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THE ANNAPOLIS<br />
YACHT CLUB<br />
BEACON<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
38°58'25.831N<br />
76°29'08.325W<br />
Understanding our Junior<br />
Associate Members<br />
AYC's Connection to the<br />
<strong>Yacht</strong>ing World: ICOYC<br />
Up Close and Personal with<br />
V/C Kevin McNeil
38°58’25 N<br />
76°29’08 W<br />
WORLD CLASS RACING HISTORY FINE DINING JUNIOR SAILING CRUISING FLEET<br />
COMMUNITY SUPPORT EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPIONS AYC FOUNDATION<br />
More than a <strong>Club</strong>. A Community.
Contents<br />
RACING<br />
CRUISING<br />
JUNIORS<br />
11 14 17<br />
6 Introducing Our Newest One Design Fleet | Peter Trogdon<br />
Built by W. D. Schock Corporation, the Harbor 20 is our <strong>Club</strong>'s newest One Design<br />
fleet. Take some time to get to know this little day sailor - you won't be disappointed.<br />
8 Camaraderie: Alive and Well at AYC | Bob Baker<br />
Regardless of how you spell it, camaraderie is an important attribute and the degree<br />
to which it is evident is a valuable indicator of a great yacht club.<br />
10 The 1979 Fastnet Race: A Personal Account | Gary Jobson<br />
Read Gary Jobson's personal account of the toughest ocean race on record.<br />
13 Expanding Horizons: The BVIs | Scott Parker<br />
Scott Parker went on a week-long cruise with his friends to the British Virgin<br />
Islands in 2007. For these sailors, the annual trip quickly became a tradition.<br />
16 Update: America's Cup 2013 | Kristin Leutwyler Ozelli<br />
This is not your father's Cup Challenge! Modern design and engineering is<br />
constantly changing the race for the oldest active trophy in international sport.<br />
20 The Second Deck Race Crew | Julie Phillips-Turner<br />
For as long as the Wednesday Night Races have ran, there have been dedicated<br />
individuals there to oversee it all. Learn about the Special Events Race Committee.<br />
22 Team AYC at the NYYC Invitational Cup | Nathan Adamus<br />
Following two years of anticipation, Team AYC delivered at this international event.<br />
24 Raising the Bar: Sportsmanship at AYC | Arthur Libby<br />
Our Juniors are making a name for themselves on and off the Bay. They are playing<br />
by the rules competitively and graciously. Here are some of their accomplishments.<br />
25 Understanding our JAMs | Lauren Koppelman<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
4 From the Commodore<br />
5 Celebrating AYC |Bill<br />
and Maria Museler<br />
The Muselers share their<br />
journey and connection to the<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
15 Connection to<br />
the Community:<br />
AYCF|James Praley<br />
See which activities on the<br />
Bay the AYC Foundation has<br />
supported in the past year.<br />
19 Connection to the<br />
<strong>Yacht</strong>ing World:<br />
ICOYC|Bill Torgerson<br />
Get up to speed on<br />
our membership in the<br />
International Council of<br />
<strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>s.<br />
26 Up Close and Personal:<br />
V/C Kevin McNeil<br />
In an interview with Gary<br />
Jobson, our Vice Commodore<br />
shares what makes <strong>Annapolis</strong><br />
a special place for him.<br />
The newest and youngest membership class is causing quite a stir. If you feel you are<br />
in the dark about the JAMs, allow us to shine a little light on the subject.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
3
From the Commodore<br />
Dear Fellow Members:<br />
In this edition, the<br />
Beacon's editors have<br />
touched on a wide<br />
array of clubmember<br />
interests. I count<br />
two articles from our<br />
cruisers, two arising<br />
from junior sailing,<br />
others relating to race<br />
management and one<br />
design keelboat sailing,<br />
and a historical piece<br />
on the legendary 1979<br />
Fastnet Race. Following up on their plan to provide<br />
occasional articles of more general interest in relation<br />
to our sport, they have also included a fascinating peek<br />
at the technical innards of current-day America's Cup<br />
activities.<br />
Happy reading!<br />
Bill Torgerson<br />
Cover Photograph Courtesy of Peter Thornton. The Chickahominy River,<br />
Virginia from the stern of Seaclude, owned by Tom & Carol Farcosky<br />
Latitude and longitude on the cover refers to<br />
the exact location of the AYC entrance.<br />
FLAG OFFICERS<br />
Commodore William T. Torgerson<br />
Vice Commodore Kevin S. McNeil<br />
Rear Commodore Rodrick S. Jabin<br />
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE<br />
Amy Bauer<br />
Jana Brenning<br />
Joe DeCarlo<br />
Gary Jobson, Chair<br />
Tom Marquardt<br />
Dan Phelps<br />
Julie Phillips-Turner, Co-Chair<br />
Kristin Schwitzer<br />
EDITORIAL OFFICE<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
2 Compromise Street<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong>, Maryland 21401 USA<br />
410.263.9147<br />
www.annapolisyc.org<br />
communications@annapolisyc.org<br />
Vol. 3, No. 2. AYC Beacon (ISSN 1949-2995) is published by the<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>. All rights reserved. Reproduction without<br />
permission is prohibited.<br />
4 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
Celebrating <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> | Bill and Maria Museler<br />
Bill and Maria Museler in their Herreshoff 12 1/2, Raven.<br />
Bill and I spent considerable time in <strong>Annapolis</strong><br />
prior to moving here in 2005. Our daughter<br />
graduated from the Naval Academy in 1997 and<br />
we have been coming to the US Sailboat Show for over<br />
20 years. In 1982, we first cruised from Long Island to<br />
the Chesapeake Bay in our West Indies 36, Marica, for<br />
5 weeks and fell in love with it as the best cruising area<br />
we have ever experienced. So, it was an easy decision<br />
to retire to <strong>Annapolis</strong> where we bought our home in<br />
Eastport. Fortunately for us, on the morning after we<br />
closed on our home in January 2001, we decided to have<br />
breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Delly where we met Bob<br />
and Sheila Wohlfarth, long time AYC members. One<br />
thing led to another and Bob offered to sponsor us for<br />
membership and Bill applied later that year. We found<br />
another connection to the <strong>Club</strong> through our son Chris<br />
whose college classmate was John Torgerson, son of<br />
Commodore Bill and Maureen Torgerson.<br />
At that time, there was a waiting list and when we<br />
were accepted, the initiation fee had gone up another<br />
$2,000 but AYC membership is well worth it. Our first<br />
great benefit was when our daughter Erica was able to<br />
hold her wedding reception in the Skipjack in 2003. The<br />
<strong>Club</strong>'s event planners worked with us to make Erica’s<br />
wedding truly memorable and flawless. Guests from<br />
California and the Northwest marveled at the boats in<br />
Spa Creek and the amenities of our club – and that was<br />
in February!<br />
When we finally moved to <strong>Annapolis</strong> permanently<br />
in 2005, we discovered the Cruising Fleet and it has<br />
been central in cementing our connection to the<br />
<strong>Club</strong>. On their cruises, we met members who are now<br />
counted as some of our closest friends. Never before<br />
had we experienced such well organized cruises to really<br />
outstanding venues. The Newcomers’ Cruises have been<br />
particularly outstanding. Last year, we had the pleasure<br />
of leading part of the New England cruise; we were<br />
Cruise Leaders for the 4th of July events in Bristol, RI.<br />
After 2 years of cruising in our J/120, we went over<br />
to the “dark side” and now cruise in an Albin Trawler.<br />
However, we are still sailors at heart and we compete in<br />
the Wednesday Night Races in our Herreshoff 12 1/2,<br />
Raven. Bill joined the Race Committee and especially<br />
enjoys helping with the frequent National and World<br />
Sailing Championships AYC conducts, and I volunteer<br />
at the National Sailing Hall of Fame.<br />
We are at the <strong>Club</strong> almost every Friday night for<br />
happy hour and most Tuesday nights we make sure to<br />
come in for the Blue Plate Special. We equate the <strong>Club</strong><br />
staff as family and stand firmly in our belief that AYC<br />
is the best restaurant in town (just don’t EVER take<br />
Cream of Crab soup off the menu!).<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
5
Herreshoffs and Harbor 20s play in the creek during AYC's 125th Anniversary weekend.<br />
Our newest one design fleet is a perfect match for our oldest. Photo courtesy of Don Dement.<br />
6 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
Introducing our Newest One<br />
Design Fleet:<br />
The Harbor 20<br />
Peter Trogdon<br />
AYC’s newest fleet of sailboats is the unique Harbor 20 built near<br />
Newport Beach, California by W.D. Schock Corporation. This 20<br />
foot day sailor provides an easy, comfortable way to enjoy being on<br />
the water. This versatile boat is perfect for a relaxing sail on the bay or for<br />
Wednesday Night Racing. AYC would like to invite everyone from veteran to<br />
beginner sailors to step into this family friendly class of sailboats.<br />
The Harbor 20 class started racing Wednesday nights this year, and as<br />
more people step into ownership of these economical and easy to maintain<br />
boats, additional racing and social events will be organized. The social events<br />
will be planned by the owners and could include Friday night raft-ups,<br />
