Bicentennial Quilt - Sailboat Racing on the Connecticut River

The real origins of sailboat racing on the Connecticut River date back to the early 1900's when shad fishermen raced their "dragnet" boats informally each spring. However it was the Great Depression that provided the impetus for organized dinghy racing which has been a winter spectacle on the River from 1933 until today. Yachtsmen, unable to keep up their grand cruisers, took to racing their yacht tenders - an inexpensive, challenging sport.

Essex became a major racing port when a neutral meeting ground was required for the rival Boston and New York area Frostbite (winter sailing) fleets. The first regatta was held in Essex in 1933 and was enthusiastically supported by the town with a local band sending off the fleet at Steamboat Dock.