Sea Bright: Boro of Beach Clubs
It’s the ultimate beach town. Folks have been coming to Sea Bright for the sand, sea and sun for over a century. Young and old, rich and poor, near and far, fat and skinny, alone and groups — all enjoy visiting borough beaches in the summertime.
For most beach-goers it’s about relaxation, but for others it’s a business. At present, the borough has 8 beach clubs in operation — seven private and one public. All the clubs took a pounding during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. All recovered to bask in the sunshine again.
The private beach clubs of Sea Bright are unalike — different people, different ways — so I’m told by the locals. Each is unique yet all agree on one thing: Sea Bright is a summertime paradise. The town’s private clubs (north to south) are:
• Ship Ahoy Beach Club
• Sands Beach Club
• Surfrider Beach Club
• Seabright Beach Club
• Chapel Beach Club
• Edgewater Beach Club
• Driftwood Cabana Club
A large public beach, expanded and improved at the center of town, charges a modest fee. A surfer’s beach, the Anchorage, is free but unguarded. Donovan’s Reef has its own little beach club with bar, food and music.
“In every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of Earth.”
–Rachel Carson
Several beach clubs in town have come and gone. Among them: the Peninsula House Beach Club, Trade Winds Beach Club, Surf ‘n’ See Club, Ocean Side Surf Club, Anchorage Pool and Surf Club, Sandlass Beach Club, Harbor Light Beach Club, Surf Bathing Pavilion (opened in June 1926 by Jack Schickling), Emery’s Beach Club, and Elliott’s Bathing Club (owned by former mayor Charles V. Shropshire) among others.
Here’s a photo-essay about Sea Bright beach clubs through the years. Please enjoy and I welcome feedback, additions or corrections: HERE.

Impressive — Sea Bright beach clubs and yachts along the Shrewsbury River, August 2023 (Ed Moldaver Photo).

Coast is Clear — The borough shoreline looking north, Summer 2021 (Karin Busichio Photo).

The Shadow Knows — Beach clubs side-by-side in the setting sun, 2019. From left: the Ship Ahoy Beach Club and Sands Beach Club with Tim McLoone’s Rum-Runner restaurant in the foreground.

Sea Bright coast looking north, 1964. In 1986, Mayor Cecile Norton — a borough resident since 1939 — called the beach clubs “good neighbors” who “pay their taxes.”
Mystery Beach Club …

Fichter’s Original Pavilion, East New Street, 1930s. The bathing club was started by John A. Fichter in 1924. The Union City native and Sea Bright fireman died in January 1966.
Ship Ahoy Beach Club

Ship Ahoy Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1960s. It’s the borough’s longest operating beach club — about to be 88 summer seasons.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club, 1940s. In May 1935, Otto A. Gillig, Sr. received town approval to open and operate a private club with liquor license, which he restricted to “refined and congenial people.” In 1948, “The Skipper” died and his son, Otto, Jr., took over.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club, 1940s. When first opened the ocean-side facility had 164 bathhouses, a grill room and soda fountain, reception room, lounge, and offices. George Woolley & Son did all the dock/fountain work.

Surrounded — Ship Ahoy Beach Club and Motel in the borough’s north beach section, 1960s. Then operating at peak function, the property included 250-feet of oceanfront and 180-feet of riverfront.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club & Motel, 1950s. The club was greatly expanded and remodeled in the postwar years. A riverside motel was opened and each room had an overhanging porch allowing for easy fishing in the Shrewsbury River.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club & Motel, 1957. The club’s 14-room riverside motel first opened in June 1952, it was expanded to 28 rooms in 1956, and by 1958 it had 42 units. It was torn down in October 1978.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club and Motel, late 1960s. Dual ocean-side pools were added in 1959; wrecked in 1962 and quickly rebuilt.

Ship Ahoy storm damages, 2013. Like all town beach clubs, members and owners looked upon ruin after Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club painting by Jennifer Smith Donaldson. Club founder and city boy, Otto A. Gillig, Sr., was born in Brooklyn in 1885.

Ship Ahoy Motel, 1953. The 14-unit complex seen from the Shrewsbury River was built across the street from the beach club in 1952 by Otto Gilling, Jr. It replaced the Ship Ahoy restaurant-club that burned the year before.

Ship Ahoy Club-Restaurant, 1950 (Dorn’s Image). Called a “swank eating place,” it all burned in a massive wind-swept fire in March 1951.

The Lombardi family enjoys a day at Ship Ahoy, June 1968. A borough legend is that “The Coach” was a lifeguard here in 1935?

Ship Ahoy ad, Long Branch Daily Record, May 1959. Robert Jackson took control of the club in January 1959 and the family still operates the facility today.