Saturday sailing up the Severn to a member’s house for lunch and a swim,<br />
or a 4th of July patriotic parade.<br />
The Harbor 20 design was the creation of six seasoned sailors from<br />
Newport Beach, California who put together a wish list for an easy day sailor<br />
with a high level of performance. They developed design specifications and<br />
submitted them to the W. D. Schock Corp. for further discussions. Schock<br />
blended the classic beauty of a traditional day sailor with state-of-the-art<br />
marine technology. The first Harbor 20 was built 14 years ago and there<br />
are now over 330 boats. While the Harbor 20 presents a graceful shearline<br />
counter, its thoroughly modern underbody and rig make for a fast and easilyhandled<br />
contemporary day sailor. The result is a competitive, cost effective,<br />
and easy-to-use boat that will always be in style.<br />
The Harbor 20 has been a successful addition to a number of other <strong>Yacht</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong>s' fleets across the nation. AYC's is fleet 5 in the National Harbor Class<br />
Association. This boat has many unique features that appeal to cruisers and<br />
racers alike. She is very comfortable and hiking is not necessary. The cockpit<br />
has thick, padded seats and room for up to six people to sit comfortably. The<br />
boat typically has running lights and a rolling furling jib attached to a Hyatt<br />
boom. Her 900 pound keel is half the boat’s weight so she is stiff and her draft<br />
is 3’ 6 inches. Most Harbor 20s have the optional electric motor making it<br />
easy to get in and out of the marina.<br />
Team racing is the hottest trend in sailing today and a great spectator<br />
sport, too. AYC's Waterfront Director, Jay Kehoe, is planning to have<br />
Harbor 20 team racing in the future. You won't be disappointed with our<br />
newest one design fleet.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
7
Cruising the Chesapeake<br />
Camaraderie: Alive and Well at AYC<br />
Bob Baker<br />
A group of cruisers enjoy cocktails at the Tides Inn.<br />
Photos courtesy of Lynn Hendershot, Hank Spector, & Bill Parlatore.<br />
CAMARADERIE: ca•ma•ra•der•ie, n. Goodwill,<br />
mutual trust, lighthearted rapport, and friendship<br />
among people who share an experience.<br />
Also, comradery.<br />
Regardless of how you spell it – camaraderie or<br />
comradery – is an important attribute and the degree to<br />
which it is evident is a valuable indicator of a great yacht<br />
club. It is a word often used to describe the friendships,<br />
interaction, and light hearted fun among our members.<br />
It is considered by most to be an outcome to the team<br />
building developed by our highly competitive racers.<br />
But, it is not limited to racers - we are fortunate to have<br />
a continually expanding list of opportunities for our<br />
members to develop camaraderie through competitive<br />
and non-competitive activities.<br />
Within the cruising fleet, camaraderie is evident at<br />
<strong>Club</strong> events and off-the-water cruising fleet activities,<br />
but never more than at the large number of on-thewater<br />
cruises and rendezvous orchestrated by the cruise<br />
committee and accomplished by experienced cruise<br />
leaders. Past Commodore Jeff Scholz says, “While I was<br />
Commodore, Cyndee and I supported as many activities<br />
of the <strong>Club</strong> that we had time for. I was a racer first and<br />
a cruiser when we had our lobster boat. We both fondly<br />
recall the cruises to The Tides Inn, the Baltimore Inner<br />
Harbor, the Newcomers’ Cruise, and the year-end dinner<br />
at the <strong>Club</strong> – memories of finely organized events where<br />
it was obvious everyone enjoyed each other’s company<br />
with good natured fun and camaraderie.”<br />
One of the best cruises with a wide range of<br />
activities is the annual Labor Day Week cruise to<br />
a major Chesapeake Resort – usually The Tides Inn<br />
or Bay Creek. These destinations in the southern<br />
Bay lend themselves to a voyage with nights on the<br />
hook in lovely anchorages and sitting in the cockpit<br />
sharing experiences. Either destination may test rusty<br />
seamanship skills and make for lively, tall stories of<br />
survival and informal match racing between sailors.<br />
Alan Herdershot says, “The trips are always interesting,<br />
if not frightening! I remember leaving the good old<br />
Potomac in high winds and seas, hearing others<br />
slogging along and finding out, after the fact, that<br />
some folks actually were tossed about so much that<br />
they commissioned a crew member to sit in front of<br />
the refrigerator to keep it closed and the “stuff ” inside!”<br />
Peter Thornton adds, “The 2009 Southern Bay Cruise<br />
ended with the Tides Inn Cruise. We turned into<br />
Carters Creek and pulled into our slip in the pouring<br />
rain after a strenuous fight up the Bay in very stormy<br />
weather. Unlike most marinas, the Tides provides<br />
towels in its dockside bathrooms - unlimited, big, fluffy<br />
towels. You can imagine our delight.”<br />
8 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
The Tides Inn and Bay Creek resorts have landside<br />
accommodations for those who arrive via land yacht;<br />
group dining and pool/bar side hijinks; antiquing and<br />
fine dining; and other sports - golf, kayaking, croquet,<br />
bocce, biking, and hiking. In the words of Jack Hildner,<br />
co-leader of the first cruise to The Tides Inn, “We always<br />
considered the annual trip to The Tides Inn to be the<br />
premier cruise for the year. Golf on the par three ninehole<br />
course was always lots of fun because we purposely<br />
organized teams with experienced players with those<br />
who were new to the game, played best ball, and<br />
encouraged coaching. Partying at the pool was great for<br />
camaraderie as was the introduction of croquet which<br />
is now a standard activity. Good friends, good times,<br />
and good memories make trips to The Tides Inn very<br />
special.” Fran Spector adds that “After our first annual<br />
kayaking event, Pat Henry was awarded the prize for<br />
the 'Most Miles Traveled' because she couldn't get her<br />
boat under control and kept wandering farther away<br />
from the group. She must have paddled twice as far as<br />
the rest of us.”<br />
All events on these cruises are open to all and the<br />
events are tailored to a wide range of skill levels. Events<br />
recently added are croquet and bocce. These competitions<br />
are fierce and the awards are highly sought after and<br />
coveted for years. In the words of Frank Wagner, “You<br />
never know what might happen. There is a formal<br />
croquet field at the Tides. After discovering that proper<br />
equipment was available, Karen Kimberly organized a<br />
great match which has continued over the years at many<br />
different locations. Some of the teams of two consisted<br />
of experienced golfers who thought they had an edge in<br />
croquet, but this turned out not to be the case. In our<br />
first match, Karen led her team to a victory so lopsided<br />
that all the rest of us just looked on in envy.”<br />
Expansion of the Cruising Fleet has resulted in<br />
more and diverse cruises. Added this year was the K-9<br />
Cruise – a local rendezvous where the unusual admission<br />
fee was to be in the company of a canine. It was well<br />
attended and a great success for all best friends and their<br />
captains. The competition was spirited and showed that<br />
some elements of camaraderie are evident in the spirited<br />
behavior of these nautical canines. In the words of coleader<br />
Pat Brooks and Scuffy, “We have talked about this<br />
type of event for years; it is a great addition to the events<br />
held by the cruising fleet. Woof, woof!”<br />
So, is camaraderie alive and well? You bet it is<br />
and it is cruising under the AYC burgee.<br />
Kayaking on Carters Creek.<br />
Cruisers enjoy a friendly game of golf at the Tides Inn.<br />
Our four-legged friends loved the first annual Canine Cruise.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
9
1979 Fastnet Race<br />
The Toughest Ocean Race on Record<br />
Gary Jobson<br />
“Looking back these many years<br />
later, it was a heady time. Today, I<br />
am happy to sail my Etchells here on<br />
the bay a few times each year.”<br />
The author at the helm of Tenacious during the infamous<br />
1979 Fastnet Race.<br />
I<br />
almost missed the infamous 1979 Fastnet Race.<br />
At the time, my calendar of racing and giving<br />
sailing clinics around the country was mighty full.<br />
Heading to England for Cowes Week and the Fastnet<br />
Race seemed like one trip too many. The phone rang one<br />
evening and Ted Turner was on the line, “I really want to<br />
win this race, but I need your help.” One month earlier<br />
we had finished first overall aboard Ted's boat Tenacious<br />
in the <strong>Annapolis</strong> to Newport Race. “Okay,” I replied,<br />
“let's do it.”<br />
When I arrived in Cowes, England by ferry,<br />
there were hundreds of boats sailing on the Solent. It<br />
was blowing hard. I had never witnessed such a scene.<br />
The current was ripping, boats were spinning out under<br />
spinnaker, and cannons were booming from the seawall<br />
of the Royal <strong>Yacht</strong> Squadron. I was ready to race, and so<br />
was Ted. The first day of Cowes Week was a race across<br />
the English Channel to France and back, and then a<br />
series of day races. Tenacious had a good handicap rating.<br />
We were at the front of the fleet in almost every race.<br />
The biggest contest was the Queen's Cup. We ended up<br />
