October 2008 Issue 9 Sailorgram

Commodore Eric Vasquez 978-521-9017 FROM THE MASTHEAD Vice Commodore Bob Chadwick “At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” — Robin Lee Graham 978-373-6106 October 2008 • Eric Vasquez, Commodore Rear Commodore David W. Hewey s our open season comes to a close, it’s important to sit back for a moment and summarize 978-373-6038 Ajust how much value the AYC brings to our lives.Thinking for a moment, our Club offers Secretary such a valuable distraction to the everyday hassles of business and politics. I have personally Gary Gastman 978-462-6533 witnessed how a simple moment in a chair on our porch brings peace and contentment to those choosing to sit quietly and gaze out to the jetties.A calm afternoon group of seals resting Treasurer Douglas Cornell on Gangway Rock, flippers held high, serves to illustrate an image of true balance in the world. 978-474-4323 I think of our new cruising adventures this year, and only smiles come to my mind. It is great to Collector Pamela Mertinooke break away from the world for a moment, and boating is truly that device, which not only sends 978-388-4515 us away mentally, but also sends us away physically.We should consider what we have only moments from our homes. I can’t wait until next year! Measurer Augustus Harrington Continued on page 2 978-463-8882 Membership Committee Mark Hansbury 603 887 6943 Mooring Committee Gene Piermattei 978-374-7940 House Committee David Hewey 978-373-6038 Regatta Committee Bruce Brown 978-521-6802 Entertainment Committee Angela Vasquez 978-521-9017 Activities Committee Rob Brun 978-462-1948 Sailing Camp Sue Manzi 603-474-9644 Steward/Club House 978-465-9053 Lasers pointing up through the mooring field in a light breeze. Digital art from a photo. October 2008 Issue 9

FROM THE MASTHEAD continued from page 1

But close we must, and I want to CD Stereo and a new set of Buntings to properly dress thank the Executive Committee for our fair house. their volunteerism and leadership • Remember, we “Walked like an E-Gyp-Shen” back in during this 2008 season.We have May,moving tons of stone by hand to correct the failing installed new system changes by the condition of our north retaining wall. I’m still sore way of QuickBooks to better record from that one. and evaluate how we measure our • We saw the return of our great Entertainment and fiscal performance, and this system Tender Committees this year, and what a super job! continues to improve. • Angela Vasquez, Sue Gallagher and Phyllis Unger painted Stopping for a moment, I only wish our house bathrooms, with new moldings and light you could have seen all the hard work fixtures installed by Jim Gallagher and Bob Saldarini. offered in affection and in the spirit of volunteerism by The rooms never looked better! each of our Committee Heads this past year.Without our • The Hewey’s worked hard to install the new doorways, Committee Heads the AYC would slam to a halt, and thus, and Mr. Jack Boland followed up with the painting. they each deserve a warm pause of appreciation from • Our Sailing School had a great year training our students everyone. So it is true, at sea we need so little, but on land in an awesome fleet of brand new Hunter 140’s. we need each other. • Mr. Bruce Brown organized an incredible Leukemia Cup Regatta through the participation of our very Let’s think about what we’ve been given.What did we see energetic AYC Regatta Committee, raising thousands during this 2008 season at the American Yacht Club? of dollars for this great community charity. • Our Treasurer and Collector posts were managed • We even had the good help from AYC Parking through a challenging new transition this year with Attendants during our bigger events of the year. the great help from Pam Mertinooke, Doug Cornell, • The Classy Lady took 1st place this year in both the and P/C G.W.Thompson.And they are still working “Wooden and Classic Boat Show”, in Salem, MA, and in hard. the Crescent Yacht Club’s “Rum Runner Boat Parade”, • A great team of volunteers restored our launch, the in Haverhill, MA.The AYC mopped up, my friends! Grace E.Young, and in their spirit we gave her the • Our resident family of American Bald Eagles was seen, proper christening and re-commissioning service, once again, upstream and throughout the valley. honoring King Neptune with his good portion of wine. • 14 Pot Luck events invited everyone and their families • We installed our new honor guard “The Canonniers” for the opportunity to have a fun time at the Club. this year, with their weekend canon salutes and the • V/C Bob Chadwick set up our new Constant Contact lowering of the colors by the sound of the National e-mail communication system this year. Of course, Anthem. I am so proud of this fun team of volunteers. you’ve seen all of the colorful e-mail announcements! • Our 4th of July Party experienced the return of three • We even experienced record attendance by visitors famous Tall Ships set in the mouth of the Merrimack. this year, one night recording 8 overnighters! We even • We enjoyed a wonderful Clubhouse Centennial saw the brief return of Florida members Ted and Celebration; the best party I’ve attended at the Club Nancy Coyman. It was great to see them both again. so far. • The many PHRF,Lighting, and Laser races have been • The efforts of several 50/50 raffles, initiated by the just a joy to watch and participate in. It’s great fun! Entertainment Committee, purchased a new Clubhouse • Last, but not least, our Stewards and Jr. Stewards did a superb job of managing the daily house duties and maintenance chores around the Club this year.Thanks again to Alex, Dave, Conor, Matt and Randall. Errata and Omissions The Sailorgram apologizes in advance for any errors in spelling, These are just a few of the AYC highlights I can think of for grammar, punctuation, or the accuracy of person or boat identifi- cations. The content of Sailorgram articles is the sole responsibil- 2008, and I am sure you can think of even more.And that, ity of the author, including stated facts, opinions, commentary, my friends, is my message for this issue. Sit for a moment and humor. We try to include as many submissions as possible and think about what we’ve been given… and may, due to space limitations, choose to omit or delay cer- tain submissions for later issues. In other words, the Sailorgram takes responsibility for hardly anything. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Commodore Eric T.Vasquez