Ship Ahoy Beach Club restaurant and bar on Ocean Avenue at its Grand Opening, Summer 1935. Construction was done by Town and Country, Inc.
Seabright Beach Club

Seabright Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1909. It was started on July 1, 1894 by nine families on the old Samuel B. Dodd property, according to an April 1921 Long Branch Daily Record report. By 1869, Dodd had become a key Sea Bright founder (a partner with Mifflin Paul) who had multiple town interests including the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, the Ocean Avenue to Sandy Hook highway, the railroad, and developing Sea Bright as a resort.

Seabright Beach Club behind the borough’s railroad station, 1920s. The photo is taken from the Rumson bridge.

Seabright Beach Club, early 1900s. The club was organized in 1895 by wealthy Rumson summer residents seeking a private oasis. That would make it the oldest beach club in Sea Bright.

SBC, 1908. William A. Street was the club’s founding president. Also a founder of the Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club in Rumson, he died in 1924.

Seabright Beach Club pool area, 1930s. Captain Miller Newman — the club’s first superintendent in 1894 — held the post for about 30 years.

Seabright Beach Club, 1938. The club made several large and wise property expansions early on: acquiring the nearby Mason cottage in 1913; picking up the Colonel Lewis estate (150-feet of prime oceanfront) in 1919; and buying the Howland property in 1922.

Seabright Beach Club, 1920s. Captain Cyril A. Smack was superintendent for most of the 1920s. As far back as 1924, according to APP reports, he was fighting ocean population from NYC.

SBC, 1930s. It had “more millionaires connected with the organization than any similar club in the state,” according to the Long Branch Daily Record, February 1926.

Seabright Beach Club, 1905. Thomas Edison visited the club in July 1917 and “was more than impressed.”

Construction cranes for the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge tower near the Seabright Beach Club, September 2022.
Chapel Beach Club

Sea Bright Presbyterian Church, built in 1890. Will Sandlass’ first son, Bill, leased the church for the Sandlass Bros. Bathing Pavilion in Sea Bright from 1915 to 1923 when it was located between the Seabright Beach Club and the Peninsula House. Today, the location is the Chapel Beach Club.

When the notable Rumson financier John A. Mulheren, Jr. acquired the club in 1988 for $1.5 million — it was called the Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion.

Chapel Beach Club, 2019. Mulheren’s 2003 New York Times obit called him “a charismatic Wall Street trader.”

Sandlass Bros. Bathing Pavilion on Ocean Avenue, 1920s. Located south of the Seabright Beach Club and north of the Peninsula House hotel, the spot later became the Chapel Beach club (Susan Sandlass Gardiner Photo).
Surfrider Beach Club

Surfrider Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1965. At this time the club included an Olympic-sized pool, 350 lockers, 21 cabanas and a snack bar.

Surfrider Beach Club, 2000s. First opened in June 1955, it proved so popular the club was expanded two years later.

Surfrider, 2020. Members agree that the Lo Biondo family runs a first-class operation here. They’ve owned the popular Ocean Avenue beach club since 1985.

Surfrider Beach Club ad, APP, June 1962. The club’s origin dates to the mid-1950s when Carl Fleming was manager and W.A. Burkhardt was director.
Edgewater Beach Club

The Stavola name is deeply tied to both the Edgewater and Driftwood beach clubs in Sea Bright, according to Asbury Park Press news archives, going back 65 years. Prior to being beach clubs, the Ocean Avenue property was a 37-room mansion owned by William Nelson Cromwell, the top lawyer for the Panama Canal company in 1902.

Edgewater Beach & Cabana Club, 2019. In February 1958, Stavola brothers John, Frank, Joseph, and James united to built their Edgewater Beach Club just north of their brother Michael’s new beach club called Driftwood.

Edgewater Cabana Club sketch, APP 11/1985. The club was greatly expanded over state DEP objections in the late 1980s.
Driftwood Beach Club

Driftwood Beach Club sketch proposal. Long Branch Daily Record, 1957. Frank A. Amodio was the architect.

Driftwood by the Sea logo, 1959. In November 1956, Michael J. Stavola of Middletown Twp. got it all started by acquiring the 320-feet of oceanfront property of the old “Edgewater Beach Hotel & Restaurant” and surrounding land.

Driftwood, 1960s. Michael J. Stavola built the original club for $200,000 in 1958. Whatever he touched — beach clubs, contracting, quarrying, horse-farming, real estate — it came up a big winner. The Jersey City native died in December 1998 at age 81.

A major expansion to the Driftwood Beach Club. Red Bank Register, April 1987. Covering 1,200-feet of oceanfront over 8 acres, the project cost $3.5 million. The Stavola brothers overcame NJ state DEP regulations and won a NJ Supreme Court ruling to build “the last of the old-time cabana clubs.”

