August/September 2002

Atlanta Yacht Club's Dixie Regatta celebrates its 50th anniversary at Lake Allatoona with seven junior boats participating and adult racing over two days. Alex Krumdieck and Scott Griffin finish first and second overall, with special trophies including framed prints and vintage 45 rpm records for honorary winners.

President Griffin highlights the upcoming 2003 Nationals at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, mentioning excellent sailing conditions in Choctowhatchee Bay and abundant family amenities. He thanks outgoing Secretary/Treasurer Carol and Trudy Hudson and welcomes new Secretary/Treasurer Patty Lawrence.

Editor Dryden discusses the focus on reaching techniques in heavy air, encourages submissions of regatta reports (noting the tradition that third-place finishers write them), and introduces Nicole Finefrock, a new Bagpipe team member who is a Miami University sophomore aspiring to edit The New York Times.

Bruce documents appearances of Thistle sailboats in three Hollywood films: Away All Boats (1956) featuring Clint Eastwood, Masquerade (1988) with Rob Lowe, and Quiz Show with a boat used in water scenes. He connects these appearances to class members and boat histories.

Valla explains the formation of a Long Range Planning Committee to address declining participation in Thistle racing and membership. The committee, chaired by Valla and including regional representatives, will examine membership structure, the Green Book, nationals qualification systems, and boat co-ownership rules to modernize the class while maintaining its traditions.

Team King provides detailed teamwork strategies for heavy-air reaching in Thistles, covering techniques for the set, the reach itself, the jibe mark, and the takedown. Their article emphasizes anticipation, speed control, communication, and precise boathandling to maximize performance in windy conditions.

Eight Thistlers competed at Ken Lake, North Carolina in a multi-fleet regatta on June 15. Heavy winds caused capsizes from all fleets. John O'Connor's team won with a surprising upset despite mechanical damage mid-weekend. Family teams and junior sailors participated successfully.

Nearly fifty Thistles competed at Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club in northern New Jersey for the Atlantic Coast Championships over September 21-22, 2002. All five races were completed—rare for this unpredictable lake. Mike Ingham won with 21 points, with strong local performances from Brent Barbehenn and Chris Murphy.

Thirty-seven boats competed at Hoover Yacht Club near Columbus, Ohio on June 29-30. High pressure dominated with light winds. Bob McNitt won the series with 6 points after three races, with Tom Hubbell second at 15 points. Skip Dieball gave an instructional seminar on boat tuning.

Ten competitors raced at St. Petersburg Sailing Center on May 4 in a 10-15 mph south breeze. Greg Griffin won with 7 points. The Florida Series Championship was also decided, with Griffin taking first place overall and Christian Smith earning most improved skipper.

Lischer discusses the broadening age range of competitive Thistlers and emphasizes the importance of attracting younger sailors and families to ensure the class's future. He mentions inspiring examples like Peter Christiansen and his siblings, and calls for continued cultivation of an environment that maintains the class's diversity and enthusiasm.

Reddaway advocates combining Opti sailing programs with Thistle regattas to introduce young sailors and their families to the class. He describes Lake Lanier Sailing Club's successful Opti program with 25+ boats and proposes this as a strategy to grow Thistle participation.

The Lake Erie Spring Series covers regattas in Indiana and Ohio from April through June, with 37 boats at the 8-Ball, 12 at Buckeye Lake, 14 at Lemonaide, 17 at Damful, and multi-race weekends at Berlin and Cowan. Clark Wade emerged as the overall series winner. Multiple venues and conditions showcased consistent sailing.

Seneca Lake and Seneca Yacht Club hosted the Great Lakes regatta on June 8-9 with 43 boats. Eric Gesner won the championship with 19 points despite light air and flat conditions on both days. The event featured excellent social activities including a fireworks display and the traditional bar boat tradition.

Laber provides practical step-by-step instructions for diagnosing and fixing the most common cause of bailer leaks—a bent lip or accumulated grit. The fix typically requires less than 5 minutes of boat-side cleaning and maintenance.

This section includes boat sales and miscellaneous classifieds. A 1940s-era custom-painted Thistle (3482) with two sail sets and trailer is advertised for $2,500. Carbon fiber spinnaker poles and JibMaster II cleats are also offered for sale.