; it’s much less crowded than the lanes or dunes of Amagansett,” says Martha Gundersen, a listing agent with Douglas Elliman in the Hamptons. “What people love about it are big plots of land surrounded by the Peconic Land Trust, which is state-owned land. There are 500 acres of New York State land that will remain undeveloped that surround Cranberry Hole Road, which is where many of the homes are. Many successful people seeking an under-the-radar destination own here, including [Galaxy CEO] Michael Novogratz, businessman Mickey Drexler, and entrepreneur Fouad Chartouni, among others.”

Those “others” include Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Randy Lerner, and, on occasion, high-profile renters like Bill and Hillary Clinton; in the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller shacked up for a short time a charming cottage converted from a windmill. Still, despite its history of illustrious residents, Devon Colony has largely remained an unheralded hideaway, with neither a Chanel boutique nor a Sant Ambroeus cafe within miles.

More Elbow Room, More Privacy

“For as long Devon Colony has existed, people have taken the environment into consideration,” Gunderson says. “People come out here to enjoy the bird life and slow-paced living. A certain caliber of people don’t just want a house, they want land, privacy, and to be a part of the community. You’ll see Paul McCartney on his boat driving past, you’ll see Randy Lerner downtown.”

Gunderson goes on to say that once people get a feel for the landscape of the Hamptons and discover Devon Colony, it appeals because “there’s more elbow room and a more laid-back, less-crowded atmosphere,” she explains. Situated within the elevated Amagansett Highlands, Devon Colony has far-reaching views of Gardiners Bay, the ocean, and the surrounding land. Situated within thickets of forest, horse farms, and farmland, the lack of development is thanks to the large amount of preserved land.

Over the years, Devon Colony has also become known to design- and architecture-loving locals for its historic homes and picturesque gardens. Indeed, homes in Devon Colony are regularly included on the East Hampton House and Garden Tour that’s put on annually by the East Hampton Historical Society.

Yesterday’s Traditions, Today

When the men from Cincinnati built their homes for their families, they crafted four grand stucco mansions and one shingle-style home, which were originally known as ‘the cottages.’ The families tapped Cincinnati-based architectural firm Tietig and Lee to create the Italianate villa-style homes with English-style perennial gardens. This stucco-over-concrete style was unusual for the Hamptons at the time. Not just that, but these homes rivaled the size of other famed mansions in Long Island’s blue-blooded Gold Coast, particularly those in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.

All five of the original homes are still standing, though they’ve had extensive renovations and alterations. Many of the homes have remained in the same families since they were built. The Levering house was last sold in 2018 for $8.75 million to its current owner.

At the heart of the community is the Devon Yacht Club, which has remained largely unchanged since its founding in 1908, and that’s just the way members like it. Situated along Gardiner’s Bay, the club has long been popular as a family-friendly club that hosts kids’ sailing and tennis lessons. It’s also one of the few private members’ clubs that still holds old-school traditions true; a dress code is enforced throughout, from the beach to the dining room and the tennis courts. “They still shoot off a cannon at sundown,” says Paul Brennan, a listing agent with Douglas Elliman, who lives and works in the area.

Putting Down Roots

At a time when the Hamptons real estate prices are skyrocketing—and bidding wars have reached an all-time high—agents are seeing increased interest from buyers seeking close proximity to their favorite Hamptons hotspots and the beach, yet with more land, lower taxes, and additional privacy.

Among the current offerings is a brand-new, $5 million modern farmhouse-style estate that sits on three quarters of an acre directly across from a 30-acre preserve and an eight-bedroom residence on two acres that’s just five minutes from the beach and priced at $11.7 million . And just south of Montauk Highway, another new build, a 12,400-square-foot spread that borders the golf course of South Fork Country Club and isn’t too far from the popular Amber Waves Farm, Market, and Cafe, is on the market for $14.75 million .

“The thing that attracts me the most—and I think the thing that attracts people like the Randy Lerners and Mickey Drexlers of the world, is that they can step onto the public bay beaches and swim, kayak, and paddleboard without anyone bothering them,” Gunderson says. “It offers clean air and a quiet life.”

