Waterlines 21 August v2

Waterlines, August 2021
The Dick Bassett Trophy
GTYC’s Newest
Annual Race Trophy
The newest trophy in the Grand Traverse Yacht
Club’s collec9on may also be its oldest! The
trophy has been donated as an award to the
winner by way of best corrected 9me on handicap
of an annual Around the Island Race it which
compe9tors have the choice to go either way
around the course which passes the former island
home of namesake Dick BasseD. The small island
at the end of the isthmus adjoined to BasseD
Island helped inspire the “Hound Dog RegaDa”
name when the event had its origin in 1999
The triple-handled silver plate donated to serve as
the Dick BasseD Trophy is a vintage piece that was
manufactured in the late 1800s by the Derby Silver
Plate Company of Meridian, Connec9cut in the
same 9me period that BasseD made his home on
his island in Grand Traverse Bay.
The vase is "quadruple plate" silver, meaning that
the thickness of its electroplated silver finish is
four 9mes the standard of the commercial silver
industry at that 9me in the late 1800s. The Derby
Silver Plate Company began opera9ons in 1872
and began mass distribu9on of a wide range of
products in 1877. The company made household
and grooming items -- mirrors, combs, clocks,
brushes, tableware, flatware, tea sets, children’s
cups, loving cups (trophies), candles9cks, fruit
baskets, dishes, and basically anything that was
plated with or made of silver.
The Derby brand was sold under its own mark
featuring an anchor un9l 1898 when the company
merged with the Interna9onal Silver Company, a
conglomera9on of Connec9cut silver
manufacturers, with its original manufacturing
plant con9nuing opera9on un9l 1933.