December 1947

The Edgewater Frostbite racing series concluded with winter weather bringing wind and snow. Harvey Busch and his yacht NAN TOO won the series with 97 points, followed by Sandy Douglass (Faukie, 84 points) and Art Hamars (Wee Too, 83 points). The results highlight the dominance of boats with TOO in their names and praise Busch's sailing family.

The Thistle fleet from Watkins Lake visited Pontiac Y.C. on a stormy day during which a September Florida hurricane tail-end produced 15+ mph winds and 60-mile gusts. Lightning sailors challenged the Thistles to race despite poor conditions; 21 Lightnings and 6 Thistles participated. The Thistles fared better overall, with only one failing to finish, while nearly all but six of the Lightnings encountered trouble.

Administrative announcements for fleet members including 1948 dues payment instructions, requests for fleet annual reports, and notification of the Winter Meeting and gathering scheduled for Saturday, January 24 at the Cleveland Athletic Club.

Report on the Cleveland Yacht Club's fleet of 13 Thistles which hosted the 1947 National Championship and engaged in a full season of five major racing series. John Lovett dominated the competition, winning multiple series including the September Winds Trophy, while Ken Glor and Bob Clabault also performed well across different series.

Bob Laughlin, a veteran sailor at Sandusky Sailing Club, won the championship with his boat SVENAULI, which he plans to repaint red and gold. The article includes notes on other Sandusky sailors including Larry Miller, Allen Stroud and his son Dick, and Jud Spore who has developed a new bottom treatment for racing.

Edgewater Y.C. held an early trophy presentation where a syndicate of Ted Nussbaum, John Delti and Bob Gorman won with HIGHLAND LASS, No. 52. Harvey Busch's NAN TOO finished runner-up. In a subsequent Young Trophy race under handicap rules, an International 21 won overall, with Harvey Busch finishing third in the Thistle fleet results.

A collection of brief anecdotes from the Thistle fleet including a humorous note about a distress signal that turned out to be a baby diaper from a new crewman's family, Ray McLeod's joke about his boat being "out of work" with plaid trim clipping issues, and a note about Mentor-to-Port fleet boats' competitive success with each skipper winning at least once.

The editor's seasonal closing message with holiday wishes for Merry Christmas and happy sailing in the new year, inviting readers to the Winter Meeting. Includes a humorous aside about a harmonica refusing to play Christmas melodies.