Latitude 38 February 2012

FebruaryCover Template 1/24/12 10:12 AM Page 1 Latitude 38 Latitude VOLUME 416 February 2012 WE GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS FEBRUARY 2012 FEBRUARY VOLUME 416 ROB MOORE — CONNECTICUT YANKEE The sailing community lost a favored son last month. Latitude 38 lost a trea- sured former colleague, and scores of 1978, ostensibly to look for a job in fi- E Ticket (Olson 25). sailors around the nation and the globe nance, but also because he wanted to see One of the great Rob stories was that lost a personal friend with the passing firsthand this place where they said the he ‘owned’ Summertime Dream three dif- of Rob Moore, who died peacefully at wind blew hard all summer and the tides ferent times. Rob financed the first two home on the afternoon of January 5, ran strong. He was not disappointed. sales himself. The first owner defaulted surrounded by family. His first few sails were aboard various on the note and gave the boat back. boats, but his first regular big-boat ride The second time it went to a rich kid was with Bill Twist on Bill’s Peterson from Brazil (who painted it dark blue 3/4-tonner Stuff. Rob became so hooked and affixed the giant letters BRA to the on local sailing that his family remem- mainsail). He offered to trade it back to Rob for a Hobie 16! So Rob struck a deal with Seabird Sailing Center in Berke- Rob loved sailing from the ley for a new Hobie Cat — and got the ‘Dream’ back again. The third sale was a start, but became easily charm, because it ‘stuck’. Notably, Rob bored by the sedate pace sold the boat at a profit each time. (See our feature on this boat in the July 2011 of cruising and daysailing. edition.) bers he didn’t even come back home to pack up the rest of his possessions. He Rob first came to the attention of just found a job (eventually working for Latitude 38 when he won his IOR class Twist) and bought new clothes and other on Summertime Dream in the mid-80s necessities as he needed them. and was featured in our Season Champi- The first boat Rob owned on the Bay was Urban Guerrilla, a well-used Santana 20 that had achieved minor notoriety by broaching and sinking during a race ALL PHOTOS COURTESTY LESLIE RICHTER COURTESTY PHOTOS ALL on the Berkeley Circle. (There’s a great A consummate joker with a razor-sharp wit, Rob photo taken by legendary Bay sailing will be remembered for his keen sense of humor photographer Diane Beeston of just the as much as for his sailing prowess. top 4 feet or so of the mast and sail stick- Robert Kent Moore was born on Sep- ing out of the water.) As the story goes, tember 26, 1953, in New London, Con- the then-owner tied a floating bottle to necticut, to Kent and Marge Moore. He it, collected the insurance, went out and and younger sister Marnie were raised raised the boat, hosed out the mud — in Mystic, and their playground was the and sold it to Rob. waters nearby. Rob was a mischievous Within a year of moving west, Rob and energetic youngster, always pushing met designer Carl Schumacher. The two the envelope for new adventures. His immediately hit it off and became close parents were avid sailors on Long Island friends. Rob eventually bought Summer- Sound (young Rob helped his father time Dream, the 26-ft quarter-ton de- build several boats in the backyard) and signed and put together by Schumacher introduced the children to sailing at an in 1979. The boat's win in the Quarter early age. Tonner Nationals that year launched Rob loved sailing from the start, but Carl’s career as a naval architect. became easily bored by the sedate pace of Schumacher was a huge help in ‘edu- cruising and daysailing. His penchant for cating’ the Connecticut Yankee in how more excitement soon had him seeking to sail the Bay’s tricky waters. Rob and spots on racing boats, where he was a Carl sailed together many times, and quick learner. By the time Rob enrolled at Carl even ‘awarded’ Rob one of the first Brown University, where he would earn major trophies the boat won, which was a degree in American Civilization, he a half-hull of Summertime Dream. No was already an accomplished sailor and matter where he lived, Rob hung that a member of the Brown Sailing Team, half-hull in a place of honor in the house, along with Eric Kreuter, Brad Dellen- while most of his other silverware from baugh, John Burnham and others. By various races — and there was a lot of the time he got his MBA from Columbia, it — languished on shelves or