| Community Boating Inc. | |
| Type: | Not-for-profit corporation |
| Foundation: | 1936 |
| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Key People: | Joseph Lee Jr, Founder |
| Industry: | Sailing |
| Homepage: | community-boating.org |
Community Boating, Inc. (CBI) is a private not-for-profit corporation founded in 1937 to teach sailing to those who would not typically have access.[1] Located on the Charles River Esplanade between the Hatch Shell and the Longfellow Bridge, it is the oldest public sailing organization in the United States.[2] To date, they have had over half a million sailors use their organization.[3]
Community Boating, Inc. was founded by Joseph Lee Jr., a wealthy Bostonian and recreation advocate. In 1932, the city of Boston set $200,000 aside to build a boathouse at the West End, Boston Beach. However, by 1937 the boathouse still had not been built and so Lee partnered with William F. Brophy, a lawyer who worked in the West End, to push for the boathouse's construction to advance opportunities for public boating for local children. Lee also began regular meetings of the "Community Boat Club" in the basement of the West End Community Center to build simple plywood sailboats and the group of 100 began sailing out of the boathouse on the Charlesbank with seven boats. The Community Boat Club later relocated to Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) property on the Upper Basin without permission over concerns that they had been sailing too close to the Charles River Dam.[4]
The Community Boat Club and Lee continued to advocate for a city-funded boathouse. In 1938, they regularly drew attention to their cause by sailing under the Longfellow Bridge into the Upper Basin, including once during the annual American Henley Regatta at the Union Boat Club. Metropolitan police towed them out of the basin in response. In another protest, the Community Boat Club marched from the West End to the State House, placing a boat called the Eugene C. Hultman inside the Hall of Flags. In 1939, the Community Boat Club petitioned the recently-elected Governor Leverett Saltonstall, to use a portion of the $1 million gifted to the city by Helen Storrow for the improvement of the Charles River Basin to build a boathouse. In the summer of 1939, Saltonstall attended the club's boat christening ceremony, one of which was named after him, and in 1940 he asked the state legislature to designate part of Helen Storrow’s gift for completing the boathouse.
Lee's program gradually grew less mischievous and more formal, but his kids insisted that the city needed a permanent place for cheap public sailing. They were ultimately successful: CBI was officially incorporated in 1946, and it earned 501(c)3 status by 1951.
Community Boating, Inc. employs staff to run operations and also relies on volunteers to teach classes. Available boats include kayaks, paddleboards, and sailboats. Operations are funded through corporate sponsors and membership fees.[3]
Community Boating, Inc. continues to provide boating training and equipment with an emphasis on accessibility. As of 2021, the organization had the lowest prices in Boston.[3]