Commodore’s Message I am writing this from Vinalhaven, “an island of quarry- men, lobstermen, fishermen, and schoonermen, a place so salty one breath of its air could make your nostrils rust.” This a quote from “The Journey” by Philip Caputo. It takes place in 1900 and all those salty fishermen were sailing Friendship Sloops. One hundred years later and we still can find a bit of that saltiness at the homecoming in Rockland. There is still something a little more real about sailing a Friendship Sloop than a modern day yacht. We are no more a yacht club today than the lobstermen were 100 years ago. Summer is here. In fact its our fortieth summer for the Friendship Sloop Society. I hope you can find some time in your schedules to add us to your summer plans. I know a lot of our summer plans are made around the homecom- ing, but I hope that some of the boats that haven’t been for a while might find their way home this summer. The bigger the fleet the more fun we all have. I promise that there will be fun for all in Rockland. In addition to our big Fortieth Homecoming, there will be a unique opportunity in New London to join the Tall Ships Parade on July 15-16. Jack Vibber has organized a wonderful five day event. For us downeasters on the same weekend, there will be a far less organized Southwest Harbor Race. But we do have mountains and wind. Tall mountains or Tall Ships, take your pick. David Graham has also invited us to the Corinthian Yacht Club for August 12-13. Once again we will be featuring tall drinks and tall tales on the Corinthian Porch. And I’m sure we can find something else tall to be in Gloucester on September 2nd. By the time this reaches you Phoenix should be out sailing. I don’t know what adventures lie ahead for this summer. I hope I won’t need any emergency kindnesses from other Friendshippers, but I can’t wait to see that first Friendship appear on the horizon. That familiar splotch in the distance always raises my spirits. Homecoming – Rockland By Bob Rex, FSS Race Committee Chairman Keep these dates in your memory as this will be our 40th Regatta. “I never thought it would last this long” observed founding father Bernie MacKenzie a while back. Here we are beginning a new millennium, still going strong, with another fine season ahead. As the Rockland event is the largest gathering of these ageless beauties, let’s plan to welcome a great fleet to what is sure to be a banner year for the homecoming! The Race Committee would, of course, like to see as many sloops as possible out on the starting line; however, we recognize that for various good reasons racing isn’t everyone’s cup of grog. The racing is only part of these occasions. At least equally important to many people is the opportunity, in an unbeatable setting, for socializing, to sprawl about decks and boats while exchanging scuttle- butt, ideas, and good humor with kindred souls. An effort will be made to present a program for those who choose not to race. The Parade of Sloops offers a terrific chance for some great photo shots of the various sloops and one could always come out to watch the starts. We’ve had some exciting ones! As for those who do appear on the starting line the Race Committee pledges to: 1) Not start a race in less than 3 knots of air 2) Not start a race in fog if the end of the bowsprit isn’t in sight 3) Not start a race when the breeze is over 40 knots 4) Present prizes to almost everyone. Whatever your pleasure please come to Rockland and store up memories that will get you through next winter and any more dips in the market. Volume 12 Spring / Summer 2000 Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society

Y2K Races at Marblehead by Dave Graham The year 2000 marks the 30th year of continuous Friendship Sloop races at Marblehead. This year will be no different, as the races will once again be hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club on the second weekend in August; specifically the 12th and 13th. Friendship Sloops are invited to compete for the Ridgway Trophy, named in memory of Lincoln Ridgway, a long-time member of the Corinthian Race Committee and supporter of the Friendship Sloop Society before he passed away several years ago. There will be single races for each day of the two-day event, with FSS Division 1 sailing a somewhat shorter course inside that of Division 2. For example, Division 1 might be given a 10+ mile course, while Division 2 could be facing a course nearer 15+ miles. The start and finish line for each race will be set to accommodate both divisions and at a planned single location. In addition to the races this year, we are planning to celebrate the centennial of Friendship Sloop #24, Tern, owned by someone named Haley. Tern happens to be as beautiful as the day