Fleet 12 Newsletter
May 2002
In this issue:
1. Easom Founders Cup this weekend!
2. Crew Available/ wanted
3. North Americans @ Alamitos Bay Yacht Club
4. Meet the Fleet: Tom Oller
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1. Easom Founders Cup this weekend!
The San Francisco Yacht Club race office is a little worried about our
fleet. There is a low enrollment at this time. They may even go easy on the
late fee for entrants that fax entry forms (415) 789-5648 now (and send the
check in the mail too). Mention how you kept trying to find it on their
website. The notice of race is here:
http://www.sfyc.org/Regattas2002/NOR/02%20Easom%20NOR.pdf
This is always a great regatta - Names of all winning crew go on the
beautiful perpetual trophy, and Hank Easom is one of the greatest guys they
ever named a regatta after. Plus he'll present the trophy himself probably.
We won it once and I was stoked.
FAX in your forms now - let's show a large turnout.
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2. Crew Available/ wanted
Doug Morss has done a great job on our website, including the crew list
which is at http://www.sfetchells.org/crew_list2.htm and I encourage you to
fill out your crew there and come racing! If it's a last minute thing, or
you need someone NOW, you can always email me, scottst@well.com. No
guarantees, but we have been able to match some people up this year. Lack
of crew is a really bad reason to miss a race.
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3. North Americans @ Alamitos Bay Yacht Club
The North Americans are scheduled for September 3-8 at Alamitos Bay Yacht
Club. Part of planning this regatta is an old question. Where do we put the
boats? Here's a quick note from Greg Sims of ABYC:
I had a chance to talk to several fleet members who expressed a desire to
bring there boats to ABYC prior to the North Americans in September. We
have fleet races on the 8/18 and 8/31 & 9/1. Because space is limited in
our yard we would like to get a head count of people interested in coming
up early so we can go to the board and request some leeway in the yard to
Accommodate out of towners. The sooner we can get some response the better
chance we have to accommodate you.
Thanks,
Greg Sims
US 494
Email: gsims53943@aol.com
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4. New Feature: Meet the Fleet
Fleet 12 spends a lot of time together, but until the great parties Jeff
Moseley and Kers Claussen threw recently, we don't really get to know
everyone we race against that well, even though we have personal opinions
of most of them, and even shout at them like old friends at mark roundings.
On the other hand, for various reasons, I have met and got to know many
people in our fleet, and ! am always impressed by the depth of sailing
talent and interesting backgrounds present. So I thought I would try a new
feature: Meet the Fleet.
Periodically I will ask a set of questions to a fleet member and report the
results here. Kind of like that annoying guy with the beard on Actor's Studio.
Here Goes....Meet the Fleet: Tom Oller
Tom has been a member of Fleet 12 for about 10 years, and he keeps his boat
at Richmond Yacht Club. Tom works at West Marine, so boating is really
ingrained in his life. I noticed that Tom does not miss many regattas a few
years ago, and later noticed one reason why: His boat is one of the best
set up Etchells in our fleet, and it's not just the employee discount! Jud
Smith thought so too, a couple years back, when during a clinic, he picked
Tom's boat to show our fleet how an Etchells should be rigged. I asked Tom
how he felt when Jud picked his boat as the "show boat". "Sure I was
flattered but I have always been better known as a rigger of boats than a
particularly successful skipper. This goes back a while. My Star was the
cover photo and how it was fitted out was featured in the '72 Land's End
catalog".
1. How long have you been sailing? How/where did you learn?
>>>35 years or so since a teenager in Chicago area. Started out sailing in
Penguin dinghies in Grant Park Harbor (first met and raced
against Dennis Conner in 1960 at Penguin Nationals in Grosse Point
Michigan), local offshore racing on Lake Michigan and Macs while in
college, then Flying Dutchman, Ice boating, Stars, J-24s on Lake Erie while
living near Buffalo, NY , Olson 30s while in Los Angeles and
Etchells beginning in '92.<<<
2. When did you first hear about Etchells?
>>>Late sixties when I bought a new Etchells G4 Star where I saw the
prototype at Skip Etchell's yard<<<
2a. First sail an Etchells?
>>>1992 with Kers<<<
3. How long have you sailed this boat?
>>> Since 1992 when I watched some of the '91 Etchells Worlds here and it
reminded me of how much and why I liked Star racing but there isn't any
active Star racing on SF Bay so I decided to switch to an Etchells<<<
3a. What is the meaning (besides the obvious) of "Hyper" You always seem
pretty calm to me.
>>>You haven't sailed with me. I admire calm demeanor but am not always
able to maintain it. I'm told and hope its true that I pretty much leave my
emotions on the course and let them go before I return to the dock.<<<
4. Do you do any other sailing besides Etchells?
>>>Not really<<<
5. Tell us about your family situation. What do they do while you're sailing?
>>>Wife, daughter and son - wife is third generation sailor that used to
crew for me in Penguins, Flying Dutchmen and occasionally in the Star. None
curently actively sailing.<<<
6. Tell us about your crew. How long have you sailed with them.
>>>Robin Gladstone has sailed with me about seven years - Peter Beecher
two years<<<
7. Tell us about your best race. Where was it what happened?
>>>Third Place overall in 1969 Star North American off Chicago (included
beating Tom Blackaller and Don Trask)<<<
8. Tell us about your worst crash. Who did you hit/ get hit by?
>>>Round down off Alcatraz in Olson 30 around 1990. My boat was "Hoot" and
is still raced in the bay under that name. It was very well rigged too.<<<
9. What is your favorite curse word?
>>>No favorite - is this James Lipton and the Actor's Studio?<<<
10. Finish this sentence "The other boats in this fleet sail ________ too
much."
>>>The other boats in this fleet sail short races too much.<<<
11. Anything else you want to tell the other Crew?
>>>Nope<<
Thanks Tom!
(Be sure to say to Tom in the future, especially if you didn't know him
before this article! And if you get the 11 questions in your email box,
please answer them!)
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OK, that's all. It's over. Drag this message over to the trash can or press
CTRL-D or whatever. Go to www.sfetchells.org and find crew for this
weekend. Stop reading and go racing!
scott
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