first overall. The RYS invited Ted, Jim Mattingly, our<br />
navigator Peter Bowker, and I to the prize giving. It was<br />
scheduled to be held at the <strong>Club</strong>'s Castle, which was<br />
built in the 1500s. It sounded exciting. Ted sent back<br />
a message that there were 16 on the crew and all of us<br />
would be attending, or he would not be able to attend.<br />
The race committee agreed. It was an impressive, formal<br />
occasion for an American boat to win this coveted<br />
British Trophy. AYC member Jack King also won this<br />
prestigious trophy with his Merrythought in 1991.<br />
By the time the Fastnet Race started, our crew<br />
aboard Tenacious was ready. Ted announced that winning<br />
this race was more important to him than the America's<br />
Cup. We had defended the Cup two years earlier aboard<br />
Courageous in Newport. I was the only member of the<br />
Courageous crew to sail with Ted in the America’s Cup<br />
and the Fastnet. While we were in England, Richie<br />
Boyd from Courageous was preparing Ted's 6 meter for<br />
the upcoming World Championship. I sailed in that,<br />
too. Looking back these many years later, it was a heady<br />
time. Today, I am happy to sail my Etchells here on the<br />
bay a few times each year.<br />
The Fastnet Race was started in 1925 and is<br />
sailed every other year. The course is 605 miles long,<br />
starting on the Royal <strong>Yacht</strong> Squadron line, heading<br />
10 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
Tenacious racing in the AYC <strong>Fall</strong> Series two months after the Fastnet storm.<br />
west out the Solent, along the south coast of England,<br />
past Lands' End, across the Irish Sea to Fastnet Rock,<br />
about 8 miles south of Cork, Ireland, passing south of<br />
the Scilly Islands and finishing in Plymouth. As we<br />
approached the rock, the wind was blowing about 25<br />
knots. Our spinnaker was up. This was in the days before<br />
race trackers, so we guessed that we were in good shape<br />
against our competitors. And, there were a lot of good<br />
ones. Peter Blake was racing Condor, Dennis Conner<br />
was racing Williwaw, and Steve Colgate had his boat,<br />
Sleuth, there. In fact, 303 boats started the race.<br />
The weather forecast was late as we approached<br />
Fastnet Rock. When the broadcast finally came over the<br />
VHS radio Peter Bowker wrote down every word. His<br />
report to the crew on deck was ominous. “The winds are<br />
forecasted to build to Force 8 or 9, and possibly up to<br />
Force 10!” Ted's comment was frightening, “Oh my God,<br />
20 people are going to die tonight!” We had just finished<br />
a roast dinner cooked by Jane Potts. We rounded the<br />
Rock and hoisted a No. 2 headsail. At 2000 hours I was<br />
on deck as watch captain. At 51 degrees North, the sky<br />
was still light. The wind built and I called for a change to<br />
the No. 3. One hour later we changed down to the No. 4<br />
working jib. At one point, Ted yelled from below for me<br />
to take my hat off so I could feel the wind better. It was<br />
blowing over 40 knots! I could feel the wind through my<br />
foul weather gear. After dark, Courtney Jenkins used a<br />
flashlight to read the compass. The waves were gigantic.<br />
I had never seen anything like this. I wondered how I<br />
would describe the race when I returned to <strong>Annapolis</strong>.<br />
By Midnight the wind was howling. Ted took<br />
over the wheel. I had steered four hours straight. About<br />
an hour later, Ted called for the mainsail to come all<br />
the way down. The crew was heroic wrestling the heavy<br />
Dacron sail below decks. The wind was well over 50<br />
and still building. The waves were 35 feet tall. All of<br />
us were seasick. Tenacious was a sturdy 61-foot boat<br />
designed by Olin Stephens, who also designed the 12<br />
meter Courageous. We had great faith in Olin and his<br />
engineering.<br />
At 0400 it was my time to go back on deck. I spent<br />
four more hours steering. We only had the No. 4 headsail<br />
set. I would see a green light on the bow and then a red<br />
light. It was tough changing course. When dawn started<br />
to brighten the sky, we set the storm trysail. That made<br />
steering easier. By 0600 the wind was back down to 50<br />
knots and shifting to the west. Tenacious was now reaching.<br />
When we crossed the finish line later that night, the wind<br />
was down to 15 knots. On shore, it was bedlam.<br />
Little did we know that CBS news anchor,<br />
Walter Cronkite, had reported Tenacious as “missing.”<br />
There were hundreds of news reporters on the docks. We<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
11
were sad to learn that several boats sank, and a number<br />
of sailors were missing. In the end, only 87 of the 303<br />
boat fleet finished; 5 boats sank and 15 people perished.<br />
For Tenacious, we survived and ended up the overall<br />
winner. But it was a somber victory.<br />
After that Fastnet Race, ocean race regulations<br />
were dramatically improved. The Safety at Sea Seminars<br />
held at the Naval Academy and around the country are<br />
a result of the Fastnet. In 1998 another violent storm<br />
AYC'S INTERNATIONAL RECIPROCAL CLUBS<br />
Are you planning to travel outside of the country? Let your<br />
membership take you home away from home. Here is a list of<br />
<strong>Club</strong>s with which we share reciprocity agreements. For more<br />
information, check out www.annapolisyc.org/reciprocity.<br />
Barbados <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Britannia <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Buffalo Canoe <strong>Club</strong><br />
Dubai Offshore Sailing <strong>Club</strong><br />
Norddeutscher Regatta Verein<br />
Royal Bermuda <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Bridgetown, Barbados<br />
Ottawa, Ontario<br />
Ridgeway, Ontario<br />
Jumeirah, Dubai<br />
Hamburg, Germany<br />
Hamilton, Bermuda<br />
Fastnet Rock is a foreboding place off the southern coast of Ireland.<br />
pounded the Sydney to Hobart fleet. Five people were<br />
lost in that race. Only one person is known to have sailed<br />
in both the 1979 Fastnet and the 1998 Hobart Race. His<br />
name is Syd Fischer of Sydney, Australia. Fischer raced<br />
a series of boats named Ragamuffin. Last summer I did<br />
an interview with him and he compared the two races,<br />
“I think the clap we got in the (1979) Fastnet was the<br />
biggest wave I’ve ever seen.”<br />
Helpful lessons are learned after calamities.<br />
During the summer of 2011 we witnessed several<br />
tragedies including the sad death of junior sailor Olivia<br />
Constants, the capsize and drowning of two sailors<br />
in the Chicago to Mackinac Race, and the capsize of<br />
Rambler 100 in the Fastnet Race. Thankfully, the entire<br />
crew of Rambler 100 survived.<br />
I would not like to repeat the experience of the<br />
1979 Fastnet Race. I was 29 years old at the time. It<br />
would be tougher today. But the lessons from that race<br />
have made racing safer.<br />
Royal Canadian <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Cape <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Hong Kong <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Toronto, Ontario<br />
Cape Town, South Africa<br />
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong<br />
Royal New Zealand <strong>Yacht</strong> Squadron Herne Bay, Auckland<br />
Royal St. George <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Thames <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Vancouver <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Victoria <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
St. Croix <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Dublin, Ireland<br />
London, England<br />
Vancouver, British Columbia<br />
Victoria, British Columbia<br />
Christiansted, Virgin Islands<br />
If you are visiting or have visited any of these places, please send<br />
pictures and stories to communications@annapolisyc.org. You<br />
may be featured as our next traveling yachtsman!<br />
12 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
Expanding Horizons<br />
Cruising the British Virgin Islands<br />
Scott Parker<br />
The crew ashore at Saba Rock, Virgin Gorda (left to right, Bret Hovell, Charlie Bauer, Cam Bowdren, Scott Parker, and Greg Bauer).<br />
It all starts in October, when<br />
the leaves start to change and the<br />
crisp air carries their scent to<br />
downtown <strong>Annapolis</strong>.<br />
My friends and I are at the United States<br />
Sailboat show and we begin talking about<br />
“the trip.” As we spend the day walking<br />
around the different boat displays, we’ve already started<br />
to rehash past years sailing in the British Virgin Islands,<br />
and talk about what will be different this coming year.<br />
As with most things that come with friends you have<br />
had since high school, there is a great deal of regularity,<br />
and our yearly sailing trip is no exception.<br />
We took our first cruise around the BVIs a couple<br />
of years after college, with a crew of friends all from the<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> area. The idea of a week bareboat cruising<br />
around the islands was too good for us to pass up, even<br />
if it wasn’t the cheapest idea. Everyone had sailing<br />
experience, but only one of us had ever bareboat chartered<br />
before so this was somewhat of a thrilling idea. Pieces<br />
of the plan began falling in place, and soon enough the<br />
airfare was purchased and the boat was booked.<br />
When I look back on that first cruise in 2007, I can<br />
