Atlanta Yacht Club : Scuttlebutt Club Newsletter : 2008
For complete pdf of the Scuttlebutt (including the Commodore, Vice Commodore & Rear Commodore reports)... click here
(AYC members only)
June 2008
Recycle Anything!
Reported by Mary Thompson
Through the years, the USA has been known as the biggest Throw Away Society in the world. Each of us generates five pounds of garbage each day. We have come to realize that a large part of that trash can be recycled and reused. It's easy to do and the big bonus: We are taking a responsible part in helping our nation and our environment.
Most of you have curb recycling at home but what about things like toys, florescent bulbs, paint, books, plastic, electronics, motor oil, batteries and other things you want to toss?
Answer: Enter the following website to view a list of places in your area where you can recycle them. You must enter what you would like to recycle and your zip code. The website: Earth911.com
Here at AYC we have taken our first step in recycling. Containers for your aluminum cans have been put in various places, thanks to Susan and Earl Smith who initiated this recycling project and are seeing it through. Please empty the can before tossing it in the container and don't put your trash in with the aluminum cans.
Susan Smith and Anne Maassen made plans to recycle the hundreds of plastic drink bottles that are used during Junior Week. What a great plan to involve the Juniors in this easy and constructive way to recycle.
Be looking for plans for us all to be involved in recycling glass (beer and wine bottles) and plastic water bottles this sailing season.
Opti Event a Success
By Peggy Davis
As I once again became active at AYC, I discovered that the new generation has kept the best of AYC tradition alive and well. What I always loved about our club was how everybody took responsibility to be involved in their club, not use it as an inexpensive country club. The weekend of May 2, 2008 certainly proved that this has not changed. The Jr. Yacht Club took their status as sponsor of the regatta seriously; they helped launch and retrieve, they executed the evening's entertainment, and they served as major workers in the kitchen preparing our excellent meals. Wherever I looked, not only did the parents who had volunteered to help come through with perfection, but other parents were looking for things they could do to help and jumping right in. I must mention one person in particular whose volunteerism knew no bounds. Nancy Parson did Friday night registration, served on the Championship course race committee, and somehow managed to serve 120 dinners she had prepared from scratch! What a joy to be chairman of a regatta like this!!!!
We had 47 total Optis - 18 from AYC and the others from yacht clubs located in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Birmingham, Charlotte, and LLSC. We set up this event as a clinic for the 25 beginners; even though they raced a lot, results are not publicized. With exceptional instructors, Tommy Coleman and his father Tom Coleman, there was no doubt that each sailor left with more knowledge and self-assurance than when they arrived.
The Championship Fleet was coached by Sywert Witteveen, a National Team coach. All ages sail and are scored together, but trophies are awarded by age group. Despite a strong front going through Saturday morning, time was not wasted as it gave the instructors an opportunity for in-depth coaching. After lunch, we were able top get in five races for the Championship Division.
Following dinner, skippers played the first round of Opti Bingo. Each person was given a Bingo-formatted blank card (of course, with OPTIS across the top) and a list of nautical terms with which to fill in their card. The non-sailing AYC Jr. Yacht Club members helped them learn any definitions they did not know. When a sailor got OPTIS, they either went to the candy prize table or, if they could define each term in their win, they could go to the big prize table where sailing gear donated by LAYLINE was a terrific reward.
Teen aged division winners tied (left Ashlyn Park, LYNC - right Gabrielle Kitchens, new to area - will join LLSC or AYC)
Sunday morning began with light wind which built into a respectable wind by lunch. The Green Fleet showed much improvement in boat handling, and the Championship Division was able to get in three more good races.
The winner in the White Fleet (age 10 and under) was Jordan Wiggins from LNYC with Ellen Postell of LLSC 2nd. The winner in the blue fleet (ages 11 & 12) and overall top finisher was Daniel Postell from LLSC, with Van Rogers of BSC 2nd both in the blue fleet and overall. The Red Fleet (ages 13 - 15) ended up in a tie which was broken in favor of Ashlyn Park from LYNC over Gabrielle Kitchens who has just moved to the Atlanta area from Florida. The top finishing female was Darby Reddaway from LLSC.
Perhaps the best thing accomplished by this regatta was that parents representing six clubs, relatively close together, who have few traveling Opti sailors, got enthusiastic about sponsoring Opti events at their clubs and supporting each other. Hopefully, our AYC sailors will also realize the importance of the competitive sailing that the Opti offers. This is how we ensure the future success of our sport.