she was first launched. Plans for the Tern’s centennial celebration are still in the making but we are absolutely certain that you will not want to miss this special occasion during the weekend of August 12th and 13th. As in the past, a banquet will be held at the Corinthian on Saturday evening and it will be a no coat-no tie informal event. The evening’s speaker will be our very own Jim Wright, new owner / skipper of Gypsy, #262, who, as a working tugboat captain, will provide us with an illustrated presentation of tugboat operations in New York Harbor and on Long Island Sound. The weekend of August 12th and 13th is an excellent opportu- nity to once again compete among Friendship Sloops; to renew friendships with Society members; to promote the FSS seasonal race program; to have some good fun racing; to compete for trophies and to enjoy the yacht club facilities that will be avail- able to you, as members of the Friendship Sloop Society. In a short time, you will be receiving you notice of race for the Marblehead regatta. However, should you have any questions in advance of the notice, you are encouraged to contact event chair- man, Dave Graham. Dave can be reached by e-mail at DWG@SHORE.NET or by phone at (781) 631-6680. Email List Tad is putting together an email list for the Sloop Society. There are times when we need to spread the word quickly and this is the best way to do that. You will still get all the regular mailings. To get onto the email list…just send Tad an email to TADBE@AOL.COM saying that you would like to be added to the list. New London Friendship Sloop Rendezvous & Regatta OpSail2000CT Friendships – Tall Ships Parade – Entertainment – All at New London, Connecticut July 12 – 16. New London will be the center of attraction starting July 12th when the ships of OpSail sail up the Thames River to their berths along the city’s water- front. This will be OpSail’s seventh port of call on their schedule. The parade will mark the start of a five day celebra- tion and all Friendship Sloop skippers are invited to attend. During these days, there will be ship tours, music, food, enter- tainment, and fireworks. The Parade of Sail will begin at about 10:00 AM on Wednes- day the 12th with a fleet of 30 sizable ships and 300 recreational vessels. On Friday the 14th there will be an antique and classic boat parade, and all Friendships are invited to participate in that event. The plans for the parade on that day have the Friendship Sloops leading the parade up the Thames to the city and then back out to sea. In between the above events there will be a battle enactment and visitation times for the Tall Ships. Late Saturday afternoon we will have our usual good picnic at the Thames Yacht Club, followed by a gigantic display of fireworks. Sunday breakfast will be at the TYC followed by a Friendship regatta in the afternoon. Please send or phone for a booklet with more information to: Gregory Roth 510 Montauk Avenue New London, CT 06320 Phone (860)-442-2747 E-Mail: SCUPPERS-@WORLDNET.ATT.NET or Jack Vibber 5 Soljer Drive Waterford, CT 06385 Phone (860)-442-7376 Support Our Supporters Our yearbook is made possible not only through the efforts of our members, but also through the businesses that place ads in our book. When you read the articles in this year’s yearbook, take some time to notice the advertising. Then, when you stop in the store or restaurant, make a point of telling the waitress, manager, or anyone that will listen, that you saw their ad in the Friendship Sloop Society publication. Please help us keep the yearbook afloat by supporting our supporters. . – 2 –

A Number of boats have been sold and below is a sampling of the changes: #63 Kochab has been sold to unknown parties. #142 Albatros was bought by Ronald Shaw of Peaks Island, ME. He will be changing the name to the Audrey II Learned through Jarvis Newman that #178 ESSENTIAL was sold to Allan Robbins of East Falmouth, MA and will be moving the sloop from the Ed Gray / Newman Yard on Cranberry Island down to Falmouth this Spring. We also learned that #103 Solaster was sold to Marshall Janoff and will be homeported at Baltimore, MD. #144 Josie was sold to John Burke of Gloucester, MA Homeport will be Gloucester. We would like to welcome John as one of our newest members. Brad Wilkinson of Durham, CT has purchased #39 Goblin (ex. Downeaster) and will be homeporting the sloop at Center Harbor, Brooklin, ME. We would like to welcome Brad as on of our newest member in the Society. We received the following Internet note from Jonathan Leavy: “After nearly 14 years, I have sold #169 Defiance. She has given me enormous pleasure, and not a little anxiety, over the years, much like my other children. She has gone to a good home, sold a few days before