With the days growing shorter in Annapolis
and summer reduced to memories, I have just completed my 50th year of
sailing. Last winter, as I've done every year since I was 12, I planned
my sailing schedule. In 2005, after two years of illness, I decided to
spend a lot of time on the water and planned a program featuring 10
sailing projects that ranged from dinghies to tall ships, competitive
racing to family cruising. Looking back on it now, this year's been an
amazing ride, and it's given me a renewed appreciation for sailing's
many facets.

Return to Racing-Etchells
racing was a good way to get started after my time off. After a
Wednesday night race to get tuned up, Jud Smith and Rob Erda joined me
in Annapolis for the Lands' End NOOD Regatta (SW, July '05). Winning
that inspired me to then compete in the North Americans in June in
Chicago with Gary Gilbert and Mark Mendelblatt crewing for me. Among
our competitors was Dennis Conner, who is always fun to race against
because of his on-course logic. I admire the way he plugs away during a
race and rarely goes the wrong way hoping for a break. I also enjoy the
fact that all of the Etchells class sailors compete hard, but in a
sportsmanlike manner.

The Chicago YC did a wonderful job running six long courses along the
lake front. One featured 35-knot winds. We won the start and led by
half a leg. It was a super race for us. At one point, on the run, we
actually got the Etchells up on a plane, careening on the edge of
control. "We've got to be more aggressive!" said Mendelblatt.

"Mark," I pleaded, "we could broach!"

He looked back at me and muttered, "OK, OK."

I thought, "Ahhhh, youth." Overall, we ended up third behind Conner and winner Jud Smith.

Paradise Found: Sailing the
BVIs-Sunsail Yacht Charters invited me to make a film on sailing the
British Virgin Islands, and our film crew spent a week following two
boats, one with a family of four and one with two couples, to all the
good spots in the islands. It was fascinating to observe and record the
enthusiasm of novice sailors and to create a film celebrating the magic
of adventure under sail for friends and family.

Chasing Charlie Barr-Next was
an ocean crossing in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge aboard the
252-foot clipper Stad Amsterdam, which was chartered by 40 members of
the Storm Trysail Club. Twenty boats tried to break Charlie Barr's
100-year-old record set aboard Atlantic, and two lightweight flyers did
it, Mari- Cha IV and Maximus.  At our pre-race briefing, J/44
owner Leonard Sitar asked Captain Pieter Brantjes if we had to sit on
the windward rail. That got a good laugh. The ship only weighs about
two million pounds. The fastest thing about our ride was that it rolled
alternately to port and then starboard every six seconds. Someone
calculated that during our 14-day voyage we rolled 119,000 times.

Late in the race, our captain got us back, somberly informing us all
that a weather phenomena known as Moroccan Red would soon blow across
the racecourse. "The winds could reach hurricane strength!" he
deadpanned. Our crew was horrified, until we saw his smile. We were
completely fooled. The highlight of the trip was launching an 18-foot
inflatable to take pictures of Stad in mid-ocean. It was blowing 30 and
the waves were 15 feet high, so the footage was spectacular. Thirty-two
years had passed since my last crossing but two things remained
constant. The ocean is still a vast body of water, and the bonds a crew
develops during the passage are as strong as ever.

Leukemia Cup-Since 1993 I have
been chairman of the Leukemia Cup Regatta Series. This year 8,000
sailors raised $3 million at 44 events, of which I attended 16.
Collectively, since 1993, these regattas have now raised $18 million
for cancer research. The sport of sailing should be proud of this
accomplishment.

College Sailing-The skills of
our college sailors always astound me. Working with the
Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, ESPN aired the team race and
co-ed championships. The young sailors did not warm up easily to the
cameras we put aboard, but I have a feeling that some day they will
appreciate watching their precision on the water. A few weeks later I
showed some of the collegiate video clips during the U.S. Youth
Championships. You could have heard a pin drop as the junior sailors
marveled at the skills of their heroes. We should all work to inspire
these talented sailors to represent the United States in future Olympic
Games.

Barnegat Bay A Cats-Ten of
these classic wooden designs from the 1920s race every Saturday on
Barnegat Bay, N.J. I grew up sailing on the Bay and always admired
these magnificent, sturdy 28-foot catboats. Over the past year I've
co-authored a book on this class with Jersey shore sailing coach Roy
Wilkins and had my first chance to skipper one in a regatta. We
finished with a 2-5 and learned that Bay sailors compete with the same
intensity as America's Cup sailors.

Cruising Down East-Scheduling
some quiet time on the water is as important as racing, and the coast
of Maine is one of the best cruising grounds in the world. Part of my
credo this year was to maximize the sailing and minimize the engine
time aboard our Sabre 402 Whirlwind. My family and our friends
reconnected during three trips totaling 24 days, and I was reminded how
special it is to spend time on the water with people you care about
most.

Go Courageous-Craig
Millard invited me to Newport, R.I., to sail on Courageous, our old
America's Cup 12-Meter, which has never looked better. It was
fascinating to race with Craig's amateur crew, whose enthusiasm
reminded me of the energy Ted Turner and our team had aboard the boat
during the America's Cup trials and races. The fleet of nine 12-Meters
racing that July weekend had collectively won seven America's Cups
(Columbia, Weatherly, Intrepid, Courageous, and Freedom). It made me
wonder if the current America's Cup class boats will be racing 30 years
from now.

New York YC Cruise-My wife
Janice and two of our daughters, Ashleigh and Brooke, sailed three
races of the New York YC cruise in Maine in August. Two races were
abandoned due to lack of wind, and we placed seventh of nine boats in
the third. Maybe we were outgunned, but we had plenty of fun watching
some of our rivals, including two classic Herreshoff designs,
Ticonderoga and Rugosa. I had to laugh when NYYC PRO John Mendez became
frustrated watching the crew of one leading boat trying to cross a
finish line in no wind and foul current. After 15 minutes waiting, John
took the finish line flag from the bow of the race committee boat and
moved it aft to the stern. The boat crossed and received the gun. It
was a nice touch.

Nantucket Sleigh Ride-Thirteen
noted sailors were invited by the Nantucket YC and the Great Harbor YC
to sail in a Pro/Am regatta as guest tacticians aboard a fleet of
International One-Designs. The roster of sailors who competed for the
benefit of the Nantucket Community Sailing program was impressive:
Peter and JJ Isler, John Burnham, Chris Larson, Robbie Doyle, Jim and
Julia Brady, Kevin Burnham, Jody Swanson, Dean Brenner, television
commentator Chris Matthews (who had never raced before), and me.
Nantucket is a magical island with reliable winds, and amazingly, the
whole fleet managed to stay within 2 minutes of each other at each
finish. Our crew, skippered by Ian McNeice, ended up second to David
Poor and Chris Larson. Not bad racing against those heavyweights.

Bermuda Bound-Looking ahead to
2006, the 100th anniversary of the Newport-Bermuda Race will be the
event of the year. I plan to sail in that race and to continue to savor
every moment on the water. I hope you do, too.