2 October 2008 Issue 9 A passing of a legend. Olin J. Stephens II, Renowned Yacht Designer, Is Dead at 100

By Babara Lloyd, Carlo Borlenghi/Associated Press, submitted by Clif Robinson

rom Mr. Stephens’s drawing table came the lines of yachts Fas diverse as Dorade, a 52-foot yawl that prompted a ticker- tape parade in New York after winning the 1931 Trans-Atlantic Race, and Ranger, a 135-foot J-Class sloop that Mr. Stephens designed with Starling Burgess for the 1937 America’s Cup races. He was also instrumental in designing five other successful America’s Cup defenders: the 12-Meters Columbia in 1958; Constellation, 1964; Intrepid, 1967; Courageous, 1974; and Freedom, 1980. “When you consider the changes in yacht design throughout Olin’s career, it’s pretty unbelievable,”said Jim Pugh, a naval architect whose firm, Reichel-Pugh, was part of the design team for the 1992 Cup winner,America3.“Looking at the history of Photo: Olin J. Stephens II in 2003. Olin’s designs, it transcends the different eras.” Olin J. Stephens II, one of the most prominent naval architects of the Mr. Stephens’s quiet demeanor and scholarly appearance last century, a designer who created more than 2,200 cruising and cloaked a rugged determination where boats were concerned. racing yachts over decades of innovation in sailing, died Saturday in Hanover, N.H. Mr. Stephens, who lived in Hanover, was 100. With his brother, Roderick Stephens Jr., Olin Stephens worked on most of the important yacht-racing projects of his time. During World War II, he was involved in designing amphibious landing craft and minesweepers for the armed forces, his son Olin III said. Roderick Jr. preferred the hands-on aspects of boating — rig- ging a sailboat and organizing the deck layout. Olin was the office artist who worked with a slide rule and, eventually, a cal- culator. Naval architects today develop yachts through three-dimension- al computer graphics. Mr. Stephens mastered the computer and turned to the broader concerns of yachting safety only after his official retirement in 1978 from Sparkman & Stephens, the New York naval architecture firm that he founded in 1929 with the yacht broker Drake Sparkman. Still active into his 90s, Mr. Stephens helped refine modern sail- boat handicapping systems, which use mathematics and per- formance to judge a sailboat’s capability and, in particular, how they affected a boat’s seaworthiness. Olin James Stephens II was born April 13, 1908, in the Bronx, but his family moved to Scarsdale, N.Y., five years later. His father, Roderick Sr., was in the coal business and was not partic- ularly interested in boats.Yet several summers on Cape Cod prompted him to buy a 16-foot sailing dinghy for his sons. In 1926, Olin Stephens enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study naval architecture, but within a year he became ill with jaundice and withdrew. His interest in yacht The Dorade, a 52-foot yawl that prompted a ticker-tape parade in New York after winning the 1931 Trans-Atlantic Race design stayed strong enough, however, that a year later, while

