For readers who know me, it will come as no surprise, to read my confession of utter and total confusion. Being a man of routine, it has been too much for me to “skip” a month of the MAINSHEET and the concept of combining two issues into one (because of the World Etchells) was, clearly “too much” for me to comprehend. Mom was correct. I should have eaten more vegetables, I should never have spit, I should have ALWAYS worn a sweater and I should NEVER have run with scissors. Now, here I am and I haven’t grown up to accomplish anything. Sometimes I think that Irmgard and Neva did this on purpose just so they could test Cissy’s premise, that being the fragility of my mental state. Thank goodness that Laura O was able to grasp the concept and give a great accounting of this years PC Nationals in last month’s Mainsheet!
It seems like ages since I last gave report. Cissy and I spent the last 3 weeks in France on another one of our language school /cooking school/ bicycle trip and enjoyed our time away as per usual. Upon arriving home, we had to continue with our ongoing home “remodel from hell”. I admit to having missed out on much of the summer sailing and any of the other pleasurable activities in which I have found comfort in the past, but there is only so much time and sooooo many things to accomplish. Were it not for the fact that I, from time to time, enjoy foul language, the months spent with the construction workers (here at home) would have been a complete failure.
As is always the case with PC Row, much is happening. By now you all know that CELESTE (Doug Holthaus’s # 40) is back at the club and sailing! Those readers who have not seen a properly restored PC need to make a trip down to visit her.
A fellow from the LA area recently bought Hull # 61 and is having her trucked down to Koehler Kraft for total restoration. In the meantime, he has purchased #36 (now under restoration and intends to keep both vessels here in San Diego for local sailing! This is great news in that we not only have yet another
yacht added to the fleet, but can expect to see yet another fully restored PC added to our growing numbers, with another soon to follow.
As I write, Jack Sutphen is arranging for the purchase/sale of hull # 49, down from Marina Del Ray. This will raise our numbers again!!! Jack and Bud are also helping with the sale of #66. There are two different buyers interested in this vessel. I told you before….the PC fleet is like one big rabbit hutch!
Though Cissy and I missed it, I am told that this year’s SAILFEST was another great success with 6 PC’s taking part. Congrats’ to our Troy Sears for another job well done and for putting “another feather” in our collective fleet cap. Our annual “Around The Coronado Islands Race” is scheduled for Oct. 15th. With luck and wind, some of the fleet might even see land over that way!
The Hartley family has asked me to post the following notice. Because of a recent blowout, they are in need of a jib. Anyone with a spare sitting in the garage can contact me or Stu or Paul Hartley. Their plan is to buy a new racing sail, but an ole’ beater will get them by in the meantime. In addition to that, the new owner of #36 has asked that his name be included in the purchase when orders are placed. In the past, North Sails has been very generous in offering discounts for multiple orders. With this thought in mind, I would ask that any of you who are interested in one or more sails, contact me so that
I might maximize our buying power. If I don’t here from anyone, I will tell the other people to go ahead with the purchase.
My friend Steve Barber (webmaster of the San Francisco Based Kettenburg web site) was kind enough to send me a copy of an article from the July, 1940 issue of Sea Magazine. Page 13 shows a photo of boats anchored at Mandeville Island on the Stockton Delta. One of the boats is clearly a PC identified (in the article) as SCAMP! Steve owns a K-38 and a Bear Boat. The builder of his Bear is still up in that area and gave Steve details of the article. He said it took place in August of 1939. I am told that a gentleman by the name of Bud Coxhead was sailing the boat. My records show that SCAMP was lost to the sea in 1939. In that the mystery made little sense to me, I called the “master”, Paul Kettenburg and we chatted about the article and the event. Paul feels that there is no way that SCAMP (Hull #1) or SCAMP II (Hull #9, before being sold and named NI-NI-NI) could ever have made their way up north for that article, thus the yacht was identified incorrectly. Another clue was a copy of an old Kettenburg ad that Steve Barber sent me (see accompanying photo), offering a new PC at $2550.00. The ad gives the names of sales representatives in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Newport Beach. The San Francisco representative is listed as Ernest B. Coxhead. I don’t know where the truth sets, but we were able to piece some of the pieces together!!! We have concluded that “Bud Coxhead” was at the helm with a boat other than SCAMP. Today, Steve told me that he telephoned Mr. Vincent (builder of the Bear and witness to the 1939 sail). Mr. Vincent is unaware if the fate of the PC after the Delta trip but is CERTAIN that the PC was named SCAMP. Mr. Vincent then called the boatyard manager (who worked for and with Mr. Coxhead, who reported that the PC “was there as demonstrator”. This suggests that SCAMP may well have been there only for a very short visit to show off the Kettenburg name and product to the Bay Area on behalf of Coxhead’s Marina in Richmond. My thanks to Steve Barber for sharing information, telling the story and trying to help research the truth. If any of you who can give details of the story, we would be interested in hearing from you.
Well, that’s all the news I have from PC row. I enjoyed a terrific day of sailing yesterday in a light 10k breeze. I look forward to getting back on track and enjoying the club and sailing with the fleet. Fair winds to all!
Rish Pavelec
PC# 63