A world apart in many ways, Devon Colony is also convenient to the farm stands in Amagansett, downtown East Hampton and popular hot spots like the Stephen Talkhouse music venue. For many modern buyers, the solitude of the forested land and the working farms might not appeal. But once you get accustomed to the open spaces and slower pace of living, it’s pretty hard to leave.

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Club Profile: Devon Yacht Club

March 19, 2015 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

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March 12, 2017 at 08:38

I have a second place trophy which is sterling silver, that was won by my grandfather John H. Beebe, his father Howard W. Beebe, and a Sturtevant Erdmann, which was presented by E. Clifford Potter on September 15, 1917. ‘Devon Yacht Club, One Design Class, Special Handicap Race – whatever that means.

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Devon Yacht Club Traditions

For many events and dinners, guests of members are welcome at the Devon Yacht Club.  Members are responsible for ensuring that their families and guests observe the following traditions:

Flag Ceremony

The daily raising and lowering of the American flag is a time-honored tradition at the Devon Yacht Club and we invite all members and their guests to join us in this ceremony each evening.  At the sound of the bell, please stand. Upon firing of the cannon all non-uniformed citizens should place their right hand over their heart and hold the salute until the flag is unsnapped from the halyard. Please remain at attention until dismissed.

Smoking is not permitted on Club premises.

Cell Phones and Electronic Devices

While on Club grounds, cell phones, iPads, tablets and laptops are required to be on silent or vibrate at ALL times. Telephone conversations or electronic messaging are prohibited on club property other than in the parking areas.

No pets are permitted in or on any Club property.

Except as specifically stated on invitations for special events, the dress code in the Club House/Dining Room/Bar is as follows:

• On all days until 6:30 PM and on Tuesdays after 6:30 PM informal attire is acceptable. Shoes are required at all times. Blue denim jeans, overly casual attire, swimming or beach attire are not permitted at any time.  
• After 6:30 PM, on Thursdays, coats and ties are required for men and boys over 5 years of age.  
• After 6:30 PM, on all other evenings, coats and dress shirts are required for men and boys over 5 years of age. Ties are recommended on these evenings.

Overly revealing swimsuits such as string bikinis are prohibited. Children should wear bathing suits at all times regardless of age. Changing of diapers is not permitted.

Informal dress and bathing suits are acceptable until 6:30 p.m.

Players dress in tennis attire with 80% of their costume white. Gentlemen are required to wear shirts with collars. Players and non-players should dress in good taste.

Map & Directions

• Take Long Island Expressway (Rt. 495) East to Exit 70/Manorville, Rt. 111.
• Follow to the end and proceed East on Rt. 27 toward Montauk.
• Take the Montauk Highway (Rt. 27) East, traveling through Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and then entering Amagansett.
• After the flagpole in town, there is a railroad station behind a tall hedge on the left.
• Go left on Abrahams Landing Road and continue across the railroad tracks.
• After passing the tracks, continue straight (not left) and proceed two miles to the end of the road. The Club entrance is on the right.
• Once in Port Jefferson follow Route 25A out of town to junction Route 112.
• Take Route 112 South to Long Island Expressway (Route 495) East.
• See directions From New York City above. 
• Once in Orient Point follow Route 25 to Greenport.
• In Greenport look for signs for Shelter Island Ferry.
• On Shelter Island follow Route 114 South to the South Ferry to North Haven.
• Both the North and South Ferries run approximately every 15 minutes and do not require reservations. Once in North Haven follow Route 114 South through North Haven and Sag Harbor to East Hampton. In East Hampton turn left on Route 27 East (Montauk Highway).
• See direction From New York City above. 

All inquiries concerning membership must be made through a current member of the Club. If you are an avid sailor, please contact our Fleet Captain to learn about opportunities to crew.  

Reciprocity

Devon welcomes guests accompanied by our members as well as members of reciprocal clubs. For members of reciprocal clubs, please contact our office in advance for reservations and any questions. If you are a member of a yacht club that does not currently have reciprocity, please contract our General Manager for further information.