The Three Pictures below are from the Opti Fleet Kick Off on May 25, 2008
(pictures by Rose Haisty)
Kate Daniel gets green fleet award in the Opti Regatta
2008 Opti Cinic / Regatt Race Results
Winning Formula for Potluck Cookouts
Reported by Julia Martinroe
At AYC, we celebrate summer with our Saturday night cookouts. These events are run on the philosophy of "build it and they will come" - a sort of blind faith in things working out. We want to raise awareness of the formula that seems to make our "potluck cookouts" work.
The formula is loosely based on two principles:
1. Bring a little extra.
When guesstimating how much quantity to bring, err on the side of plenty. This can make or break our formula on those evenings when we have fewer attendees - so please think in generous proportions. If you are not bringing an entree, please factor in a bit more quantity when you are planning your buffet item.
2. 50% rule.
We all know that there are some weekends when life is pressured and the temptation is to just drop by and scoop something up at the grocery store to bring to the cookout. Creative shopping can make this a viable choice. (Although if you show up too many times with deli potato salad or coleslaw, you will get a bit of a reputation ... ) But, there is nothing like something from your very own kitchen. What we hope is that cookout attendees will try to bring a "homecreated" item at least 50% of the time. We have some amazing cooks amongst our membership. Your active participation helps ensure the ongoing success of our potluck cookouts, and helps bring people back week after week. So think about the 50% theory as you prepare for the next Saturday night cookout. We can't wait to taste what you bring!
Seeya next Saturday night!
Please Welcome our New Assistant Dockmaster!
Michael Dale from Paulding County is the new assistant dockmaster, hand picked by our long time wonderful dockmaster, Barry Haisty.
Pop quiz : How many Dockmasters has AYC had since 1950 and what were their names?
From Merriam Webster : Main Entry : dock·mas·ter
Pronunciation : \däk-mas-t/r\; Function: noun
Date : 1736; : a person in charge of a dock or marina or of the docking of ships
Memories of Times Past & Memories in the Making
Reported by Tracy Tumlin Allardice
Last month, Karl Anderson informed me that he discovered a stack of Scuttlebutt's from the 1950s, 60s and 70s and asked if I was interested in looking at them. I could not wait to get my hands on them! History is fascinating and I am thoroughly enjoying going through the old Scuttlebutts. It's amazing how the puzzle of life comes together more as one learns about yester-years. Scanning through the September 1966 Scuttlebutt, on the cover I found a handsome picture of one of my most favorite men in the world and one of AYC's finest sailors of all times, Bradford McFadden, Jr. (1940 - 2003) pictured next to Joe Harmon (1927 - 1998) who was my uncle (married my father's sister, Dinah, years later); then flipping to the first two-page spread, there I found my maternal grandfather Sam Norwood (1910 - 1976) on the left side of the page and my paternal grandfather WL Tumlin (1913 and still kickin') on the right side - yet at the time of publication, my parents were not married, nor had their courtship begun.
Days have blurred into nights and nights into the wee hours of the morning as I've relished in rummaging through the history of our club, learning about the roots, the people, the events, the traditions and web that has been woven since 1950. I never knew my grandmother, Mimi Norwood but I've heard stories about her through the years. Reading her columns in the old Scuttlebutts and seeing all that she was involved with has provided the opportunity for me to know more about her. This I treasure! Inspiration has found me and I will attempt to provide you with two things: 1. Over the course of the next three Scuttlebutt's some insight into the people and events over the years which may inspire retired traditions to become new again (hey, recycling yet comes up again) and help newer members understand AYC's past better. 2. Electronic copies of past Scuttlebutt's so you too can enjoy them. Creating these electronic copies will take a tremendous amount of time and effort so I welcome any help. This will likely be a project I start in the late Fall, early winter of this year. A big thank you to our club historian, Means Davis and also to Ron Redner who scanned so many pictures, club directories and various Scuttlebutt's and news articles and created the "50 Years at AYC DVD" several years ago.
And to address the second part of the title of my article ... memories are made every weekend at AYC on and off the race course, they're made during regattas and during Jr. Week. Your Scuttlebutt editor (me) wants to know about your memories so I can help record the present which in a blink of an eye becomes history ... Parents, please encourage your juniors to submit articles, poems, art; and members, please continue to contribute to the Scuttlebutt too. Many thanks to all my current contributors and thanks in advance to those who will be inspired to contribute! The next deadline is July 15.
