Scratch Sheet
This year GIYS has combined the Commodore’s Review and the GIYS – SCC  Spring Regatta.  Competitors can expect to finish the race around 4 pm and arrive at the harbor in time to join the parade of boats at 5 pm if they wish to do so. The awards party at the boathouse will include supper and an open bar.  Party tickets for the skipper and three crew are included in the Race Entry fee. Additional party tickets are $25 per person. BoatPix is scheduled to cover the regatta, and photos taken from the air will be available to the entrants.

A  Club Class Division was added to expose more sailors to CBYRA sanctioned racing events.  If you like to participate in the point to point races that are traditionally part of club cruises, you will enjoy this race.  By entering in the Spring Regatta on Saturday and the MRSA Spring Classic on Sunday, skippers can sail three of the races required to qualify for a CBYRA high point award in one weekend. The idea was to provide a tune-up distance qualifier that finished in the Annapolis area with a true destination finish/party providing an easy trip home or to the party.

In 2011 45 yachts started at Hackett’s Point and raced through the Bay Bridge to a Baltimore Lighthouse finish-line. Gibson Island hosted a lively dockside awards party complete with a bagpipe sunset serenade by a crew member from the J35 Windependent. Boats were encouraged to tie-up or anchor and tender service was provided.  The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, and both GIYS and SCC received Race Committee of the Year Awards from CBYRA as a result.

Full details and information about how to enter will be found in the CBYRA Green Book and online.
Click here for additional information.

On Line Entry - Early Bird Deadline May 10

Ever wonder what it is like to cross an ocean? How about a race across an ocean? Just how fast was Leopard going? 25 knots, 32 knots, 37 knots??? What prep is involved? What conditions can one expect to encounter? Find out the answers to these questions and more. Clarke Murphy and Will Passano present video footage from their Transatlantic Race on board Leopard. A midwinter cruise guaranteed to part your hair and wash your face. What other crazy things happen on a cruise like this? And in case that is not enough, the 2011 cruising season awards will be presented and there were be several other surprises.

2011 Mid-winter cruise flyer

May 2012 GIYS Answering Pennant

Click here for photos by Mitch Koppelman

GIYS Sailors

Murray Leigh, Aubrey Berringer, Aaron Maas
Tom Price, Jeff Oak, Tyler Gooder
Scott Schluederberg, Katie Schluederberg, Jim Beh

SCC Sailors

John White, Bruce Empey, Kyle Comerford
Susan Taylor, Donna Schlegel, Lilli Salvesen
Arrthur Libby, Jr., Kenny Comerford, Willy Comerford

Race Committee

Rebel Boykin, Terry May, Claude Engel, Janet Leech, Margaret Clarkson, Walter Mitchell, Tony Kupersmith, Beecie Kupersmith, Geoff Wadsworth, Sue Mikulski, Greg Cukor, Bob Urban, Kimberly Gooder, John Sherwood

Umpires

Jack Lynch, Peter Jost

September 17, 2011 marks the 60th anniversary of the annual team race between the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron (GIYS) and the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake (SCC). Originally referred to as the GIYS/SCC Challenge, it acquired its current name when an old broom, to which the burgee of the winning club is attached and hung in the Gibson Island clubhouse, became the perpetual “trophy.” I have been directly involved in the Broom Race as a competitor (always on the GIYS team) from as early as the 1950s, when I crewed aboard my uncle’s Owens Cutter RUBICON, and indirectly as a lifelong member of Gibson Island and a member since 1969 of the Sailing Club, although I haven’t sailed in it since the mid-1990s.

The Owens Cutter, a 40’ cruising/racing sailboat, came into being in 1946. It was designed by Gibson Island member Norman Owens and built primarily by the Owens Yacht Company in Baltimore. In addition to Norman’s own boat (FANDANGO), several Owens Cutters were sold to GIYS members. These boats quickly showed their racing prowess under the CCA (Cruising Club of America) rating rule, the predominant rule of that time. The success of the Owens Cutters on the Chesapeake came against a variety of good, well sailed, stock and custom boats.

