How long have you been an StFYC member and why do you join?
I have been a member of St. Francis Yacht Club since 1976. I joined the StFYC for the fellowship of great sailing and
boating community that StFYC provides.
How did you become involved in sailing?
As a young boy I learned to sail at summer camp in Monterey, California.
What have been your most memorable experiences sailing?
The experience of the rising sun on the ocean is probably one of my favorite times of the day when at sea. I also really enjoyed the recent 2011 6 Metre World Cup in Helsinki, Finland. I sailed under the StFYC burgee on Lucie, US 55 (www.lucie.org). We finished 6th overall in the combined fleet of “Classic” and “Vintage” 6 Metres. We were sailing a boat that was a “Vintage” boat, which is an older design and therefore theoretically slower than anything designed after 1936 out of 45 boats. Of the 7 races scored, our last four finishes were 9th, 4th, 2nd, and 2nd out of 45. We were just starting to hit our groove.
Have you had a role model?
My role models are the early sailors and how they could navigate their engineless craft with such skill. They are just amazing to me!
What racing plans do you have for the future?
My plan is to enter Dorade in all the races where she was victorious during her early years including, but not limited to, the race across the Atlantic. (A Trans-Atlantic Race in 2012 would be perfect timing.) To accomplish this, we must assemble and train a crew with the right skills, chemistry and experience to race Dorade and win in transoceanic races. We also need to toughen-up Dorade herself, readying her for the kind of long-range sailing she hasn’t seen in decades, keeping in mind that while she may be game, she is also an eighty year old lady.
I also plan on taking Dorade to the Caribbean for the winter with my family over the holidays and the race on Dorade in the Caribbean classic regatta circuit this winter. These include the Heineken Regatta, St. Maarten; St. Barth’s Bucket Regatta as a spectator, Les Voiles de Saint Barths; Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta; and the Newport to Bermuda Race in June. In addition, I plan to race Lucie, my 6 Metre, in the 6mJI Europeans in July of 2012 and Weatherly, my 12 Metre, in August in the Edgartown Yacht Club 12 Metre Regatta and in September in the North American 12 Metre North American Nationals.
To learn more about Dorade, be sure to attend Matt Brooks’ Wednesday Yachting Luncheon on November 30 where he will discuss the restoration of Dorade and his plans for her future. R.C. Keefe’s historian column also features the history of Dorade.