Fall 2011.indd - Annapolis Yacht Club

Second Deck Race Crew
The Wednesday Night Race Committee
Julie Phillips-Turner
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.
(Right to left: Debbie Crow, Joyce Fenwick, Mary Lynn Wilhere; Back Row: Reggie Genola)
On the Second Deck, two rows of chairs are set
before the long banquet table containing a
red megaphone, three air horns, two pairs of
binoculars, a few pencils, and clip boards with the sail
numbers of the Wednesday Night Race (WNR) fleets
at Annapolis Yacht Club.
Around 5:30pm, Reggie Genola, a 20-year veteran
of the Special Events Race Committee (SERC), sets up
the flag pole that will serve as the official finish line for
the evening, as George Moose readies his seat behind
the line with his eagle eyes calling the number of each
boat as they cross.
It’s a mid-August evening – warm, with a nice 10-
15 kt. breeze – the crews on the AYC dock below are
preparing the boats and loading crew before setting out to
the starting line out on the Bay for the 6 p.m. start time.
Every Wednesday night during the spring/summer
race season, 12 very committed members of the SERC
committee gather on the Second Deck to watch, call,
and record the races.
“You’ve got to be very dedicated to doing this job
each week,” states Jim Stoops, the official horn blower
20 AYC BEACON VOLUME 3, NO. 2
for the race. Mary Lynn Wilhere works in DC and
leaves work early to get to AYC on time each week to
participate in the committee.
“Rain, wind, or no wind, we’re here every Wednesday,”
says Mary Lynn, who has been on the committee for five
years. “Sometimes we have to run inside and press our
faces against the window to watch the finish – although
George is the one who braves the weather outside to call
the races.”
Each committee member has their own reason for
joining the group – while many have a race background,
others wanted a fun way to be involved with AYC,
such as Debra Crow, a middle school science teacher in
Queen Anne’s County. Her husband is out on the race
course (My Wife is the Best) and considers this her way of
participating in the race.
“This committee is really about meeting people and
being around people. It’s a great way to be involved. The
committee is like a family. We like to keep up to date on each
other’s lives,” states Debra. “If it wasn’t for this committee I
wouldn’t have met some of these great friends.”
At the beginning of the WNR season, starting