Vol. 27, No. 5 July, 2006

Pequot Boats Earn Bermuda Race Top Honors Bill Hubbard’s 37-foot Lively Lady II won the Calm, Fog Plague Block Island Bermuda Race and nine trophies, and three Pequot boats won the three-yacht team Irving Pratt trophy. Race, Most Boats Quit The three were John Levinson’s Tabasco, Ed Gaynor’s Emily, and John Santa’s Galadriel. 103 boats started the 61st annual Block Island The race drew 263 yachts in assorted Race, one of the largest ever fleets of the 185 nm classes under two handicap rules of equal stature. spring classic. However, two uninvited partici- Thus, Lively Lady II won the St. David’s Light- pants - light wind and fog - caused most boats to house trophy under one rule, and another boat un- retire by Saturday afternoon. In the end, only 15 der another. Two firsts. Six PYC boats sailed the boats made it to the finish line, the fewest in the slow race, and most did extraordinarily well. regatta’s history. PYC sent eight boats to this Ed Gaynor’s Emily was fourth in class and fifth year’s race. The only Pequot boat to finish in division. In another class, John Santa’s was John Santa’s Galadriel, which took 2nd place Galadriel was third in class, eighth in division. in Class 6. Cayo Loco skipper Chris Rosow said it In still another class John Levinson’s Tabasco all: “When the ETA on your GPS reads ‘never’, its finished fourth, and in one more, Dougie Doug- time to retire.” lass’s Goombay Smash, a chartered Swan 45, cor- rected to nineteenth. (His own Swan 45 was dam- aged in an earlier race off Newport.) Emily’s Great Adventure Finally, and not so happily, Hewitt Gaynor’s —David Storrs Mireille finished mid-fleet in the double-handed If you want to see stars, go in the Bermuda class, an aberration from her usual winning ways. Race. Halfway down the course from Newport to Bermuda, you’re about 300 miles from any lights and every constellation jumps out at you – Big and Little Dippers, Cassiopeia, Orion, and the other 1500 stars visible to the naked eye. Nowhere on the mainland gives nearly such a good star view- ing. If you want a good night’s sleep, stay ashore. Imagine you are lying in a bunk tilted 20 degrees, with the crew up top jabbering away about sail trim and heading – “Hey, keep it up!” “No, I’m going for speed.” to the point where you are thinking “Will you all please just shut up so I can get some sleep?” Never mind their walking all over the deck just over your head changing sails and trimming and easing winches – slacking the Mireille on the left starting in the double-handed class of the (Continued on page 3) Bermuda Race. Make Your Reservation Now Rules, Rules, Rules 255-5740, ext. 40 Some may have noticed new signs on the din-