still remember how exciting every day was for us. Over<br />
the course of that week, we noticed our roles transition<br />
from those which we play in our careers to our positions<br />
on the boat. Our float plan was a list of places I’d only<br />
heard in passing from sailors in <strong>Annapolis</strong>; from the<br />
Baths at Virgin Gorda, to Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke, we<br />
were on a vacation like no other. Every day was a new<br />
mooring with a new place to snorkel, and a new bar<br />
that would inevitably keep us out way too late. Calling<br />
a 47 foot yacht home for a week was unlike anything<br />
that I had experienced before, and something I knew I<br />
had to have again. While cruising, daily life is obviously<br />
very different from on shore. One great example of that<br />
difference happened during our first trip, and became a<br />
night we all still talk about years later.<br />
The BVI’s are closely grouped island chain, with<br />
the exception of Anegada, which can only loosely<br />
be considered an island at all. It is stretched about 12<br />
nautical miles from the Sir Francis Drake Channel, and<br />
is only visible when you finally approach its one main<br />
harbor. Anegada is the furthest island to the east, and<br />
boasts a view straight out into the vast Atlantic Ocean.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
13
The crew en route to Anegada.<br />
It is known for the third largest barrier reef in the world,<br />
and was a stop we were bound not to pass up. After a<br />
great sail, we missed the last mooring ball and instead<br />
had to drop a hook for the night. After partaking in a<br />
little night life on shore, we returned to our boat and<br />
dove into our liquid provisions.<br />
About an hour after everyone had<br />
crawled into their bunks, we were<br />
woken up by our friend shouting<br />
that were dragging anchor. After<br />
shaking off the rum, we all took<br />
to solving the potential issue of<br />
colliding with a fellow cruiser. The<br />
final part of our solution involved<br />
sending a swimmer out to check<br />
our now re-set anchor, and around<br />
the clock watch for the rest of the<br />
night. We selected our most accomplished swimmer,<br />
watched him don his “fast fins;” then disappear into the<br />
jet black water. After welcoming our friend safely back<br />
on board, we all settled into teams of two to remain<br />
vigilant for any further potential catastrophes. To this<br />
day, it is still hotly debated that we were even in fact<br />
dragging at all, but regardless we still all have a night<br />
14 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
We selected our most<br />
accomplished swimmer,<br />
watched him don his “fast<br />
fins;” then disappear into<br />
the jet black water.<br />
(and a sunrise) we will never forget.<br />
With every year we cruise the BVIs, we gain<br />
something new. Our crew has changed year to year, and<br />
some trips have even introduced friends to sailing itself.<br />
We’ve chartered yachts of all sizes, ranging from 39-foot<br />
Jeanneaus to a 53-foot Beneteau,<br />
each with features we found we<br />
liked or could hardly stand to deal<br />
with. I have always been passionate<br />
about sailing, and cruising like this<br />
every year with friends gave me<br />
another way to experience it.<br />
Between our third and fourth<br />
trip, I became a member of AYC,<br />
which has further enriched my<br />
cruising experience in ways I never<br />
expected. Fellow sailors from all<br />
over the globe come to the BVIs, and I was surprised by<br />
how many had a tie to <strong>Annapolis</strong> in one way or another.<br />
When I wore my AYC hat on shore, I was guaranteed to<br />
get approached by someone striking up a conversation.<br />
We couldn’t be further from Spa Creek on Wednesday<br />
nights, but the feeling of being part of the sailing<br />
community was just as strong.
Connection to the Community<br />
The <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Foundation<br />
James Praley<br />
The <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Foundation was<br />
founded in 1999 with the goals of providing<br />
support and encouragement to amateur<br />
sailors hailing from the mid-Chesapeake Bay region,<br />
supporting sailing instruction for deserving youths who<br />
would otherwise be unable to obtain such instruction,<br />
and supporting other non-profit organizations’<br />
maritime-related charitable and educational activities.<br />
Although the Foundation acts independently from<br />
AYC, it can be viewed as the charitable arm of the<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
The Foundation is organized as a public foundation<br />
and managed by a Board of a dozen volunteers,<br />
currently all members of the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
AYC's Commodore and Vice-Commodore also serve<br />
as ex officio members of the Board and another 20 or<br />
so members of the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> community<br />
serve on the Foundation’s Grant Advisory, Marketing,<br />
and Fund Raising Committees, which are critical to the<br />
efforts of AYCF.<br />
The Foundation holds IRS Code Section 501(c)(3)<br />
status and as a result, contributions to the Foundation are<br />
tax deductible. Since its formation, the Foundation has<br />
raised and distributed nearly $400,000 to support amateur<br />
sailors, deserving juniors, and non-profit organizations.<br />
The Foundation’s activities are funded both by<br />
annual donations by generous AYC members and<br />
others, and, more recently, through a fundraising auction<br />
held in conjunction with the AYC Annual Membership<br />
Meeting. Last year, over $50,000 was raised by the<br />
auction of a number of items generously provided by<br />
AYC families.<br />
In its short history, the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> has<br />
done a great deal to support sailors and worthwhile<br />
charitable organizations in the mid-Chesapeake area. Its<br />
activities, like those of a number of similar foundations<br />
affiliated with other yacht clubs throughout the country,<br />
enables sailors to pursue their dreams and provide an<br />
opportunity for others to have an introduction to the<br />
Chesapeake Bay and sailing. It is the Foundation’s hope<br />
that it will continue to benefit from the generous support<br />
of AYC members to pursue its mission.<br />
An <strong>Annapolis</strong> Police Officer assists a child in freeing a fish from a hook in<br />
this 2007 event funded by the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Foundation.<br />
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS<br />
THE FOUNDATION HAS MADE GRANTS TO:<br />
• The <strong>Annapolis</strong> High and Broadneck High Sailing teams,<br />
assisting them in attending National Championship<br />
regattas.<br />
• Olympic hopefuls Andrew Campbell and Ian Coleman<br />
(Star), Farah Hall (Board Sailing), Katy Stork and<br />
Lindsay Gibbon-Neff (470), permitting them to compete<br />
and pursue training opportunities internationally.<br />
• Carol Cronin and Annapolitan Kim Couranz, assisting in<br />
attending the Snipe World Championships in Denmark.<br />
• Members of the team representing <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
in the prestigious New York <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Invitational Cup<br />
regatta.<br />
• Junior Sailors who attended the Easter Regatta (Holland),<br />
U.S. Youth Championships, CISA Youth Clinic, and other<br />
national and international competitions.<br />
• Scholarships to young sailors attending the AYC Junior<br />
and High School sailing programs.<br />
• Box of Rain, which provides opportunities to<br />
disadvantaged <strong>Annapolis</strong> youth.<br />
• Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB),<br />
which provides sailing opportunities for persons with<br />
disabilities.<br />
• <strong>Annapolis</strong> Community Boating, conducting introductory<br />
sailing programs and youth summer camps.<br />
• The Brendan Corporation, which conducts youth sailing<br />
programs in both <strong>Annapolis</strong> and at St. Mary’s College.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
15
Update: America’s Cup 2013<br />
Kristin Leutwyler Ozelli<br />
This is not your father’s Cup Challenge…<br />
When the America’s Cup roars into San Fransisco Bay in 2013,<br />
it will look nothing like the last stateside challenge 18 years<br />
ago. Indeed, defenders ORACLE Racing, led by owner Larry<br />
Ellison and CEO Randy Coutts, are radically redefining the event—<br />
from the boats and teams in play to the venues and viewing options for<br />
spectators. We want to attract “the Facebook generation, not the Flinstones<br />
generation,” Coutts says.<br />
So far, they are on course to do so. The America’s Cup World Series began<br />
this past August in Cascais, Portugal. Tight fleet and match racing in ultrafast<br />
boats got pulses racing on the water and also on land—thanks, in part, to<br />
an unprecedented number of onboard cameras and sensors. The circuit will<br />
include two more regattas this year, up to nine in 2012, and another four in<br />
2013 before the teams decamp in San Fran for the Louis Vuitton Cup and<br />
the America’s Cup itself. Here we highlight just some of the ways in which<br />
this latest test aims to bring new blood to the oldest international sporting<br />
event in history.<br />
MULTIHULLS<br />
AC multihulls—Stars&Stripes H3, Alinghi 5, BMW ORACLE Racing<br />
90—have famously had their detractors. But old-school old salts will just<br />
