St. Regis Yacht Club

Standing: Ogden Reid, Bayard Smith, Edmund Penfold, Henry Pendleton Rogers, Lewis S. Thompson, Henry Hotchkiss; Seated: Whitelaw Reid, Anson Phelps Stokes, Simeon J. Drake, William Hall Penfold
The St. Regis Yacht Club was founded in 1897 to encourage sailing on the St. Regis Lakes.

New York Times, August 2, 1903

PLEASURES AT PAUL SMITH'S.

Special to The New York Times.

PAUL SMITH'S. - N. Y., Aug. 1.—The month, of August in the Adirondacks opens with all the camps occupied, with possibly a few exceptions, and in those instances preparations are hastened to have everything in readiness for the coming in the near future of those who are to occupy them. Of camp life in the Adirondacks this season it may be said that it is the most fashionable of years, for the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Reids, the Morgans, the Blaines, the McCormicks, the Stokeses, the Mortons, and many others are in their camps, some of which are new and others of which were enlarged and extended In anticipation of entertaining many friends during August and September. This, together with the number and class of the applicants who have reserved apartments at Paul Smith's for August and September indicates that the St. Regis Chain of Lakes will he the rendezvous of many persons distinguished in the financial and business worlds; as well as the social world. For those who are in camp on the St. Regis Lakes the principal source of amusement and entertainment is the races of the St. Regis Yacht Club, of which the Commodore is Anson Phelps Stokes, and who has several boats entered in the various classes. These races are held on Wednesday and Friday mornings and Saturday afternoons. While camp life on the St. Regis Lakes is one of retirement to a very great extent, there are about thirty yachts sailed in the regattas by their various owners; there is a coaching party now and then to some of the other lakes in the region; there are excursions through the lakes in launches, of which nearly roads, along which the guide may carry his canoe on his shoulders. Ofttimes there is a rifle range at the camp, where both the men and women practice. The camp has all the wonderful musical instruments of the day, and about the grounds play the denizens of the forests who may have been tamed beginning with the time that they were picked up in the woods, little things too young to get along by themselves. The natural shyness and antics of these animals, among which there may be deer, rabbits, a stray grouse, squirrels, and chipmunks, the score made on the tennis court, at the rifle range, or in golf or bowling, the catch of fish, or the journey to distant waters, or the visit to another camp furnish the little themes of camp life, while the automatons render concerts of an evening and add another delightful feature to this existence among the pines In the mountains.

On Sunday there is an entertaining parade of launches, yachts, canoes, and row-boats which, carry the people to the churches here at Paul Smith's. Ashore here on a, pleasant Sunday the simple white and unpretentiousness of the weekday garb is laid aside, and the parade of Fifth Avenue is repeated. Even in the midst of this display of fashionable gowns by the churchgoers there appear every now and then men and women attired for the trail and for the canoe journey. So it is a cosmopolitan crowd, after all.

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick W. Vanderbilt arrived at their camp on the Upper St. Regis Lake on Monday. They will remain in the mountains until Autumn and will entertain many friends, Mr. Vanderbilt's catboat Mystery will enter the races of the St. Regis Yacht Club and will be sailed by Mr. Vanderbilt himself.

Whitelaw Reid has a new catboat, No. 17, that will participate in the events, and it will likely be sailed by Ogden Mills Reid, who has the large Idem boat Water Witch. Commodore Anson Phelps Stokes has a number of fine sailboats in the races, among which are the Shadow, of the large Idem class; the Delos, and one of the cat-boat type. Harold. P. Stokes also has a catboat which carries the number 13 in the races. The other boats entered are as follows: Catboats—Osowa, owned and sailed by Henry L. Hotchkiss; Cecilia, Louis F. Slade; Lafayette, Walter Ferguson. Jr.; Heron. Stuart Hotchkiss; Defiance, Dr. E. L. Trudeau, Jr.; Echo; William Rauch; Caprice; Dr. Thomas R. French; Spider; Harry Livingstone; Spitfire, J. Roosevelt Roosevelt. Large Idem boats (jib and mainsail)—Malta, Louis F. Slade; Kingfisher, H. L. Hotchkiss, Flying Fretz. Louis S. Thompson; Elfmere, George H. Earle; Peeka Boo, Robert W. Stuart, and Aquia, William French.

In the events of the Idem class on Friday morning Mr. Slade's boat won, and Commodore Stokes's boat, the Shadow, was second. The open race on Saturday, in which cat-boats and boats of the large Idem class participated, Mr. Durkee's Achicohi was first and Dr. Trudeau's Defiance second. In the open races the boats of the Idem class, which carry jib and mainsail, are penalized for the jib, but it has been, found that the boats which carry only the main-sail, the catboats, are much faster in these waters, as they get into the wind better.

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