JULY ing tables on the lower deck. Though most mem- 4, Tuesday— 4th of July, Dress Ship. bers know, a few might need a reminder that alco- 8, Saturday— Price Bend Overnight and Race, 11 a.m. holic beverages may not be consumed on the 15, Saturday— Opti Rumble, starting at 11:00 a.m. lower deck, indoors or outdoors (exception is 21 to 28, Fridays— Club Cruise. made at Wednesday Night Barbecues and certain 30, Sunday— Regatta Registration. Parking Lot Closed. other events on the Club calendar). If you wish to 31 & August 1, Monday & Tuesday - Pixel/ stop by in the evening to enjoy the view of the har- Regatta. Parking Lot Closed. bor with a glass of wine, you are welcome to do so, as long as you remain on the upper deck. SAVE THE DATE! Please note that this is where the bar and liquor lockers are conveniently located. Gathering with AUGUST 5— Jennings Cup family and friends for dinner, using the grill if you like, can make an enjoyable evening. This is not a planned Club event, however, and the Upper- Deck-Only rule is clearly stated in the PYC hand- book which was recently mailed to all members. As useful as they are, cellular phones can be an annoyance to others nearby. PYC House Rules prohibit their use inside the Senior Clubhouse and on the Junior and Senior Clubhouse porches. Along with the cell phone, another icon of our time is the S.U.V. Sport utility vehicles come in many shapes and sizes. Some of the larger varie- ties are difficult to berth in the Club parking lot. If your vehicle overlaps the lined parking space, something is wrong with either your driving skill or the dimensions of your vehicle. If you must park a large S.U.V. in the Club lot, please be con- siderate of others. In the back lot, north of the Rescued from years of inattention at Ye Yacht Yard, the late Junior clubhouse, parking spaces toward the hedge Howard Burr’s jollyboat was trucked to Rumery’s Boat Yard and Harbor Road allow a long vehicle to overhang in Maine for renovation. Norman Marsilius (center), the boat’s savior, takes it on a sea trial with Frank Scholan and the grass forward of the space, thus improving Steve Galpin. clearance behind. Spaces in the center of this lot are not good for large vehicles. No doubt S.U.V.s can be useful for transporting Masters Racing Set sailing gear, however, one might consider unload- Pequot Yacht Club’s best racing skippers come ing sailbags shoreside and then parking the behe- from many generations. So the Club is once again out on the street. When cruising overnight offering a Masters series just for senior sailors. on your boat, please leave no more than one car (of This series for skippers age 65 and older is held on any size) in the lot. For longer cruises, it is best to Ideal 18s, on alternate Thursday nights. remove your car from the lot after loading gear on The only age requirement is 65 for the skipper. your boat and arrange for a ride back to the Club. The crew can be any age. Skippers often chose One final point regarding parking, “creativity”, i.e. family members, some of whom they taught to creating parking spaces where none are marked, sail, as their crew. such as along the seawall, is frowned upon. True To join the Masters Series, simply log on to creativity, ideas for improving our parking lot for www.xpiron.com/schedule/pequotyc, and look un- the benefit of all, will be given earnest considera- der the Racing Tab, or call David O. Smith (255- tion. The Board of Governors is seeking mem- 3001) to sign up. bers’ cooperation on use of our small parking lot Page 2 in order to avoid imposing limitations. a jackline is optional, but normal when it is , Emily’s Great Adventure especially at night. Looking for a man overboard (Continued from page 1) is like looking for a floating coconut. heavily-loaded genoa sounds like a gunshot – this Food - hot dinners every night, with cereal for is no way to get a good sleep. breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. No alcohol You often hear four on, four off for watches, until crossing the finish line, when carefully but on Emily, the watches went midnight to 4 a.m., stashed beers came out to celebrate what we hoped 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., was a decent finish and to our amazement found and 7 p.m. to midnight. This “Swedish Watch” was 5th of 162 in our division. With a 2, 5, and 8, system is nice because you stand longer watches team Pequot rocked this centennial year of the during the day and less at night. greatest race on the East Coast! We had 265 boats this year and, amazingly, most of the time you have no more than ten in sight. It is one big ocean out there. The Gulf Boats Sold Stream flows as fast as four knots and you can win Vigor, Rear Commodore Bruce Kueffner’s or lose by being in the good current. This year Catalina 30, to David and Elizabeth Ives. was one of the most complicated ever, with the Windseeker, Bill Watkin’s Pearson 36, to a Stream taking a big southerly meander to the east Cape Cod couple. of the rhumb line leading into a favorable cold eddy. Most of the big boats went that way, but sailed as much as 100 extra miles. Emily stayed Cruising Committee Notes west of the rhumb line to pick up a four-knot fa- Racing: The July Wednesday Night Racing vorable cold eddy and sailed fewer miles to save Series is under way. Crewing opportunities are time. always available. Let the Fleet Captain know if Sixty percent of each boat must have partici- you would like your name / contact details to be pated in a Safety at Sea seminar within two years, given to the big boat skippers. Even if no one has so we know safety – in theory. On Emily, no one contacted you, don’t assume there’s no ride avail- goes topsides at night without a life jacket, whistle, able. Turn up at the fuel dock and let people know strobe light and flashlight. Clipping the harness to you are available. The Saturday Day Race Series continues with a race on July 8 (1100 hrs start). On July 15 there will be no Day Race, but you are invited to partici- pate in the Swim Across the Sound Regatta hosted by Fayerweather YC, Black Rock YC and Housa- tonic Boat Club. See the PYC web-site for details. MOB On the Water Practice: On Sunday, July 16, we will be learning about the new / revised / improved techniques recommended for recovery of MOB’s. Following a “chalk-talk” / discussion, we will take to the water and practice the techniques. If conditions are suitable, we may try recovery of a person from the water. Any volunteers? Family Moonlit Sail: Cruising boats are invited to participate in Family Moonlit Sail on Saturday, July 8 (1800 – 2100 hrs) organized by the One- Design Committee. (yes, the Ideal 18s will be le- gally lit!) With close to a full-moon, this should be an exquisite sail. Please call Holly Hewitt (254- 1254) if you plan to participate. Please also let her know if you are willing to take out another family Check out the Committee Boat! David Storrs on Emily waving goodbye as they approach the start. Page 3 on your boat. Widow’s Walk Added to Ambinauticus Adventures For the first time ever, Pequot sailors have been Senior Clubhouse? combined onto teams to compete in the Team On the Senior Clubhouse roof near Harbor Challenge Regatta. Conceived as a way to bring Road, some construction is in progress. The wood Pequot sailors together, interested competitors framed platform and sidewalls are not a permanent from the Cruising, Ideal and 420 fleets were placed feature. This temporary structure allows repair onto teams. Saturday was to have each team fleet work to be performed on the “chimney” which racing on a cruising boat, and Sunday was the day conceals the galley exhaust vent. The vent which for fleet racing on Ideals and 420s. was installed a number of years ago leaked and Thirty six sailors responded to the format, the allowed rainwater to ruin the ceiling in the bar. first time a series at Pequot combined different Details have been revised to better protect the fleets together with a common goal. Each team opening from rain. A new false chimney will con- was made up of sailors from Cruising, Ideal and ceal the stainless steel vent. New brick cladding 420 fleets. Several teams were represented by two will more closely resemble a real chimney than the generations of the same family; Team Columbia former installation did. had father and son John and David Watkins on the The temporary work platform and the scaffold- cruising course while son Tommy Watkins was ing were time consuming to build, however, neces- ready in the 420 division. Father and son Jay and sary for safety. The walls prevent loose materials Charlie Wolstenholme took home a trophy each, from falling on the sidewalk or on members’ cars part of Team Black Magic, which took first place. in the parking lot. Inclement weather canceled the cruising portion Rain has caused delay in completion of this of the regatta, with the outcome then hinging on work. The contractor noted that all is now ready the day of One-Design racing. The bad weather for the mason to install the brick if the weather held off long enough for the One-Design sailors to will only cooperate. complete five races in each fleet, although the last few races were rather wet as the rain fell. Junior Commissioning Coming in first place was Team Black Magic, with Ed Lalanne, Sarah Winzelberg, Charlie Proc-