continued on page 4 3 October 2008 Issue 9

Olin Stephens continued from page 3 Olin Stephens working as an apprentice at the Henry Nevins boatyard at City Island in the Bronx, Mr. Stephens designed his own version of a and His Lightning 6-Meter. By the time he was 23, he had designed the yacht Dorade. At the 60th Anniversary regatta of the Lightning class, sailors were standing in the boat park studying a brand Mr. Stephens and his team are one of two yachting groups to new example of this classic, first sailed in 1938. have been treated to a ticker-tape parade in New York.The other was Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes crew, which Among the gathered sailors was Olin Stephens, a man won the America’s Cup in 1987. associated—in the minds of many—with America's Cup defenders and high-end ocean racers. In the mindset of Mr. Stephens was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame this group, however, Olin Stephens is The Genius Who at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, R.I., in 1993. Designed the Lightning. His wife of more than 50 years, Florence Reynolds, died in Someone said, "Olin, you've been looking at the 1993. Besides Olin III, who lives in Newfane,Vt., he is survived Lightning as long as anyone in the world. If you could by another son, Samuel R. Stephens, of Keene, N.H.; a sister, design the boat all over again, what would you change?" Marite Sheridan of California, Md.; and a grandson, Olin J. There was a pause as he considered the question. After Stephens IV of Stratton,Vt. a long time he began to speak, "Do you think, (another Mr. Stephens continued to design boats in recent years and was pause) we really need that skeg?" putting the final touches on plans for a 36-foot coastal cruising There was a round of laughter. boat two weeks ago, said Bruce Johnson of Sparkman & Stephens. "You're supposed to know that," was the reply. Mr. Stephens just smiled, crouched under the boat, and ran Yet Mr. Stephens was content to spend much of his retirement his hand along the skeg, "Has anyone tried sailing with- gardening and painting at homes in Vermont and New out it?" he said. Hampshire. In the 1940s, he had studied in New York under Yasuo Kuniyoshi, a renowned painter. His listeners were stunned. Fifteen thousand Lightnings into the run, the boat's designer was still open to a possi- Mr. Stephens, who never owned a boat after Dorade, said he did ble design improvement. Maybe that's what made Olin not find the transition to country life all that difficult. Stephens the giant of his generation. The guy's still look- “It’s really a matter of being too busy,”he said in a 1988 inter- ing for the next performance improvement. He can't turn view for Cruising World magazine.“To the extent I had the time it off. And that's why at age 95 he always seems like the and interest, I wanted to sail only in the new boats.” youngest person in the room. At that moment, if anyone had produced a saw, we would gladly have hacked off a skeg and gone out for two-boat testing. Lightening Number 1 As a tribute to Mr. Stephens and everyone who's ever loved the Lightning, the International Lightning Class Association has recently purchased Lightning Hull #1. The Association is raising funds for a full restoration, and when it is complete, the boat will be displayed at historic Mystic Seaport Museum, where it will join Laser #1 and a first-generation Star. Due to its fragility, Lightning #1 has not been on view for over 10 years. Mystic will display the boat mast-up, with original cotton sails. But, the boat won't be locked away all the time. Provisions have been made for Lightning #1 to make the pilgrimage to upstate New York for the 70th Anniversary regatta and the 80th and beyond. Close examination of Lightning #1 reveals the beautiful inconsistencies consistent with a prototype — even one that went on to become a legend. The cockpit coaming on one side is three-fourths of an inch deeper than on the The Heweys and crew make a few important conversions to the Classy Lady, turning her from yacht to rum runner. other. Floorboards have notches cut in them, as if they

