Westerly — For more than four decades, the Westerly Yacht Club has been a part of Carol Coburn’s life.

Until last month, however, the 52-year-old was not an official member of the club.

That’s because until July, women could only join the club as associate members — and they could only get that distinction if they were married to a full member.

Coburn, a Westerly resident, didn’t fall into that category. But she has been going to events and gatherings at the 1 Watch Hill Road establishment for almost as long as she can remember. Her late father, Charles, was a heavily involved life member of the club, as were her grandparents before him. Her sister and brother-in-law are members, too.

“It’s a legacy in my family,” Coburn said. “You can’t even imagine. I’m so excited, so thrilled (to be a member). This was a huge part of my dad’s life. I’m just so happy they finally overturned that vote.”

The question of whether to admit women as full members is one that had been mulled for years, Coburn said. Her father had been a proponent of changing the “antiquated” rule, which barred lesbians, single women and divorced women from any type of membership.

As associate members, women could participate in events and didn’t have to pay dues, but they couldn’t vote.

Nearly yearly, Coburn would wait with her breath held as the male members of the 89-year-old club voted on the rule.

“And every year I would be so disappointed,” she said.

After last year’s June 15 vote totaled 207 for and 171 against admitting women — not enough to meet the two-thirds majority requirement — associate member Jane Barstow wrote a letter to the Westerly Sun. It set off a firestorm of local and national media coverage and garnered from the ACLU the threat of a lawsuit.

On July 16, the club’s full members reversed their course, voting 310 to 82 to allow women to become full members.

Shaun Tine, commodore of the club, didn’t know off the top of his head how many women have become full members so far. But he said the club has brought on “quite a few” women and is giving all women who apply the same consideration as men.

“We’re very delighted to be moving on to the next chapter of our lives here,” he said.

Upon learning she could join, Coburn excitedly filled out an application in July and gathered up the money she would need: $800 for an initiation fee, $75 for assessments and $580 in dues, the latter to be paid yearly.

During her interview on March 10, Coburn outlined to the Board of Directors and committee members why she wanted to join, telling of her desire to meet new people and carry on the work her dad did. She estimated about 10 other women showed up to the interview night, but she doesn't know how many of them ended up as members. Coburn became a member a week or so after her interview.

Although she plans to take some time to test the waters, Coburn is looking forward to her first voting night. She also wants to take on a larger role in organizing various events, including a fishing tournament hosted in her father’s honor.

“Women are a huge part of that club,” Coburn said. “They might not be voting members, but they’re on committees with their husbands, they’re doing everything the members are doing. The rule just needed to be updated. I’m glad someone finally made a big deal about it.”

So far, Coburn said, the club’s members have been nothing but welcoming toward her.

At dock day Saturday, she said, “everyone was just congratulating me: ‘Welcome to the club, can’t wait to work with you on different things.’ There has not been any animosity that I’ve found.”

l.boyle@theday.com