HERE - Pequot Yacht Club

Record Entries for Falkner Race
Vol. 28, No. 39 October, 2007
Dave Perry Runner-up in
National Match Racing
Championship
Helena in the foreground, Freedom and Defender (BRYC) at left.
On a warm, September evening, 17 boats from
Pequot, Black Rock and Fayerweather Yacht
Clubs assembled at the “A” mark to compete for
the Starring Trophy – presented to the winner of
the annual Falkner Island Race.
The Starring Trophy was first presented in 1973
and won by Southern Cross, skippered by John
Boyd. This year’s race was the 30th time that
boats have set off on the 59-mile race around Falkner Island and back to Southport. (No my math is
not wrong! The trophy was not awarded from 1991
through 1995). It was fitting for this milestone
that the number of entries in 2007 was greater than
in any preceding year.
The start proved to be exciting. With the line
set perpendicular to the southwesterly wind, the
boat-end of the line was heavily favored, as it effectively became a turning-mark before we could
bear-off toward R “22”.
As the sunlight finally faded and the boats
Pequot Pilot
ISSN 1078-1943
Mireille
rounded R”22”, brightly colored spinnakers were
set, and the boats started to make their way east in
the almost perfect breeze. Gradually, the fleet
dispersed.
Fortunately, and somewhat unusually, the
breeze held throughout the night, allowing for a
fast race. Partnership, a J/122 from Black Rock
finished the race at 4:11 a.m. and won the Starring Trophy. Strategery, skippered by Jack Forehand took second place, and Mireille, skippered
by Hewitt Gaynor, third. In the 2nd Division (for
boats with a PHRF rating of over 100, First Edition, a Frers 33 from Fayerweather, took first
place, Constancy, skippered by Dean Miltimore,
second, and Defender from Black Rock, third.
—Jonathan Thomson
For the last three years, the same two skippers
have gone into the finals of the U.S. Match Racing
Championships (U.S. Sailing’s Prince of Wales
Bowl). In 2005, Brian Angel, of Manhattan
Beach, California, barely beat Dave Perry, and in
2006 Dave won the final race to beat Angel by one
point.
In the 2007 series, sailed September 20-23 in
Sonars in Newport, Angel and Perry once again
took the two best records into the finals. Carrying
a 1-2 record, Dave led throughout the fourth race
but in a jibing duel on the final downwind leg, Angel passed Dave to gain a 3-1 record, winning the
championship and giving Perry runner-up honors.
Dave has been winning for a long time. Way
back in 1982, representing the Yale Corinthian
Yacht Club, Dave won the Prince of Wales Bowl.
Pequot also counts Dave Dellenbaugh as national
champion; he won in both 1984 and 2002.
Congratulations also to Dave Storrs, sailing
with Jay Lipp, who won the 2007 Long Island
Sound Match Racing Championship (Taylor Trophy) at Larchmont Yacht Club on September 22.
Tim Curtis and Helena Win
Classic Yacht Regatta
The weather was perfect on September 15 for
the Classic Yacht Regatta. With 14 to 20 knots of
wind the course was set for 19.9 miles.
The oldest boat in the Pequot fleet won first
place. Northerly breezes and a race course set for
reaches, Helena flew all canvas including her
“mule” set between her two masts. She completed
ahead of the fleet by a wide margin.
Tim Curtis’s Helena has been at PYC for a long
time. She was built for Edwin Gaynor in 1949 by
the famous boat builder, Joel Johnson of Black
Rock. Elizabeth and Edwin spent many wonderful
years sailing Helena in Buzzard’s Bay and Maine,
as well as on Long Island Sound. They recount a
memorable experience riding out Hurricane Carol
(Continued on page 2)
Pequot Yacht Club, Southport, CT 06890
Editor: Ginny Vought. Committee: Ann Cathcart, Steve
Galpin, Norman Marsilius, Gibney Patterson.
