Digging for Gold at the Research Center: Valentine's Day the Yachting Way

(by Gina Bardi, Reference Librarian)

It’s Valentine’s season! Can’t you smell the chocolate in the air? You probably think we librarians and archivists are a cold calculating bunch, only thinking about classification systems and preservation methods but we feel love too! Why just the other day I came across a few items in a scrapbook that made my heart go all a-flutter. I’ve written about scrapbooks of the San Francisco Yacht Club  before, but while going through them recently to fulfill a reference request from one of our staff, I came across the drawings below and the poem which were just too sweet not to share with you, my beloved readers, on Valentine’ s Day..

Becalmed

 I’ve posted this photo before, but I’m bringing it back for a special Valentine’s Day rerun. I love the way the two courters  are staring into each other’s eyes. What plans are they making? Perhaps a walk along the boardwalk  later? Or first and last dance at the spring ball? It’s impossible to ignore the direct gaze of the other woman, as  she  beckons  you to sit next to her and have a cup of tea. Maybe you’ll be strolling down the boardwalk arm in arm with her later as well.

Engagements

Sweet and simple. There is nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in boats with someone you love… and a cherub.

Yachting

Not quite sure what all is going on here, but hey, a heart made out of rope! I guess there’s a man with a terrible haircut being hoisted aboard and some people singing and a pair of women’s legs. The couple in the middle seem to like each other though.

After looking at these images of happy couples perhaps you to now would like to woo someone.  Here’s a maritime themed love poem to help you out.

Source:

 San Francisco Yacht Club. Scrapbooks. 1883-1885. Print.

The Yacht Idler and the Library collections

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

What does the logbook of the yacht Idler in our Archives have to do with the Library collections?  Hint:  the answer lies in the pages below!

The full explanation is now available on the new page on our website written by Archives Specialist Ed LeBlanc, "Logbook of the yacht Idler linked to Library."

Digging for Gold at the Library: Ladies in Rigs

(by Gina Bardi, Reference Librarian)

Stephen Canright, our Park Historian, just showed me something wonderful in our collection, the San Francisco Yacht Club scrapbooks. These scrapbooks were compiled by members and contain clippings, illustrations, cartoons. photos and ephemera. They are not limited to San Francisco, although they are San Francisco centric. The library has volumes 1880-1882, 1883-1895, 1922-1923 and 1936 in our Rare Book Collection. With America’s Cup 34 fever building, these are sure to be of great value researchers looking for primary source material. We’re hoping to eventually get these digitized and up on our website so that more people may enjoy them. I think the illustrations and drawings will be of particular interest. Oh you don’t believe me? Want a little proof? OK, then, just take a look at some of these:

Ladies in the rigging

First day races

Becalmed

"Two Nations"

Aggie

J.C. Cousins

One-handed

Plans for the Wasp

 

 

Yeah, I know, right? Don’t even doubt me again…unless we are playing poker. Come into the library to see these for yourself. They are almost as much fun as sailing on a yacht.


Image sources:  Ladies in Rigs, First Days Race for the Cup, Becalmed and Two Nations are from the 1883-1895 volume. The rest are from the 1880-1882 volume.