SHELTER ISLAND YC

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North Devon Yacht Club (NDYC) is based on the beautiful North Devon Coast in Instow on the banks of the Rivers Torridge and Taw.  We offer sailing in the sheltered Estuary or for the cruising fleets access to the open seas with local areas of Lundy Is, and Clovelly to the west and Woolocombe, Ilfracombe and the Welsh Coast to the North.

We are a registered RYA Training Establishment currently offering courses in Sailing and Power Boating as well as other courses including First Aid.

The Racing fleet include Dinghy Sailing mainly in Lasers and Blaze dinghies or in Handicap fleets.  Catamaran racing in a Fast Cat Fleet, and a Sprint 15 Fleet, and Gaffer Racing.  We host open meetings and for a variety of fleets as well as our Annual premier event - Open Week held in August.

Also in August we hold Cadet Training for 3 weeks culminating in Pelican Week racing for all youngsters.

There is an active yachting and motor boating fleets with moorings in the estuary.

Last updated 12:04pm on 9 August 2024

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Devon Yacht Club Wants to Demolish and Draw Back

The Devon Yacht Club, which hopes to proceed with a large-scale redevelopment of its 120-year-old facility, came before the East Hampton Town Planning Board last week.

The club is proposing to demolish all the buildings on its 13.82-acre site, which pre-exist adoption of the town’s zoning code, and to rebuild elsewhere, farther from Gardiner’s Bay. Many variances will be needed, as well as a special permit.

The cost of the project will exceed 50 percent of the current market value of the existing buildings. “This is going to cost tens of millions of dollars,” said Richard Warren of Inter-Science Research Associates, speaking for the yacht club. “It’s been designed in a way that is consistent with the town’s CARP [Coastal Assessment Resiliency Plan]. We met with the supervisor early on; he said this is a model project. There is a point where if it gets too onerous for them, they’re going to walk away. What they’ve asked for the planning board to do is give them a confirmation that you’re still on board with the concepts of what they’re trying to do here.”

Mr. Warren was speaking after Lisa Liquori, a former director of the East Hampton Town Planning Department, had presented a 29-page memo to the board, walking it through the positive impacts of the project but not shying away from its problems either.

Ms. Liquori was recently hired by the department to take over review of the project. “We were a bit surprised to learn three weeks ago that Ms. Liquori was brought in,” said Mr. Warren. “There is narrative in the report that talks about scaling back the project.”

Tina Vavilis LaGarenne, the assistant planning director, said the department had been consistent. “I don’t think concerns about the scale of the project are new,” she said. “One of the original suggestions was that a tennis court be removed and revegetated.”

“That’ll be the end of the project,” said Mr. Warren.

“One tennis court?” asked Samuel Kramer, the board chairman.

“One tennis court,” answered Mr. Warren.

“There’s a lot going on,” Ms. Liquori told the board. “Whether the lot area is sufficient for a yacht club — the code says 10 acres is needed — when you subtract wetlands and the dune area, this is a six-and-a-half-acre site. There will be more than five acres of disturbance, more than 17,000 square feet of building removal, another 27,000 square feet of new buildings being constructed and a lot of new fill brought in.” Town planners have calculated it will take 274 truck trips for a triple-axle dump truck with a 20-cubic-yard capacity to bring in all the fill. Then, of course, the trucks have to leave. “We’re concerned. This is a big project in a residential area.”

Ms. Liquori questioned the adequacy of the parking plan (226 spaces are required; Devon proposes 78) among other issues, and reiterated that the Planning Department wants more information about the club’s membership numbers. Devon has agreed to covenant the maximum membership at 400. “Are there 400 members right now? Does that cap allow for an expansion? We’re still trying to understand why there’s a 46-percent expansion in the buildings.”

“We question,” she continued, “whether the yacht club is a ‘reciprocal club,’ and whether that means, with the reciprocal club members, if that allows for an increase in intensity on the site, which would be facilitated by the increase in the buildings’ square footage.”