Edgewater Beach Hotel & Restaurant after fire, May 1954. When it burned down, SB Councilman John Picknally, Jr. was the owner. He’d acquired the property for $20,000 in 1948 and opened the business in June 1950. Within 5 years the area was the Edgewater and Diftwood beach clubs.
Sands Beach Club

Twins Lights of Navesink seen from Sand Lass Beach Club, 1940s. In 1924, Bill Sandlass moved on and built another SB beach club: “The Sand Lass Beach Club” on Ocean Avenue across from today’s Rum Runner Restaurant.

Sand Lass Beach Club on Ocean Avenue in SB, 1940s. Bill Sandlass was the proprietor until 1963 when his younger brother, Henry, bought the beach club which remained in the family until 1975.

Sands Beach Club, 2010s. John Chimento acquired the property in May 1975 from the original owners who built the beach club in the 1920s and changed the name. The Chimento family still runs the club today.

Sands Beach Club, 2017. The original building survived until it washed out to sea during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

In 1963, John Chimento acquired a classic seashore mansion in Monmouth Beach (above) hoping to create a new private beach club there. The home was built by the McKesson family, the pharma giants. Borough officials rejected the plan. By the next decade the house would fail, replaced by high-rise condos.
Borough beach clubs taken by time and tide …
Peninsula House Beach Club & Hotel

Perhaps the most elaborate of the oceanfront beach clubs was The Peninsula House hotel and beach club. The original P House (c) was built in 1881 and burned in 1986.

The P House — Postcard Perfect, 1940s. The iconic seashore structure dates back to Sea Bright’s late 19th century resort glory days.

P House in its glory, 1940s. Constructed in 1881 by Mifflin Paul, the unofficial founder of Sea Bright, for his daughter, Martha Dederer.
Surf ‘n’ See Club

“Surf ‘n’ See Club” on Ocean Avenue, APP, July 1966 — “the first and only private beach club for surfers on the East Coast.” Built for $80,000, it was previously called “Ferndocks” — a popular surf spot for local teens. Club Owners were: John Stavola, Ernest Beattie, Bill Minder and Charlie Kuhns. By November 1967, it was the Ocean Side Surf Club.

“The Castiles” band with Bruce Springsteen (c) perform at the “Surf ‘n’ See Club” on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, August 1966. The oceanfront club hosted many up-and-coming bands and musicians.
Sandlass Beach Clubs in Sea Bright

No report on Sea Bright beach club history is complete without mentioning the Sandlass family name. Their family historian Susan Gardiner is out with a new book, Sandy Hook’s Lost Highland Beach Resort ($21.99; Arcadia Publishing). “Only the Sandlass family has owned and operated three beach clubs/bathing pavilions in Sea Bright between 1909 and 1963,” Susan explains. “Starting in 1888, the Highland Beach resort area was considered its own neighborhood and real estate development project until it was annexed by Sea Bright in 1909.” When it came to the beach, Susan said her family “were eager entrepreneurs in the industry.” Our thanks.

The SAND LASS Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1947. Built in the 1930s, It was owned and operated by Bill Sandlass. Purchased by the Chimento family in 1975, today the location is the Sands Beach Club.

Sandlass Brothers Bathing Pavilion on Ocean Avenue, 1927. The business was run by Bill Sandlass, older son of Will Sandlass. His younger brother, Henry Sandlass, was a silent partner. Today, this spot is the Chapel Beach Club.

Harbor Light Beach Club on fire, 1963. Robert Osgoodby acquired the 8-acre property along the Shrewsbury River in 1953. He also ran a football camp there.

Harbor Light Beach Club ad, Red Bank Register, June 1972. This is the old Sea Bright beach club with a pedestrian bridge over Ocean Avenue. The steel overpass linking the club’s pool and parking lot area with the beach opened for Summer 1966. Bob Osgoodby was the club owner which he grew to 8 acres along river and ocean. The town had rejected the bridge in October 1961.
Downsea Beach

Downsea Beach Hotel at 150 Ocean Avenue, 1930s. Captain Frank Downs acquired the North Beach property in the mid-1930s and built up the beach club and hotel. He was the US Coast Guard unit leader at Sandy Hook before retiring in 1925. He sold the Downsea business shortly before his death in April 1949.

Downsea Beach Hotel aerial image, 1960s. It had 15-rooms and offered boating, bathing with restaurant and cocktail lounge. The spot later became Gaiter’s.

Downsea Beach Hotel ad, 1946. It was badly damaged in a September 1958 fire when owned by Andrew and Joeseph Zurich.