tor, Tim Clark, and Jay and Charlie Wolstenholme. Other sailors included Betsy Hulme, Abhijeet and Karen Lele, Jeff and Diane Wilson, Warren Hofrichter, David Smith, Morgan Feuerhake, Lisa Borter, Jim and Charlie Harmon, James Whitcomb, Chuck Matteson, Jack Forehand, and Caroline Young. Awarded the Serious Pretzel, or Can You Stand Yet prize were Jeff and Diane Warren, proving that adults can sail a 420 and have a great time while doing so. Thanks go to Ed Lalanne and Jeff Wilson for chairing the event, and John Randolph, Chris Ger- man, and Liam Colum for their dedicated Race Committee work. Library Acquires New Volume A handsome new acquisition by the Del- lenbaugh Library (housed on the 2nd floor of the June 25. From left to right, Rear Commodore Bruce Kueffner, Senior Clubhouse) is a coffee-table book called “A Vice Commodore John Watkins, Junior Commodore Laurel Hofrichter, Commodore Chuck Sprowl, Junior Vice Commo- Celebration of Marine Art: Sixty Years of the dore Morgan Feuerhake, Jr. Rear Commodore Tom Watkins. Royal Society of Marine Artists”. It was a gift from Will Waldron, a valued new member. Page 4 Blessing of the Fleet

Governor and Harbor Chairman Joel Kunkel aboard Alacrity. John Dumke and son Henry pilot their homemade boat.

Photo Credit: Hugh Smith

Local clergy and dignitaries marching in street parade to Jeff Priest skippers Southern Cross with crew Marilyn Herlin and lower wharf. Gerry Presson.

Above, the Pequod, and right, aerial view of the arc of water being pumped off Ye Yacht Yard, June10. Passing below the arc is Steve Galpin’s Astrea. Photo Credit: Morgan Kaolian Women’s Invitational Regatta The first annual Pequot Women’s Invitational Re- gatta is Thursday, July 13. This Ideal 18 Regatta is open to women sailors from every club and commu- nity sailing group that has an Ideal 18 program. Our eight Ideals will be used by Pequot sailors, and we have already been fielding entries from women sail- ors in the area. As clubs will be bringing their own boats, we have invited those that attend to join our Wednesday night racing the night before the Regatta. This one-day event will start early with the skip- per’s meeting at 8:00 a.m. followed by morning rac- ing, lunch on the second deck, and back out for more racing before the awards ceremony in the late after- Zieglers Cove Overnight and Race, June 17. Above, the view from Tom and Maren Hood’s new home in Darien. Below, noon. Secretary Jim Harman, Philip Hood, Fred Feuerhake and Doc We are offering housing to those who are coming Bisset. from farther away, and we might need housing volun- teers. Even if you are not a racer, we can use your help both on and off the water! Please contact Betsy Hulme or Katie Montgomery to get involved. Organizers of the event are Betsy Hulme, Katie Montgomery and Chris German.

In Memoriam

Ladies' Cruising, June 12, 2006. Aboard Alacrity are, from rear, Susan Kunkel, Emmy Cathcart, Joan Van deBerghe, Ann Jayne Nixon Williams Cross, Mary Martha Sherts, Marilyn Herlin, Nancy Paxton, Frank V. Snyder Liz Solazzo, and Brenda Lloyd (in black).

Pequot Pilot ISSN 1078-1943 Pequot Yacht Club, Southport, CT 06890

Steve Galpin, editor pro tem. Ann Cathcart, Tom DeLong Charles R. Sprowl Jr., Commodore, Art Gravanis, Norman Marsilius, Gibney Patterson, John W. Watkins, Vice Commodore Pat Randolph, committee. W. Bruce Kueffner, Rear Commodore Wendy Macbeth, editorial assistant and production.

Photo Credits: Ann Cathcart, Jeff Engborg, Chris German, Web site address: pequotyc.com Morgan Kaolian, Joel Kunkel, Hugh Smith, Chuck Sprowl, Administrative email: [email protected] Landon Storrs, and other unknown heroes and heroines.