1994 — Vincent Dicks

The Clipper falls

The Yankee Clipper had been the rebirth of the original Tremont Hotel from the 1870s. Gus Steck, band leader and owner since the 40’s retired and passed ownership in the 70s to his daughter, Nancy Rauso, and her husband, Patrick. She was raised in Sea Girt and lived in Spring Lake.

Nancy carried on her father’s legacy at the Clipper, and other than a few problems inherent with a bar at the beach level closing at 2 AM, and then midnight, the Clipper was a staple with consistent food and a killer view from its position on the east end of Chicago Blvd. Young people loved spending the day on the sand with a beach bar across the street, and live nightly music.

When Nancy left the business, the building was sold. An investor group paid $1.2 million for the operation and the building in 1984. A separate company run by Anthony Cancro, a Hackensack-based financier, held the liquor license and did operations. Cancro admitted to rarely visiting the facility, preferring to hire managers to operate the restaurant.

The second-floor restaurant with its navy blue theme and ship’s wheel bar served fine dining food. The Sand Bar, at beach level was a continual nuisance to the neighbors and Police Chief Joule. Accusations of underage drinking, public urination, noise, and lack of parking were the usual issues. Annual liquor license renewals generated discussions of problems from prior summers.

Cancro was fined in 1990 for labor law violations, and then in 1991 the renewal meeting was a tongue-lashing. Mayor MacInnes had personally watched people jumping in and out of windows in a drunken brawl. He was also told by residents that they had observed underage patrons drinking hard liquor in the place. “We can’t have anything to do with alcoholic beverages being served to juveniles. Councilman Norman Hall noted the bouncers were not cooperative with Sea Girt police and had hidden one of the men involved in the skirmish. “Non-cooperation is unacceptable”. They reluctantly granted the license, but noted the manager had just started a week before Memorial Day. “The Yankee Clipper will be under intense scrutiny. If there is another violation, we are going to shut you down.” Mayor MacInnes, a Brigadier General, was dead serious.

The Parker House was not without its problems, but the owners’ responses were much better. They lived in or close to town, and when there was a false fire alarm on Memorial Day Weekend 1991, the managers and the fire company rapidly cleared 750 people out of the basement. The owners noted the fire code would allow 1,400, but they would not go above 750; it was much too crowded. The problem was that the fire code required the crowd to disperse before the Parker House could reopen. 750 wandering, frustrated drinkers did not make a good impression on the neighbors. The management spoke with police and called council members to smooth things over.

Rod’s Olde Irish Tavern was another good example of responsible local ownership. Frank Kineavy had opened the pub with Gerald “Rod” Keller Jr. in 1981. Rod’s father, the original “Rod” was a famous restaurateur from 1936 in Convent Station and had other North Jersey establishments. Keller lived in Spring Lake, and when he sold out to Frank in 1987, Frank bought a house on Washington Blvd, and could see his place from his front door. Any problems were addressed quickly and quietly.

The Clipper’s incidents in 1992 and 1993 were minor, but enough for the town to increase fines. At the liquor license hearings, Police Chief Joule singled the Clipper out for extra attention. The absentee owner did himself no favors.

After the summer of 1994, it all fell apart for Cancro. For the second time, local officials and the State Labor Department received complaints that the summer ended with the Clipper not properly paying employees. Cancro was arrested. He claimed that since he had suffered a stroke, he was inattentive. He then accused his manager of stealing from him. He sued his bank, which permitted the manager to open an account in the Yankee Clipper name. MacInnes and the Council were inclined to end the nonsense. The Yankee Clipper did not open in 1995.

The Coast Star reported that Cancro was ordered to pay $50,000 in fines and back wages to employees in 1995. As part of his agreement, he could no longer hold the liquor license. The property owners attempted to have the license transferred to their company, along with a promise to put $100,000 into the building, which by then had been shuttered for almost two years. The town wanted no part of a problematic property in a residential zone with a non-conforming use, and the Borough Council denied the transfer.

In December 1996, the Chancery Court ordered the auction of the restaurant’s contents. By January 1997, the property was in the hands of a couple who turned the land into a new private residence. The Tremont and now the Clipper were gone from the beachfront after 120 years.