A 3 cent postage stamp delivered Scuttlebutt's in 1959; multiply that by 32 and add two and that's what it cost today, just for the postage ...
If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday
~Pearl Black
AYC in the early days - 1950s
when they started the races from the shore.
Found at the bottom of 1965 Scuttlebutt's and many to follow (Frank Willard was the editor in 1965) was the quote " ... there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." The Water Rat, from "The Wind in the Willows."
The Owens family had good press in the 1970s.
In March of 1969, Gordon Thompson was Commodore and Mary (remember the recycling article above) hosted the Ladies Luncheon at the Squires Steak House. Quoted directly from the Scuttlebutt " ... a fashion show, sponsored by Franklin Simon with models, Ann Berry, Franc Rollins, Mary Yapp, Vicki Marty, Harriett Woodson, Joan Palmer, Gail Dugan, Nancy Toon and narrated by Kathleen Fricker, gave us an idea what the well contoured lady should wear this year. Helen Gregory modeled an outfit though, that told it like it is- - - - - - - - - .
The general idea was to do your own thing!
February 2008
Nick Haile in his Opti!
Opti Regattas, Come Join the Fun
Reported by Nick Haile
Hello, opti sailors! Last year I went to five opti events. Only on two occasions did other people from our club come! You guys really missed out on a lot of FUN!!!!! Some of the regattas are for the SAYRA* Junior Championship Series. All of the events had Red, Blue, White and Green fleets participating. I want to tell you about the regattas I went to ...
The first event I went to this year was the Rock Paper Scissors Regatta in Birmingham, Alabama. It was sailed Labor Day weekend. The conditions were a little light, but the competition was fun. The highlight was the rock paper scissors tournament and breaking open geodes with a hammer! An added bonus was Tom Coleman coaching the green fleet. Wes Parsons and Zettler & Devin Quinn were also there from AYC!
The next event was the Board Bash at Lake Norman Yacht Club near Charlotte, NC. (September 22 and 23) The conditions were very light and the competition was fierce. The highlights were that they had a slide show of on-the-water pictures, and at around eight o’clock they had karaoke. This was a SAYRA* event.
The third event I went to was the Southeastern Championships at Lake Lanier Sailing Club (September 29th and 30th). This is not a beginner regatta I tell you! The conditions were heavy and, the competition was really fierce, with opti sailors from all over the country. I had to drop out on Saturday because of the high winds, but it was a great learning experience. It was a USODA** event.
The regatta I went to next was the Halloween regatta at Augusta Sailing Club (October 13th and 14th).The conditions were light and the lake was almost empty, but there were 23 optis there. This was my first time sailing at this club, and it reminded me a lot of AYC. This was a SAYRA* event and open to many classes.
The last regatta I went to was the Midlands Regatta in Columbia, SC (November 3rd and 4th). The wind was about perfect and the competition was really good. There were about 25 optis there. The trophies looked cool and they had lots of water in their lake, but they were rebuilding their clubhouse, so the trophy presentation was in the parking lot. It should be really cool next year! This was the last SAYRA* event of the year, and it was also open to many classes.
*SAYRA is the South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association. Check it out at
www.sayra-sailing.com/pages/juniors.htm
** USODA is the United States Optimist Dingy Association.
Check it out at www.usoda.org
Signed,
Your roving sailing reporter,
Nick Haile
Nick Haile at the helm with 2007 Club Champion, Don Hackbarth.
Calling all Junior Sailors!
Registration for junior training is now open for all classes this year!
Register now for Junior Training. Don’t miss your opportunity to sign up!
In spring, we will hold intermediate and advanced classes for Opti’s, Lasers, and 420’s.
In summer, we will hold beginner Opti lessons.
In fall, we’ll have another session of intermediate and advanced classes for Opti, Laser and 420 sailors.
Also, new for this year, the Opti sailors will be able to participate in the monthly races held on Sunday mornings that previously had been for Lasers. Please mark your calendars. This is a great opportunity for young sailors to hone their skills!
Adult Sailing Classes
Saturday Series : Adult Beginning Sailing Classes :
May 31 - June 28, 2008
Sunday Series : Adult Beginning Sailing Classes :
July 20 - August 17, 2008
Participants in this class will learn how to sail a boat safely and enjoyably. Low key but expert instruction will allow even people who have never been on a boat to feel secure on the water. Each class will include sailing together in the club's two person 420 class sailboats as well as on-shore instruction and encouragement. The total purpose of this class is so that everyone at AYC will understand what is going on in boats and will feel themselves to be an integral part of the sailing community.
