A national champion scow sailor comes to the Washington Sailing Marina Nov. 10-11 to teach basics and finer points of making our boats go faster. Kevin Caulfield has won national championships in the I20 scow and its precursor, the M20 scow.
Meteorologists are calling for 60 degrees, partly cloudy skies and mild southern winds Saturday and Sunday.
Caulfield currently skippers A scows, the 38-foot speed monsters that can top 30+ knots. He is planning to share his knowledge over two days of sailing at Daingerfield Island/Washington Sailing Marina and will be staying with scow sailors on Capitol Hill with lots of opportunity for chalkboard talks.
This event is free to anyone who wishes to learn about scows, including the sailors of Potomac River Sailboat Association and the Daingerfield Island Sailing Club.
The clinic begins 10am Saturday and Sunday with shore lunches both days at 1pm. Afternoon sailing will continue as long as weather permits. Rain cancels.
Credits for this boat reconstruction project are due and I need to start where it all started, with Larry Gonyea from Wisconsin, who sold us this 1977 Melges for $1000 with trailer. This photo was from the boat’s first a-spin hoist in front of the War College on a gybe up the Potomac. Larry asked us to post a photo…so here it is. Great boat, Larry! Thank you.
Bouncing across chop, the scow fleet encircled the Pride of Baltimore II and let fly with all manner of invective. How dare this privateer ply the Potomac! Every scallywag with half a halyard knows the British merchant marine is already claimed by Whistlebritches, Chalupa and the soon-to-be-named Melges.
The bow guns rolled to the ports but no fuse was lit as the Melges slid under the sprit of the hulking, wooden sirenia.
Making a run past the Old Town Alexandria waterfront
“Is that a J-24 there?” “I think its a J-32” “No, that’s a 24” “Yeah, Yeah” “They’ve got some good wind.” “Should we go after them?” “Yeah, but I want to get upwind of them and stay in that good wind.” “Definitely…do you think you can point above them.” “Are you kidding, these boards are toed in…we can get ’em” Continue reading Stoking Competitive Instincts→
