Looks like summer FINALLY got here! Opening Day was sunny and beautiful, despite a full day of rain 24 hours earlier. Thanks to Doug Holthaus for opening CELESTE for review and representing the fleet. She looked great and made us all proud!
Cissy and I were out sailing yesterday and couldn’t help but notice what a beautiful job Ron Render has done with #54 TWILIGHT. She was covered, but it is obvious from what I saw that he has been hard at work. Great job, Ron!
I have been busy with my continued attempts at updating the history and records of the fleet. Last month, Tom Kettenburg was kind enough to send me some photocopied pages from the pocket notebook of a Kettenburg Boat Works salesman dated 1949. The notes listed the owner names, hull numbers and boat names of all PC’s to date! I was very excited about this because it enabled me to fill in several “blanks” on my records list and clear up some mysteries!! Thank you, Tom!
I have also had extended conversations with Jack and Peggy Bone who are trying to track down some of the past “PC Fleet Meetings” notes, which will give additional history information. Jack has promised to review my lists and we plan to meet soon so as to correct my errors. I sure appreciate all the assistance I have been getting from people like them!
Another past PC skipper Jim Kacirk (MANDALAY hull #40) was most gracious in offering the photo seen in this column. What a beautiful shot! Thank you, Jim! I also received a phone call from Tom Merris, who’s father, Don, crewed on Bob Mann’s PC #7 in the 1931 Hawaii race. Tom has some photos taken during that time and has offered to share them with me. I am anxiously awaiting another call from him. Photos like these are added treasures to the fleet history book and will certainly help with the restoration project.
In the shop, both hulls #14 and 36 have been painted as of last week. The interiors and finish work will commence soon so as to have them out of the shop and finished by the time this year’s Wooden Boat Festival, which begins on June 16th. It will sure be great to see LA CUCARACHA in the mix again after all these years that she has been “on the hard”. I hope that # 8 and #16 will take their places in the shop when the space is freed up. Last week I continued the task of removing hardware from #16 and will soon get out the old drill and start busting out sisters and bad ribs. She’s in pretty sad shape and will need a lot of work (I make it sound like “this one” is different from all the rest!!!!). I also hope to soon schedule the first of a series of meetings to “fine tune” the restoration of WINGS. As I have said many times over, this project will not be an easy one. I am counting on all of you to give insight.
Don’t forget that this year’s Kettenburg Regatta will be held on June 10th. This event is ALWAYS well attended and a lot of fun. The SDYC One Designs are also scheduled for the same day so it will be a tough choice!
I hope the great weather will stay with us into the summer, and we can all get back on track sailing more at fleet events. Until then, I will look for you all out there on those beautiful “perfect PC days”.
Rish Pavelec
PC #63