Staying Afloat

A community's effort to keep tradition and history alive in the San Francisco Bay

By Myah Griffin

Founded in 1877, the Dolphin Club has been a fixture on the San Francisco Bay. Located in Aquatic Park Cove, the club is best known for its swimming and rowing activities and is a volunteer-led community of over 1,800 members. The Dolphin Club has a rich history, but within its walls lies a true historical treasure: a fleet of more than 20 wooden row boats. These boats were inspired by the working boats that ferried people and cargo in the city's early days. What makes these boats unique is not only their design, but the people who have dedicated themselves to creating and preserving them.

Every Tuesday night, volunteers gather in the club's boat shop to restore and rebuild their unique boats. They are led by master boat builder Jon Bielinski, who began this restoration process in the 1980s. First, the group partakes in a communal meal at 5 p.m. Then, they get to work. The shop comes alive with sounds of laughing, sanding, varnishing, and good conversation. The smell of wood fills the air as members of all ages contribute to the valuable work. These wooden boats have been able to last and thrive due to the efforts of this group over the decades. The oldest boat at the club was built in 1887 and is still actively in use.

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The standard of care is to try and keep the boats as good as new. Anytime there's an open water swim that leaves the confines of our tiny little cove here, the rowboats go with them, to provide guidance for the swimmers and to maintain that history of having these types of boats available.

Jon Bielinski

Traditional lapstrake-construction wooden rowboats

Each boat is always carved with its name and the year it was built. These are just a few of the club's fleet.

The ramp the Dolphin Club members use to bring the wooden rowboats in and out of the water.

The original Dolphin Club building was relocated in 1938 to its current location to make space for the Maritime Museum.

The Dolphin Club lies along Aquatic Park Cove and Fisherman's Wharf, with Alcatraz Island in eyesight across the bay.

Jon Bielinski rows his personal boat, the Spectre, in the bay.

These maritime vessels are so unique that they were recently recognized by the Library of Congress for their historical significance. Although their existence is an impressive achievement alone, it is clear that another treasure resides at the Dolphin Club. The wooden boats have become the foundation of a community that is centered around craftsmanship, stewardship, and a shared connection to the water. Within this club tucked away in a small cove on San Francisco Bay, members gather not only to preserve the boats, but to preserve history, tradition, and the community that has kept the Dolphin Club and its boats afloat for generations.

Inside the Dolphin Club lies the wooden boat fleet, with the walls covered in photos of lifetime members and important pieces from the club's history.

This map is pinned up in the boat shop, highlighting various boating routes in the bay.

Aprons, coveralls, and overalls hang along this wall inside the boat shop for volunteers to wear while they work on the boats.

The Dolphin Club keeps a record of when each boat is varnished.

The boat shop is busy with volunteers each Tuesday for boat night.

This is one of the many technical drawings that were made of the wooden boats to be housed in the Library of Congress. This particular one is for the John Wieland, the club's oldest boat.

Row boats are designed for efficiency and movement, with unique features that allow them to achieve this. The oars provide propulsion while the oarlocks act as pivot points that hold the oars in place. The sliding seat allows rowers to use their legs to generate more power, and the foot stretcher allows for a stable platform to push against while rowing.

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Without care, the boats aren't tended. They aren't looked after. This little spot where we are is one of the few places with these types of boats. If all of that disappeared, something unique would be lost.

Jon Bielinski