counters he had several Block Island Race Weeks filled with paper clips or M&Ms. and Bermuda Races under his belt, and Over the next 20 or so years, Rob also was a sought-after crew and delivery owned and sailed Sundance (SC 27), skipper. Grumpy Old Men (another Santana 20), Rob first came to San Francisco in Confederacy of Dunces (Holder 20) and Page 78 • Latitude 38 • February, 2012 IN KING NEPTUNE'S COURT ons series. (This writer recalls his initial Among the many impression of Rob as being a cross be- Left Coast events on tween a red-haired Mark Twain and the his resume by then: A Lion King.) Rob later submitted an article Puerto Vallarta Race on the 12-Meter Worlds that appeared (on the SC70 Citius), in the March 1986 edition. Ever one to two Cabo Races (Ex- buck tradition, Rob finally said good-bye press 37 ReQuest and to the world of high finance (where he Farr One Ton White once received a new BMW as a holiday Knight), two Trans- bonus) and hello to the ink-stained, Pacs (one aboard E37 midnight-oil-burning, largely thankless Morningstar), a Ken- life of a journalist in October of the next wood Cup (Bladerun- year, when he was hired to be Latitude’s ner, Bill Twist’s then new racing editor. new R/P 47), a hand- By that time, Rob had done more ful of Big Boat Series racing, and knew more about racing (most aboard Bladerunner) and literally In addition to sailing whenever he could, Rob — locally, nationally and internation- every local event on the Bay and in the loved outdoor sports like kayaking and hiking ally — than the entire rest of the staff ocean — back when the latter included — especially up in the San Juan Islands. combined. And that included all the past brutal, boat-busting 100- or 200-mile 26, 1983. When asked how he knew employees. courses like the Buckner and Jr. Water- that, he said, “That was the day we got house. Once asked if he knew the date dismasted on the ocean aboard Sum- With Robin Sodaro driving and Tom Leweck that the Australians finally wrested the mertime Dream checking traffic aft, Rob trims the kite aboard and had to be towed in Damon Guizot’s Swan 53 'Katrina' during the America’s Cup away from the New York by the Coast Guard. Oh, and it was also 2009 Antigua Sailing Week. YC, Rob immediately replied September my birthday.” By the time he stopped making entries in his sailing resume in 2009, Rob had compiled at least a dozen Coastal Cups, 10 MEXORCs, six Ensenada Races, two Swan Worlds (in Sardinia), four Bermuda Races, two Pacific Cups (aboard the Schumacher 50 Morpheus), several Key West Race Weeks, and one each: Anti- gua Race Week and Pineapple Cup (Ft. Lauderdale to Montego Bay, Jamaica, through the famed Windward Passage). He was a two-time winning crew (for Paul Cayard and Ed Baird) in the Bitter End YC Pro-Am, and a four-time winning crew for John Jennings in the St. Francis International Masters Regatta. That’s not to mention the many races he also sailed locally, or the fact that “That was the day we got dismasted on the ocean aboard 'Summertime Dream' and had to be towed in by the Coast Guard." Rob often delivered the boats he raced on back from Mexico, Hawaii, Florida or other ports. Or the time he devoted to race management at the Sausalito YC and later Corinthian YC. (He was also a member of the Storm Trysail Club.) Or his longtime duties on the Bay Area PHRF Committee. Or his many years of being part of the selection committee for the Rolex Yachtsman/Yachtswoman of the Year awards. His rides varied from small craft — February, 2012 • Latitude 38 • Page 79 ROB MOORE — CONNECTICUT YANKEE like Confederacy of Dunces, which he trailed to various venues on the Lake Circuit, to big boats like Swans (includ- Rob and myself ing Moneypenny, a Swan 601), and sleds were left when (various SC 70s and the N/M 68 Pan- we arrived in demonium). Favorite boats/campaigns/ Greenwich.”) crews over the years included Twist’s The wind in- Bladerunner, Lew Beery’s Andrews 43 s t r u m e n t s It’s OK! and with Jim Gregory on both blew of f the big and small boats: Morpheus and Agent mast, but later Smith, an Etchells. weather reports It's also noteworthy that Rob taught indicated the sailing, acted as a mentor/coach to many young sailors young and/or aspiring sailors, and was a were pound- ‘master of introductions’, whose instinct ing north in for matching up people led to many har- as much as 60 monious crews — and to changing many knots.

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