have to get over it because lighter, faster multihulls are here to stay. ORACLE<br />
Racing’s design and engineering team have introduced two new classes<br />
of wing-sailed catamarans for the next two years of racing. The teams are<br />
currently honing their skills on the AC45, a scaled-down one-design version<br />
of the 72-footers they will debut in the Louis Vuitton Cup. Even on the<br />
bigger AC72s, many of the parameters—length, beam, displacement, sail<br />
area—are fixed, so boat-handling and tactical skill, as well as engineering, will<br />
be key to winning the competition.<br />
The carbon fiber hulls are less than a millimeter thick to keep the boats<br />
as light as possible. The fronts of the hulls curve like upturned knives to slice<br />
their way through the chop and back out of the water should a bow get buried.<br />
16 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
The much coveted America's Cup has been awarded since 1851. It is<br />
currently in stewardship of BMW Oracle Racing.<br />
©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget<br />
In the 22 feet between the hulls runs a web of cross<br />
support and netting. The result looks less like a boat than<br />
an enormous, floating climbing frame, over which crew<br />
members in crash helmets scramble from one flying hull<br />
to another. Indeed, the AC45 can tack so quickly—with<br />
both hulls in the water for just a blink of an eye as they<br />
pass through the wind—that crews need to be extremely<br />
nimble and fit.<br />
An image of the AC45 in action at the 2011 AC World Series in<br />
Auckland, New Zealand.<br />
©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget<br />
WING SAILS<br />
For maximum muscle, the AC45 sports a rigid wing<br />
sail, towering 70 feet above its would-be, woven deck.<br />
Transparent plastic covers its antenna-like frame, made<br />
from ultrastrong carbon fiber and Nomex, related to<br />
Kevlar. Each boat also carries a soft-sail jib for sailing<br />
upwind and a gennaker for downwind legs. The total<br />
package delivers enough juice to lift one hull out of<br />
the drink in only five to six knots of true wind. No<br />
surprise, then, that the AC45 really takes off in heavier<br />
air, reaching top speeds of around 35 knots. The AC72,<br />
carrying a 131-foot high wing, is expected to sail upwind<br />
at 1.2 times the speed of the true wind and 1.6 times<br />
that downwind even in light air. Crew can depower the<br />
wing sail, if need be, via removable flaps on the upper<br />
leech or a removable mast tip. And as with a traditional<br />
sail, they can also adjust its angle, camber and twist.<br />
Despite their 2010 Cup win, ORACLE Racing faced<br />
a few minor difficulties with their previous wing-sailed<br />
multihull, one of them being the time it took to rig.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
17
Swedish team, Artemis Racing is the official Challenger of Record for the 2013 race to be held in San Francisco, California.<br />
AYC Member Terry Hutchinson will serve as Artemis Racing's skipper in the 2013 America's Cup.<br />
©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget<br />
This time, they have the process seemingly perfected:<br />
Like a giant erector set, the various components of<br />
the AC45 pop out of a 40-foot container—a design<br />
requirement that makes for easy transport around the<br />
globe—and can be assembled in 30 minutes. A sky hook<br />
raises the wing to vertical and the ground crew wheels<br />
the hulls underneath. The wing then sets down into a<br />
ball-and-socket joint, affording it maximum freedom of<br />
movement. The stays are carefully aligned and tightened<br />
to balance it in place. The sky hook then lifts the entire<br />
apparatus into the water.<br />
TRACKING SYSTEMS<br />
Each boat carries an elaborate array of electronics,<br />
created by veteran America’s Cup racer Mark Sheffield.<br />
Data feeds offer real-time boat speeds and distances<br />
between the contenders, thanks to onboard tracking<br />
sensors that pinpoint each yacht’s location to within<br />
two centimeters. All the information not only helps the<br />
sailors and the race committee, but makes for thrilling<br />
watching too. A network of high-resolution cameras<br />
put armchair racers right on the rail. You can watch the<br />
coverage live or catch up on replays at youtube.com/<br />
americascup. All that’s missing is the bow spray.<br />
TEAMS<br />
To attract challengers, ORACLE Racing has tried<br />
to keep the costs down in several ways. The teams are<br />
restricted in terms of how many boats, sails, and extra<br />
equipment they can use. They are limited to a maximum<br />
crew of 11 on the AC72s. And there are scheduled nosail<br />
periods, when no one is allowed to train on the water.<br />
ORACLE Racing has two boats, one skippered by<br />
James Spithill, the youngest skipper to win the Cup, and<br />
the other by Coutts, a four-time Cup winner. The official<br />
Challenger of Record, Artemis Racing, hails from Sweden<br />
and boasts AYC member Terry Hutchinson as skipper.<br />
Other teams include Emirates Team New Zealand; China<br />
Team; GreenCOMM Racing from Spain, Team Korea;<br />
Aleph, Equipe de France, and Energy Team, also from France.<br />
The speed of the boats and the courses themselves,<br />
which will be set near to shore, should challenge all the<br />
teams, despite their collective wealth of experience and<br />
talent. The conditions will demand fast decisions and<br />
even faster reaction times. To enlist young talent, cup<br />
organizers are also launching a Youth America’s Cup to<br />
start in 2012. The younger teams will race the AC45s,<br />
giving them opportunity to become familiar with the<br />
class before graduating to AC72s.<br />
18 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
Connection to the <strong>Yacht</strong>ing World<br />
The International Council of <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>s<br />
Commodore William T. Torgerson<br />
In 2011, the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> received and<br />
accepted an invitation to become a member<br />
of the International Council of <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>s<br />
(ICOYC). We were sponsored by two other leading<br />
North American clubs – Seattle <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and Royal<br />
Vancouver <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
ICOYC is an organization which came into being in<br />
the mid-2000s as an outgrowth of informal gatherings<br />
between the leaders of prominent yacht clubs in Europe,<br />
North America, and Asia. The ICOYC’s mission is<br />
to foster communication, closer relationships, and<br />
information exchange between leading yacht clubs from<br />
around the world. There are currently about 28 member<br />
clubs, representing 15 countries. Its current President is<br />
John Stork of the Royal Thames YC.<br />
The principal gatherings of the Council are its<br />
Commodores’ Forums, held every 12-18 months and<br />
attended by leaders and other members of member clubs.<br />
Forums so far have been held in Vancouver, Marseilles,<br />
Durban, Perth, and Seattle. The 2012 Forum will be<br />
hosted by the Royal Southern <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> in England.<br />
The forums are packed with topical presentations and<br />
in-depth discussions of issues faced by the member<br />
clubs. In addition, they are a great opportunity to meet<br />
and mingle with counterparts from fellow clubs around<br />
the world.<br />
One very interesting development is that after each<br />
forum the host <strong>Club</strong> arranges a cruise that is open to all<br />
members of member clubs. These cruises have become<br />
a great hit with member clubs as there is no better way<br />
to get to see the highlights of an area than to have the<br />
cruise organized and run by the most prominent and<br />
knowledgeable local club. For example, the 2011 postforum<br />
cruise in the Pacific Northwest featured stops at<br />
the outstations of the Seattle and Royal Vancouver YCs,<br />
facilities which are normally reserved for use only by<br />
their members.<br />
If you would like to know more about the ICOYC check out their website<br />
www.icoyc.org.<br />
Current Members<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, <strong>Annapolis</strong>, MD<br />
Bruxelles Royal <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Brussels<br />
Eastern <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Marblehead, MA<br />
Newport Harbor <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Balboa, CA<br />
Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Hamburg<br />
Nylanska Jaktklubben, Helsinki<br />
Royal Danish <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Copenhagen<br />
Royal Freshwater Bay <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Perth<br />
Royal Hong Kong <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Royal Natal <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Durban<br />
Royal New Zealand <strong>Yacht</strong> Squadron, Auckland<br />
Royal Norwegian <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Oslo<br />
Royal Perth <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Australia<br />
Royal Prince Alfred <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Newport, Australia<br />
Royal Southern <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Hamble, UK<br />
Royal Swedish <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Stockholm<br />
Royal Sydney <strong>Yacht</strong> Squadron<br />
