Beacon - Annapolis Yacht Club

Celebrating Annapolis Yacht Club
Terry Hutchinson
As I read Gary’s inaugural article in the Beacon, I
could not help but think my AYC story is not
nearly as good. I do not have a great story of a
prominent member of our sailing community encouraging
me to join AYC. Unlike Gary, when I joined, I was
not triumphantly coming back to town having just won
the America’s Cup. Unfortunately, my endeavors in that
arena left me three races shy.
My story is one of simplicity. My wife Shelley and I
had just moved back to Annapolis in the fall of 1996. I
had taken a sales position working for Larry Leonard and
was really looking forward to living back at “home.” For
several months, Shell and I would go to Friday night happy
hours with the then dating Chris Scanlon and Dave
Gendell. It became somewhat of a routine those Fridays
and, after some encouragement from Dave and then
Commodore Libby, I applied for a junior membership.
I can remember my interview with John White as
if it was yesterday. John asked me, “Why do you want
to join AYC?” I jokingly said, “I don’t but all my friends
are getting tired of buying us drinks at happy hour and
so I figured if I was going to hang out here at the club,
it would be best to be a member.” That was the spring
of 1997 and I guess my honesty with the Membership
Committee saw me fit to be a member.
The story, however, from here gets a little better. Being
a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club has been a
privilege. I have been so fortunate as a professional sailor
to see and experience sailing and racing on an international
level. But I know when I enter an event and put
“Annapolis Yacht Club” on that I am representing more
than myself. The community of AYC is something that
until you are removed from it, you don’t realize how much
you miss it. Having spent the better part of a decade out
of the Chesapeake, I have two stories that always make
me smile when I think about the people of AYC.
The 2002 Governor’s Cup with Commodore Gordon,
son Ian, and the team aboard Gaucho is the first.
The usual suspects were in attendance: Matt Beck, Bill
Cook, Andrew Scott, and Tom Weaver, to name a few.
The night was shaping up to be a lot of fun. On top of
the team that Peter put together, we had a wager going
with an incredibly cocky Ramrod crew who had chartered
a 1D 48. Convinced they were going to beat us
to St. Mary’s, I am not sure what was better—the filet
mignon and twice baked potatoes Peter had served us or
crossing tacks with Roddy going up the St. Mary’s River
Terry Hutchinson accepting the 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the
Year award at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.
Photo courtesy of Dan Nerney/Rolex
knowing they owed us the better part of an hour on time!
Needless to say, the rivalry among teams is something
you see be it a Wednesday night race or a Governor’s
Cup.
The second (of a lot of moments) came in 2007 when
Commodore Chambers wrote me an email after we lost
to Alinghi in the 32nd America’s Cup. I knew that people
at home were watching mostly through email and
phone calls. But I was very moved at the personal note
Commodore Chambers wrote to me recognizing what
we had accomplished and the manner in which our team
had gone about business. When I talked with Bill upon
returning to race Wednesday nights with the Mirage
team, he reiterated the points of his note. My only response
was that I had been raised right and taught well
by the sailing fraternity in Annapolis. For me, AYC is
the heart of that fraternity.
As my children begin to understand sailing and
what it means for them, it is great to have the Annapolis
Yacht Club as home. In the last two years, I have witnessed
the transformation of the junior program and I
know how fortunate Elias, Katherine, and Aden are to
have the support of Jay Kehoe and the club. It is great to
see that fraternity is growing and the heart of sailing in
Annapolis is strong.
VOLUME 1, NO. 2
AYC BEACON
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