Welcome, Sister Bay Marina Club!
The Lake Michigan Yachting Association (LMYA) welcomes its newest member, a unique entity that serves as both a yacht club and a museum. The Sister Bay Marina Club, which joined the LMYA this year, is centrally located on the lakefront in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, amidst the beach and municipal marina area. This new club was formed to preserve and protect the waterfront’s history and to proudly display the historic mahogany runabout, “Shadow”. It is sponsored by the Sister Bay Historical Society, the Sister Bay Municipal Marina, and the Yacht Works Marina.
The “Shadow” Runabout: A Rich History
The “Shadow,” a 26-foot Chris Craft runabout, was delivered to Sister Bay in 1929. Its original owner was J. Arthur Friedlund, a prominent Chicago corporate attorney and former secretary of the New York Yankees. Crafted from Honduran mahogany with silver trim and green leather seats, the boat was named “Shadow” because Friedlund also named his summer home, “Shadow Lawn,” and his horse with the same name, reflecting his fondness for it. Friedlund had a boathouse built at the water’s edge in Sister Bay, where “Shadow” was kept for over 50 years.
Upon Friedlund’s death in 1972, Jack Bunda of Sister Bay purchased the boat from the estate. Bunda and a friend custom-engineered a boathouse at his Bay Shore Drive home. This boathouse was designed with an overhead monorail system for launching the boat from its cradle on a concrete slab. It was kept dry, illuminated at night, and filled with boating memorabilia. For more than 40 years, the boat was meticulously cared for, only taken out for cruises in ideal weather and boating conditions. Every plank and frame of the boat remains original, and each ride was a special remembrance of boating elegance from the past.
Preserving “Shadow” for Future Generations
After the passing of Jack Bunda and his son, Kenan, a local group of “Shadow” enthusiasts worked to keep the boat in Sister Bay. They successfully raised funds to purchase and maintain the boat, and to establish a permanent home for it. Collaborating with the Sister Bay Historical Society, they initiated efforts to rebuild Bunda’s Boathouse to display “Shadow” and other Sister Bay historical artifacts through a 501(c)(3) organization. The Shadow Preservation Fund was established with the Door County Community Foundation to support this project.
The Sister Bay Marina Club was created as a committee of the Sister Bay Historical Society to generate public interest and raise funds for the Sister Bay Waterfront Museum. Their initial endeavor is the renovation of Bunda’s Boathouse to house the historic 26-foot Chris Craft. During a visit in July, I toured the current boathouse facilities. The first floor features two garage doors on the west side, where the boat was previously launched via the overhead monorail system. The upper floor, formerly an apartment, is being transformed into a gathering space for yacht club members and display areas for historical artifacts from the Sister Bay Historical Society. These displays will include innovative exhibits, educational programs, and additional boating memorabilia.
Construction on both the interior and exterior of the building is set to begin in October, following the annual fall festival. The exterior will showcase numerous large picture windows, allowing the public to view “Shadow” hanging in its new cradle, positioned as if ready for a ride on the lake.
For more information, visit their LMYA member page, or the Sister Bay Marina Club website at sisterbaymarinaclub.com.