Royal Thames <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, London<br />
Royal Vancouver <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Sandrigham <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Melbourne<br />
Seattle <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, Seattle, WA<br />
Societe Nautique de Marseille<br />
Southern <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, New Orleans, LA<br />
St. Francis <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, San Francisco, CA<br />
Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee, Berlin<br />
<strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Italiano, Genoa<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
19
Second Deck Race Crew<br />
The Wednesday Night Race Committee<br />
Julie Phillips-Turner<br />
Recorders and timers for the Wednesday Night Race watch from the second deck - and can be found there each Wednesday during the season, rain or shine.<br />
(Right to left: Debbie Crow, Joyce Fenwick, Mary Lynn Wilhere; Back Row: Reggie Genola)<br />
On the Second Deck, two rows of chairs are set<br />
before the long banquet table containing a<br />
red megaphone, three air horns, two pairs of<br />
binoculars, a few pencils, and clip boards with the sail<br />
numbers of the Wednesday Night Race (WNR) fleets<br />
at <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
Around 5:30pm, Reggie Genola, a 20-year veteran<br />
of the Special Events Race Committee (SERC), sets up<br />
the flag pole that will serve as the official finish line for<br />
the evening, as George Moose readies his seat behind<br />
the line with his eagle eyes calling the number of each<br />
boat as they cross.<br />
It’s a mid-August evening – warm, with a nice 10-<br />
15 kt. breeze – the crews on the AYC dock below are<br />
preparing the boats and loading crew before setting out to<br />
the starting line out on the Bay for the 6 p.m. start time.<br />
Every Wednesday night during the spring/summer<br />
race season, 12 very committed members of the SERC<br />
committee gather on the Second Deck to watch, call,<br />
and record the races.<br />
“You’ve got to be very dedicated to doing this job<br />
each week,” states Jim Stoops, the official horn blower<br />
20 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
for the race. Mary Lynn Wilhere works in DC and<br />
leaves work early to get to AYC on time each week to<br />
participate in the committee.<br />
“Rain, wind, or no wind, we’re here every Wednesday,”<br />
says Mary Lynn, who has been on the committee for five<br />
years. “Sometimes we have to run inside and press our<br />
faces against the window to watch the finish – although<br />
George is the one who braves the weather outside to call<br />
the races.”<br />
Each committee member has their own reason for<br />
joining the group – while many have a race background,<br />
others wanted a fun way to be involved with AYC,<br />
such as Debra Crow, a middle school science teacher in<br />
Queen Anne’s County. Her husband is out on the race<br />
course (My Wife is the Best) and considers this her way of<br />
participating in the race.<br />
“This committee is really about meeting people and<br />
being around people. It’s a great way to be involved. The<br />
committee is like a family. We like to keep up to date on each<br />
other’s lives,” states Debra. “If it wasn’t for this committee I<br />
wouldn’t have met some of these great friends.”<br />
At the beginning of the WNR season, starting
“This committee is really about meeting people and being around<br />
people. It’s a great way to be involved. The committee is like a family.<br />
We like to keep up to date on each other’s lives,”<br />
late April and running through early September, each<br />
committee member gets assigned a job based on what<br />
they prefer to do. Many of the Race Committee members<br />
including those on the Race Committee boats have<br />
race experience – several are professional race officers.<br />
But whether or not the member has a professional<br />
background in racing, or is just good with numbers,<br />
each member is placed where they are most comfortable.<br />
Bobby Frey, the SERC Chair is responsible for placing<br />
and scheduling all members of the committee for every<br />
race.<br />
“I wanted to be on the committee because I wanted<br />
to shoot the cannon,” says George. “After they did away<br />
with that a few years ago, they re-assigned me on the<br />
committee, and now I call over.” You could say now,<br />
George IS the cannon, and has been so for 7 years.<br />
“It can be confusing calling all the boats when they<br />
are so close together – especially during a light downwind<br />
finish with spinnakers luffing over the sail numbers, says<br />
George, “but on those days, we put people at all corners<br />
of the deck to watch the boat numbers as they cross.”<br />
At 6:55 p.m. George stands with the binoculars<br />
looking out towards the mooring field to check the<br />
progress on the Harbor 20s, Hereshoffs, and a few fast<br />
Farr 40s that are headed in towards the finish line.<br />
About 100 spectators are seated on the Second<br />
Deck waiting, enjoying dinner and cocktails, for the<br />
spectacular finish during the perfect summer evening.<br />
The Race Committee sits and enjoys their iced tea<br />
and conversation. “This is the calm before the storm,” one<br />
member comments, as they all speculate whether one of<br />
the Hereshoffs or Harbor 20s will finish first tonight.<br />
Settling into their chairs, grabbing their pencils,<br />
clipboards, and watches to record each boat as they finish,<br />
the committee becomes silent and attentive, taking their<br />
positions as the first boat (a Herreshoff ) crosses the line<br />
around 7:15 p.m. followed by Jim’s first loud air horn of<br />
the evening and “Over,” projected by George through the<br />
megaphone, as he gazes steadily across the finish line.<br />
Nearly 90 boats race each week, some finishing sideby-side,<br />
as the “over” announcements and a dozen more<br />
horns announce the finishing sailboats in the race during<br />
The second deck SERC team double checks recorded times for each boat<br />
finishing that evening after the race.<br />
the evening. The beautiful scenery of the sailboats and<br />
the activity of the committee keep the second deck a<br />
lively place on a Wednesday night.<br />
Soon after the last boat is confirmed over, the<br />
committee members reconcile their recorded times for<br />
the race. Then, they finally leave their chairs to enjoy<br />
the post-race party and continue the conversation they<br />
enjoyed with each other while waiting for the boats to<br />
approach the finish.<br />
This is the first article of a series that will follow the SERC and the events<br />
they lead over the next few seasons – providing a small glimpse of the<br />
member volunteers and behind the scenes of the events.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
21
One for the Record Books<br />
Team AYC Takes 3rd in 2011 New York<br />
<strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Invitational Cup<br />
Nathan Adamus<br />
Team AYC: Peter McChesney, Skipper; John Torgerson, Tactician; Shane Zwingelberg, Main Trimmer; Stan Welle, Bow; Vann Walke, Mast; Scott Carr,<br />
Spin Trimmer; Scott Snyder, Trimmer; Dave Askew, Pit; Margret McChesney, Mid Bow; Rodrick Jabin, Strategist; Jay Kehoe, Coach.<br />
On August 25, 2008, New York <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
Commodore Charles H. Townsend announced the<br />
inaugural New York <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Invitational Cup,<br />
an invitational fleet-racing regatta, scheduled to take<br />
place September 15-19, 2009. The concept behind the<br />
Invitational Cup was to bring together amateur yacht club<br />
teams to compete against teams from around the world.<br />
Invitations were sent to premiere yacht clubs around<br />
the world in order to revitalize the spirit of international<br />
competition between Corinthian sailors. Commodore<br />
Townsend remarked, “This event will once again bring<br />
the Corinthian spirit to the forefront of the sport and<br />
enable us to share the excitement of sailing on the waters<br />
of Rhode Island Sound.” The committee also decided<br />
that the race would be held biennially at Harbour Court,<br />
the NYYC's on-the-water clubhouse in Newport, R.I.<br />
Prizes would be awarded to the top-three teams,<br />
with the winning team receiving star treatment via<br />
22 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
engraving on the NYYC Invitational Cup, donated<br />
by former-Commodore Robert L. James and former<br />
NYYC Trustee Charles A. Robertson. The trophy is<br />
permanently displayed at New York <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>’s 44th<br />
Street <strong>Club</strong>house in Manhattan.<br />
In the first biennial Invitational Cup in 2009, host<br />
club NYYC overpowered 19 amateur teams from 14<br />
nations in NYYC Swan 42s to hoist the trophy. The only<br />
two U.S. teams to compete in that race were NYYC and<br />
Saint Francis <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
After other U.S. clubs expressed an interest in<br />
joining the heralded international competition, NYYC<br />
decided to open the doors to additional U.S. yacht clubs.<br />
The U.S. Qualifying Series was eventually announced,<br />
allowing carefully selected U.S. teams to compete for<br />
one of three slots in the 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup.<br />
It was in this U.S. Qualifying Series on September<br />
7-11, 2010 that Team AYC took their first step to
