Herreshoff 12-1/2 - Sanding, Varnishing, Painting, Crewing - Mid-1970's

Owned by my cousin, Wayne E. Hurd, now living in Hobe Sound, Florida. We refitted the boat in the backyard of Halsey Herreshoff, next-door to the Lobster Pot Restaurant, in Bristol, Rhode Island. Wayne kept it on a mooring in Bristol Harbor, where we sailed it out of during the summer. These were my first sailing experiences.

Snark Sunflower - Owner circa 1975 to mid-1980's.

Dad bought this little sailboat, before we had the Westport house, so we could cartop it to water. He had realized that the sailing bug had bitten me, thanks to Cousin Wayne. We had taken it sailing in Hundred Acre Cove, Barrington; Great Salt Pond, Narragansett; and the East Branch of the Westport River. We started racing in the East branch Racing Association, in Westport, with this boat. I remember wet-sanding the ABS plastic hull, in an attempt to get it to go faster. One day, I'll have to ask my sister what happened to the boat.

O'Day 15, E'toile de Mer - Owner, Captain 1976 to 1984.

Participated with the informal East Branch Racing Association (EBRA) on the east branch of the Westport River, Westport, Massachusetts. The river is a tidal river with numberous islands and one navigable channel. The sailing was fun, but I had to sail with a Portsmouth Yardstick Rating for a spinnaker-equipped boat, but they would not allow me to use my spinnaker. Highlights included scream-reaching past the fleet under spinnaker when I was back in the fleet late-on and sailing over sandbars with the chute up to save a few hundred yards, planing centerboarders are wonderful.

Sunfish - Owner 1980 to 1982.

Just plain fun messing around and gunkholing in Westport. Highlights include sailing (skipping) along during winter storms while wearing two wetsuits, blasting along during thunderstorms and surfing off Horseneck Beach.

Super Snark - Owner 1985 to 4 July 1999.

Just plain fun messing around on the Loxahatchee River and the Intercoastal Waterway, when I was living in Jupiter, Florida. Then more fun since 1987, back on the East Branch of the Westport River, when I moved back to New England. Patrick enjoyed sailing in it with me, in Westport, since he was 10 months old. Let Cousin Stephen sail it in 1999, and he now loves sailing so much that he talked me into selling it to him.

Owned by David and Susan Benua previously of Norwalk, Connecticut, now in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Saturday and Sunday around-the-buoys PHRF racing in western Long Island Sound and distance races as far east as Buzzards Bay light tower, out of Horseshoe Harbor Yacht Club, Mamaronack, New York. Notable races include: Block Island Race, out of Stamford Yacht Club, Stamford, Connecticut; Stamford-Denmark Race, also out of Stamford Yacht Club; Vineyard Race, also out of Stamford Yacht Club; Indian Harbor Spring and Fall Series', out of Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Rye, New York; Manhasset Bay series', hosted by the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club; Larchmont Yacht Club's infamous Drift Week and Block Island Race Week. Highlights have included cookies and beer, many spectacular spinnaker peels and jibes, going up the mast in all kinds of conditions, and email conversations in which preparing the boat for the season becomes an object oriented set of procedures.

Recursion has been replaced by a Mumm 30 named Blew Moon.

J-120, Skimmer - Mainsheet Trim, Navigation 5 September 1999, 10 October 1999, May 2000, May 2002, May 2003

Owned by Ted and Sharon Sybertz, of Sudbury, Massachusetts. PHRF-NE spinnaker rating of 51. Trimmed main for the Conanicut Yacht Club's 1999 Around the Island Race, held on 5 September. We placed 6th on corrected time for the Class A Spinnaker Division, finishing the 18.1 mile course in 2:35:15. The results for this race can be found at: http://www.jamestownri.com/cyc/results.html. This boat really flies under spinnaker, and it sounds that way as well, like a freight train. Aboard as navigator for the Newport Yacht Club's 1999 Columbus Day Regatta, postponed to 10 October 1999; second place finish at Block Island, by two boatlengths. 29th Annual Figawi Race, May 2000, from Hyannis to Nantucket. 6th place in the 31st Annual Figawi Race, May 2002. Delivery to Hyannis, from East Greenwich, May 2003.

1971 Chubasco Snipe, Yellow Fever - Owner, Captain 7 July 2000 to present

Sail number 18650. I bought this Snipe from Heidi Goethert, of Roslindale, Massachusetts. It is a fun boat to sail and looked wild being towed behind my little Suzuki Samurai. Now, it looks more reasonable being towed behind my Grand Vitara. Hopefully, it will see more of Narragansett Bay and the Westport River, this year. I have joined the Narragansett Bay Fleet last year, and hopefully will be racing off Newport Harbor on Tuesday nights, if I can get crew in a reasonable time.

Highlights of sailing Yellow Fever include have the mast ram blow out it's shackle in a really big gust. This boat readily planes, even on those days that I didn't have a jib flying.

I have pics and video, the Virtual Scrapbook Page is online!

C&C 34, Dark Star - Navigation September 2000 to present

Owned by Mark Gervais, of Medfield, Massachusetts. Highlights include winning the NBYA Champion of Champions Regatta in 2000 and taking third place honors in the 30th Annual Figawi Race, from Hyannis to Nantucket. Dark Star races on Wednesday evenings in the East Greenwich Yacht Club series.

J-22, Seeing Red - Navigation, Trim 14 July 2001

Owned by Abbi Seward, of Warwick, Rhode Island. Highlights include racing the 10th Anniversary Bob St. Denis Memorial Regatta, at RIYC, Spinnaker Division.