the ad appeared in print, to a neighbor, Fran Daly. He works for a commercial construction company, seems to know which end of a paint brush to hold, and has prior experience with wooden boats. I plan to remain a member of the Society, and hope to sail on your boats at every possible opportunity. But my aging knees and other joints may make me useful only as rail meat. But I can still bring the beer.” Frank Muddle also sent the following: “#11 Shulamite has been donated to Atlantic Challenge in Rockland ME. The plans for the future of the boat are not finalized at this point. Options include turning the boat over to their apprentice shop and remod- eling her along more classical cockpit design or raffling her off as a fund raiser. Will keep you posted. #27 Sarah was lost in a roof cave in Have de Grace, MD and reportedly as much hardware as possible was salvaged and then the hull was destroyed (burned). ERRATICO! A gross error has been made and corrections offered by the Membership Chairman with humble apologies: It was reported in the last newsletter that Jeff Cohen had bought #145 Edna (ex. Yankee Lady). Well the name, at the time was correct but the sloop is #208 not #145 and is ex Ladyship not ex Yankee Lady. Jeff has changed the name of his sloop to the Lisa K. and will be homeported in Mamaroneck, NY. As some of you may remember Jeff chartered Sazarac from Roger Lee during the Rockland Homecoming last year and got the friend- ship bug. We mentioned in the last newsletter that # 171 Resolute (ex. Golden Anchor) was for sale. This in incorrect. We are still looking for #145 YANKEE LADY. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this sloop please contact the Membership Chairman We have received several letters from new member James “Binnacle” Wright exploring his search for a suitable Friendship Sloop. We heard that “Binnacle” has purchased # 262 Gypsy from Bob Hastings. He will be keeping the boat on his mooring in Stonnington Harbor, CT. Our newest sail number has been issued to Jospehine (#270) built by Nelson Cutler, and originally launched in 1985. The new owner, Ron Wisner of Marion, MA will be keeping the sloop in Marion Harbor. Ron mentioned that a new stem, forward hull planking, foredeck replacement, and raising the cabin house roof have been accomplished. Josephine will be relaunched sometime in June. He went on to say that he plans on adding a topmast and possibly a second topsail that would be set using a “jackyard”. We would like to welcome Thomas Searles & Laura Hunt of So. Portland ME. They are the new owners of # 217 Ophelia’s Odyssey (ex Odyssey). We have learned through Jarvis Newman that #135 Hatsey was totally demolished during the filming of “The Truman Show” in Hollywood CA. The other Pemaquid used in actual sailing shots during the filming (#139 Lynx) has had its named changed to Santa Maria (name of the boat in the movie) and its hull color changed to white to match that of Hatsey. This sloop is currently for sale in Florida. Heard form Vice Commodore, Paul Haley informing us that # 241 Blue Sands has been sold to Walt Disney Studios and will be going on to Japan to be put in a floating “Display”. The sloop is currently being worked on at Gary’s Pond Boat Works in Eastham, MA. It is further reported that a couple of feet have been cut off the keel in order for the boat to float in shallow water. Received a touching letter and a wonderful set of photographs from member, Rafael Prohens of Ovalle, Chile showing off his superb craftsmanship of his ongoing 2 1/2 year building project of his Pemaquid sloop #265 Maria Emila. Because of the low humidity levels where he built the boat he had to launch it in a irrigation pond that he uses to water his grape vines so that it would “take up” before any further damage was done. Maria Emila has finally been launched in salt water and is happily sitting on its mooring. I would personally like to pass along my very best wishes to Rafael for a job well done. While watching the movie “Message in a Bottle”, we thought we saw the familiar face of our treasurer David Bell. We sent him a note and received the following reply: “Yes that was me in the “Message in a Bottle” movie. Nancy was also on the dock for the launch. The movie was placed to be in North (Continued to Page 4) – 3 – Membership News by Doug Amsbary, Membership Chairman