eventually becoming a force at the NYYC Invitational<br />
Cup in 2011. During the first two days of racing on<br />
Narragansett Bay, 24 of the nation’s finest yacht clubs<br />
were split equally into fleets designated Red or Blue.<br />
Competing teams sailed half of each day’s races in either<br />
NYYC’s Sonars or Sail Newport’s J/22s.<br />
After 14 races were completed, the top six teams<br />
from each fleet were combined into the Gold fleet. The<br />
final two days of the Qualifying Series were sailed in<br />
Sonars. The bounty for a top-three finish in the Gold<br />
fleet was a spot in the 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup.<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> battled all week to solidify a<br />
second overall in the Gold fleet standings with 50 points.<br />
Skipper Peter McChesney credited the conditions for<br />
being a significant factor in their impressive finish. “The<br />
current was good for us when it<br />
was strong at the starting line<br />
because we had good starts. On the<br />
Chesapeake we’re used to current<br />
and some of the lake people<br />
[competing here] are not. We were<br />
up on the line, and other people<br />
were getting pushed back. It was<br />
helpful for us.”<br />
Perhaps foreshadowing Team<br />
AYC's third place finish in the<br />
2011 Invitational, McChesney<br />
also noted in Qualifying Series<br />
interviews that “Our mantra is<br />
‘first is third and third is first’ for<br />
this regatta.” By finishing second, Team AYC joined<br />
Eastern <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and Newport Harbor <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> in<br />
qualifying for the 2011 regatta in Newport.<br />
After qualifying, Team AYC began prepping for the<br />
2011 Invitational Cup. However, it was the support of<br />
AYC members that provided the biggest inspiration and<br />
motivation for the team. The “Get on the Boat” campaign<br />
invited members to contribute to Team AYC's NYYC<br />
Invitational Cup journey in exchange for getting their<br />
name on the Swan 42 Mustang. The number of donors<br />
was overwhelming and Mustang was emblazoned with<br />
the names of many generous sponsors before its practice<br />
run in the Swan Nationals.<br />
Team AYC headed into Newport in the wake of their<br />
fourth place finish in the Swan 42 U.S. Nationals, but Day<br />
1 was far from kind as AYC finished 11, 10, and 12. It was<br />
especially disheartening considering there were no throw<br />
“Without the donations and<br />
continuous encouragement<br />
from our members...we<br />
probably would not have<br />
seen the same degree of<br />
success at this year's NYYC<br />
Invitational Cup.”<br />
outs. On Day 2, Coach Jay Kehoe celebrated his birthday in<br />
style as Mustang vaulted up the leaderboard with a 6, 1, 3 to<br />
move to third place overall.<br />
Things were looking great on Day 3 when a costly<br />
penalty caused the team to slip back into fourth overall<br />
after a disastrous sixteenth place finish in Race 8. Never<br />
one to shy away from adversity, McChesney rallied the<br />
troops on Day 4 to finish 2 and 4. A light breeze on Day 5<br />
only allowed for one final race, and AYC took advantage<br />
with a third to land an overall third place podium finish<br />
behind first place Royal Canadian <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> and the<br />
second place finishers from host club NYYC.<br />
McChesney summed up what many competitors<br />
were thinking all week. “It was certainly, arguably, the<br />
most unique, special, exciting regatta. The professional<br />
circuits, Olympic campaigns, and<br />
a lot of great one-design classes<br />
[beg attention], but certainly<br />
this is a new unbelievable regatta<br />
with worldwide excitement.”<br />
Commodore Torgerson also<br />
extended his congratulations to the<br />
team for their outstanding effort<br />
and excellent results.<br />
Although their podium finish<br />
was monumental, especially for a<br />
team that had to navigate past an<br />
extended list of exceptional U.S.<br />
amateur clubs to qualify, it was the<br />
support from the <strong>Club</strong> and Team<br />
AYC's positive attitude that was the real story at this year's<br />
regatta. “Without the commitment of the AYCF, the<br />
generosity of Gary Jobson for the use of Mustang, and all of<br />
the members who ‘Got on the Boat,’ I can honestly say that<br />
we probably would not have seen the same degree of success<br />
at this year's NYYC Invitational Cup,” said Jay Kehoe. “It's<br />
unbelievable how the positive energy that the membership<br />
and staff provided via email, phone, and text messages<br />
transplanted to the team and provided us the momentum<br />
we needed to achieve a podium finish.”<br />
As General Manager Brian Asch reminds us every<br />
month in the Smoking Lamp, AYC is more than a <strong>Club</strong>,<br />
it's a community. As such, we can all celebrate Team AYC's<br />
historic finish and treasure the camaraderie and support<br />
from members and staff. To quote Team AYC Skipper<br />
Peter McChesney, a third place finish is sometimes just<br />
as good as a first place trophy. Congratulations Team<br />
AYC, third place is as good first in our books!<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
23
Junior Sailing<br />
Raising the Bar: Sportsmanship at AYC<br />
Arthur Libby<br />
Our junior sailors have sailed the Chesapeake<br />
Bay and beyond winning countless trophies in<br />
the last few years. The truest form of victory<br />
lies in gaining the respect of your competitors. These are<br />
tough words to live by when you are trying to beat them,<br />
but it seems that our junior sailors get the point. Here<br />
are some of the awards they have won.<br />
2009 Balboa <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>’s Inaugural Youth Match<br />
Racing Regatta.<br />
Mike Carr, Brady Stagg, and Jack Ortel finished<br />
fifth in this competition and were recognized with the<br />
Nick Scandone Sportsmanship/Leadership Memorial<br />
for their generous, cooperative, Corinthian attitude<br />
throughout the event. Named in honor of the late 2008<br />
Paralympic Gold Medalist Nick Scandone, the award<br />
was presented by his wife, Mary Kate, who proudly<br />
congratulated each of the young men not just once but<br />
twice when Mike Carr, Jack Ortel, and Austin Ortel<br />
won again in 2010. No one else has won this trophy<br />
more than once.<br />
2009 USODA Team Trials – Houston <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
Kyle Comerford was picked out of 211 competitors<br />
for the prestigious Sportsmanship Award. “Kyle always<br />
said thank you after every race,” reports the PRO.<br />
2011 California International Sailing Association<br />
Advanced Racing Clinic.<br />
In April of this year, Patrick Floyd and Harrison<br />
Hawk were given the Sportsmanship Award as voted on<br />
by 110 of their peers. Their good nature and attention to<br />
detail won the respect of the other competitors.<br />
2011 Mallory Cup.<br />
In May of 2011, the AYC-coached <strong>Annapolis</strong> High<br />
School won the Sportsmanship Award at the High<br />
School Nationals (Mallory Cup) held at Austin <strong>Yacht</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong> in Austin, TX. During the practice day, there was a<br />
collision between an AHS boat and another boat. Seeing<br />
that there was significant damage, the AHS skipper and<br />
crew reported to the PRO the extent of the damage and<br />
offered to pay to fix it. The PRO was impressed with the<br />
team's honesty and awarded them the Sportsmanship<br />
award at the end of the regatta. Sailing for AHS were<br />
Jack Ortel, Lilli Salvesen, Haines Whitaker, Charlie<br />
Lomax, Harrison Hawk, and Austin Ortel.<br />
24 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
Boo Devanny and Amanda Wagner graciously accept their award at the<br />
2011 Ida Lewis Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship.<br />
2011 Richmond <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Point.<br />
This June at Richmond <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Point in<br />
Richmond, CA, the Sportsmanship Award, chosen by<br />
ballots cast by the girls themselves was a close call, but<br />
Kaylee Schwitzer of AYC won it. Frank Ustach described<br />
her as “a great sailor, not having the best regatta. She<br />
cares about being a leader and befriending all the girls.”<br />
2011 Ida Lewis Junior Women’s Doublehanded<br />
Championship.<br />
This July, Boo Devanny and Amanda Wagner won<br />
the C. Thomas Clagett Sportsmanship award for helping<br />
another team right their capsized boat in jellyfish-infested<br />
waters. “Amanda dove in the water to assist two younger<br />
girls who couldn’t right their boat by themselves.” At the<br />
same regatta, Elena VandenBerg and Lilli Salvesen won<br />
the Ida Lewis Trophy for Most Improved.<br />
2011 US Optimist Dinghy Association’s Team Race<br />
Nationals.<br />
This July, Emma White and her team were<br />
recognized by Robin Kuebel, USODA Class President<br />
during the awards ceremony. Specifically, Emma and 4<br />
fellow sailors are the first time “team recipients” of the<br />
USODA Sportsmanship award, a New York <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
perpetual trophy awarded since 1993.<br />
That’s quite a list. Our juniors are certainly making an<br />
impression on the sailing community at home and abroad.<br />
We should all be proud to see them waving our burgee, I<br />
sure am. We hope to see more in coming events.
