Sunnies (Sunfish) keep popping up in the mutual experiences of instructors, sailmakers, and students coming to us to better learn how to sail.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever wind up sailing a Sunfish… until I did. I’ve told that story before; quick recap:
But first, a pic of course…
I show up for the last day of the fall series at Sebago Canoe Club two seasons ago. As I start to uncover a Laser, the gang proposes that we all sail Sunfish so it’s strictly one-design. I say sure, why not? But: caveat – I’ve never sailed one before and am therefore NOT CERTIFIED by the Club on one! (Ya know; strict rules.) Response? “You’re good.”
I was. Won the first start and led at all the marks. Good start was one thing; enough boat speed to maintain was also helpful. Of course, I pulled a WildeCard: rounded the last mark the wrong way so I was disqualified at the finish. No problem. More races to sail and fail that day and others.
The next season: rinse and repeat. Last day of fall series. Win the start. Round first mark in 1st. Max earned an inside overlap at the bottom mark so got to round first, and he won. (I won the next; mixed bag after that including me quitting early due to light and variable winds and getting bored.)
Haven’t sailed one since. Was signed up for the 2nd annual BUSC, or Brooklyn Urban Sunfish Championship. Both this season and last, the podium was filled with non-members meaning it was competitive! This year a guy who was 9th at the North Americans, and who qualified for the upcoming World’s, won. He offered to do a clinic at our Club and the reception to that suggestion has been quite enthusiastic and grateful.
I skipped the next date (spring series) as it was too windy for my 130-pound ass to hold the boat down. Next week? Same. Next? I was about to leave and drive over from the Sailing Center. Got the word it was canceled due to too much wind.
“So it goes.
-Kurt Vonnegut
I’ll sail them again and again, as well as a Laser and the single Vanguard 15 the club has; two members have their own so 3 is enough for some one-design fun.
Back to Sunnies. It seems that every other sailor or student I speak to lately has sailed them, and then some. So far this season, around 50% of the new students have had time on a Sunfish. So, there’s that.
I hopped on a a call with our preferred sailmaker, Mark Ploch (oh, not otch), from Northeast Sailmakers’ Doyle division in Mamaroneck. Needed to order a spare batten and pusher. Got to chatting sailing. Turns out… He learned to sail on Sunnies in Corpus Christi, Texas! He went on to other things of course, like sailing Finns (world’s toughest boat to sail), winning the j/24 North Americans once, etc, etc. But it all started on a Sunny.
This is a super competitive regatta. To be considered, one must be champion at the national or world level in a well respected class of boat. One wildcard “gust skipper” is invited each year as well, based on their top tier achievements in racing. Megan was the invite that year, as she’d won the US Sailing Women’s Keelboat Championship at age 17 (a national level regatta that, like it’s dinghy equivalents, pits champion sailors from a range of different boat designs. That means it’s less about how well you know one boat and all about how well you sail and race overall. Diane Vandeputte, photo.
Just for better perspective, here’s a shot of a starting sequence for that regatta: this has to be 5 or fewer seconds before the start. Super tight at the windward (far) end as it’s favored (advantageous either inherently or at the moment due to a wind shift)…
A former student of the school, Alicia, posted a pic on FB recently. It showed a Sunfish cut in half on the back of a truck somewhere. I made a quip about it in the context of my recent start in the class. Out of the blue, I then hear from Mike, a former instructor at my DAD’S school! That goes way back. I remembered Mike fondly. We started catching up on ourselves and also some of the other OG. He also pointed out that he knew Alicia, which is how he saw me pop up: he’s a photographer, and he shot the Around Shelter Island race last year. It’s a 26-mile (approx) distance race… in Sunfish! Here’s Julie Lindell, as shot by Mike, in that event…
Then, there’s Jim. He’s one of our instructors; started teaching with us last season. He knocked out his instructor certification this week. The ASA instructor evaluator (now called Master Instructors or some such) asked the candidates to chime in about their sailing backgrounds in order to best assign topics for a classroom presentation to be critiqued. What boat did Jim have time in that I didn’t know about? Sunfish! Or, at least a knock-off of one called a Phantom. (Close enough.)
Jim actually learned from us a long time and has been an avid sailor since, owning a boat or three along the way and coming along on one of our destination trips to Sicily’s Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands). Still has the Phantom of the Sunfish.
Sunfish/Funfish. Been around since the late 1940’s; not going nowhere no time soon.
