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Nothing Haughty About Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club

July 31, 2007 - Cobbosseecontee Lake -- Its name may sound exclusive but the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club is anything but a high society organization of wealthy boat owners.

In fact, people don't have to own a boat, much less a yacht, to belong to the club, which doesn't even have a clubhouse. According to Club Commodore David Dennett of East Winthrop, the club founded by Daniel Robinson in 1904 has never had a clubhouse or own any property on the lake. It's social activities were always meant to be held in members' homes.

Currently boasting more than 300 members, the club still seeks new members and there's really only one requirement to becoming one.

"Membership is open to anyone who's interested in Lakee Cobbosseecontee," Dennett said.

"Club dues at just $25 and just went up $10 for the Cobbossee Watershed," said Dennett's wife, Vivian.

The additional revenue helps fund the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program sponsored by the Friends of Cobbossee Watershed and aimed at keeping invasive aquatic plants, such as milfoil, out of Cobbossee Lake and the other 27 lakes, ponds and streams within the watershed, the couple explained.

The club was originally established as a traditional yacht club with sailing regattas and social events as its prime focus. It still holds a few regattas each season and supports the lesson program and Thursday evening races of the Cobbosseecontee Sailing Fleet, an offshoot of the club. However, over the years, the club has evolved into more of a lake association serving a stewardship role.

"The club's main purpose in this modern age is to see to it that the lake remains in good condition and work toward its further improvement," Gates said.

Through collaboration with the Cobbossee Water District and the Friends of Cobbossee Watershed, the club helps to educate the public about ways to thwart the two main threats to the lakes water quality; invasive aquatic plants and phosphorus runoff.

"Homeowners on a lake who have private boat landings need to make sure to check the boats of friends and relatives from out of state before launching them into the lake," Dave said. "It's also up to homeowners to realize that runoff is a major source of pollution in our lakes and take preventative measures by building a 3 foot buffer and planting vegetation."

Construction of a buffer with rocks or rip rap and plantings of perennials or shrubs along the shoreline help to absorb rainwater runoff from rushing into the lake, he explained. Since these and other measures have been instituted, Dave said he has seen a reduction in the kinds of algae blooms the lake was known for back in the 1980s. He's also noticed the greater abundance of wildlife now than there was back then.

"In the last decade the quality of the water in Cobbossee Lake has improved so much, you know we must be doing something right," he added.

Water quality isn't the only thing they yacht club is dedicated to preserving. It is also keeper of the lakes last remaining light house, built in 1908 on Ladies' Delight Island.

With the help of the Kennebec Historical Society and major sponsors such as Kennebec Savings Bank, the club sought to the complete restoration of the 25 foot, stone structure within the past decade. A submerged extension cord of sorts from the mainland supplies the electricity that keeps a 100 watt, halogen lightbulb in its top blinking 365 days a year.

"It's a long underwater marine cable to Charlie's garage," Dave said, referring to club member and lakeside dweller Charlie McCarthy, who willingly foots the electric bill for keeping the lighthouse lit.

Constructed to guide watercraft around the lakes many rocks and islands, the lighthouse was one of three erected on the lake. Navigating around the lake was a lot different in the years before the dam in Manchester was built because the water level was 8 to 9 feet lower, Dave said.

"A lot of the islands you see today were all connected," he said.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, steamboats chugged around those giant islands carrying passengers up and down the nine mile-long lake. Teaming with salmon and trout, Lake Cobbosseecontee, which is Abenaki for a "place of many sturgeon," attracted fishermen, in particular, to the many sportsmen's camps along its shores.

Pollution, overfishing and predatory fish wiped out the salmon population but the lake still holds trout and is noted for its bass fishing.

The sporting camps also disappeared, many transformed into children's camps, retreats and cottage colonies. Some of those include Camp Kippewa for Girls and Camp Cobbossee for Boys in East Monmouth, Pilgrim Lodge in West Gardiner, Camp Yukon in East Winthrop, and Cobbossee Colony in Monmouth, Dave said.

Other popular destinations for summer visitors were the Lakehouse Hotel and the Lakeview Inn that were located near the outlet on the Pond Road in Manchester. Among some of the Lakehouse guests were the composers of the song, "On Moonlight Bay."

"It's a story goes," Dave said, "they took a paddle out onto the outlet's bay one moonlit evening and the song came to them."

As a result, the early 20th century song became a traditional tune played at the dance hall at Island Park on the north end of the lake.

"From then on, the last dance of the night was always "On Moonlight Bay," Vivian added.

She also credits the Augusta, Winthrop and Gardiner Street Railway, commonly referred to as the trolley company, with the increase in activity all over the lake after they created the recreation area at Island Park in 1903 as a scheme to promote ridership on its trolleys. Not only did they bring people to Island Park, but the trolleys also made it more convenient for tourists to make their way to the sporting camps, hotels and cottages on the lake. The trolley stop was at Hammond Grove in Manchester, at the Augusta Country Club, and gave rise to the first cottage colony on the lake, Vivian said.

The days of dancing to the best bands of the time in Island Park may be gone, but the yacht club still ensures that music echoes across the water at least once a summer with its annual concert on the lake. Held the fourth weekend of July in the cove at Horseshoe Island, the concert is slated this year from one to 4 p.m. this Saturday, July 28. The rain date is Sunday, July 29.

"It's the major social event of the Cobbosseecontee yacht club. People come in boats, kayaks, canoes and airplanes," Dave said.

There's no dance floor, but people raft of their boats together and swim to the music. Since Clark Marine foots the bill for the event, there is no admission either. However, the yacht club passes the hat -- appropriately in the form of a fishing net -- for donations that will help it continue its mission to preserve the lake's history and recreational opportunities.

This article first appeared in the Capital Weekly, July 26, 2007.


Lakes: Cobbosseecontee Lake
Regions: Belgrade


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