Both Saturday and Sunday classes are from 9am - 12noon. As the size of the class is limited by the number of boats we have available, registering early is a must. We accept both club members and nonmembers, strictly on a first-registered-and-paid, first enrolled basis.
The total cost for an AYC member to enroll in all the Saturday or all the Sunday sessions is only $35. For non-members the cost is $150 with a $25 discount if more than one family member enrolls in same session.
To register, please click here
If you have questions, please contact Peggy Davis, Adult Sailing Director
Photo Op!
AYC Junior Week -- June 8 - 13
The Junior Week crew is looking for a few sporting volunteers to photograph our up-and-coming young sailors at this year's camp, June 8 - 13. A digital camera with a good zoom is needed; an SLR is preferred. Some photography experience is expected, plus a good working knowledge of your camera's capabilities.
Nancy Molitor will continue to serve as Photography Director and will offer a mini-clinic to coach volunteers in the not-always-fine art of shooting kids in boats.
If you would enjoy spending at least three full days at Junior Week with your camera, contact Anne Maassen.
Midwinter's Anyone?
Laser Midwinter's East, February 20 - 24, Clearwater, FL
Thistle Midwinter's East, March 1 - 7, St. Petersburg, FL
Y-Flyer Midwinter's, March 1 - 2, Columbia, SC
Snipe 70th Annual Midwinter's, March 30 - April 1, Clearwater, FL
AYC Commissioning 2008 - TRUE BLUE
In many cultures the color BLUE is thought to attract water and, particularly, rain. We all think Lake Allatoona could use a little more "blue" and so we ask that you wear some version of the color blue to AYC Commissioning. Please, look through your closet and pull out something blue ... navy blue, aquamarine blue, sky blue, turquoise blue, royal blue ... any kind of blue ... and WEAR it ... to Commissioning!
There will be more details to follow, but here's a start:
Atlanta Yacht Club Commissioning 2008
April 5th, 2008
5:30 pm - Commissioning Ceremony
6:15 pm - Cocktail party
7:30 pm - Dinner
8:30 pm - RAINdance!
Please mark your calendars and survey your wardrobes.
April will be here before you know it!
Dhow Sailing
Reported by Darryl Allardice
One aspect of sailing that I particularly enjoy is the fact that it is intertwined with many aspects of history and culture throughout the world. My wife Tracy and I experienced this recently on a trip to East Africa. Our journey began in Rwanda where we trekked thru Volcanoes National Park to see the endangered mountain gorillas, followed by a 10-day safari in and around Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), and ended at the coastal spice island of Zanzibar. While there were many wonderful parts of the trip, some of the most memorable scenes I can recall involved sailboats - "dhows" to be exact.
The "dhow" is a beautiful, versatile design that evokes a sense of grace and nostalgia, a result of both its simplicity and its construction. The most striking aspect of its appearance is the lone triangular sail, lashed to a long yardarm hanging lateenrigged from the mast. The forward end of the yardarm comes to the point of the bow while the aft end is raised high in the air directly above the stern of the ship. It has such a distinct profile and geometric symmetry that it appears to be a perfect triangle of cloth gliding along the water. The physical structure of the boat consists solely of the hull, mast, and simple poop deck(?). The poop deck provides a resting spot for the long yardarm when the sails are down and conveniently also shades the captain from the beating sun. The hull itself is keel-less and very streamlined; while the earliest dhows were tapered on both ends, modern dhows have a square stern with a rudder and motor (for when they get our Allatoona breezes!). The profile is quite low and sleek. Much of the beauty of the boat, though, comes from the wood. Every part of the boat is hewn by hand and fit together perfectly over many months by the local boat builders. The wood is a deep rich textured brown, and when combined with the weathered canvas sail provides a classic, timeless image on the water.
Zanzibar has at least one thing in common with AYC - it's a one-design community! The dhows are practically the only style of watercraft that you see. However, this design scales up from the smaller (15') personal boats to larger (40') commercial boats and they are all essentially the same. They are used in transportation, fishing, and even tourism. Being a single-sail boat, there is only one sheet. So its not crew-consuming to sail a dhow, unless you want to tack. The hardest part of sailing a dhow is tacking. This is complicated by the lateen rigging primarily due to the large yardarm attached to the mast and resting to either side. Its all too big and bulky to swivel about when tacking like a Sunfish so instead the yardarm must be "hopped" over the top of the mast to the other side, as the sail is passed around in front of the yardarm, a precarious task in itself. Needless to say they don't tack any more than needed.