Membership News (Continued from Page 3) Carolina. Every boat in New Harbor had the ME printed over with NC. All the lobster traps were placed out of sight and crab boxes were put in place. No clothing that had Maine on it was allowed. I did get away with my FSS hat. I was also asked to grow a beard?? Nancy and I were “town people” for 13 days. The launch scene was our biggie, most of the rest was cut out. But it was fun and it surely gave us a new way of looking at movies. The launch was over two days, some 14 times we saw the boat move a few feet before the “cut” was called. Kostner and Newman were very nice and friendly. We had good times talking with them. Besides a good breakfast and lunch we earned $5.15 an hour even while we sat on the bank and watched. Bill Zuber and his Friendship are in “Cider House Rules”. That was shot in Bass Harbor, Sand Beach and then in NH made to look like Maine. ” Bill Zuber sent a letter to the Executive Board this spring, part of which we have included: I greet you with some good news and some not so good news. First, the good news. I have been offered and have accepted a contract to be the project engineer for the building of the new ship for S.E.A. ( Sea Education Association of Woods Hole, MA). The molds are being set up and hull construction started 3/15/00. This ship is to be launched July 2001, and I am due to be on site starting 4/4/00 and staying with the project until completion. She is to be a steel 40 meter brigantine built to U.S. Coast Guard regulations for sailing school vessels, and American Bureau of Ships certifica- tion. Now, the not so good news is that the ship is being built at the Martinac Shipyard in Tacoma, WA. I expect that I may be back East from time to time but also that at least for the first 6 months of this 14 month project I will need to be in Tacoma the majority of that time. Some more good news is that Caroline is retiring from her fabulous job with the State of Maine on June 30 of this year and will be in Tacoma for 6 to 8 weeks if all goes as planned. Some more not so good news is that neither one of us will be in a very good position to be helpful in Rockland or Friendship during Sloop Days, or for other Society functions until 2001 (maybe). Our sons Andy and Bill have been given the responsi- bility of Gladiator and they plan to launch and sail her. I’m glad I won’t be around to watch… My new e-mail address is bzuber@sea.edu. There is a website home page for SEA at www.sea.edu with a chronicle of the new ship news which gives you a better idea of what I’m doing. I finally learned how to spell “engineer”, so now I’d better go and be one. I wish the FSS fair winds and good atten- dance at all events. If I catch sight of any West coast Friend- ships, I’ll sign them up! ” Sloop Society on the Web Don’t forget to visit the Friendship Sloop Society home page on the World Wide Web at: WWW.FSS.ORG Memorial Book Our new book, “Friendship (sloops)” is under way. The price of printing has gone way up since the 60’s. The cost of printing is around $7000 through Book Master’s in Ohio. In order for the Sloop Society to handle the printing, we must make a number of presales. Each book will be coffee table size, 120 pages long with a color photograph section and b&w photographs through- out. The presale price is $40. After printing the price will go up $50. Buy a few as gifts. Your in-laws need one! So please fill out the attached pledge form. Send it to: Tad Beck, P.O. Box 544, Vinalhaven, Maine 04863-0544 To date we have 53 pledges towards the book. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY. But please send photographs of your boat (if you have not already done so) and you will be guaranteed to see her in the book. We will collect funds when we reach a prudent pledge level to begin production. – 4 – I____________________________ agree to buy ______ copies of “Friendship (sloops)” at $40 each. Street:_______________________ City: ________________________ State:_______________Zip:______ Phone: _______________________ Email: _______________________

Handicap Notice In a continuing effort to maintain a fair and equitable handicap- ping system, it has been requested that skippers renew their handicap application every five years, whether or not changes may have been made to the hull or rig. However, when such changes have been made, it is necessary to immediately reapply for an updated handicap. Unfortunately, many skippers in our fleet have been remiss at this duty. Consequently, an ever growing number of sloops have old outdated handicaps. Below is a roster of sloops which do have up-to-date handicaps. Any sloop which does not appear in this roster has an outdated handicap. Outdated handicaps may be renewed by submitting a new handicap application. These are available from the race committee or the measurer. Sloops entering a regatta event with obsolete handicap data will be assessed a penalty by the race committee. Normally handicap applications are due not later than June 30th. In an effort to assist skippers trying to update their data, handicap applications will be accepted up until July 15th this year. Sail numbers of sloops with current