The spring winds and temperatures are almost here!! What a terrific few weeks it has been! Fleet member Jack Sutphen gave a terrific “America’s Cup” talk for the Ancient Mariner’s meeting in January followed by his surprise 44th birthday party. There was a GIANT turnout at the SDYC and many PC Fleet members were present.
It is difficult for me to focus on sailing and keeping PUFF Bristol because PC #16, DAWN is fast coming to completion! The KoehlerKraft crew is working feverishly to finish the boat. I have ordered winches, sails and am considering taking out a 15th mortgage on our home in order to pay machinists
fees for all the hardware I am lacking. Somehow (much to Cissy’s dismay), I feel a burst of energy when spending money on a boat. Who needs food, electricity and water! I am running around trying to answer all the questions now instead of having to wait until the last minute. You can read a bit about DAWN on the www.kettenburgboats.com web site.
While I am on the subject of DAWN, I will ask that any of you who are considering new sails should contact me. I have placed my order, however you all know that North Sails has always been generous about giving the fleet quantity discounts. Though my order is placed, North is very busy and there is plenty of time for others to get an order in. North assures me that there will be a discount for each additional PC order that comes in before April. Please give me a call if you are interested.
Along those same lines, I am having a new mast and boom built for DAWN. I have already had one fleet member inquire about the cost of a rig and I have asked KoehlerKraft to give me some hard numbers as to what the final damage will be. Those of you interested in having them build a rig along side DAWN, should contact me.
February 8th brought the One Designs. The Fleet saw 7 boats at the line. Congratulations to Jack Sutphen , #62 for the the overall win and to Bennet Greenwalds #18, MINX for a second. Ole’ #14 came in third. These boats are consistent winners. The complete line up includes hull numbers 9, 21, 44 and 72.
Don’t forget that March 7th will bring the “Fun Race” (read NO spinnakers) to the Coronado YC for their killer burgers and a beer if you want. This is always a fun event with a lot of boats participating. Please join us, even if you just sail down with the fleet and don’t stay for lunch. A big “PC Thank You” to the Coronado YC for allowing us to tie up and trash their galley! March 28th will bring the One Designs for all the serious PC racing skippers. Those of you who enjoy the competition of a good set of races with full sails should be there. I will remind you all that our fleet and our club puts a lot of time, energy and money into making these regattas happen! A special thanks to the VOLUNTEER, (Hello?!) SDYC race committee who always try to do their best. They make it possible for these events to happen in a well-organized and enjoyable fashion. Show your appreciation by participating in these races, if you think you might enjoy them.
Last week, at the invitation of fleet member, Skip Hanson (#36) I visited Bill Clark’s yard on Hancock St. to see TALLY HO. I can assure you all, that she is beautiful. Those of you who know Skip, understand that he will not settle for much less than perfection. His efforts include custom hardware and, with the help of Bill, he has added those “extra” touches in finishing that will make his yacht a prize. Skip has assured me that he will have an “unveiling” and the fleet will be invited to see the end results of this long and (dare I say?) expensive, labor of love. What I will say to Skip is: “You thought I was having a good time all these years….didn’t ya?!”. I, for one, can’t wait to see #36 out on the water with the rest of the fleet. I know you will all enjoy seeing her too.
Speaking of restorations and splash dates… I heard a rumor that #70, BRIGADOON, has been captured by aliens and is out in space somewhere. I hope that fleet member, Ron Arnold is safe and will give us an update as to whether or not she will sail some time on earth in the near future. I remember writing articles 2 or 3 years ago telling readers that BRIGADOON would be sailing “any day now”. Ron, where are you?
Lastly, I have, for many months, been in communication with Dick Gilbert who is a PC enthusiast from the Washington area. As he promised he would, Dick sent a roster from the 50’s and ‘60s with hull numbers and owners names and boat names. As I had hoped, this will help me continue to add to the PC history listing and I am very pleased. I have sent a warm “thank you” to our friend up north.
Until next month, I wish you all a great sailing season. I hope you are all polishing up for our club’s Opening Day next month!
Rish Pavelec
PC #63