Full Day of Activities at Fisherman's Beach on Saturday

The hosted a full day of activities on Saturday, as the club welcomed Father Mark Templeman to bless the fleet, served up gourmet hot dogs to the hungry, christened a new porch and installed a new codfish weather vane on top of the historic fish house.

“We had over 15 boats blessed by Father Templeman Saturday morning,” Commodore Bob Sharp said. “Father Templeman stood on the pier and blessed each of the boats as they passed by.”

This is the fifth year Templeman has blessed the vessels at the Swampscott Yacht Club.

“I’ve been in town at the Church of the Holy Name for five years, and I’ve been here every year to bless the fleet, it’s really a great day,” Templeman said, “I can’t say enough good things about this community, I love it here, my family loves it here, and it’s great to be here with the people from the yacht club."

The fish house was built back in 1886, complete with an ornamental copper codfish that also served as a weather vane. The original cod was damaged in a storm, and carpenter Dave LaLiberte stepped up and said he would build a new one to place on top of the fish house.

“I usually work in wood, but I enjoyed the challenge of making a new cod out of copper,” LaLiberte said. “This new cod is solid and sturdy and should last for another 100 years or so, I’m very proud of the new cod; I tried to make the new one look as close to the old one as I could.”

The cod has always been a symbol of fishing and the fishing industry. Many early settlers in this country survived and prospered through cod fishing. Author Mark Kurlansky wrote a book on the cod, “A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World,” and the Massachusetts House of Representatives debate and deliberate under a giant wooden codfish.

“It was important that we restore the cod,” Sharpe said. “It’s an important piece of the fish house’s history and an important piece of the town’s history.”

The old cod is currently on display at Swampscott Town Hall.

On Saturday evening, members of the Swampscott Yacht Club gathered to christen their new porch that overlooks the pier and the beach.

“Construction began in May, and it’s great to have it finished, it really adds a lot to our club,” Commodore Sharp said.

The activities at the SYC don’t slow down; the club is holding a Striped Bass fishing tournament on Aug. 5 and 6, with awards given out to the anglers who bring in the largest fish.

“It’s open to everybody," club member Steve Speranza said, "If you can fish, you can enter.”

For more information on the tournament, or to sign up, you can reach Speranza at 781-593-5645.

The SYC is also hosting an awards barbecue for the Swampscott sailing program on Friday August 5 at 6 p.m.

“We’ll be recognizing some of the young sailors in town and recognizing their achievements over the summer,” Sharp said.

The Swampscott Yacht Club was founded in 1933, and currently has over 230 members. To find out more about the SYC, log on to www.swampscottyachtclub.org.