handicaps: 13, 18, 24, 45, 52, 53, 66, 67, 70, 71, 75, 82, 90, 96, 97, 128, 147, 152, 157, 169, 180, 182, 187, 193, 196, 214, 220, 222, 240, 257, 258, & 264. Your sloop should be listed here! Handicap forms may be obtained from the measurer: Dick Salter 151 Bridge Street Manchester, MA 01944 Tel: (978)-526-1004 2000 Schedule of Events New London Rendezvous & Regatta July 12th – 16th Tall Ships Parade – July 12th Regatta – July 16th Southwest Harbor Rendezvous July 15th Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland July 24th – 27th Friendship Day July 29th Marblehead Regatta August 12th – 13th Gloucester Schooner Festival September 2nd Annual Meeting November 11th New England Center, Durham, NH Sixteenth Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival by Michael Costello Executive Director, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Gloucester Schooner Festival 2000 is the year of the Tall Ships along the Atlantic Coast – and one of the best of the square riggers is going to visit the Gloucester Schooner Festival! U.S. Coast Guard’s famous barque Eagle will be in Gloucester Harbor for the entire Labor Day weekend. She will be open to the public during that period, so we can all go aboard and learn what is involved in handling over 20,000 square feet of sail with more than 200 control lines! Eagle is one of five sister ships built in Germany as sail training vessels prior to World War II. At the war’s conclusion, after extensive service transporting men and supplies in the Baltic, she was included in reparations paid to the United States. In addition, we’re expecting those “old-timers” Ernestina and Lettie G. Howard, both over 100 years old, and chebacco boat Lewis H. Story, a 200 year old type of fishing boat, to be sailing with us. If it’s marine variety you’re after, how about visiting the Crow’s Nest and the other Gloucester points of interest you will have seen in the movie The Perfect Storm after its premiere in late June? Fishing vessels just like the Andrea Gail come and go every day! In addition, the U.S. Navy destroyer Peterson will be here and will welcome visitors; she should be very interesting in that she is one of the Navy’s latest additions to the fleet. The Schooner Festival will be similar to prior years, with a record number of boats expected to participate. Major events on Saturday, September 2, will include: Traditional small boat races for traditional gaff-rigged, traditional marconi-rigged, Friendship sloops, FHRF class, Rhodes- 19, and multihull classes; Yankee Fish Fry with musical entertainment, lighted boat parade, and fireworks over the harbor. Sunday, September 3, will see a parade of sail as large fishermen-type schooners (45-125 feet on deck) sail out for the start of the Mayor’s Race, and a Reception and Awards Ceremony wrapping up the whole weekend. We’ve ordered up nice sunny weather, with 10 – 15 knot breezes (and no hurricanes!), so plan to come and sail with us. We look forward to welcoming you to Gloucester and Cape Ann. If you have any questions, please call us at the Chamber at (978) 283-1601. Racing Numbers The Race Committee is asking skippers to use sloop numbers for racing. Numbers do not have to be permanently attached to sails, they can be attached to shrouds. Numbers should be large enough to be read from a reasonable distance. – 5 –

Goodness! It’s already June! Where did the time go? Here I am, sitting in the workshop, surrounded by boat projects, hoping I can get them all done before the end of the month. All the paint, varnish, terminal strips, wire, and other paraphernalia that keeps the discount chandleries in business seem to reach a peak in June before it gets to the boat. Hope I get it all done by the end of the month. One of the projects that I have managed to complete is to install a separate ground for the AC wiring system. It’s also time to look at all of the seacocks and see if there are any signs of galvanic corrosion. Strangely enough, those were two of the topics that were on the original list of articles I was planning to write. In case you don’t remember, the topics are; electrical wiring, alternators and regulators, batteries, grounding and bonding, radios and antennas, and instrumenta- tion (depth, speed, GPS, LORAN, etc.). In this article we’ll look at electrical system grounding and how it can impact your boat if you don’t pay a little attention to your ground connections now and then. Once again, I would like to solicit questions from readers. After all, this column is intended to be the place where you, the reader, can submit technical questions and either obtain answers or direction to appropriate reference material. The DC System components in a boat are usually the easiest to understand. We have already presented