Howdy from Bob Duff Saturday August 2, 2008, 2350 hours,
Above right is Bermuda's Bob Duffy next to his IOD ENCORE surviving hurricane FLORENCE in Bermuda 2006. Bob's picture came from PLAXO. The two photos of ENCORE are from Bob's International IOD Webb site. The boat was knee deep with water. Sinking was a constant threat. ENCORE survived.Bob and I met many years ago when my racing leader Thornton Clark, my wife Debbie and I were hosted at the BERMUDA INVITATIONAL RACE WEEK. Champion calibre IOD racers came from Europe and all over the USA to race against Bermuda's best. They provided the boat, housing, race management and lots of parties. Thornton was my friend and enduring benefactor. He paid most of the boat bills and made us go fast all over the western world.
We three went to Bermuda several times over the years. Bob Duffy raced with us that first week as "owner's rep". We remain friends through all these years.
I used to say that Bermuda would be a very nice trip if we did not have to race those G.D. boats. That's just a joke! Please! Please! One of my "friendly associates" here in Marblehead may now write e-mails to everyone saying that I cussed and said naughty things in print.
Bob is an International Yacht Racing Judge now. He goes all over to help manage big yachting events. I ask his permission to use these pictures, but he has left the island for parts unknown with a visit to Pat and Hal Nesbitt who now live in Washington state. Hal raced together with us almost everywhere. We became friends when he lived and raced IC's in San Franciso. That is what they are called there. In Bermuda they are "One Designs".
LATE RE-PUBLISHED UPDATE WITH PERMISSION FROM BOB DUFFY AT HAL'S PLACE IN WASHINGTON STATE:
Hi Bob: (that is me Bob Duff)
My pleasure - go ahead. ENCORE derives from 'applause' go around again - that sort of thing.......and you re right, everything is the same color concept as the original #5 'COQUETTE'. We got permission form the Class to rename her and go back to the old number for COQUETTE. She was originally Bud Litchfield's number 13 BLACK MAGIC which was hit by lightning and the hull and deck melted.
Hope all is well.
Bob - sending this from Hal's house. I still have not been able to open your blog site. (This 'Bob' is Bob Duffy)
Needless to say, I am on line now to get Bob and Hal up to speed on this blog at :
HTTP://DUFFSTUFF-DUFFER1.BLOGSPOT.COM
Norm Cressy met Bob Duffy in Marblehead one year at an IOD World's Championship and asked if Bob was my father. Bob now claims that I am his grandfather.
One little observation from the pictures is that mast mounted compass on ENCORE. We had heard way back then that Bermudians never used compasses. One of their boats had hers mounted way up in the bow where only the "coast guard" could find it during a crawling safety inspection.
Knowing this and preferring to race "our way", I always carried a 5 inch DANFORTH on the plane and used it for "wind navigation" during races. Sheila Widnall had taught me this technique in our Worlds Championship bid in Scotland - 1975. Maybe I learned it from her or Pieter Mimno earlier. That was a while back. The Bermudians watched several of us race this way and learned over the years the potentails for a compass. Noting the mast mounting, I still prefer watching the wind from below in the cabin and talking about wind with the person on the helm. I noted that Sheila was doing just that today as she, Bill and crew took second in a fleet of 10 IODs.
Speaking of that, we only had one race at MIDWAY today because of a serious threat of weather. This developed later than expected, but PRO Jack Cochrane made the wise call to get everyone on shore before the threat could cause damage. Earlier he shamed CYC into running their TINKERS races. They did not want to go out at all because of the radar evidence of a bad storm. IOD skipper Greg Mancusi-Ungaro criticised our decision saying that we now have too much potentially bad information compared to the good old days when men were men and storms were fun racing at sea.
Brad Marvin, Arthur Saulsberry and I did the signal boat for Jack with Rebecca Bennett operating and manning the guns. Fritz Koopman ran the mark boat with help from Becky Wheatland. Frank "Questie" Gringe had the pin boat with Michael Costello.
You can see the timing details here on my
worksheet. 
Click on it to enlarge the view. Nine ETCHELLS started the
sixth race of their Series #3. "No show" today was series and summer leader #1105 CHEMICAL IMBALANCE Gregory & Hannah Hefler. RIVA #1221 was first for Wade Edwards and Justin Muller. Second was Mark Luckes in #575 PEREZOSO. Don Miller and Bill Douglas won third in VALKTRIE # 63.
As noted above, Sheila and Bill Widnall took a second in the 5th race for IOD series 3 in #130 JAVELIN. They were beaten out of first place by Bob Lyons and Fred Callori in #45 POMPANO. Third was #4 KALLISTE for Api Rudich.
Bruce Dyson was a "no show" for #7 GYPSY after winning IOD NOOD race week with a big help from Norm Cressy. Bruce was probably down east Maine today with his 8 meter PLEIONE after taking second in the MARBLEHEAD to CASTINE Classic Race.
Results from the Marblehead to Castine Race started by EYC off Marblehead on July 27th are available by clicking:
The new seventy-six footer WILD HORSES owned by Donald Tofias took 20 hours 21:05 minutes to cross the finish line winning class "A" by 4 hours 20 minutes ahead of EYC's Bruce Dyson with his rather new 8 meter PLEIONE. EYC's Gary Gregory was third in 12 meter VALIENT. Interesting to note that Bruce left his IOD #7 GYPSY for Norm Cressy and crew to secure IOD first place in the NOOD Regatta.
Class "B" found Elizaeth Meyer winning with SEMINOLE built in 1916. She finished one minute AFTER Brooke Parish's MERMAID but got victory on corrected time.
Next Saturday takes us to the TINKERS line with crew call at 1000 hours. Then on August 11, 12 & 13th a few of us were invited to race manage a JUNIOR OLMYPICS REGATTA off Rockport, MA. These four days show only Brad Marvin, Jim Ayer, John Rando and me for the race committee. CORRECTION, it seems that the EASTERN YACHT CLUB ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE resists management and apparently is not able to show the Rockport days. Brad, Jim, John and I are shown as scheduled on my personal spreadsheet which, for some reason, is of no interest to "management". I could say a bit more, but my well intentioned friends tell me to "SHUT UP". I have said too much already! I plan to be there all four days. August 11 is the "BETTY PLEASANT" regatta for women. I was told that this is a "ladies only" event but the "information manager" shows me scheduled there too. I think--------------okay Duffer, like they said "SHUT UP"! I will be in Rockport on August 12th.
A new feature for your convenience is a long list of FAVORITE YACHTING LINKS to be found at the very bottom of this blog. Scroll down there and prowl around the yachting internet. The AMERICA'S CUP MOVIES - 2007 offer several 20 minute noisy yachting excitements without commercials. I would love to add other good links. Please let me know about them.
