Annapolis Yacht Club Fire: Rebuilding One Year Later

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Some of the trophies are gone, but the sailing and boating competitions have continued in the year since an electrical problem with a Christmas tree equipped with built-in lights sparked the Dec. 12, 2015, blaze that heavily damaged the historic Annapolis Yacht Club. While it's housed in temporary quarters, the club's leaders have made plans to rebuild the facility.

The three-alarm fire broke out at the Annapolis Yacht Club, 2 Compromise St., before being extinguished by nearly 100 firefighters. Capt. John Bowes of the Annapolis Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire damaged the second and third floors of the building while the rest of the building was damaged by smoke. The building lacked a sprinkler system, leading Bowes to attribute that as the reason the fire did so much damage.

The Annapolis Fire Department said that damage from the fire is likely to surpass $9 million.

Workers have cleaned out the building's interior so the real work can begin to restore the structure, which should closely resemble the original club property. Yacht Club commodore Debbie Gosselin told The Capital-Gazette she expects construction to begin in 2017 and finish in 2018 on the restoration.

"Just don't hold me to a month," Gosselin told the newspaper. "We are pushing as fast as we can."

As a stopgap measure, the club took over the former Harbor Grill location, after representatives for the club, city and restaurant signed an agreement in January to locate the yacht club at the eatery.

The Capital-Gazette reports that Harbor Grill’s management laid off its staff of about 20 workers to make way for the yacht club’s use of the facility at 12 Dock St. The agreement says the yacht club can sell food and drink from the Harbor Grill venue until repairs allow the club to return its Compromise Street location, which could take up to two years.

Government leaders have vowed to help rebuild the institution.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan joined Annapolis Mayor Michael Pantelides, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh, and the leaders of the Annapolis Yacht Club to survey the damage a day after the blaze.

“Our state agencies are ready to assist the over 150 individuals who work at AYC and get this important part of the history, culture and economy of Annapolis back on its feet,” Hogan said a year ago.

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Christmas Tree Safety Reminders

After the yacht club blaze, fire officials reminded residents to check holiday trees and lights for wear and tear, and replace them if they show signs of fraying. Captain John Bowes with the Annapolis Fire Department said people need to be mindful of the fire dangers with trees.

“A lot of people think that artificial trees are a lot safer than live trees — which overall, they are — however you got to keep in mind a lot of times while the tree may be flame retardant or flame resistant, a lot of the decorations are not,” Bowes said.

The department noted that a dried-out 15-foot Christmas tree that fueled a Jan. 19, 2015 Annapolis mansion blaze that killed an Annapolis couple and four of their grandchildren. Fire investigators agree the fire started under or near the tree in the house’s great room and spread in less than a minute to the second floor, where all the victims were sleeping. It was ruled an accident.

An estimated dollar amount for the damage and loss to materials in the club hasn’t been released.

See Also:

• Pictures, Videos from Annapolis Yacht Club Fire
• Historic Annapolis Yacht Club Struck By Massive Fire
• Historic Annapolis Yacht Club Investigation Seeks Cause Of Massive Fire

“It’s a huge loss for the community, but it’s also an opportunity,” Pantelides said a year ago. “We’re going to help make sure this place is rebuilt the best it can be.”

“We are saddened by the events of today but thankful that no one was seriously injured,” then-Commodore Rod Jabin, a member of the AYC Board of Directors said in a statement the day of the fire. “Annapolis Yacht Club is more than the bricks and mortar of a clubhouse; it is a community. We are committed to re-building in the current location and in the interim are exploring opportunities to re-locate elements of its operation.”

The historic club that played host to several national and international racing events was created in 1886 as an informal canoe club, according to the AYC website. In 1904, the club had close to 30 members compared to its membership today, which stands at 1,600.

The club has been a destination spot for sailors and their families for generations. Its leaders are looking for a site to relocate to while the structure is rebuilt.

The 2016 racing season went on as planned. The club’s offices, race management equipment and regatta of support vessels are all located at its Eastport properties, which weren’t affected by the fire.

Gosselin told WTOP that trophies, oil paintings and wood models of renowned sailing ships were destroyed, in the fire;. Historic documents, such as racing records, were already stored off-site through a historic archiving effort.
»Video from Anne Arundel County Professional Fire Fighters’; fire photos and aftermath images from AACPFF and Gov. Larry Hogan’s Facebook page