To all PYC members, sage and new ~ We will continue to send these wonderful, insightful memories through 2025. Please share your stories, photos and thoughts with our PYC members too, so interesting! Thank you. Jeff's first story is certainly inspirational for "the let's get it done" on the north dock that will need replacing in the next year or so. Many thanks to Jeff and Judy Lovelace who are participants in the 75th Anniversary team. _______________________________________ Jeffrey Lovelace Commodore 1987-1988 A bright Saturday morning in early April 1985 a bunch of guys showed up at PYC to build new floats and launch the docks. As the new Vice Commodore, I showed up to help out. The group was led by Past Commodore Paul Risseeuw and Commodore Bill Grover. Past Commodore Dave Thurston was probably in the group too as were a bunch of fellows from Centerbrook Architects. A young kid - Bob Cashman who I think was just sixteen - showed up in a brand new, red pickup truck full of tools, wood, nuts and bolts. He jumped out and proceeded to tell us older guys exactly how to put everything together. Miraculous! Everything worked and the group constructed 5 or 6 new floats and launched them by the end of the day. Wonderful examples of "the let's get it done" comradery Pettipaug so thrives on and the special members we have like Paul Risseeuw who was always available to help me out with a laugh and big smile. Another great example of Pettipaug spirit was the building of the 8 Optimists dinghies in 1988. As I remember we had father-son teams and one father-daughter team for each boat under the leadership of Paul Risseeuw. Paul worked at Electric Boat building subs, so a few Optimist were a piece of cake for him. We took over a three-car garage that PYC member John Duncan had a listing on in Ivoryton that winter where all the boats were constructed much as the original Blue Jay fleet was done by Peter Gref in the '50s. Although he declined my offer to speak at our christening ceremony, Peter was pleased we carried on in his tradition. We worked a wonderful deal with Wesleyan University - probably thanks to Vice Commodore Dick Buell who was a professor there. In exchange for the use of our Club for the spring and fall, we would get the use of their 420s in our summer PYC Jr Sailing Academy. A win-win situation that extended the use of our property. Trinity College would follow later as would rowing friend John Laundon who had often said to me how nice it would be to launch up river at Pettipaug and not have to navigate all congestion of the Essex mooring area. An outstanding event was leading the PYC junior members in a parade up Main Street to the reception at the Town Hall honoring naval architect Britt Chance and Tom Whidden, the tactician who brought back the America's Cup from Australia in 1987. _______________________________________________ Jeffrey C. Lovelace May 5, 2025 The Essex 14 Story [cid:image003.jpg@01DBD14E.7C641670]About 1988, a group of Pettipaug Yacht Club members decided they wanted to launch a new sailboat company. The principals behind this boat building endeavor were PYC members: Simeon Braguin (local PYC blue jay sailor, formerly with Bergdorf Goodman, and renowned artist), past commodore Dave Thurston, (designer of amphibious aircraft), past commodore Paul Risseeuw (a supervisor at Electric Boat building nuclear subs for the Navy), past commodore Bill Grover (the brilliant head of Centerbrook Architects) and me (present commodore, a lifelong sailor and advertising salesman for a national boating magazine with lots of connections with boat builders) There may have been others, but that was a long time ago. We incorporated and issued stock. The concept for the new design was to build a two-person, one-design centerboard dinghy with jib, main, spinnaker, and self-bailing cockpit that would perform lightning-fast and plane like a Laser but be as stable as a Blue Jay so you'd feel comfortable taking your mother/mother-in-law across the bay for a sail. We went to Britt Chance, the renowned, Essex yacht architect with America's Cup experience. He drew up the lines based on our parameters and the Essex 14 began to take shape. The molds were made by Eric Goetz, Goetz Custom Boats in RI. I had a commitment from Bill Lacey, General Manager of AMF/Alcort (the preeminent firm that made thousands of Sunfish and other small sailboats) to build and market the boat. However, the market fell apart and AMF had to decline. Despite AMF's decision, George O'Day (The George O'Day) approached us and we pressed onward to launch the line. Several were built but despite valiant efforts, the new class never took hold. I believe the molds still exist. Paul and Bill retrieved them so they may be in the Essex area somewhere. A decade or so later, J-Boats, who I had gone to but weren't interested at the time, came out with a similar model, the JY 15. To date over 3,000 boats built; 80 fleets in U.S. On our part, it was a valiant effort. The market we envisioned finally rebounded. Jeffrey C. Lovelace May 5, 2025
