Howdy from Bob Duff Saturday September 13, 2008,
As I write this just now some IODs are coming in from racing the Corinthian Yacht Club Fall Series. I neglected to mention it last Saturday since Brad Marvin and I and the rest of EYC-RC are now on the beach for this year. The series continues for two more Saturdays with very small participation. IOD results along with those for the Etchells are available via the link provided above for MRA-FALL Series Racing Scores-2008 under FAVORITE YACHTING LINKS (MORE).
Last Saturday Jennifer and Greg Mancusi-Ungaro with (I think) Margaret (age 6) and Eleanor(8) in #2 ELECTRA beat SMALL HOTEL, TANGO and RHYTHM. Looking backward, the Mancusi-Ungaros took this picture of TANGO to make their point with me about my beloved IOD at that moment. Come on Rachel & Ian Morrison, get her going! Click on the photo for a larger view of Tinker's Island and the hazy view of the Boston Skyline as Tropical Storm Hanna was giving us a little scare.
As reported last week, most all IODs should defer to TANGO since she and Thornton Clark set the stage for many of the new boats that followed. TANGO (the first conversion) was hull #108 on the "new" glass numbering system starting at #101 (Jim Bishop-Long Island). ELECTRA is hull #109 despite keeping her original Long Island Fleet sail numbers. The whole history of conversion from old wood to new glass would be fun to research and document.
I am fairly certain that Bermuda's wooden boats have all been converted with the probable exception of Stanhope Joel's #1. She was maintained immaculately since 1939 like many of the "gold platers" in Northeast Harbor, Maine. That #1 was raced most successfully in my day by Archie Hooper. Archie had more than one of the "keeper" cups which went with the King(?) Bermuda Gold Cup raced each year. I hope that my stumbling words evoke comments, corrections and extensions for our common knowledge.
Speaking of that, Thornton Clark corrected some of my comments last week as follows:
"There are very few corrections. Peter Mimno had ridden down to the American Yacht Club with me in the new Jaguar to examine the boat before I bought it, so were well aware of the color. We went through radar at 135mph because we were late for the meeting with the owner, but managed to get away with out a ticket (that, however, is another long story)."
" It took us all night and part of the morning to get through Long Island Sound. When we exited Long Island Sound, I think it was Tom Brennan who kept looking at a mark just off to starboard that did not show on our chart. Only when it began to rise did we discover that we had a submarine alongside."
"We sailed into Newport, making a stop before heading on into Buzzards Bay."
"It is illegal, and I don't know if the control officers on the west as you enter the Cape Cod Canal just didn't see us in the dark, but we did not have a working engine and had to sail through the canal. Stopped early the next morning at that small harbor on the starboard side just before you enter Massachusetts Bay to fix the jammed main halyard."
"Had a beautiful beam reach from there to Marblehead. Dick Kirk, now deceased, was on board and I think Dick Fleming was also. I believe there was one more, so will ask and let you know."
I have to leave at 5:30 tomorrow morning for an Alabama Scenic River Trail meeting in the Delta near Mobile, so will have to get back to you later."
"Thornton"
editor's note - - contact in Montgomery, AL -
thorntonclark@aol.com - 334-396-4656
That beautiful black Jaguar brings up memories of its own. TANGO, in her wooden glory, had a black bottom which got a lot of attention. Debbie, Thornton, Phil Somerby and I spent many hours smoothing her with black wet sandpaper. Our son Rob (Robin) Duff (probably 4 years) was with us and his baby sister Allison at Hood's boat yard where they spent the early years of youth. Robin, always helpful, volunteered to help us wet sand the black bottom paint. You probably see where this is going. Yes, his efforts were soundly rejected by us all. Being a DUFF, he gathered up sufficient rejected black sand paper and did a beautiful job on the gleaming black hood of Thornton's Jaguar.
I am gaining enthusiasm for keeping with this TANGO story a bit longer. I do have some nice pictures of our building the new converted glass TANGO. Also some other little stories which may amuse you.
The new link to BLUEJACKET SHIP/BOAT/HALF MODELS caught my eye. I offer it here for your perusal. See you next week.
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