Think barnacle, and perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a creature that clings tenaciously to the bottom of boats. The original seamen who began the Barnacle Club of Martha’s Vineyard were likely quite proud of their own tenacious nature. In a sense, that stick-to-it-iveness has been absorbed into the group itself — it has existed for some 161 years.
Through the generations, the Barnacle Club in Vineyard Haven has been a place of close fellowship and camaraderie for those with salt in their veins. Mark Alan Lovewell, now the group’s president, explains, “The Barnacle Club is the oldest waterfront organization on Martha’s Vineyard. They got the nickname of being called ‘barnacles’ because they don’t do anything or go anywhere.”
It was founded in 1863, when whaling and merchant ships sailed in and out of the safe harbor of Holmes Hole (now Vineyard Haven) as they made their way up and down the East Coast, passing through Vineyard Sound.
A 1962 report from club historian Joseph Chase Allen notes that the Barnacle Club was initially composed of master mariners and officers seeking a place to gather and share tales of life at sea, and while away the hours playing chess, checkers, and especially cribbage. However, “by degrees, ordinary seamen, some of them very ordinary, were admitted to membership, in order to maintain a full compliment [sic] fore and aft.”
He goes on with a flourish, “The oldest of the old-timers shook their heads and opined that this was an evil day indeed when farmers from the cornfields walked the weather side of the poop because of the scarcity of masters.”
Until just a few years ago, there were two steadfast rules for the Club: men-only membership and no alcohol allowed at the meetings.
Lovewell relates, “The story about why it was a men’s group is that in the old days, women were suspicious of their husbands going out drinking all night long. And having it be men’s only and no alcohol made the women feel safe.”
When Lovewell became president in 2018, he wholeheartedly believed, “Women need to be a part of the organization. We can’t discriminate. We have no notes in our documents stipulating that we can’t admit women. I couldn’t find any stipulation against alcohol either. So we had a vote just before COVID to allow women.”
Currently, the club is humming along with some 28 members, including five or six women.
“It is a wonderful group of people. We are happy to be with each other,” Lovewell says. “We get together and tell stories. We talk to each other and discover what everyone is doing on the water. We’re people who love to share stories about our boats.”
“To be a Barnacle Club member, you must have salt in your veins. You have to love the ocean, and to go in a boat, and not just the ferry.”
Molly Conole says, “I think it’s an important organization that keeps us tied to the history of this Island maritime community, and by becoming a member of the group, I get to hear the tales of all the things that have tied us together as this community, some of which are still going, some of which are not, and some of which are evolving. I think that we’re a good place to be to hear those things and to grow the group … including females.”
The Barnacle Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Dues are $50 per year. For more information about joining, contact 508-696-4655 or email mark@markalanlovewell.com.