Gaiter’s, 2011. The restaurant and marina was owned by Victor Scudiery, who chaired the Monmouth County Democratic Party for many years.
Anchorage Pool & Surf Club
Anchorage Pool & Surf Club on fire, June 1982. The fire was ruled arson — the facility had been abandoned since 1980. Vincent Russo and Joseph Lynch were the owners. The Ocean Avenue spot was the location of the old Emery Beach Club owned by Victor Emery from 1956 to 1964.
Trade Winds Beach Club

James A. Scymser house (l) and cottages along Ocean Avenue in Low Moor, 1903. He was the wealthy president of Pan-American Cable Company and John Roebling Steel. The area would become Trade Winds Beach Club in the 1950s.

James Scymser cottage up close, 1904. The 26-room house was built in 1900 costing $600,000. The spot would become the Trade Winds Hotel & Beach Club when sold in December 1951 by Bennett Galef.

Trade Winds Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1970s. The club closed after the Summer of 2003, replaced by 20 multi-million dollar homes.

Trade Winds Beach Club, 1970s. Starting as a beach club in July 1955, it grew and grew. Irwin Levy, Jr. acquired the club, according to an April 1961 APP story, buying 450-feet of oceanfront. He was adding a new pool, 115 bathhouses and a row of 15 cabanas in time for that summer. The previous owners were: Beverley Anderson, Ira Crouse, and Ada Soden. Levy also ran the Sea Bright Motel.

The original Trade-Winds-by-the-Sea beach club on Ocean Avenue, 1950s. In 1962, the new Trade Winds Beach Club under construction got a liquor license from the old Sea Bright Motel, both owned by Irwin Levy.

The old Trade Winds Motel on the westside of Ocean Avenue (formerly Sea Bright Motel), 1950s. It was across the road from the beach club.

Trade Winds Beach Club, 1970s. The club opened an in-door swimming pool in 1964. By the late 1980s, it was considered the biggest beach club in the state. Architect Jerome Larson did a big redesign in 1976.

Trade Winds Beach Club, 1970s. Ed Levy and family reopened the nearby nightclub in 1976 after a three-year hiatus.

Trade Winds Beach Club sketch, May 1961. A large plastic bubble — then the biggest in the nation– was placed over the pool area in November 1961 to allow for winter swimming. The cost: $25,000.

Hurricane Sandy leftovers, 2012. The nightclub, an important part of the Jersey Shore music scene for 30 years, operated until December 2002. At its peak, the club could accommodate 1,200 patrons indoors.
Sea Bright Beach Pavilion

Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion, 1948. The new municipal beach facility opened for Summer 1948. The $22,000 project included 400 lockers. The club grossed nearly $36,000 in revenues that summer.
Donovan’s Reef Beach Club & Bar

Donovan’s Reef, July 4, 2020. It’s the ultimate in Sea Bright cool and casual. Good memories overflow. Most folks know the Ocean Avenue spot for drinking and music but it’s a beach club too — with its own private lifeguards.

Old Donovan’s Reef front entrance, 1990s. Partners Robert Carducci, Robert Phillips and Ed Bowler (all Jersey City natives) acquired the business in August 1976.

Old Donovan’s Reef front entrance, 1990s. It was a rare vacation town bar beloved by locals and tourists alike.

Donovan’s Reef, 2020s. MORE INFO. You must be 21 to get on the beach and the cost is $20 on weekends (good luck with parking).

Donovan’s Reef after Superstorm Sandy, 2012. “Far removed from the traditional grease and grime trappings of your standard “Shore Bar” (but not far enough away that it ceases to be fun, of course), Donovan’s Reef is a sprawling mecca of summer bliss, conveniently located in the heart of one of the best small towns in America.”
—Thrillist.com, 2018

Beach Blueprint — The Donovan’s Reef beach bar under construction after Superstorm Sandy, 2013. The popular place bounced back strong after the devastation — reopening in July 2015. The seashore party place is now 4,375 square feet and is elevated 18-foot high.
More
• Highland Beach: Grand Playground of the Past — HERE
• Monmouth Beach Bathing Pavilion — HISTORY & PHOTOS
• Monmouth Beach Club — HISTORY & PHOTOS
• Long Branch Pier: Seaside Fun & Games — HERE
I just found your website. Great stuff! Starting to go through it all.
In the Ship Ahoy section there is a photo with the caption, “Ship Ahoy Beach Club and Motel, late 1960s. Dual ocean-side pools were added in 1959; wrecked in 1962 and quickly rebuilt.” Yes, SA had a little kiddie pool just to the left of the larger pool but it doesn’t show. The pool that does show in the photo on the far left is the Sandlass/Sands pool.