Being land-locked since the beginning of our trip, we decided to get back in touch with our windjammer spirit, so we booked a sunset cruise. We knew it would be special, but didn't realize how special until we boarded the 20' dhow with 7 other people and realized we were the only paying passengers – everyone else was there to "work". Mind you, it doesn't take 7 people to sail a dhow, even allowing for the complexity of tacking. One passenger had a guitar strapped over his back so his role was easy to identify. Another passenger was our hotel's guest relations manager who apparently gets to do these activities for free under the guise of staying in touch with hotel guests' experience on hotel-booked activities. Another passenger was the tour guide, who offered tales of local history and lore. The guide also had an assistant who was wearing a tie and brought a laptop. It never left the laptop bag and he never assisted very much, so perhaps he was really just somebody's nephew who finished his workday at the office and wanted to get out on the water for the evening. Then there was the skipper and three crew members.
That rounded out the group who spent nearly two hours plying the waters of the west coast of Zanzibar in a dhow, serenaded with local music, and watching the sun set quietly over the gentle waters of the Indian Ocean. The sailing was smooth, the winds gentle but steady, and the scene picture perfect. Here's to remembering our love of sailboats even in the off-season!
Congratulations to the 2007 Awards Recipients
Thistle Fleet
Dale Newnham, Captain
1st - Bill Tumlin
2nd – Johnny Sinclair
3rd – Jim Smither
Charlie Chase Award – Craig McLean & Family
Y-Flyer Fleet
Heather Morse, Captain
1st - Karl Andersen
2nd - Nile Hatcher
3rd – Jim Womble
Woody Orrell Trophy – Karl Andersen
Snipe Fleet
Ian Elliott, Captain
1st- Ian Elliott
2nd - Don Hackbarth
3rd – Larry Bull
Bill Lynn Trophy – Clayton Dixon
Laser Fleet
Mike Carlson, Captain
1st – Lauren McLean
Junior Championship Awards
1st – Lauren McLean
2nd – Elliot Newnham
3rd – Anna McLean
Outstanding Junior Award – Anna Lee Bradley
Women's Championship Awards
1st - Amanda Hodges,
2nd - Holly Gregory
3rd – Lauren McLean
Club Championships Awards
1st - Don Hackbarth
2nd - Jim Smither
3rd – Johnny Sinclair
Goodwill Ambassador Award – Mike Carlson
Sportsmanship Award – John Hill
Outstanding Sailor Award – Amanda Hodges
Commodore's Award – Means and Peggy Davis
Ever wondered who some of the people are behind these awards?
Traditions are carried forward from one generation to another, stories are shared about those that have come before us and made their imprint, but not everyone hears the same story or is present when those stories are told. We add new members every year to our Yacht Club family and if you don't attend the annual Christmas party / awards banquet, a name such as Charlie Chase, Bill Lynn or Woody Orrell is just another name. These are three individuals that made their mark on the membership of the Atlanta Yacht Club, touched many hearts and are honored every year in December when awards that were created in their memory are presented to current club members. For some, take a walk down memory lane as you read about the men below, for others I hope what follows provides you with some insight about some of the legends that still live on in the Atlanta Yacht Club.
Bill Lynn Award :
The Bill Lynn Award was established in the early 1990s by John and Kitza Muhlhausen in memory of Bill who was a leader, a sparkplug extraordinaire, a sportsman and a man who traveled all over the world enjoying and promoting the sport of sailing.
Bill and wife, Gay joined AYC in 1984 not long after they moved to Atlanta for Bill's job. Bill was Vice President and Corporate Media Director for The Coca-Cola Company. Bill and Gay joined the Snipe fleet and regularly traveled to regattas all over the world. Bill was president of USYRU (now US SAILING) for three years and was the chairman of the International Classes Committee of the London based International Yacht Racing Union, the sports governing authority. He was a principal in the initial planning for the 1996 Olympic Games - Yachting in Savannah but died in a boating accident in the Bahamas in November of 1990 before the final detailed planning was done. Bill would have been the "Competition Manager" or #1 person with overall responsibility for the 1996 Yachting Games had he not died. Bill had competed in Olympic trail races series for the Star class over the years, ending with the 1968 Olympic trails.
