9. The Kennedy Sailing Tradition

One of the most well-known Kennedy pastimes is sailing around Hyannis Harbor, Lewis Bay and into the Nantucket Sound. JFK spent many summers sailing with family in his Wianno Senior "Victura" in these waters. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy often raced in the legendary Figawi regatta every May in his wooden schooner, Mya. Many Kennedy family boats are moored at Hyannis Port Yacht Club, less than one mile from here. Visitors may wish to board a sightseeing vessel to see the Kennedy Compound from the water. Boats leave from Bismore Park docks.

The Kennedy Sailing Tradition

Close by, at the Hyannis Port pier is where Ted Kennedy's beloved sailboat Mya could be seen on its mooring if he wasn't out winning a race! It wasn’t just Ted and JFK, but most of the Kennedys that have enjoyed taking to the waters in a vessel powered by wind. Today, the next generation of Kennedy sailors race their various Wianno Senior sailboats. The famous Crosby Yacht Yard made the "Seniors" in nearby Osterville to navigate our shifting Cape Cod shoals.

Sailing on the Cape

For the majority of Cape Cod’s history, sailing was a necessary part of life. Before the engine and modern infrastructure, marine travel was the most effective means of getting from place to place, and for longer distances, sailing was less rigorous than the alternative of rowing. As most
know, large ships set sail to transport people and goods or explore other parts of the world. Fishermen also used sailboats for their work. Sails formed the foundation of Cape Cod.

Yachting and recreational sailing became popular in America in the early twentieth century, and numerous yacht clubs opened up on Cape Cod during that time. With the establishment of these clubs came some of the first regattas on Cape Cod, such as the Chatham Yacht Club regatta first held in 1921, which is still held annually to this day. The Figawi Regatta, which occurs annually on Memorial Day weekend, is the most notable of the Cape’s regattas, and originated in 1972.

The Crosby Yacht Yard is a historic shipyard in Osterville, well-known for its construction of the Wianno Seniors beginning in the early twentieth century, and the Crosby brother’s model of the catboat designed in 1850. The aforementioned Victura was bought by the Kennedys in 1932 and is to this day stored and maintained in the Crosby Yacht Yard during the colder months. In the warmer months, the boat stands on display outside the window of the John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Photo by JFK Presidential Library & Museum

Bobby Kennedy

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, active in politics and instrumental in the civil rights movement, was born on November 20, 1925, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He and his wife Ethel, who married in 1950, had eleven children. They purchased the second of three houses that formed the Kennedy Compound as their family started to grow. Robert managed his brother John F. Kennedy’s successful senate campaign in 1952 and went on to manage JFK’s national campaign in 1960. JFK appointed him U.S. Attorney General. In that role he worked closely and confidentially with his brother, serving as advisor during difficult times such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. He resigned as attorney general after his brother’s death. He was then elected U.S. Senator from New York. Robert was shot on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California during his campaign for President. He was pronounced dead the following day.

Today, his daughter Kerry Kennedy is the head of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, working to advance the causes championed by her father.