its components: battery(ies), alternator, regulator, and wiring in previous articles. In general terms the battery produces the electrical energy that you need, the alternator replenishes the energy you consumed, and the regulator tells the alternator how much energy to replen- ish. The wiring delivers the energy to the system components. In a DC system the negative (-) side of the battery is normally connected directly to the engine block. The primary reason for this is that the starter motor usually has the highest current draw of all the other electrical components in the system; and running the negative side of the wiring directly to the engine block near the starter is good design practice, as it keeps any voltage drop in the wiring to a minimum. At the same time it also creates a problem; especially if you have both DC and AC electrical systems. General practice is to connect the green wire of the three-wire AC system to a grounded point on the boat. That point is normally a terminal strip that is also used for the black wires of the DC system; and that’s connected back to the engine block. Well, under normal conditions, when you are out sailing or hanging on the mooring, the common connection of both DC and AC grounds does not have any adverse effects. But if you have a slip in a marina, and plug in the AC system for any sustained length of time, you could be creating a condition that not only eats up your engine cooling system zincs (you do know where they are located, don’t you?) but also sets up a condition that can devastate underwater boat fittings. So, what’s going on! The problem stems from the electrical system at the marina and the other vessels plugged into the system. The problem is transmitted to your boat and any other boat plugged into the system through the green ground wire of the AC wiring system that you so conveniently connected to the ocean in and around your boat via that common ground connec- tion – your engine. Under ideal conditions, as long as the marina wiring is installed according to the National Electrical Code (NEC), and no other boats are plugged in, you have little to worry about. Problems arise when the marina’s electrical system corrodes or connections loosen with age. As the AC current in the less than ideal wiring system increases, voltages can be induced in the ground wire that create a small current through the ground connection to your engine. Another cause can be other boats that are plugged into the AC system. If they have an electrical problem, and the same common ground connection, you have a problem. Any stray ground currents created in the marina’s wiring or galvanic corrosion problems created on other boats can be coupled to your boat through that green ground wire. If you have noticed that your engine zincs seem to waste away over the course of one season, you may have a problem. The best way to avoid the problem is to unplug the AC power cord when you don’t need it. This way you have removed the connec- tion that was being provided by the green ground wire. Another way is to isolate the ground or install an isolation transformer. I don’t recommend the latter solution for our size boats however, since they are both expensive and heavy. I do recommend minimizing the use of the AC shore power cord, and keeping your DC system as clean and healthy as you can. One of the other symptoms of this AC ground current problem can also be accelerated deterioration of other underwater compo- nents of the boat. In wooden boats this can include the screws, boat nails, and other fastenings that hold everything together. Unfortunately many of these may not be visible, so you can’t inspect them. You can, and should, look at all the other fittings. These include the zincs, seacocks, valves, stemhead fittings, rudder fittings, straps and engine accessories that are exposed to saltwater. Any heat exchangers on the engine should have their own sacrificial zincs. If you have never checked them or worse yet don’t know where they are located, get out the engine manual (or see your mechanic) and find them. Nothing will ruin a cruise faster than having all your oil pumped out through hole in the engine oil cooler. Admittedly these are sail powered vessels, but my blood pressure doesn’t need the boost it gets tacking through a crowded mooring field trying to get to my mooring. The challenge is a lot more fun knowing that you have a reliable engine to extract you from disaster should anything go wrong. (Continued to Page 7) – 6 – Tech Tips #5 by “The Old Salt” (Bill Whitney)