Membership Development<br />
Understanding the Junior Associate Members<br />
Lauren Koppelman<br />
Joined at the hip off the water, two of our Opti Race team sailors Aidan<br />
Morgan and Nick Salvesen enjoy each other's company at the end of<br />
summer race team banquet.<br />
Photo courtesy of Larry Martin, Martin Image Photography<br />
During the Annual Membership Meeting held<br />
in November of 2010, the membership voted<br />
to create the Junior Associate Membership: a<br />
new membership class that includes “any person between<br />
the ages of seven and twenty-one of good character and<br />
reputation who has expressed interest in participating<br />
in AYC's Junior Fleet Program.” Following the first<br />
summer program serving this new class, we received<br />
a lot of valuable feedback and from it, one common<br />
question resounded: why JAM? The answer lays in<br />
two key benefits of Junior Associate Membership: the<br />
opportunity to officially represent the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong> by flying our burgee in regattas, and the chance<br />
to contribute to their initiation fee should they decide<br />
to join the <strong>Club</strong>. This year, for relatives of members, the<br />
JAM fee was $75. For children not related to a member,<br />
their fee was $175. In both JAM fees' cases, $75 will be<br />
invested towards an initiation fee.<br />
It is the Membership Development Committee's<br />
focus to attract a greater amount of younger members to<br />
the <strong>Club</strong>. By offering a valuable investment plan to young<br />
individuals who show an interest in sailing and pride<br />
in our community, it will increase the chance that they<br />
will continue their relationship with our <strong>Club</strong>. AYC's<br />
membership includes 501 members who joined between<br />
the age of 16 and 35. Essentially, one in four of our<br />
members were previously Junior/Intermediate members.<br />
Ten years ago, there were 156 Junior/Intermediate<br />
members of our <strong>Club</strong>. Today, there are just 53. Happily,<br />
AYC saw 284 Junior Associate Members ( JAM) last<br />
summer of which 53% were related to an AYC member.<br />
These children are used to casually boating under their<br />
parents' or grandparents' burgees; however, they and the<br />
other 47% of JAMs who aren't related to a member now<br />
have the opportunity to fly one of their own. The best<br />
way to build allegiance to our community is to make our<br />
Junior Sailors officially a part of it.<br />
As members of the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>, our new<br />
JAMs have similar benefits as full-fledged members:<br />
they receive their own copy of our monthly newsletter<br />
so they can stay connected and read coverage that might<br />
include their own accomplishments; they can store their<br />
racing boats at the <strong>Club</strong>; they can host their families<br />
on a limited basis for dinner in the <strong>Club</strong>house; they<br />
have access to the auxiliary parking lots when they are<br />
using the <strong>Club</strong>house and its facilities. Our Junior Sailors<br />
have never before had this level of exposure to the<br />
<strong>Club</strong>. Suddenly, these sailors transition from attending<br />
a two-week sailing instruction course or a month-long<br />
race team to being incorporated into an elite sailing<br />
community. Many of our JAMs took a taste of AYC life<br />
by using dining facilities, and one family was so charmed<br />
by our community that a membership application is in<br />
process for them to join.<br />
We continue to work together with our members<br />
to answer any questions and concerns and to fine tune<br />
the JAM program to eliminate confusion. Before the<br />
summer started, Waterfront Director Jay Kehoe wrote,<br />
“In the short term, we hope to see more juniors and their<br />
families involved at AYC. In the long term, we would<br />
like to see more members earning their 40 year pin!”<br />
The potential to retain some of these talented and wellrounded<br />
sailors is promising.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
25
Up Close and Personal<br />
Vice Commodore Kevin McNeil<br />
Jobson<br />
You seem very committed to this area. What<br />
is special about <strong>Annapolis</strong> for you?<br />
McNeil I’ve grown up here and it's my home. The<br />
Chesapeake Bay is very special. It’s a beautiful<br />
piece of water. I never get tired of going to<br />
Oxford. I’ve never grown tired of the regattas.<br />
It’s very well located, north and south. We can<br />
get to either Florida or New England to go<br />
sailing in a short period of time. It’s a very<br />
well located place on a beautiful body of water.<br />
Jobson So if you were talking to a young person, 20,<br />
just got out of college, why would you suggest<br />
to them that they should come to the area and<br />
join the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>?<br />
McNeil This <strong>Club</strong> offers a great community. The job<br />
markets in Washington and Baltimore are<br />
good and <strong>Annapolis</strong> is a beautiful, centralized<br />
place to live. The <strong>Club</strong> offers them a community<br />
where they could raise their family. It’s a good,<br />
safe haven; a preferred community.<br />
Jobson<br />
When you were a young person sailing in Spa<br />
Creek did you ever envision you would be<br />
running up the flags at <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>?<br />
McNeil I can tell you it was definitely not on my bucket<br />
list. I got involved about seven years ago when I<br />
was asked to be on the Board. Then they asked<br />
me to move up and come into the flag chain.<br />
I felt like I could contribute something to the<br />
operation and that’s why I did it. I think I can<br />
help and I think it is going well. We have a<br />
great facility. We have a great membership. I<br />
think the diversity of the <strong>Club</strong> is its strength.<br />
It's important to recognize that we’re stronger<br />
as one than we are as the pieces. It's possible<br />
for everyone to get what they want out of the<br />
<strong>Club</strong>. We’re here for everybody, it’s just not for<br />
one group’s focus.<br />
Jobson<br />
It seems to serve lots of different constituents<br />
well. The cruising crowd, the racing crowd, the<br />
dinner crowd, the card playing crowd, the kids.<br />
McNeil Exactly. You have to give Bill Patterson<br />
a great pat on the back, along with a lot of<br />
other people but I know early in the going,<br />
Bill Patterson was very active in that cruising<br />
group and has grown now to be a tremendous<br />
group of people who share common interests.<br />
They play a large role at our <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
Jobson<br />
If you were to look into a crystal ball where<br />
would you like to see <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
10 or 15 years from now?<br />
McNeil I think the <strong>Club</strong> has tremendous potential to<br />
continue its growth. I was a child here and I see<br />
the family program moving ahead. I like the<br />
concept of a multi generational membership<br />
dynamic where our kids can enjoy what we’ve<br />
enjoyed. I’ve gotten tremendous satisfaction<br />
out of sailing. It has helped me both personally<br />
and within my business. A strong support<br />
structure and family structure is one of the<br />
best things we can offer our community.<br />
26 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
I was asked to be on the Board so I began to get involved in the <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
Then they asked me to move up and come into the flag chain. I felt like I could<br />
contribute something to the operation and that’s why I did it. I think I can help.<br />
Jobson<br />
So to help provide a support structure, what<br />
specific things would you like to see happen?<br />
Jobson<br />
You raced quite a bit with Jack King. Tell me<br />
a little bit about Jack.<br />
McNeil I think we should continue to emphasize a<br />
family friendly environment and include<br />
more activities that are family oriented. We<br />
need to strive to encourage kids to grow up<br />
here and come back here. The little ones can<br />
learn from the older ones who learn from<br />
those older still and so on.<br />
Jobson<br />
How has <strong>Annapolis</strong> changed over the years?<br />
McNeil When we were growing up they still had the<br />
Navy yawls moored off the Naval Academy<br />
seawall so a lot has changed. It’s just more<br />
boats. More people. We lost the boatyards.<br />
It’s gotten a lot more commercial. It seems to<br />
be more marinas and a lot more plastic boats<br />
around where when we were growing up there<br />
was more flavor to the waterfront. McNasby’s<br />
was there. O’Leary’s used to have a real rail<br />
yard that would pull boats. Sarles was busy<br />
with workboats. You had Trumpy building<br />
boats. It just seemed a lot more maritime.<br />
Now it appears to be more commercial with<br />
marinas and dockage with plastic boats.<br />
Jobson<br />
I’m thinking about some of the great sailors<br />
here at the <strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>. You grew<br />
up here. What was it like sailing with Al Van<br />
Metre and Running Tide for example?<br />
McNeil At that point in time I was still in high school<br />
so it was a real treat. We got to travel up and<br />
down the East coast. At the time that we were<br />
sailing with him, that was one of the biggest<br />
boats out there. That was before Kialoa came<br />
on the scene and the maxi boats. Running<br />
Tide was the big-name yacht and it was such a<br />
thrill to be involved in that. It was wonderful.<br />
McNeil I’ve known Jack my whole life. He bought<br />
Merrythought, the Frers 62, which I think you<br />
and I sailed a couple of races on together. I<br />
sailed with him for 4 or 5 years. He traveled.<br />
He was one of the members that went on an<br />
international circuit. We went to the Fastnet.<br />
We went to the Med and did the Nioulargue<br />
Races. It was just a thrill to travel on a nice,<br />
big boat. Jack was a great guy who took good<br />
care of everybody. It was a lot of fun.<br />
Jobson<br />
You’ve done a lot of Star racing too.<br />
McNeil I started racing the Star boat around 1989.<br />
I had a big boat for a while, an IOR boat, and<br />
IOR was kind of dying out. So I thought I’d<br />
go try something different and get in a smaller<br />
boat with fewer crew. I came to love that class.<br />
The people in it are wonderful. The talent is<br />
outstanding. I’ve been sailing them now for<br />
over 20 years. It’s just been fabulous. Good<br />
venues. Great people. Great competition.<br />
You’ve got to be paying attention to do well in<br />
that group. I’ve had my ups and downs.<br />
Jobson<br />
How was it having the Star Worlds here at<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong>?<br />
McNeil That was a lot of fun. It was a great event. We<br />
had 98 boats. I didn’t do very well. I was a<br />
little disappointed with that but we put on a<br />
great event. It was nice having all your friends.<br />
I’d been to all their clubs and been on the west<br />
coast and the north and the east coast, north<br />
and south. To have all your friends come to<br />
your home club and have a big event like that<br />
it was nice.<br />
VOLUME 3, NO. 2<br />
AYC BEACON<br />
27
<strong>Annapolis</strong> <strong>Yacht</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
2 Compromise Street<br />
<strong>Annapolis</strong>, Maryland 21401 USA<br />
We brought it home!<br />
Congratulations to our sailors who brought the Corinthian Cup home<br />
in the second annual SFYC/AYC Corinthian Cup.<br />
We look forward to defending the Cup in foreign waters in 2012!