“The regrading of the primary dune north of the clubhouse remains a concern,” she went on, “and the narrative submitted does not clearly support the need for this work.” She emphasized that despite the parcel’s pre-existing non-conforming status, “all structures that don’t meet the dune crest setback will require variances.”

Mr. Warren reframed the proposal as a modernization of the site, rather than an expansion.

“We recognize this is a challenging site, and I’d like to think, the past 18 months we’ve been working with the town, that they’d recognize we’ve been honest and open with the information we provided,” he said. “There’s now a little bit of worry among Devon membership and the board of governors that this report may be steering this board away from the prior support it offered to us.”

He ticked off benefits to the town if the parcel is redeveloped: a new wastewater treatment system, drainage control, a landward retreat, FEMA compliance, doubling the amount of parking currently in place, removing non-native vegetation and adding over an acre of native plants. “We’re not bulldozing a dune,” he stressed.

“Devon has agreed to a covenant to cap the membership, something you don’t have at present. Devon can walk away from this and now you don’t have a cap,” Mr. Warren said. “It does have a certificate of occupancy and can stay operating as it is, warts and all, with the sanitary system in the wetlands and current grading. But they’re committed to making the facility better for the town.”

After that, the board seemed eager to assure the applicant that it was okay with the project.

“To the extent that you came here to take our temperature, I think you’re finding it’s 98.6 degrees. Steady and healthy,” said Samuel Kramer, board chairman. He did emphasize that the pile driving at the site would be a serious issue that could cause damage to neighbors’ homes. “Give us a serious construction protocol, to give neighbors the knowledge that it’s not going to be a winter of hell.”

“My best friend got married there in 1992 and we couldn’t fit into the bathrooms then,” said Jen Fowkes, a board member. “It’s a net gain for the town.”

Voters Approve Library Budget, Ballot Props in Sag Harbor

Voters in Sag Harbor, North Haven, and Noyac turned out last Thursday to approve, by a wide margin, the John Jermain Memorial Library's 2025 budget as well as tax-levy propositions for the Eastville Community Historical Society and the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum.

The Clams’ Time to Shine

The East Hampton Town Trustees’ annual Largest Clam Contest will be held on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station on Atlantic Avenue.

East Hampton Library’s 2025 Budget Passes

With a final tally of 158 “yes” votes to 37 “no” votes, the East Hampton Library’s 2025 budget plan was approved by the community on Saturday.

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North Devon Yacht Club welcomes new members

With over 700 members and a mixed fleet of dinghies, catamarans, yachts and motor boats, North Devon Yacht Club is one of the largest sailing clubs in the area

• 09:08, 31 MAY 2022

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Following the success of its new members evening in May, North Devon Yacht Club has announced more sailing and social events for the summer.

Commodore Richard Chidwick said: “With over 700 members and a mixed fleet of dinghies, catamarans, yachts and motor boats, North Devon Yacht Club is one of the largest sailing clubs in the area.

"We have a full programme of sailing and events planned for this year and following the success of our new members evening, we have arranged for further events this year and particularly new younger members who are keen to start sailing, in addition to more experienced sailors.

"The clubhouse is now open for members and guests six days a week, offering light lunches, tea/coffee, a licenced bar and arguably one of the best views across the water to Instow and Appledore from the lounge and terrace.

"In addition to regular sailing and dinghy races, NDYC has a full programme of RYA training for sailing and power boats, with cadet courses for those between 10 and 17 years and an active Youth Squad, plus a range of social activities.”

Rear Commodore, Jonathan Miles said: "NDYC has a number of club boats which are used for training and can be hired by qualified sailors. There are always experienced sailors on-hand to advise newer members and trying different boats is often the best way to decide which type of boat suits you best.

"We offer RYA Level 1 to 3 sailing courses at Instow and follow-on training to help newer sailors develop their sailing skills and start racing. The full calendar of events and training is on the club website (below) with a special mention for the NDYC Open Week 8-14 August when the club will welcome sailors from the South West and beyond with dozens of boats on the water each day.”

For more information call the club secretary 01271 861390 or visit www.ndyc.org

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