At 91, Still Racing After All These Years

© Herb McCormick

At 91, Jack Sutphen, who served as Dennis Conner's sparring partner for multiple America's Cup campaigns, is still going strong.

    
Sutphen was at Dennis's side when the Cup was lost in 1983, and still riding shotgun when Stars & Stripes won it back in 1987, which he calls "the best campaign ever." That year, Jack became leader of the infamous "Mushrooms," the B Boat crew, so called because they were kept in the dark, could be canned anytime, and were fed a lot of, um, crap.
    
He has so many stories he could write a book, and in fact, he has. Messing About in Boats for 80 Years is the name, and within its pages is one illustrated anecdote after another about his rich life on the water. It can be ordered through the publisher at their website (www.classicyachtfoundation.org).
    
If you find yourself at the San Diego YC there's a good chance you'll cross paths with Sutphen, and if you do so, say hello. It's not every day that you get the opportunity to shake hands with someone in the Cup HOF. But think twice if you get an invitation to sail a PC race. After all, as the man correctly noted, it's no fun getting schooled by a man in his nineties.