Sunfish Race Results

Here are the official results of yesterday's Sunfish Sailboat Race:

In the Singles Division, the top four winners were:

1. Bill Hamilton
2. Jack LaGue
3. Cathy Morrison Dodge
4. Jay Chatot

For Doubles Division, the top four winners were:

1. Jamie Milne and Pam Hamilton
2. Jake Hynes and Maryna Hynes
3. Lee and Ginger Erdmann
4. Bob Steward and Brian Hynes

We had a total of 17 boats with 13 racing single and 4 racing double.  It was a beautiful sighe with all the sails!

Tom was a superb Commodore ~ it was fun being on the Committee boat watching the race.   We had the Rubalcaba boat available to help anyone who needed it during the race.

Susan Bouchard

Organizer

Several people have asked about the history of Sunfish Racing on Joe's Pond.  I've gone back in our JPA minutes, and as near as I can tell, Sunfish Races began somewhere around 1971.  Ned Hamilton was instrumental in making the boats available at a reasonable price for any of us that wanted one, and at one time there must have been at least a couple dozen on the pond.  The picture above was a postcard, I think taken around 1978.

There were years when interest waned, like in 1993 when it was suggested that if there were sailing lessons available, would-be sailors might take advantage and feel more comfortable entering the races.  I believe several veteran sailors said they would be glad to work with anyone interested, but I don't know if anyone took them up on the offer.  Then, in 1999 it was suggested that perhaps youngsters would be interested in having a Junior Race - but I don't know if that actually happened.  The last mention of sailing I found was in 2002 at the August meeting when Tom Dente reported the races were down to only three or four boats.  The request for someone to continue organizing the event was made, but there were no volunteers.  It would seem that 2002 was the last year we had Sunfish racing.

I'd say yesterday's turnout was a very good indicator there is interest in having sailing competitions back in some form - perhaps not weekly, as it used to be, but at least a few races a season, and it would be great to see more sailors out on the water practicing - or just sailing for the fun of it.  

Yesterday after the race we were sitting on the dock at the Dimick camp (used to be our year around home!) and Patti Powell Nichols stopped by.  She had borrowed a boat from someone further up the shore and was walking home after returning it.  When Patti was a teenager in the 70s, she taught me to sail (at least, she tried!) and we sailed in the races together a number of times.  We did pretty well - I think she would have done much better completely on her own, but we were a team.  I don't think we ever came in first, but we were up against the likes of Fred Silloway and Burt Morrison.  Yesterday when we asked Patti how she did, and she laughed and said, "I came in dead last!"  That was a surprise, but it took me back to several years after Patti and I sailed when Al Zeller was always last, and he used to say he didn't mind - somebody had to be last and he just enjoyed being part of the race.  There's a lot to be said for trying - and being a good sport about it. 
 
Thanks to Susan Bouchard and the helpers she mustered in order to make this happen.  Jamie Dimick came up with markers for the race, Tom was Commodore, and the Smith family generously sponsored the race, and I'm sure there were  others who helped Susan. The whole event seemed to go exceptionally well, and I know lots of folks hope it continues.