Our Story
The rich history of St. Margaret Sailing Club
During the winter of 1956, Dr. Arthur Murray met with a group of friends and neighbours to discuss their desire to restore tranquillity to St. Margaret’s Bay, where they enjoyed their summers. They chose to introduce sailing to the Bay in an effort to reduce the noise of outboard motors as youngsters raced each other throughout the Bay.
Twelve mahogany “Fleetwind” dinghies were ordered from England. They had a jib and mainsail, could be easily uprighted once capsized, possessed floatation tanks, and were reasonably priced. In the summer of 1957, they were delivered courtesy of the Navy aboard the H.M.C.S. Bonaventure. Wilfred Covey of Hackett’s Cove duplicated the original boats. This resulted in a competitive fleet of fifteen dinghies which became the nucleus of the St. Margaret Sailing Club (SMSC) and the Junior Sail program.
In 1958, SMSC became a Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron outport. Several families were members of both clubs and had properties on the Bay. At the time, there were three events held during the year: Opening, Closing, and Squadron Day. Each occurred on members’ lawns over which the club’s burgee was flown. About 1962, after steady membership growth, SMSC took its well-deserved place as a full-fledged sailing club in eastern Nova Scotia.
Races for children launched from the Sunnywood Community Wharf in Schooner Cove. In 1965, SMSC introduced a Saturday Junior Sail program. Several years later it grew to a three-week program, then to a summer-long program.
By the late 1960s, SMSC‘s adult members regularly raced on the Bay with their larger boats. Regattas for larger boats were introduced. Regattas were also held for smaller boats. These included the Sunfish Regatta in the 1970s followed by regattas for Lasers.
In 1994, a local developer offered to donate two waterfront lots to SMSC provided the club purchase the property’s unfinished building noted for its distinctive eyebrow windows. Members raised the needed funds and completed the purchase. In 1998, 40 years after the club’s constitution was signed, St. Margaret Sailing Club members inaugurated the “new” club.
In 2007, to commemorate the St. Margaret Sailing Club’s 50th anniversary, the club unveiled a four-volume set of memory books. Created over a three-year period by artist Elise Doane and her fellow SMSC members, the albums are a treasure trove of stories and photos about SMSC and its members. Also, proudly displayed in the clubhouse are plaques recognizing the commendable sailing accomplishments of past and present members. A full trophy case speaks to the competitive spirit of our sailors and generous efforts of our volunteers.
Ahead of the 2009 Laser World Championships, a new sailing centre opened at SMSC. Built in collaboration with the Canadian Sport Center Atlantic, it houses the club’s sailing and race management programs and serves as a training base for several Canadian and international sailing teams.
To this day, St. Margaret Sailing Club members work together on club projects. The spirit of working together extends beyond our club. Recently, SMSC members worked with members of the Hubbards Community Waterfront Association, Hubbards Sailing Club, Sail Nova Scotia, and Sail Canada to bring the very successful 2022 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championships to St. Margaret’s Bay.