Submitted by John Vallee
Do you remember Jim McBrier’s orange Heritage One Ton Brier Rabbit and the huge carrot windsock that they flew from the masthead during cocktail hour?
Do you remember the rivalry between the two Borsaw 40’s; Adams’ and Karl Smithers’ Thermis X from BYC and Bob Graf’s Bear also from BYC? When Thermis beat Bear, Thermis flew a teddy bear in a noose from their spreaders. When Bear won, a thermos container could be seen at the spreaders of Bear.
Do you remember Hadley Jackson’s milk and cookies crew aboard Shaibu II and their wonderful long white pants and powder blue crew shirts in the dinning room at the Erie Yacht Club?
Do you remember Jim McBrier’s crew wearing mandatory navy blazers to the awards banquet at the end of the interclub in Point Abino?
Do you remember Richard Gorny’s Banshee of the Erie Yacht Club being the first yacht to win the Interclub Cruise in consecutive years? (1971 / 1972)
Do you remember when Jim McGee’s C&C 40 Sabotage of the Port Dover Yacht Club became the first Canadian yacht to win the Interclub Cruise Overall Buffalo-Courier Express Trophy? (1985)
Do you remember John Wolford aboard Constance telling the girl customs inspector in Port Dover…”Yes, my dear, that is a lot of alcohol….but this is a long cruise and this yacht must be properly stocked!”
Do you remember Robert Way’s powder blue maxi yacht Masker from the Erie Yacht Club, tacking her way out through the Erie Harbor channel during the Erie to Dover Race?
Do you remember the crew of the J/44 Mary Lou signing “Oh where oh where has my spinnaker gone….Oh where or
where can it be?” after dropping the brand new sail overboard in the Long Point Bay race?
Do you remember the Interclub stopping at Port Maitland?
Do you remember Ash Winter aboard Lancer and John Dunn aboard Eyerly challenging U.S. Immigration’s authority in Dunkirk? Do you remember Ash Winter being told to leave the U.S. or have his boat seized?
Do you remember the strawberry socials at Point Abino?
Do you remember the wooden yacht Enigma from the Eire Yacht Club, designed and built specifically for the Annette Cup and subsequent Interclub Cruise?
Do you remember Bob Coleman and his beautiful blue yacht Tanqueray?
Do you remember the entire fleet motoring to Point Abino in no wind, and then the whole fleet getting lost in the fog just miles before reaching their destination? Do you remember the BYC Summer Station sending out tenders to try to find the fleet in the fog and lead them safely to shore? Do you remember Ed Stevens aboard his beige Tartan Ten Orion telling everyone to “Follow me, I know exactly where I am!” just seconds before running aground on Point Abino?
Do you remember Mike Brady and the crew of Boss Hog’s Kirby 36 “Warhog” doing Karaoke at the rum party in Port Dover?
Do you remember the crew of Shaibu II providing a river taxi service for racers to attend the cocktail party at Hadley Jackson’s home just up the river from PDYC?
Do you remember the “Port Dover Fastnet” Long Point Bay Race, where several boats were hit by lighting and some ran aground at Turkey Point?
If you do remember these things….then you just might be a “Long Pointer!”