2003
Region I Champions
Anna Gorbold
EVERY YEAR REGION 1 awards a perpetual trophy to the boat, Helm and Crew
that have accumulated the greatest numbers of points for the sailing season.
Four regattas make up the North East Circuit that count towards this trophy:
the Cannonball held at on Lake Canandaigua, NY, the Cuspidor held on
Lake Cazenovia, NY, the Gremlin held at Monomonac Lake in New Hampshire
and the Indian Summer Regatta held on Lake Saratoga, NY. Eligibility for
this trophy is governed by residency and sailing in the North East FD circuit
which covers New York, New, all the states in New England, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. All regatta points are scored with 4-5 overall throw outs
depending on the number of total races. The main purposes of this trophy
was to encourage and reward participation in the NE sailing circuit and certainly
the results reflect those boats and crews that attend most of the four regattas
in the circuit.
The Region I Champions for the 2002 season are Peter and Barbara Wells. This
is the 8th time that their names appear on the trophy.
Peter and Barbara have been sailing an FD for ever! Or at least that how
it seems and in fact looking at the records that Barbara has accumulated
they have been sailing for many, many years. Names and crews have come and
gone but Peter and Barbara are always active and faithfully attend all the
regional regattas and many national ones as well. It is hard to avoid waxing
too lyrical about Pete and Barbara but there are times when it is appropriate
to sing praises.
The Cuspidor regatta this year was a tough one – the winds were very strong
and flukey, very unusual conditions for this regatta, we sailed 6 races
and fairly crawled of the boats and docks at the end of the weekend. The
racing was tough requiring dexterous helming and crewing as well as physical
fitness, this was not for the faint of heart. Peter and Barbara hung
in this regatta and were a force to be reckoned with. Peter is incredibly
brilliant at lake sailing, he understands the ways of lake wind, and Barbara
provides the dependability of a reliable experienced crew for all her diminutive
size, and wisely uses a cut down genoa to handle the heavier airs,
with little affect on their sailing.
My husband Jonathan and I have been sailing the FD for 16 years now – it
seems like for ever, and all that time Peter and Barbara have been around.
They are part of our circle of summer sailing friends. But over
these years I have gotten older and the old bod seems to squeal more and
more, the great consolation is that we and our summer sailing friends
are getting older and older together, but mostly on the water we forget
that as we relish the sailing moments. It dawned on me after the Cuspidor
regatta that that was a tough series of races for all of us and among those
sailing were Peter and Barbara who at the race were 66 and 64 respectively.
Their sailing ability, enthusiasm for the class and wonderfully wise and
peaceful personalities are a role model for all of us and so this article
is written to honor Peter and Barbara for all that they bring to the Flying
Dutchman class and the inspiration they provide for all of us. I asked Peter
to provide some information about their sailing history and I have included
it verbatim. I have also included a list of Regional Champions
dating back to 1960 provided by Barbara’s impeccable record keeping.
Peter’s story:
I bought our first boat the year we were married, Christmas of 1961, a
new Dubdam, sail #476, from Siddons and Sindle in New Jersey. It was our
first major purchase. We are now on our fifth FD. Barbara started crewing
for me regularly in 1968 when we bought our second FD, a PlasTrend, sail
#1158. We attended the 1968 Nationals, her first, where there was an 80 boat
fleet. We were 13th in the Carling (second) 40 boat fleet.
Over the years I have attended 29 National Championships, including one as
crew and one in which I did not sail due to back problems. Also three U.S.
based World Championships (one as crew) and several North Americans. My first
North Americans was 1965 in Montreal, Ted Turner was there, and many others,
but very little wind.
Our best Nationals finishes were 4th in San Diego, 1976, and 3rd in
Dallas, Texas, 1980 where we won our first of only two Nationals races. Both
were smaller regattas, about 12 boats. Our other Nationals win was on Lake
Erie in a drifter. The Dallas win was in shifty Canandaigua-type winds.
I was elected class Secretary-treasurer in 1974 and served for 15 years with
Barbara's help. I also served numerous years as Region I Administrator,
and prior to 1974 I published a Fleet Directory for several years. In 1974
when I was elected Secretary-treasurer I had just taken on the Region I Administrator
job. We had no Trapeze editor when I was elected at the Nationals in Ohio,
so I put out a few mimeographed Trapeze substitute newsletters until Fred
& Dusty Oess took on the Trapeze, which they then published for 10 years.
My first FD regatta was in 1963 on Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. First Nationals
was on Skaneatles Lake, - it would have been about 1964.
The current trophy was donated by Norm Windus and starts in 1981. Prior winners
are as follows:
Region I Trophy winners
1960 - Jim McNitt
1961 and 1962 missing.
1963 Bob Parsons
1964 and 1965 - Stu Fleming
1966 John Ulbricht
1967 Al Hobart
1968 Steve Moore
1969 and 1970 John Ulbricht
1971 Ben Hall
1972 Bill Pagels
1973 Bill Watson
1974 Doug and Dave Hart
1975 Peter Wells
1976 and 1977 Dick Wilson
1978 and 1979 Peter Wells
1980 Norm Windus.