To Charlie Husar, the Annapolis fleet is his flock
Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013
Annapolis, Maryland, is home to many high-performance racing boats such as Farr 30s, J/105s, and J/70s. But you’ll also find on the racecourse a thriving fleet of old and comparatively slow Cal 25s. At its helm is Charlie Husar.
When I mention to a fellow sailor that I co-own a Cal 25, the response is, “Oh, I know Charlie.” Everybody in the Annapolis sailing community knows Charlie. He’s been racing with the Annapolis Cal 25s since the 1970s and skippering since the1980s, and is aptly called the Godfather of the fleet.
After racing, you can find him back at the dock, Miller Genuine Draft in hand, doling out advice on jib-car placement, backstay tension, or where to find replacement parts that will fit the boats. Over the years, Charlie has helped me get our Cal 25 to point better . . . so much better that we’ve even been able to beat him a few times during frostbite races. He doesn’t seem to mind.
“He’s the fleet’s greatest promoter and cheerleader,” says Tim Bloomfield, owner of the Cal 25, White Cap. “He has the ability to bring in new crewmembers and convince them to purchase their own boat for the fleet.”
Charlie has spawned a half-dozen Cal owners from his own crew. He admits it can be painful to let go of good crew, but he knows that’s what it takes to develop the fleet.
“Spreading knowledge makes the whole fleet more competitive. The more competitive the fleet is as a whole, the better the chances of it surviving,” he says. “The key is to get people interested, help them develop their skills, and keep them interested with good competition.”
A Cal 25 has a PHRF rating of 231 and the last one was built before I was born. Despite the boats’ age and sloth-like speed, the Annapolis fleet has grown slowly over the years to about 20 active boats. As Charlie says, “PHRF ratings don’t matter in one-design racing, but competition does.”
The Cal 25 is a Bill Lapworth design easily recognized by its flush deck and long cockpit. Jensen Marine built about 2,000 of them between 1965 and 1976, marketing the boat as an ocean racer/cruiser. Although it’s hard to imagine racing a Cal 25 in the ocean, it’s a very stiff boat with a manageable sail area of 286 square feet and plenty of lead in the keel.
“I’m just plain addicted,” says Charlie about the Cal fleet. “It’s my baby. The boats are cheap, competitive, and fun . . . and the people are fantastic.”
He likes Cal boats so much he owns three: two Cal 25s he races (Chicken Little and Fahrvergnügen — fahrvergnügen means “the pleasure of driving” in German) and a Cal 40 for cruising Chesapeake Bay. Charlie has earned six or seven (he can’t recall the exact number) top finishes in the Chesapeake Yacht Racing Association’s High Point Series.
“Charlie takes new owners under his wing and teaches them how to make repairs and where to buy the parts they haven’t made in 30 years,” says Cal 25 owner Dave Hoyt.”
Dave bought a new hard-to-find rubrail from Charlie, who located the original vendor and purchased a couple of hundred feet of the extrusion. He also ordered custom mast sheaves in bulk to secure a better price for the fleet. He’s been repairing and refitting his Cals so long he’s figured out which boat parts will work on Cals. He receives emails and phone calls about free Cal 25s about to be cut up and he’ll rescue hard-to-find parts like booms, tillers, slider hatches, and spinnaker poles.
Charlie’s passion for the fleet extends beyond the racecourse. He has organized racing and tactics seminars, fleet dinners, and races to the Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore for crab dinners.
In the 1990s, Charlie joined a local yacht club with the goal of representing the Cal 25 fleet . . . only to learn the club wasn’t allowing older boats to race. So, together with Don Frye, he organized a regatta for “sailboats of some experience.” This year’s Good Old Boat Regatta was the 13th such event held each fall in Annapolis.
Those who think they can’t afford a raceboat or think they have to race in the newest, hottest fleet, just need to spend a moment or two with Charlie. His passion is infectious.
Carrie Gentile and her boyfriend own a Cal 25 and raced with the Annapolis Cal 25 fleet for five years. They live aboard their 1986 Nautique with their two dogs.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
