Second Good Old Boat Regatta
Issue 22 : Jan/Feb 2002
Last year, when Good Old Boat founders Karen Larson and Jerry Powlas agreed to sponsor the first Good Old Boat Regatta, in Annapolis, Md., they did so with a certain amount of trepidation. Although it was just a short, single-day race for “boats of some maturity,” the magazine editors were more interested in concentrating on the maintenance, enjoyment, and cruising of old boats. This racing thing just might not jibe with the editorial mission.
But this year, at an after-race party, Karen and Jerry were all smiles. And they were surrounded by many smiling cruisers who had just discovered that racing can be another fun activity with old boats, especially when conducted as a low-pressure, non-combat sport.
This year’s event was expanded to two Saturdays of racing, each followed by a party and trophy presentation. The venue obviously clicked because the number of entries nearly doubled those of last year. This year, the field included more cruising boats, ranging in size from a Pearson Ariel 26 to a Tartan 41. In addition, three one-design classes turned out: Tritons, Cal 25s, and Tartan 30s. Those who could not muster the three-boats-of-the-same-design minimum needed to field a one-design class were divided into fin-keel and full-keel handicapped classes. Also new: Miller Brewing Co. joined Good Old Boat magazine as an event sponsor.
The parties, held after each race at the Sailor’s Wharf Bed and Breakfast, on Mill Creek, were as much of a highlight as the races themselves. Ron Davis, owner of the Albin Vega, Waki, winner of the full-keel handicapped class, put it this way: “The parties were a pleasant surprise. The people were all low-key and had one thing in common: their enjoyment of old boats. And their conversation wasn’t limited to just the race.”
That was illustrated by the lone Pearson Ariel owner, Robin Mace, who joined the Triton crowd in a discussion of the similarities of the boats and common problems. Through the Triton owners, she learned of another Ariel owner in Whitehall Marina, where most of the Tritons are based.
When racing entered the discussion, it was in total fun. Darlene Forte, of the Tartan 41, Something Special, which came in second in the fin-keel handicapped class, found the crew of the first place Cal 2-30, Checkmate, by their red shirts. “I kept wishing this little boat would go away, but they passed us and took the gun. And we owed them time — lots of time!” she complained to their amusement.
In two weeks of racing, not one protest was filed, nor were there any reports of shouts or anger. This was truly a fun event.
In its second year, the Good Old Boat Regatta continues to be a work in progress. While there was great satisfaction in receiving thank-you notes from several entrants (see Mail Buoy, Page 77), and in seeing eight Tartan 30s on the water after their exit from racing nearly 20 years ago, we are not about to sit back on our sterns.
A greater effort will be made over the next year to contact more older-boat fleets and cruising clubs to promote the event. Shearwater Sailing Club is discussing the possibility of enlisting its many experienced racers to volunteer on next year’s cruising boats to offer pointers on trim and tactics. And for next year’s post-race parties, the club will try to have two tenders to serve the many entrants and spectator boats that anchor off the Sailor’s Wharf dock.
In short, we are planning to keep Karen and Jerry smiling next year. While we’re at it, we’re planning to put smiles on the faces of a growing number of cruisers-turned-racers in the Annapolis area.
Don, a founder of the Good Old Boat Regatta, is the sailor of a Pearson Triton, Luff Affair.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