Editing and production: Wendy Macbeth
Charles R. Sprowl Jr., Commodore,
John W. Watkins, Vice Commodore
W. Bruce Kueffner, Rear Commodore
Photo Credits: Jeff Engborg, Betsy Hulme, Wendy Macbeth,
Dan Murdoch, Photo Boat, David M. Smith, Hugh Smith, Eric
Sundman, ussailing.org, Ted von Rosenvinge, and other unknowns.
Web site address: pequotyc.com
Administrative email: admin@pequotyc.com
Dave Perry with crew, Chris Buseler and David Moffet.
Helena
Mark Your Calendars!
October
Saturday, 20 - Pub Night, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, 26 - Awards Dinner, 6:30 p.m.
November
Sunday, 16th - Annual Meeting, 4:00 p.m.
From the Commodore
Within the next few months new committees
will be formed to plan and execute next year’s activities. Since future club leadership will come
from today’s corps of volunteers, this is the time to
find a slot for your talents. Involvement in PYC
committees not only increases your knowledge of
the club and its traditions but, I believe, also
greatly enhances your club enjoyment. If you
don’t know with whom to speak, any flag officer
Governor or committee Chair will be glad to assist
you.
In July I wrote about
the membership process at Pequot. Well, the
time is near and currently there are only a
few slots open. This
means that competition
will be keen and that
qualifications for membership, as outlined in
the by-laws, should be
closely adhered to if
you are considering
proposing someone for
membership.
The newly renovated Senior Clubhouse porch: new columns,
railings and trim.
Tim Curtis and Helena Win
Classic Yacht Regatta
(Continued from page 1)
Errata
The September Pilot misidentified Clark Dubois
as ‘Ed.’
Page 2
David B. Wheeler
Wilmot F. Wheeler Jr.
Gaynor (kneeling), and Tim Curtis (with cup).
PYC 12-Meter crew included Emily Blair (left) and
Past Commodore Rad Daly
(at the wheel). Others were
Dave Perry, Ashton Ballou,
Nina Cahill, Tom Hood,
Burr Jennings, John Levinson, Chuck Matteson, John
Randolph, Eric Sundman
and Jeff Wilson. Race Committee PRO Dan Nash (seen
far left atop the Pequod) and
Betty and George Gosselin
did an outstanding job as
did organizer and PYC Fleet
Captain Jonathan Thomson.
12-Meter Challenge Cup
—Eric Sundman
Page 3
In Memoriam
in the Isle of Shoals.
Many other club members remember good
times on this beautiful 28-foot Herreshoff ketch.
Ed Gaynor lent Bill Kueffner the Helena for a
cruise with family and friends. He did the same for
Peter Moffitt. Rad Daly remembers a cocktail
party long ago when at least 18 people were below.
Eventually, Hewitt Gaynor became Helena’s
skipper, and about 12 years ago Tim Curtis took
command. Tim and Helena seem to be good for
each other. Tim has refurbished her with first
class attention to detail, and she is an excellent example of fine workmanship, care and pride.
Other
winners
in this
classic
race were
Hiro
Maru
(2nd),
from
Stamford
Yacht
Club and
Corsair
(3rd)
from
Saugatuck.
Regatta participants with club members Hewitt
September 30 was a crisp, sunny day, a fabulous setting for the 12-Meter Challenge Cup
hosted by PYC. Other clubs participating were
Milford, Fayerweather, Norwalk, Black Rock and
Stamford. Team PYC raced on Easterner, one of
the first three 12-meters built in 1958 when the
boats were first used in the America’s Cup. The
other two, Weatherly and Columbia, were racing
as well. A total of six boats sailed, including
American Eagle, Intrepid and Nefertiti. “Racing on a
12-meter is one of those memorable life experiences.
The thrill of the event is matched by the sheer beauty of
those classic boats, so steeped in recent American history”, remarked crew member Nina Cahill. “I love the
fact that we rotated the skipper throughout the day so
everyone had a chance to steer” said PYC Team Captain Dave Perry. “To the best of my knowledge, we are
the only club that does that.” After five races, Rad Daly
brought the team home.
Commodore Chuck Sprowl presented the Cup to Colombia and the Milford YC Team. That Team PYC finished 6th overall was but a footnote to a remarkable experience. (More photos at pequotyc.com)