And in fact "with the date of May 23rd, 1921 is founded in Castellammare di Stabia a society called Circolo Nautico Stabia", with head office in via Bonito, constituted by "a wooden and masonry building built at the expense of the Society (of the General Warehouses) in 1920 on the docks of the port of Castellammare di Stabia ... for the sole purpose of creating in the Stabian youth the passion for rowing sports'.
Its statute was approved by the General Assembly of members on the following 27th May.
We feel to report Dr. Vincenzo Imparato senior words , who a decade ago gave me one of his manuscripts concerning the birth of the Club, and from which we will also draw later.
"The Nautical Club,' wrote Dr. Imparato, 'had come to life thanks to the merits of Comm. Carlo Enrietti who, in the fervour with which he was animated, conceived the idea of bringing together in an associative institution, crowned by an athletic-sporting forge, all those who saw in the sea and for the sea the continuity of the historical and glorious traditions of this dear and much-loved city of ours.
Commendatore Giuseppe Cozzolino, manager of a Naval Agency located in via Bonito and a proactive operator of port traffic, took up the viaticum of the great and unfortunately forgotten promoter Enrietti and made real the project with the help of illustrious fellow citizens and the contributions of industries and Navy Commands, all of whom participated in ensuring that the yellow and blue flag of the Stabian Rowing Club of 1881 would once again shine in the sun and triumph in maritime competitions.
The austerity of Commendatore Cozzolino, the first president of the club, contributed, it is true, to the establishment of social splendour, to the link with the clubs of the hinterland of Savoy, Naples, Italy and later Youth, but it also inevitably constituted the prodromes of the consequences that later occurred over the years, consequences that were also part of a history that should not be omitted, let alone distorted by covering them with frills.
Although I was thirteen years old in 1921, the inaugural ceremony, seen from the outside, and the christening of the boats (two, if I remember correctly) in the club's possession have stayed with me since than.
It was an evocative celebration for Castellammare as well, since the sea swarmed with elegant, sleek cutters, very fast motorboats from the Neapolitan clubs, and their anchorage in the stretch of water in front of the Marinella was a beautiful sight for the Stabia crowd that had gathered to watch the mooring manoeuvres and the disembarkation of dignitaries, graceful ladies and distinguished members of the aristocratic, aristocratic classes of Naples.
Faithful press comments on the exceptional social-sporting event were widely reported in the newspapers and crowned in the 'Mosconi' by a copious list of names of those present at the wedding of the Stabia rowing club with the sea.
The first crew to take to the water in a four-man jole were the unforgettable Nino Natale (rowing leader), Paolo Scognamiglio, Carlo Vitelli, Nino Gaeta, and Vincenzo Sorrentino at the helm, the latter becoming famous, years later, as the 'lone navigator' and recordman of distances Castellanmare-Rome and Rome-Tripoli covered in a canoe.
The first coach, in 1921, was Attilio Mercanti of the Circolo Canottieri Milano, at the time a conscripted soldier in Salerno.
"I was a sixteen-year-old libellist,' Dr. Imparato continues, 'when I was included in the student-rowers' clan for my first rowing experiences, under the guidance of the expert teacher, Marquis Costa, from the Circolo Canottieri Napoli, who came from the capital to delude us into thinking we could move the dock in front of the Nautico with instructive rowing. At the same time we were fascinated by the mirage of participating in the Pattinson, a competition that, together with the Lysistrata, was selective for national titles.
Releasing the oar from the water with the movement of the wrists and the amplitude of rowing with attachment and stretching on the trolleys made the apprenticeship of us youngsters, who, through difficult training, aimed at equalling the skill of adults, meticulously trained for competitions.
We rowers were banned from attending the halls of the graceful chalet, the headquarters of the Nautical Club, but the patronage of Comm. Giuseppe Mannara, who succeeded Comm. Cozzolino as president, allowed for negotiations, which were inevitable given the location of the changing rooms, showers and toilets on the left side of the entrance hall.
