Hey, all you fans of junior big boat sailing in the USA, here is the yacht from Long Island Sound to follow in the Sydney to Hobart Race that starts December 26:
- Designed in 1969 by McCurdy & Rhodes for Richard Nye of Indian Harbor YC, Greenwich Conn.
- Won the 1970 and 1982 Newport Bermuda races.
- Won the St. David's Lighthouse division in the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race
- Took second in her division in the 2011 Transatlantic Race
- Won her division in the 2011 Fastnet Race
- Now sailing for the first time in the Sydney Hobart Race
The yacht is Carina, from Westbrook CT, owned by Rives Potts.
She is being campaigned in 2011 by an epic crew of Potts' family and friends. The crew includes Potts' son Walker and nephew Rives Sutherland, plus Rich duMoulin and his sons Ed and Mark duMoulin.
What's the connection with junior big boat sailing?
According to Potts, “When my boys got to 12 or 13 I wanted to sail with them, so I bought Carina.” He believes that sharing the offshore experience can add hugely to the bond between father and son. “Our normal scheme is to have several fathers crewing Carina with their sons,” he says. “Standing watch with your son at night, it brings you closer.” The Sydney Hobart Race has featured the Carina family spirit in this news article.
And Rich duMoulin commented that a main commandment aboard Carina has been, "You cannot talk back to your own father." duMoulin is well known to the 4,000 juniors and their sailing instructors who have attended the Storm Trysail Foundation's Junior Safety at Sea Seminars at Larchmont YC. During the past 15 years, he has coordinated the volunteers from the Storm Trysail Club who have been providing this important training.
Follow the action in Australia beginning with the live 90 minute webcast of the Sydney Hobart race (starts on December 25 in the USA 6 PM PST/9 PM EST) and at the official Sydney Hobart Race website.
Notes:
- Read a background story about Carina and Rives Potts in the The Australian.
- See details about the yacht.
- After the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race, Potts told a reporter from Soundings, "Carina is a good seakindly boat, she's not extreme one way or the other. She's very sturdy and is a heavy boat by today's standards. She's not as good around the buoys, she's not that quick and nimble. But she's very nice on the ocean going in a straight line, she likes a straight line. I kind of have a love affair with her."
- And Rich duMoulin wrote two reports for Larchmont Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Club about Carina's 2011 Transatlantic and Fastnet racing.
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