Whalers burn 70 candles on Saturday
The New Bedford Yacht Club Whaler's Race, at 70 one of the oldest yacht races in the area, gets under way Saturday morning outside the Padanaram Harbor breakwater.
The 105-mile race around Block Island takes boats offshore past marks at Cuttyhunk, the Buzzards Bay Tower and Noman's and includes competitors from all over New England.
Chaired by NBYC member Dr. Arthur Burke, the Whaler's Race is open to all racing and cruising yachts whose skipper is a member of a recognized club.
The skipper's meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at the NBYC clubhouse in South Dartmouth. Racing yachts must meet the provisions of the Offshore Racing Committee (ORC) special regulations for minimum equipment, including Sections 8.2 (bilge pumps), 10.1 (emergency navigation lights), 9.5 (radio direction finder or Loran), 11.5 (man-overboard pole).
Check with the NBYC at (508) 997-0762 or at www.nbyc.com for racing rules and information about moorings and parking.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
The next event for the NBYC is the "End of the Summer" regatta, slated for Sunday, Sept. 22. This race is open to all members of the New Bedford Fleet of PHRF-New England. One design classes will also be accommodated, if requested. Contact the NBYC at 508-997-0762 for more information.
LONG AND WINDING ROAD FOR LYTC
Now that the Fort Rodman Marine Education Association/Low Tide Yacht Club has had a full summer to enjoy its new headquarters at Fort Taber, it might be interesting to recap how they got there.
Founded in the 1930s, the original club was located in a small shed on the Acushnet River. The Hurricane of 1938 washed away the shed, and World War II called many sailors away from their small wooden boats.
During the 1950s, the LTYC raced Beetle Cats and other small craft, and over the next 20 years, larger boats joined the fleet racing on the river. In the 1970s, still without a clubhouse, the club met in members homes and in the Medeiros Shipyard loft on East Rodney French Boulevard.
In 1973, the LTYC began leasing the former officers quarters building in Fort Rodman from the city of New Bedford. Club members refurbished the building and were credited with saving it, since the city had no funds available for maintenance. Meanwhile, the club, as part of the agreement with the city, provided sailing lessons to the public.
In 1983 under the direction of longtime member Dick Fontaine, the club formed the Fort Rodman Marine Education Association (FRMEA) as a nonprofit educational subsidiary.
During the '80s racing activity dwindled and in May 1987, fire gutted the clubhouse. The LTYC relocated to a smaller building within Fort Rodman. As part of the negotiations for the construction of the Fort Taber sewage treatment plant, the Low Tide Yacht Club and other organizations at Fort Taber had to be relocated during construction.
Classroom and on-the-water instruction continued in three JY-15s the club purchased in 1990. Interest and membership increased. In 1992, the city notified the club it would need to vacate the Fort Rodman complex as construction got under way. For the 1993 season, the LTYC moved into another building at Fort Taber, and in 1994 began meeting at the Victory Park Warming House.
The education programs continued and, in 1996, the summer sailing program saw 90 students enrolled, with 70 of them tuition-free "children at risk."
The Community Boating Center arose from that effort, and negotiations continued with both the city and at the federal level to find a permanent home for the LTYC.
Negotiations between the city and the federal government resulted in the rehabilitation of the Fort Taber-Fort Rodman complex and the return of many programs to the south end of New Bedford.
Construction of the new FRMEA/LTYC clubhouse was completed earlier this year, and the club has begun hosting activities such as the Schwartz Regatta, the annual Steak-Out and auction, and the New England Beetle Cat Boat Association races last month, as well as regular and informal meetings.
SERIES 4 UNDERWAY
Results for the Low Tide Yacht Club first race in Series 4, held Thursday, Sept. 5, are:
Class II (non-spinnaker), distance 6:45 nm: 1. Dragon, Dick Hitchcock, 01:16:13; 2. Bogi, Bob Dixon, 01:19:00; 3. Tequila Sunrise, Robert Luiz, 01:19:11; 4. Makin' Progress, Ryan Walsh, 01:19:49; 5. Zara, Gil Canastra, 01:22:48; DNC, Head Girl, Chris Fletcher.
Class III (non-spinnaker), distance 5.64 nm: 1. Pieces of Eight, Mark Thornhill, 01:11:14; 2. Banzai, Ed Ilsley, 01:12:46; 3. Prudence, Ted Cioper, 01:14:08; 4. Elusive, Paul Barton, 01:15:58; 5. Horsefeathers, Ed Silva, 01:16:53; 6. Equinox, David Garlington, 01:21:46; DNC, Fiddlers Green, Jay Cafferty.
If you have news about boating in and around Buzzards Bay, contact Barbara Veneri by e-mail at bveneri@hotmail.com. To join an online discussion of boating issues, enter www.southcoastnavigator.com in your browser, then click the Port of Call link.
This story appeared on Page B6 of The Standard-Times on September 12, 2002.
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