Robert Allen “Bob” Declercq is a former Morgan Stanley wealth manager, sailor, and sailing champion from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, who was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in May 2025 for the rape of his 3-year-old granddaughter. His new residence is currently intake at Jackson Prison before he gets “shipped” to wherever they send sex offenders in Michigan these days.
This brief press release acknowledges the conviction:
A reader sent me the following detailed Substack articles written by Phoebe Wall Howard.
https://phoebewallhoward.substack.com/p/judge-sentences-sailor-bob-declercq (Third in a series about the trial and conviction of Bob Declerqc).
https://phoebewallhoward.substack.com/p/robert-declercq-imprisoned-in-jackson (Dated October 4, 2025, confirming the Michigan AG’s dismissal of a second criminal case against Declerqc— in Mackinac County in the Eastern Upper Peninsula —for the rape of his daughter, the mother of the three-year-old survivor, in the interests of justice given the prior sentence and the impact on the mother who had to testify for hours in her daughter’s case.)
I confirmed the reader’s assertion that these Substack articles include substantial detail the the local news reports do not report, or just ignore entirely. These articles show how difficult it is for survivors who come forward. The press “coverage” includes very few details.
At Declerqc’s trial for raping his granddaughter, the young survivor had her dad read the following statement to the judge:
“Dear Judge, My name is […. ] I am nearly 9 years old. My grandpa Bob Declercq is a dangerous man. That is why I want you to please keep him in jail for the rest of his life. He should not get paroled. He will keep hurting kids like he hurt me.
Wall Howard points out that
The criminal conviction and questions related to the case inspired discussion among metro Detroit yacht clubs and U.S. Sailing leadership to establish and/or improve safety protocols for reporting.
The Declercq case has been monitored closely within the national sailing community. Declercq is the son of a Great Lakes sailing legend whose boat “Flying Buffalo” dominated Port Huron to Mackinac Island races for years. He was expelled by Bayview Yacht Club in May, after his conviction, and also removed from the Bayview Mackinac Race Hall of Fame.
He is appealing his conviction, claiming an unfair trial. I doubt his expulsion from Bayview and his removal from the Mackinac Race Hall of Fame are appealable. Tough break, sailor.
The reader who was good enough to forward these articles to me pointed out that this reminded him of the late Commodore Robert Van Hengel*, formerly of the St. Clair Yacht Club. Wonder if there are reciprocity memberships for any of the five infernal rivers?
*See beginning at page 16 of the PDF in this past post: