A Business With a Long Marine Heritage

The site of the present Yacht Works was originally a commercial marine complex to the North of Sister Bay.  A large dock allowed lake steamers to load and off load cargo for Sister Bay and the immediate surrounding area.  Warehouses, barns, and other buildings were constructed nearby to support the transport of local goods, and the import of supplies necessary for life in what was at the time a remote area.  Remnants of the original steamer dock and some of those buildings can still be identified though much has changed over the years. 

  ~ 1959

Earliest photo we have (as of 13 Feb 01) of our harbor and facilities.  There is no building 3, building 2 is located to the West of building 1, old steamer dock is in extreme disrepair, and the harbor entrance is to the Northwest.  Unfortunately, camera jitter blurs this picture, but the major buildings can be seen.

At this time, the business was Anchor Sam's.  Sam Subin was the proprietor, and only the present office building (1) and building (2) were part of the operation.   Just to the south of this photo, Jacobson's Cottages (later Hub's Motel and Pier) had just been built.  The building which is now JJ's was Rudy's Restaurant and Bakery (this was B.C.  - before cholesterol, calories, & Coronas.)  The barn behind the house next to JJ's was a slaughterhouse, known as Anderson's Barn.  The house was a meat market.

   This photo, brought in by Greg Diltz also, shows the Diltz boys (Jim, Greg, and [now judge] Peter) at the outer (West) wall on Memorial Day weekend, 1958.  The boat is "Margie."  Greg later worked summers pumping gas for Anchor Sam at 50¢ a day.  In the background, especially in the full sized photo, one can see the North shore, which from this angle doesn't look much different than today.  The Freidland's boathouse is a notable landmark both in this photo and in modern pictures of the shoreline.

  ~ 1964

    Aerial Photo of "Anchor Sam's Yacht Harbor, Inc." in about 1964.  The yawl, large flush deck Motor Yacht (a Burger?), and smaller boats are unidentified.   Transom names of the cruisers in the the upper left (NE) corner of the harbor are: "Bon Vivant", "Epitaph II", unidentified, and "Instead."  The boat at the gas dock appears to be "J & B" or "J & D."  Individuals can be seen at the gas pumps on the dock, coming out of the office, in a small boat at the gas dock and out on the NW corner of the big pier fishing.  Note that the water was EXTREMELY LOW this year.  The old steamer dock had been pierced creating a safer entrance, the harbor closed in at the Northwest corner, building 3 was built and building 2 had been moved from the steamer dock to between building 1 and building 3.  The piers enclosing the harbor on the north and west are their original height, in the mid-eighties Frank Forkert built them up because of the high water.

In the early 60's Anchor Sam was also running the Ephriam Yacht Harbor, and due to the costs associated with dredging for the low water (lower than 2000!!!) he took on investors and incorporated.  The business became Anchor Sam's Yacht Harbor, Inc.  In a few years the Ephraim operation split off and Sam Subin bought out his investors to run the Sister Bay operation by himself. 

-1999

    Photo of Yacht Works in summer of 1999.  Expansion of building 5 is underway, building 9 is complete in the rear of the site.  The launch well was rebuilt years before to accommodate the 25 ton Travelift.  In the 1964 photo, the lift was a Renner, which now (2001) is at building 10 on Old Stage Road.  The bulwarks on the outer side of the north and west piers can be seen.  The barn to the south is gone, as are the gas pumps on the road. 

[ Back Up ] [ Old Bldg. #3 & Sales Off. ]

To e-mail our staff with questions about the content of this page click here.  Send email with questions or comments about the web site to Yacht Works' webmaster. 
Copyright © 2005 Yacht Works, Inc.              Yacht Works, Inc. Sister Bay, WI 54234 
Last modified: May 23, 2008                          (920) 854-2124       Fax (920) 854-2174

Thank you for being visitor #