continued on page 5 4 October 2008 Issue 9 For Sale/Free/Wanted We will advertise any items submitted for sale by a member for one issue and will repeat those ads only upon the request of the person placing it. There is no charge for listings. Contact information below.

2003 PRECISION 15' DAY SAILOR 1990 COMPLETELY OUTFITTED SUNFISH Includes sails and all necessary rigging in good condition. with canvas cover and two-year old trailer. Rudder and Sailed only 3 summers. Great family boat that comfortably tiller are in very good shape. Well maintained and lived sails with 4 adults. Asking price of $3,000 or make an offer. indoors for the last 6 years. Crisp like-new sail. A dry boat; Contact Sue at [email protected] or call light, fast and fun. There’s absolutely no work to do, just 603-474-9644 sail away! Motivated to sell before the winter because I need garage space. Asking $1,350 but will consider all rea- sonable offers. Call Craig Tambo at 978-973-0960.

Boat Parade Winners Two AYC boats participated in the 9/14/08 Crescent Yacht Club’s “Rum Runner Boat Parade”, in Haverhill, MA. The AYC’s Classy Lady and Dolce Vita motored 20 miles upstream to take the total event Third Annual Chilifest cash winnings of 1st. and 2nd. place respectively. Submitted by Jim Grenier, photos by Lyn Grenier

hanks to all the people who make this event an AYC clas- Tsic! With gallons of great and diverse chilis to some of the best apple pies around, the entrants of these two contests Lightening continued from page 3 were greatly appreciated by all who attended. were made out of rem- nants from some other For a couple of days, co-host Tom Lochhaas and I were con- project. But one look at cerned about having enough food for the expected crowd. But the boat and it's obvious AYC members came out in numbers with some of the best that every boat sailing in chilis and pies we’ve had so far.There was plenty to go around over 300 active fleets in for the 65 hungry attendees. more than 14 countries We had 7 chili entrants and 10 apple pies entrants.A record traces its DNA to the number! boat waiting in Mystic. The top chili was prepared by Judy Raycroft, who provided the Anyone wishing to sup- Sailorgram with her receipe to share with the whole AYC. Look port the donation and for it in the next issue. Judy seemed pretty surprised as she is restoration of Hull #1, new to making chili. Just goes to show that even a newbie has may send to contribu- a fighting chance. Chilis were judged by popular acclaim. tions to: ILCA P.O.Box 10747 Murfreesboro, TN The apple pies were judged by a group of appointed judges 37129. All contributions and, after heated debate and second servings, chose Nancy are tax-deductible. continued on page 6 5 October 2008 Issue 9

Chet Young Regatta Dinner Chilifest 2008 continued from page 5 photos by Eric Vasquez Cornell’s entry as the top “flavorite.”A special mention goes to first-time baker Ted Polito who lobbied like a politician for his sailboat-inspired pie.All the pies were served with the option of ice cream. Many brought other “must-have” items such as sour cream, cheeses, & a wide variety of “competitive quality” cornbreads. As much food as was served, there weren’t a lot of leftovers being snuck out the door at the end of the night. Hmm, good.

Judy Raycroft takes top honors with her chili. Chili winners will be immortalized on wall plaques for the clubhouse walls.

Nancy Cornell’s apple pie beat out a field of 10 to get her name placed on the new wall plaque.

