Dear Rhodies,
Eleven boats had the faith to rig up last night and were rewarded with a quality race. Thank you to Tom Monti, Josh, Jason, Ted, Struzz and the rest of the crew.
The race and the night were won by Rhodeo in 815. They got a good start, sailed clean and hung pm to nose out second place finisher Roger That! Commodore O’Connor donned the beer holster and the celebration defined Hearty Goodfellowship.
In third overall, Full Circle with Bill Bradford and Tod aboard. Ever the fleet builder, Bill Brad is looking forward to getting more boats back out on the line next season.
Sailing single handed in 918, Pyscho Killer, helmed and crewed by Dave Curry. The owner of Toolin’ and heart and soul of regatta man, Dave writes in a dispatch to the rest of his syndicate,
“Henri is having "fun" in Maine, Doug is prepping for a Grateful Dead concert in the Berkshires. Jim was in.
Then; Jim decide to not sail, since it was 90 degs and no wind, and get ready for Vacation. I went down thinking I would bail the boat and and undo the the hurricane prep.
But I got on the boat and started bailing and thought why not single hand it. 3 knots of wind, what else am I doing tonite.
Finally bailed it, got the sails up, even with the crazy halyard twists. Last off the mooring and having a nice slow sail to the bay. About a .25 miles from the committee I heard the starting sequence start and like okay I'll miss the first race.
Then General recall. Interesting.
Joe B tells tom he should move the pin.
Tom M ignores him and starts a new sequence.
3 Minutes later the 2nd general recall.
Then Ted has to move the pin and just as the new sequence starts I sail by the RC and check in!!!
Couple of tacks at the committee end and then I was the fray. Boxed Bradford out at the committee and sail over Scholar going using really loose sail trim and
sitting to leeward.
Boat moved great and was 3rd around the windward mark.
Then the downwind slog, Bradford got me mostly because my arms aren't long enough to hold the jib out and drive.
Rounded leeward just behind Bradford, had the boat going pretty well and finished 4th out of 11.
Lessons learned, This was not a night to fiddle(doug that's for you). I tacked 4 times and jibed once. Settle in watch the power boat waves and drive the boat.
Reaching was a bit easier, didn't have to have a 3rd hand for the beer.
Great night, Great food and the boat is shipshape.”
After being over early, Rhode Runnah restarted and finished the night in fifth. Right on Rhode Runnah’s heels, Jeff and Rebecca Binder in Smiles 2.0 in sixth.
Seventh went to Ed Z in Zephyr. Finishing in eighth, Scholar. Ninth, boat #512. In tenth, Wild Irish Rhodes. And in eleventh, you could smell his pipe, Jim Fitz.
The winner of the night in the Back Cove fleet was Mike Hebert in the beautiful Liberty. He was touring the bay in the lap of luxury while we were sweating it out.
After sailing, the picnic table was moaning and groaning beneath the weight of the feast. We had lots of salad, Popeye’s chicken, Bill Brad’s pasta with meatballs, wings, and everything you could ask for. Except dessert. Mike Hebert, who was previously a Captain in the US Army, was not amused. Did all of the dessert people decide to skip sailing? Who were these malingering dessert deserters? Captain Hebert conducted an investigation. Conclusions shall be forthcoming.
Commodore O’Connor was quick to offer up a solution. Two individual packs of frozen Yodels were delivered from the frosty depths of the club freezer. Three quarts of collectible freezer burned Yacht Club ice cream dating from the 1987 Scorpion Bowl were passed over.
We have a handful of days left in the Rhodes 19 season. We will plan on a regular Thursday night racing September 3rd and September 9th. The following Thursday, September 16th will be the "Grab-A-Drink-And-Go” regatta. That will mark the end of the Rhodes 19 season in Hull. With Dave Curry’s assistance, we will announce the standings for the year at the party following the “Grab-A-Drink-And-Go” regatta.
Reflecting back upon the year, a few things stand out. The first is it sure is fun to have the Rhodes fleet in Hull. There are 39 Rhodes 19s on my combined Hull/Hingham list. One of the signs of a healthy fleet is people can come and go. If you did not sail this summer, we hope you will sail next summer. If you do not intend to sail, it would be great to sell your boat to someone who would like to.
From a marketing point of view, our fleet is in a great position with a combination one-two punch. We have the numbers and the camaraderie to appeal to grassroots sailors. That’s the jab. Then we have our haymaker, which is our knock-out punch. All comers get to square off with the reigning Rhodes 19 National Champion, Steve Clancy. Who doesn’t want to take a shot at the King?
We have the people, the boats, the club, and the camaraderie to make the Rhodes fleet better than ever. Let’s do what we can to match up sailors with boats. Andy Kurtz is looking for a good turn key boat, not a project. Tom Craig is going to get his Rhodes finished this fall. Josh Struzziery has given us his word he will be buying a Rhodes 19 in the off season.
Ever since he won the turnabout fleet championship in Hull back in the day, Josh’s life has been a bit of a hard luck story. The purchase of a Rhodes 19 could be an opportunity to revisit the glory dayz and provide Josh with a sorely needed sense of accomplishment. The prodigal son currently lives in Cohasset. If you have a good idea for a Rhodes 19 for Josh, let him know. This is about more than sailing, it’s about self-esteem. Pride. Dignity. Purpose. Honor.
This fall, I’m organizing a group sails order from Doyle in Marblehead. If you’re interested, let me know. Group orders always procure the best pricing. Each sailor is responsible for getting Doyle the money on time. Nobody likes a deadbeat.
Bob Foley is looking for RC volunteers for tomorrow for a big boat regatta. Reach him at bobfoleyh30@gmail.com Thanks for reading. I hope to see you on the water.
Joe Berkeley
R19 #892 ROGER THAT!
Joe Berkeley writes fleet news to make a difference. He writes, shoots and directs for corporate clients to make a living. His work is at joeberkeley.com