This Old Cal 20 Has a Bright Future
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Last fall Scott Lamson tore a Classy Classified ad out of Latitude 38 and said to Paul Kaplan, "Here’s a Cal 20. You should buy it."
Lamson and Kaplan have been friends for a long time. The 40 Years in Review feature in the April issue of Latitude 38 included a photo of the two of them coming back from the ill-fated, horribly windy 1982 Doublehanded Farallones Race on Paul’s Nordic 44, Nordic Cowboy.
Paul Kaplan, whose name you may recognize from Bay Area businesses KKMI and City Yachts, had a Cal 20 when he was 15. He’d saved up enough money to buy a car but wasn’t old enough to drive, so he bought the Cal instead. His non-sailing parents made him sign a lengthy agreement about how he could use the boat, and off he went.
He had it for about five years, until he was 20. "Chrissy and I would sail up to the Delta," he said. "It took us three days to get home one time when it was really windy. There was an active racing fleet, and we made great friends for years. We were under 21 so they all bought us alcohol." Chrissy and Paul are still together and now have a grandson, 2-year-old Will Deuyour. Scott Lamson’s son Scotty and young Will are the new owners of the 1964 Cal 20 #347 Sprite.
"It’s come full circle for Chrissy and me. The Cal 20 was on the same dock as Santana." ‘Big Boat Row’ stretches between Marina Blvd. and St. Francis Yacht Club, looking out onto a briny little beach. "We bought the boat from two brothers who bought it brand new in 1964. On the Cityfront with an upwind berth we’ll never use the motor."
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC
"There’s an insane transfer fee for the slip, more than the price of the boat. And you can only transfer ownership once. So we created a legacy by endowing our grandkids. Scotty, who’s in his 20s, is the senior partner with Will. He promised that if he had a son he’d name him Scott."
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Off went Sprite to Paul’s boat yard for sprucing up. "We painted it the original colors and even had the sign painter trace over the old name. We added a companionway seat and hand holds and made a cork that goes into the plug for the engine well. When you own a boat yard you can do that sort of thing." Kame Richards of Pineapple Sails is building new carbon sails. "Steve Seal and I go way back. I got a new boom and some other parts from him."
Chrissy and daughters Sarah and Erica, son-in-law Nick Deuyour and grandson Will will sail Sprite. "We’ll do a bit of racing," admitted Paul — they’ve kept the boat class-legal. Chuckling, he called former Cal 20 fleet captain and perennial champion Richard vonEhrenkrook "such an enabler."
Look for a feature on more boat yard projects in the June issue of Latitude 38.
Fast Boats, Big Talent at Nacra Clinic
On May 13-14, the St. Francis Sailing Foundation hosted a High Performance Nacra 15 Clinic at St. Francis Yacht Club on San Francisco Bay. An impressive cadre of volunteer coaches came together to train 26 kids aboard a fleet of six Nacra catamarans. By the end of the weekend, Pamela Healy told the group, “Someone in this group will be going to the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018.”
One clinic participant was kite-racer Daniela Moroz who, at the age of 15 in 2016, became the youngest-ever recipient of the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award. Now 16, Daniela participated in the Nacra clinic, marking the first time she had ever raced a sailboat. She and 25 others rotated through Nacras all weekend, learning to sail (and capsize, and right) the boats in some of the most challenging conditions they will ever experience, also known as San Francisco Bay.
The Nacra 15 was selected for this clinic because it was recently named a World Sailing youth boat, and its cousin, the Nacra 17, will be a Youth Olympic boat in 2018. Nacra designer and volunteer coach Pete Melvin (of Morrelli & Melvin) brought four boats to the clinic, which combined with two Olympic Development Program boats to comprise the entire US fleet of this four-month-old class.
Another incredible aspect of the clinic was the caliber of support. There were eight coach boats (more than one per Nacra) and coaches included Bryan Paine of Ullman Sails, Pete Melvin of Morelli & Melvin (1988 Olympian), Malcolm Paige (US Olympic Sailing Director and two-time gold medalist), Craig Healy (2000 Olympian), Chris Steinfeld (1984 Olympian, silver medalist), Mike Martin (three-time 5o5 World Champion), Pamela Healy (1992 Olympian, bronze medalist) and Mike Menninger (Team Race National Champion).
Expect to see more high-performance development sailing at the StFYC in the months and years to come.
Matthew Turner Shipyard Sale
This Saturday, Call of the Sea is hosting a shipyard sale to benefit the continued construction of the 100-ft brigantine Matthew Turner. The event will take place in "the Big White Tent" where the Turner was built. Nautical artifacts such as tools, lumber, antique charts and models will be on sale, and hot dogs will be on the grill.
Docents will be on hand to take visitors from the tent down to the docks for tours of the Turner — but please, go to the tent first and find a docent!
And while you’re in Sausalito on Saturday, be sure to check out the Coast Guard’s Safe Boating Expo. A "fun, free family event," the Expo will be hosted at USCG Station Golden Gate between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and will include demonstrations and tours.