This was first published in the October 2010 Newsletter. What a phenomenal year we have had in Fleet 5! So much has happened. Fleet parties, East Coast Championships on our doorstep in Gloucester, Race Week, the National Championships nearby in Hingham, Speed Tips day with Jud Smith and of course our legendary fleet parties. On…
This was first published in the February 2014 Newsletter. The sailing season seems a long way off when you still have most of the ski season ahead of you and it is 10 degrees outside, but the fleet officers and the Marblehead Racing Association board are well into their 2014 race planning already! At our…
This was first published in the October 2010 Newsletter. Well there you have it. Yet another spectacular season is in the books. It seems like just yesterday we were gearing up for the spring clinic, and now here it is, time to think about boat covers, Halloween and football. And what a season it was….
This was first published in the September 2010 Newsletter. In the words of the late great Red Sox play-by-play man Ned Martin “Mercy!” I write to you from my home office on Saturday morning, where I’d typically be checking the forecast before racing. But this weekend, thankfully, we have a break. And it came…
This was first published in the August 2010 Newsletter. Wow! What a (race) week, and in fact, what a month. When Race Week ended, I needed to limp back into work just to get a little rest. As usual, we were the largest class of the regatta, by far, and we should all be proud…
This was first published in the July 2010 Newsletter. Huge thanks to Lydia & Rick Smyers for opening their home to us on June 5th . Aside from my kid dropping out of a tree onto his head, it was a perfect evening. Thanks also to our bar-master general Jim Raisides for stocking, lugging and…
This was first published in the June 2010 Newsletter. First things first. Huge thanks to our panelists Jud Smith, Jack Slattery and Bill Lynn, who put on a fantastic show at our recent clinic. It was a great event solidly attended by about 175 folks from every corner of Marblehead sailing. The panelists walked us…
This was first published in the May 2010 Newsletter. It’s almost time. The curtain is about to rise on yet another season, and in the vernacular of car racing (and with apologies to the ladies), gentleman start your engines. I get so excited this time of year. Eight years ago, I almost missed Christopher’s birth…
This was first published in the April 2010 Newsletter. It’s time to get something off my chest. We sail each year in hopes of winning something called the Nick Nichols trophy let’s call it ‘The Cup.’ ‘The Cup’ represents our season championship, and is awarded each year to the boat with the lowest aggregate…
This was first published in the March 2010 Newsletter. Two years ago, Tom Despres and the Fleet 5 leadership made the inspired move of selecting BJ Mansfield as the winner of the 2008 Outstanding Crew Award. Their choice was motivated by her staunch and selfless support of her husband and skipper, Mike Carpenter, through their…