The Future of Sailing
Clare Harrington, the first woman to reach the ranks of Vice Commodore at the New York Yacht Club, on the next generation of sailors and the innovative designs of the upcoming America’s Cup
Last fall, Clare Harrington was appointed the Vice Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, becoming the first woman to hold the second-in-command position of the historic institution.
“People have made kind of a big deal about it,” she says of becoming the first woman Commodore at the Club. “I like to think it’s not a thing, but of course, it is a thing.”
Harrington was raised on Long Island, and she first discovered her love for sailing on the Long Island Sound.
“I grew up sailing,” she says. “I started racing at some point. I was terrible when I started; I got better.”
She eventually found herself part of the Martha’s Vineyard sailing scene, where she skippered “Shields” out of the Edgartown Yacht Club — at a time when very few women were skippers. In 2000, she became a member of the New York Yacht Club.
“I joined the race committee, and from there I was nominated to be the chair of the race committee,” Harrington says. At the time, 2017, she was the first woman to be nominated as the chair of any committee at the club. Now, two other women are chairs of different committees.
“We’re all trustees”
The New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844, and the Race Committee was established in 1845 (it was initially known as the Rules Committee). In 1987, the NYYC acquired Harbour Court in Newport, which is the former home of Commodore John Nicholas Brown. The Newport clubhouse opened in 1988. Today, the NYYC has about 3,400 members, hailing from around the world.
In 2021, Harrington was nominated and then voted in as Rear Commodore, the Number Three position at the Club. Positions are usually held for two-year terms, although you must be voted in annually. It’s all but expected that the person who becomes Rear Commodore will become Vice Commodore, and then Commodore — although formal voting must take place to ensure it’s all official.
The voting body is formed of trustees and the major committee heads. Nominations come from the nominating committee, which is made up of past commodores.
Once a person becomes chair of a committee, as Harington did for the race committee, they also become a member of the executive committee.
“We’re all trustees,” says Harrington, explaining that everyone is responsible for the health and well-being of the club and “staying true to the mission.”
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