Tech Tips (Cont’d) Inspect the valves (and other bronze components) by taking them apart and looking at the interior and exterior surfaces. If you see a pinkish tinge on the bronze surfaces it indicates that the zinc is being leached out of the bronze. You need to investi- gate! Either you have an AC problem or you need to add more sacrificial zincs to protect the components from galvanic corro- sion. Selecting the right amount of zinc to a hull and selecting the appropriate location for it is not that easy. If you know what was used on your boat in the past, and know where it was located on the hull, restore it to that original location and use the same size that was used originally. You can cause yourself problems if you use too much zinc. Master Mariner Co. used to manufacture a corrosion meter that was very useful in determining the level of protection being provided to underwater metallic fittings. Basically it is a very sensitive meter, called a galvanometer, that is hooked between a reference cell that is placed in the water beside the boat and the metal fitting being tested. If the meter indicated a balanced reading in mid-scale it indicated that the fitting was not being subjected to galvanic currents that would either eat it away or deposit metal from another fitting on it. In effect it was in a neutral, protected, environment. If you can locate one of these meters or its modern replacement I think it is worthwhile to spend some time measuring each fitting, and either adding (or reducing) your zincs to get the protection your fittings need. There are folks around that specialize in marine corrosion problems, but I don’t know any of them personally. Your yard or surveyor should be able to recommend someone if you don’t want to tackle the job yourself. Good luck. Rockland Schedule of Events Monday: Sloops Arriving – Barbecue (bring your own food) under the tent Tuesday : 9:00 Skippers’ Meeting 11:30 Start of Race 1 4:30 Rowboat Races (Blindfold Race ) Everyone is invited 5:00 Barbecue Under the Tent Wednesday: 9:00 Skippers’ Meeting 10:30 Parade of Sloops 12:00 Start of Race 2 4:00 Public Viewing and Tours of Sloops at Dockside 6:00 Spaghetti Supper 8:00 Music by Society Members Thursday: 9:00 Skippers’ Meeting 11:00 Start of Race 3 4:00 Awards Ceremony 6:00 Barbecue under the Tent Friday: Sloops Depart Rockland for Friend ship Days Southwest Harbor Races Miff Lauriat, who organizes the Southwest Harbor event, sent along this reminder about the race: The reason for the race is two fold: #1 it gives me a concrete deadline to get my boat sailing by, with enough time left to fix anything, should the strong breezes of Mount Desert Island become wrathful, and carry away some rigging, spars, or sails. (Just ask Tad – you can’t always count on winning here!). #2 we can have a tune-up for Rockland and Richard Stanley and I can declare the fastest sloop in the EAST (Endeavor or Salatia). I might add I don’t very often finish before Richard, and Salatia has never won this race in Sou’wes Habah. The wind is usually very good by 1300 hours when we’re ready to start. The courses are laid out to basically circumnavigate Greening’s Island. Most often the first leg takes us to the Narrows buoy at the entrance of Somes Sound. Depending on the state of the tide, this can be a tricky rounding, often an extra hitch is required to compensate for a skipper’s optimism. The length of the course is adjusted to the wind strength and so the race is usually over by 1600. All are invited to a post-race decompression at Marge and Miff’s house. As always, we should note that this event has no entry fee, there are no ratings, no handicaps or time allowances. There are no trophies, the reward is being the boat that hears the cannon at the finish! Give us a call and let us know you’re coming; we offer South- ern hospitality at a Northern latitude. Contact Miff Lauriat or Marge Russakoff at 207-244-4313 or e-mail: jvestal@acadia.net Do You Play a Musical Instrument? Last year at the Rockland Homecoming, a number of our members brought their musical instruments and performed under the tent on Wednesday night. It was such a good time, that we decided to ask our members again to bring their musical instru- ments. Don’t be shy, start practicing now, and come and have a good time! Support Our Supporters Our yearbook is made possible not only through the efforts of our members, but also through the businesses that place ads in our book. When you read the articles in this year’s yearbook, take some time to notice the advertising. Then, when you stop in the store or restaurant, make a point of telling the waitress, manager, or anyone that will listen, that you saw their ad in the Friendship Sloop Society publication. Please help us keep the yearbook afloat by supporting our supporters. Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2000, please send them to: Caroline Phillips, Society Secretary, 164 Sturbridge Road Charlton, MA 01507 – 7 –