John Muhlhausen said "Bill may have been short in stature but he was a giant in the world of sailing. He was AYC's link to the international world of sailing and promoting the sport with a Corinthian spirit that was contagious. This special quality of Bill is what we wanted to honor and remember him by in establishing this perpetual trophy for Snipe Fleet 330."
Congratulations this year to the Bill Lynn Award recipient, Clayton Dixon, son of Don and Jane Dixon and thanks to Means Davis, the Muhlhausens and Clayton for providing the information above.
Charlie Chase Award :
The inscription on the Charlie Chase award reads: "The wind is never too light, the water too cold, nor the day too late. Find a friend and let's go sailing! If you do your best you can't lose, and the day is going to be a fine one."
The statement symbolizes the way Charlie lead his life. Sailing was his true joy. He loved to compete; he loved the Atlanta Yacht Club. If you were to judge his sailing career on his wins, it would not be very impressive. However if you were to judge on effort, he would be the hands down winner.
He started his sailing career in 1956 and sailed through 1990. For the thirty four years he never failed to qualify in any series.
His sailing ability was very good; he was simply not very aggressive. Rather than crowd the weather mark he would give way to his friends and try to out sail them on the next leg. I never remember a single protest.
It is the intention of the reward, to recognize those that participate and is given in the name of a true sportsman.
Congratulations to Craig McLean and Family for winning the Charlie Chase Award in 2007 and thanks to Buzz Chase, Charlie's son and Bill Tumlin for providing the information above.
Woody Orrell Award :
Reprinted from the Scuttlebutt published in December of 1971: "Woody Orrell loved to sail, and he did it well. He also, I think, loved living. He did that very well, too. In a very few years with the Atlanta Yacht Club, Woody became the man sailors asked about in other clubs, in other states. 'Is Woody coming over? Say hello to Woody for me.'
Woody brought the Y-Flyer Nationals to AYC. Woody got the fleet started again on the regatta trail.
And Woody had heart trouble.
A man can lie down and be waited on with a bad heart and die a little more each day; or he can, like Woody, live his life as fully as possible with grudging concessions to his illness.
Woody held himself down to a career, a family, many friendships and three hobbies that I know of. One of them was sailing.
His many friends voted him our club's Goodwill Ambassador trophy (1971) and his sailing won him the Y-Flyer season championship. It was the first season trophy he ever won, and sadly, the last. Woody died of a heart attack (his third) during the Beers Regatta, at the helm of his Blue Sailed Y.
A new memorial trophy for the Y-Flyer season champion has been dedicated to Woody, not because he died, but because he lived so very well."
Anna Froehlich provided the above and also informed me that there is an interesting story about the base of the trophy. In short, the base of the trophy was taken and made from a very old beam taken out of a church in San Salvador. There was a cannonball also buried in this same beam, in another section. It was determined that the cannonball was from the 1600s during a battle led by Sir Francis Drake. The artist of the trophy bought this beam and later made the trophy with part of it as the base.
Congratulations Karl Andersen, the recipient of the Woody Orrell award and thanks to Anna Froehlich for providing the information above.
In loving memory of past Commodore, Harold L. Gilreath
Harold Gilreath, past Commodore of the Atlanta Yacht Club in 1963 passed away on November 27, 2007. He was AYC's club champion in 1958, '59, '60, '62, and '63 losing to Ted Turner in 1964, but won again in 1975. Harold was an avid Snipe sailor and began sailing Snipes in 1944. He was the commodore of SCIRA (Snipe Class International Racing Association) in 1956. Harold built a Snipe out of plywood and detailed his adventure in a book titled "How to Build a Plywood Snipe". Harold was an aircraft engineer by trade and worked at Beech Aircraft in KS and at Lockhead Martin in Marietta, GA for over 20 years. He turned his love of sailing into more than just a hobby and as Woody Norwood put it "sailing was his vocation as well as his avocation". Harold was the owner of Gilreath Sails which later became Gilreath Sailboat Supplies. With his vast knowledge of boats, Harold became a surveyor and appraiser of boats. Means Davis remarked that Harold was a role model to him as he was growing up at the lake and said "he could teach all the tricks of the trade and then go out and beat you anyway!"
Please welcome AYC's new members of the Board of Governors
Bob McCormack, Jim Smither, Ian Elliott, Don Hackbarth and our new Treasurer, Tim Weber!
Thank you Russell Plunkett for taking the professional photos of AYC's Flag Officers and newly elected members of the Board of Governors!
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