By Chris Museler
My
editorial buddy here in the press office, John Rousmaniere, pulled his
head up from the laptop today and said “What is that?” It was the
pitter-patter of little feet and high pitched giggles. A game of tag
had commenced in the hallway. “You didn’t see this in the past.
This used to be just a guys thing.”
The
Newport Bermuda Race has long been known as a family affair, with sons
sailing with dads and even granddads. But since 2008, when the William
L. Glenn Family Participation Prize was first awarded, there have been
a growing number of families of both genders taking the trip together.
More family members sailing means more little ones running down the
docks and yacht club halls.
“I’ve
been very heartened by the number of people going for this trophy,”
said Larry Glenn, who donated it in honor of his late brother. “The
CCA saw this as an opportunity to encourage family sailing.” Glenn,
who sailed his J-44 Runaway to a second in class, added that
his brother Will was “such a wonderful model for sailors. He brought
everyone up around him.”
Larry Glenn (fourth from left, next
to his wife, Anne) donated the William L. Glenn Family Participation
Prize in memory of his brother. Here he is
with his own large sailing family.
Will
Glenn was a top sailor at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, in Oyster
Bay, NY, where Glenn family members have served as commodores of both
the senior and junior clubs. He was a role model to his family and the
children around the club, and lived for sharing his cruising and racing
with family and friends. His son, named after him, was a world-class
Laser sailor and the elder Will raced his Laser with vigor well into
his later years.
The
award is given to the two boats, one in the Cruiser Division and the
other in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, that have the best
performance
with four immediate family crewmembers aboard. One of those family
members
must also be in the afterguard as a skipper, watch captain, or
navigator.
Befitting
the Bermuda Race, the William L. Glenn Family Participation Prize has
intimate ties to the race and is a singular trophy – a brass sextant
Larry gave to his brother when he bought Winnie of Bourne, a
Concordia yawl (a class that has been represented in the race since
the 1940s) that was previously owned by a longtime Bermuda Race sailor
and the historian of the CCA, John Parkinson. The first Glenn trophies
were won in 2008 by Colin Couper’s Babe, a Bermuda boat, in
the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, and Brad Willauer’s Breezing
Up in the Cruiser Division. This year 18 boats registered for the
trophy – which shows that family ocean racing is catching on.
“We
each have our strengths and everyone respects each other,” said Anne
Glenn, Larry’s wife, who always sails in Runaway. On
board also are their daughter D’Arcy Glenn Carr, son Larry Jr., two
nephews, and a son-in-law. Another daughter, Alison, was seven months
pregnant and flew down to greet the family.
Said
D’Arcy, “Even if it’s not a good race, it’s still fun. And we
learn an awful lot about each other. It’s much cheaper than therapy.”
Aboard
the 80-foot Nirvana, the Kiefer family has been mirroring the
Glenn tradition. Charlie Kiefer and his brother David had so many family
members yearning to do the race, they decided to buy a much bigger boat.
“Each time we come to Bermuda it really has that ‘reunion’ feeling,”
said David who has been racing to Bermuda aboard Nirvana since
2002. Their sister Ginny Kiefer had come down for the delivery back
and her three sons, Jeff, Mike, and Rob, raced aboard the boat. Nephew
Kevin Richardson was the chef.
David and
Charlie Kiefer get in some quiet family time in
Nirvana’s cabin.
“Some
don’t want to do the race down,” said Charlie as he sat in the
teak-clad,
air conditioned salon. “But they will fly down for the party. I’m
not sure those who go desperately want to be with us – but they really
want to do the trip.”
The
Kiefers said that family in close quarters can get tedious but that
“watching a movie in surround sound while eating ice cream” keeps
everyone happy.
The
Glenns said that knowing each other so well lends to some challenging
situations. “Larry Jr. was the watch captain and the boat was going
like hell – the rain, middle of the night, everything – when he
came below,” said Larry Glenn about an incident this week. “He comes
down to rest with a cup of coffee and then he gets the call from up
top: ‘Larry, Mommy says it’s time to take out the reef.’”
Carina,
this year’s St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy winner, also sails with
a family crew. “The main reason I got this boat was to sail with my
children,” said owner Rives Potts. “I was able to sail all over
the place when I was young, and I wanted to give them the same
experience.”
Potts started taking his sons out on Carina when they were 11
and 12. This was the fourth for Allen and Thomas and their cousin
Rives Sunderland. Multiple members of the Crump, Gahagan, and
Hamilton-Young
families were also onboard. Carina is one of three eligible boats
that won their class.
Ned
Glenn, whose wife Martha flew down to greet him, says they have a simple
formula to explain success. “My motto is, 'always marry a better sailor
than you.' I married up.”
His
uncle Larry agreed, and said, “There’s going to be a grandchild
with one hell of a gene pool.”