Belonging to a class of reputed aristocracy and no less a patron than the Enrietti, engineer Monticelli, lawyer Salvatore Turcio, the democratic Comm. Mannara par excellence, expressed his prodigality with the gift of the Marta, a four-boat jole, in homage to his wife, born Fusco, and by steadily structuring the crew of the eight-boat jole, setting its efficiency at a level that would enable him to realise his most aspired dream, the victory of the Lysistrata.
Mannara was followed by Catello Geata, lawyer Nicola Greco, notary Giuseppe Fienga, and a pentarchy made of cav. Francesco Buonocore, lawyer Vincenzo Criscuolo, cav. Raffaele Pagliara and cap. Vincenzo Sorrentino.
But in the meantime, times had changed, and the new political climate produced as president Cav. Giovanni Vollono, city secretary of the National Fascist Party, who probably contributed to the association's name change, from Circolo Nautico Stabia to Fascio Nautico Stabia, which took place on 30th April 1927.
Dr. Vincenzo Imparato senior states that 'years of flattening of social activism followed, if one can say so,' although they were enlivened by three events that once again distinguished the Nautical Club.
The first was the visit, some time between 1921 and 1935, of King George V of England, who disembarked at the Club's landing stage and was received by the English vice-consul, a member of Stabia, Engineer Ettore Sacco Albanese, visited the premises, received the festive homage of the members and then went on to Pompeii.
This was followed on 17th May 1927 by the visit of Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy.
From a file I tracked down in the Municipality's Historical Archives, it was possible to reconstruct this event in detail.
From an order of service issued by the Commissariato di P.S. (police commissioner's office) we learn that on 17th May, Tuesday, at 4.30 p.m. there will be a visit 'of HM the KING of Italy to Pompeii (excavations) from the C.T. Confienza at the quay facing the Fascio Nautico Stabia and return to Castellammare leaving from the headquarters of the aforesaid Fascio Nautico on the same destroyer.
This is the programme: "4.30 p.m. Arrival in Castellammare and disembarkation of HM the King of Italy, who will be received on the quay facing the headquarters of the Fascio Nautico Stabiese by the Podestà, the Captain of the Shipyard, the Praetor, the Bishop, etc." etc. "Only members and the Press will be admitted to the two lateral enclosures of the sea-side headquarters of the Circolo Nautico. In the Hall, on the left, members' families, on the right Officers and other authorities, behind a special rope, so as to leave the passage free. In the courtyard (garden) on the left War Orphans and Balilla, on the right Little Italians, ex-combatants and amputees, also behind a rope. Having passed through the Club, S.M. will leave by car for Pompei", crossing Via Mazzini, Piazza Principe Umberto, Corso Garibaldi, Traversa Ferrovia, Piazza Ferrovia, Via Napoli, Piazza Principe di Napoli, Via Cimitero, Chiesa Postiglione, heading for Torre Centrale Pompei.
This is the invitation received from the members of the Club:
Dear member partner,
Next Tuesday at 4 p.m. HM the King will disembark at the Circolo Nautico to go to Pompei.
His Excellency, if you wish, will be able to assist to such landing, being in the halls of the Club not later than 3.30 p.m., when the ropes will close.
Since the halls of the Club will also host civil and military Authorities, you are kindly requested to attend with your family, excluding acquaintances and children.
With deepest respect.
The President
Lawyer Giuseppe Cozzolino
You will certainly not have missed that President Cozzolino, when addressing members, uses the expression Circolo Nautico and not Fascio Nautico.
I leave the conclusions to the careful reader.
From the file from which we are drawing we also learn the composition at the time of the Board of Directors just six years after the foundation of the Club.
President: Mr Giuseppe Cozzolino
Vice-Presidents: cav. Giuseppe Mannara and cav. Giovanni Vollono
Councillors: Cav. Francesco Buonocore,
Consul MVSN Maresca,
Senor Gaetano D'Auria,
cav. Ettore Ovazza.
