MBYC has had numerous ups & downs over the years, but thankfully it is strong today. We currently have 74 members, and have been growing in recent years.

The club went dormant during World War II, but it came back to life afterward. At the end of WWII the club bought 400 “Ducks” (amphibious vehicles) from the U.S. Marines. The plan was to sink the Ducks thereby building a de-facto breakwater and small boat harbor for the club. This plan was never carried out, but the Ducks are with us today in spirit. This is because they came with a treasure trove of radio equipment attached. The radios were stripped from the vehicles and sold. The club used these funds to purchase .708 acres of ocean front land in Ma'alaea near the present day U.S. Coast Guard station in February 1952. The cost was $3,500. In 1959 the Territory of Hawaii claimed littoral rights to the shoreline to build a bulkhead.

According to the Maui News the club membership voted to authorize the construction of a clubhouse on the club's property at Ma'alaea in 1953. The building permit dated August 28, 1953 shows a project value of $4,000 to “relocate a building from the old Pu'unene air base to Ma'alaea, reconstruct the interior, and add a 50' x 54'-5” lanai”.

The Ma'alaea property was eventually sold on December 14, 1961 for $35,466 with the proceeds going into the stock portfolio that finances our activities today.

In 1951 the club purchased a property at Kalepolepo, Kihei for $750. The fate of this property is not known by this writer. There were two other forays into potential real estate acquisitions. In 1967 the club did some serious planning on its future including the need for a proper facility. There was discussion with Amfac Properties about the purchase or lease of land in Ka'anapali. The most recent attempt at a club house was in the late 70's when the club considered buying the Kealia Building (out of bankruptcy) on Sugar Beach in Kihei. The purchase never happened.

One interesting aspect of our history is the apparent embezzlement of funds ($19,678.64) by our Treasurer, W.E. Revere in 1948/9. Obviously this was a lot of money in those days. This mystery was later discovered by the Commodore when he discovered that the bank account held a total of $12.50 at the time he needed to pay for the lot in Ma'alaea! Fortunately some of the funds were recovered.

The club was further revived in the mid sixties by a group of local racing sailors that needed a flag to race under. Until the early seventies MB&YC was the only source of organized racing on Maui. Some members began to sail over to Honolulu to compete in Oahu events. By 1972 the Lahaina Yacht Club had been formed, and some of its membership was becoming interested in offshore racing. This evolved into co-sponsorship of races by the two clubs. By the early eighties many MB&YC members became members of LYC. Unfortunately racing crept back into a decline during this period, and the club went into another coma in 1984.

In early 1993 some of the old members decided that it was time to either revive the club or put it to rest once and for all. Fortunately the revival was successful, and here we are today enjoying the benefits of that effort. This most recent revival was largely due to the efforts of longtime member David Williams who tracked down the club's assets, the remaining members, and clearly re-stated the primary purpose of the club: “to sponsor, organize and encourage the art of offshore racing”. It was time to bring yacht racing back to life on Maui. As LYC's objectives expanded into other areas it seemed the time was right to address the need for a focus on sailing through the Maui Boat & Yacht Club. This continues to be our sustaining purpose today.

The club bought a boat, the Mull 33 “Isis”, and some of the members got going on a refit and the beginning of a new racing program. Although the boat has since been sold the sailing program is stronger than ever. Both our membership and our fleet have grown in
the last ten years. Our members have competed in and won numerous races around the state on various boats. One of our members campaigned a Finn for the Atlanta Olympic games. Two more are multiple All-American college sailing alumni. Another is an Olympic silver medalist who led our team to victory in the 2004 Lipton Cup regatta. This was the first time in the history of the event that an outer island team has won.

We have been conducting an ongoing educational program over the last ten years including classroom seminars and on-the-water sailing clinics with top level coaches. This has enhanced our membership as well as our sailing skills.

Considering the history of our club it's clear that we have a tradition on Maui to be proud of. With good luck and the goodwill of our members we will continue to make history and perpetuate local sailing in the future. Who knows, that phantom clubhouse may yet be in our future. To be continued…

Compiled by Geoffrey Bourne from the archives of Maui Boat & Yacht Club with the assistance of: Carolynn Blake, George Brown, David Williams