From the March 18, 1983 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: Robert Sanborn and Stuart Bangs are two members of the Barnacle Club, a club that has held a prestigious place in Vineyard history.
Prompt action and unexcelled presence of mind on the part of Frank Bodfish and Capt. Hartson Bodfish averted what might have been a serious fire in the Barnacle Club at Vineyard Haven yesterday forenoon. Very few members frequent the club during the morning hours and it was by the merest chance that Frank Bodfish entered the room about 10:30 and found it filled with a dense, suffocating smoke.
The Barnacle Club, of Vineyard Haven, on Saturday evening formed themselves into a permanent organization. The following officers were elected for the year: President Walter H. Renear; secretary and treasurer, Captain Harvey S. Cook; house and finance committee, Elisha Luce, Bradford B. Manchester, Harry D. Foster, with the president and secretary. The club has about 44 members, resident and non-resident, with a number of applicants for membership, and is in a very flourishing condition.
On account of press of public business Governor McCall was not able to be the guest of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association on Friday last. It was the first time in a long term of years that the people of the Vineyard have not had the pleasure of an August visit from the chief magistrate of the Commonwealth.
They came in out of the chill of a cool autumn night for the fellowship that can surround a hot meal. The Barnacle Club is the oldest running waterfront club on the Island, and its name always inspires interest. A barnacle by definition is a creature that doesn’t move a lot.
The club is made up of men who have a love for the sea and a gift for sharing their experiences on the water. Since the 1800s, the club has existed with two simple rules: no booze and no women.