While relaxing at the AYC bar after the first AYC Fall Series race in 1951, the owners of two of these good boats, Al Kuehnle (Mackinac 40 VIXEN) and John Trumpy (S&S 40 SEA CALL) boasted that their boats could beat the Owens Cutters under any conditions on a boat-for-boat (no handicap) basis. The two GIYS Owens Cutter sailors present (Miller Sherwood and Norman Owens) “…thought that was impossible.” (Kuehnle letter, 10/28/83) The decision was made to have a race to settle the matter. Kuehnle suggested that it be a team race between GIYS sailing the Owens Cutters and SCC sailing the challengers, three boats per team. The four boats noted above would participate. FUN (Tom Closs, Mackinac 40) was added to the SCC team and FALCON (Harold Williamson’s Owens) was added to the GIYS team. A single race was held the weekend following the last AYC Fall Series race that year. It was won by GIYS — by one point! Later the format was changed from a single race to best two-out-of-three.

It can be presumed that shortly after that race the SCC issued a challenge to GIYS to race again in 1952. I have clippings of the (single) races that were held in 1953 and 1955, both won by GIYS, with the Sailing Club winning in 1954. These clippings also reveal elements that would be reflected in subsequent races. One was flexibility with regard to the composition of the team boats. For instance, Tom Closs (SCC) sold FUN to Tom Raby where she became DESIRE and joined two Owens Cutters on the GIYS team in 1955. However, with the exception of one event (1992) sailed using PHRF handicaps, the racing has been in one designs or at least closely matched boats. Negotiating the composition of the fleets so that they were regarded as equal became an integral part of the contest! Second, that the clubs would pack their boats with strong talent from their fleets, regardless of whether these crew members were regulars on those boats. Third, that the clubs, and the Bay big boat racing community took these contests seriously with spectator fleets following the action and the yachting press reporting the results. Fourth, that good sportsmanship would prevail. The latter is reflected in the fact that there have been few protests, or even worse, collisions. However, in an early 1960s race in a strong northwesterly the NY 32s RAIDER (Tom Closs, SCC) and PROTON (Charlie Price, GIYS) collided before the start with the former being badly damaged and the latter dismasted. My recollection is that it was deemed an unavoidable accident.

The history of this competition is filled with instances of the clubs adapting to changing circumstances, especially in the matter of finding equally matched boats. I have “mini brooms” (formerly given to members of the winning team) from victories in a wide range of boats: Peterson 34 (1982), Farr 37 (1983,1987), J/22 (1990), NY 36 (PHRF) (1992), and Beneteau 310s, borrowed from the Columbus Cup in Baltimore, in 1993. I know I sailed, and that SCC won, in a J/30 (1994) and a J/22 in 1995. We sailed several times out of Galesville using Tartan 10s. I think the SCC won all of the competitions sailed in the Tartans. Recent events have used the GIYS 210s. Two GIYS wins stand out for me. In 1987 (Farr 37s) we, aboard the borrowed BLOODSHOT, were able to cover two SCC boats at the last windward mark of the third race to help Jack Quinn get through for the win. A photo of the fleet running to the finish of that race is on the clubhouse wall in the Bay Bar. In 1993 John White and I teamed up on the last windward leg off Hackett Point to pull off a win sailing the Beneteaus. SCC teams have also made a number of classy moves to pull out strong victories.

It is worth noting that team racing was practically unknown in the U. S. for the first several decades of the event’s existence, so this was pioneering competition. Though intensely contested, the racing and attendant social activities have been exemplified by great camaraderie among competitors and members of the clubs. For 2011 I wish good luck to both clubs and hope that everybody has fun!

Junior Fleet Members at the Indian Landing Regatta:
Henry New, Jack McDonnell, Magnus (Maxi) Weissenberger, Gunti Weissenberger, Tyler Davis, Jack Savage.
Gunti was 1st in Optimist Green.

Kip Strong placed 3rd in the Laser Radial fleet.