Pettipaug Memories ~

 75^th ANNIVERSARY 1950-2025

The beloved Paul Risseeuw at Pettipaug Yacht Club

FLYING ON THE WATER WITH I 14 fleet

Written by Mary Risseeuw

Pettipaug had a thriving International 14 fleet in the 1970s. The 14's were dinghies –

shells with an oversized sail area—sleek, fast and agile. You needed precision skill

and coordinated timing to sail them to their max — which often meant you were

practically flying over the water!

A long-ago memory reminded me how exhilarating it could be  to race this small boat

at PYC. 

It was the Fall of 1976 and we were racing north past Joshua's Rock on a spinnaker

reach. I was on the trapeze and Paul, with a light touch on the tiller, kept us on a steady

plane. A huge gust came from behind. Two boats capsized and Paul and I prepared for

the inevitable. He feathered the boat while I heaved outboard on the trapeze, playing

the chute. You could feel the power of the wind take us to a whole other level. We were

sailing on a razor's edge about to lift off the water. One wrong twitch of tiller, tweak of

the sail or shift of weight and we would be under water. 

Suddenly, a loud howl rose up from the hull. I had never heard anything so shocking

and eerie,  but it was the sound of perfect resonance. We glided through the gust and

to the finish just before the bend in the river. 

 Was it the adrenaline or speed or danger that makes this memory still so vivid to me?

Or was it  my youth and first thrilling experience of racing an extreme small boat where

you are inches above the water, the speed seemingly three times as fast, and you feel

hull touch every ripple? I don't know ,but it cemented my love of racing at Pettipaug.

This unpretentious little club on the beautiful Connecticut River holds a special

place in my heart. It is a gift for all who come here, and I hope the spirit of PYC

never changes.

Mary Risseeuw