Chilis and pies of all types filled the tables and member’s appetites

6 October 2008 Issue 9 Nominating Committee is Looking for Input for the 2009 Slate of Officers Submittd by Paul Morin, Committee Chairman Attached, is a copy of the 2008 slate of officers American Yacht Club modified to reflect the openings for the 2009 season. Slate of Nominees for the 2009 season This slate is simply a starting point for the Work in progress – 10/1/2008 Nominating Committee. The Committee has con- Officers tacted all officers and committee members to see Commodore: Eric T.Vasquez if they are willing to serve another year in their Vice Commodore: Robert Chadwick positions. There are some positions that have Rear Commodore: David W.Hewey become vacant due to standard rotation, and other Secretary: Gary Gastman openings are a result of members moving on. In Treasurer: Douglas Cornell both cases the AYC constitution calls for all posi- Collector: Pam Mertinooke tions to be filled and voted on at the annual meeting. Measurer: (OPEN POSITION) We need members to volunteer for the open posi- Executive Committee at Large tions or to nominate members that they think would Jeffrey Stoehr be able to fill a vacant position. We also need mem- Joseph Stone bers to provide feedback on existing officer or com- (OPEN POSITION) mittee members. This feedback can be positive or negative which will be used by the Nominating Membership Committee Committee to formulate next years slate of officers. David A. Dragonas Expires January 2010 Daniel F.Raycroft Expires January 2010 If you have input please contact any member of the William A. Brunet Expires January 2011 Nominating Committee. Dan Streeter Expires January 2011 Respectfully submitted by the 2008 Nominating (OPEN POSITION) Expires January 2012 Committee: Dan Streeter, Dave Sestini, Jim Grenier, (OPEN POSITION) Expires January 2012 Arthur Berube, Joyce Stoehr (standby) Vice Commodore Robert Chadwick Paul Morin, Chairman Audit Committee P/C Albert Martin (OPEN POSITION) (OPEN POSITION) Regatta Committee AYC Items For Sale Bruce Brown Eric Cutting Hats ...... $ 13.00 Bradley Johnson Dan Pratt AYC Pins ...... $ 5.00 Tom Lochhaas Nickolas Stolos Decals ...... $ 2.00 Ken Woods (OPEN POSITION) Burgee – Small ...... $ 20.00 Burgee – Large ...... $ 25.00 Heavy Knit Shirts ...... $ 35.00 The AYC Movie Night had a small Collared AYC Shirt but enthusiastic turnout. But follow- Navy with Red & White Trim M, L, XL, XXL ing two previous years of near SRO Pique Shirts ...... $ 25.00 crowds, it was surprisingly light. Collared AYC Shirt Slate Blue This event is built upon great, old Collar with Navy Trim S,M classic movies shown on a big Please notify Pam Mertinooke if you are interested in any of these items. 978-388-4515 screen with a rich and deep sound system. It’s much more intimate & A few AYC Clip-On Blazer Crests, to be worn only fun than going to a commercial on a Navy Blue Blazer, are available for $10.00 each. movie theater, and you get hot dogs, drinks and popcorn E-mail Eric at: [email protected] thrown into the deal. You get it all...for about half of the cost of a bag of theater popcorn at the cineplex! 7 FIRST CLASS The American Yacht Club MAIL P.O. Box 1360 US POSTAGE Newburyport, MA 01950 PAID Topsfield MA Permit 325

October 2008 Issue 9

American Yacht Club P.O. Box 1360 Newburyport MA 01950 Organized 1885, Incorporated 1890

AYC Closing Day Date: Saturday, Oct. 18 Time: 8:00 AM Saturday morning we will be meeting at the club to close the AYC for the season. Call me if you need more details.978-373-6038 See you there!!!! Thanks, David Hewey, Commodore Eric “old salt” Vasquez strutting the quay at the boat parade in Haverhill. AYC House Committee Chairman.