Sailboat Racing on the Connecticut River
Dublin Core
Title
Sailboat Racing on the Connecticut River
Subject
Bicentennial quilt; Connecticut River; Essex, Connecticut; sailboats
Description
The real origins of sailboat racing on the Connecticut River date back to the early 1900's when shad fishermen raced their "dragnet" boats informally each spring. However it was the Great Depression that provided the impetus for organized dinghy racing which has been a winter spectacle on the River from 1933 until today. Yachtsmen, unable to keep up their grand cruisers, took to racing their yacht tenders - an inexpensive, challenging sport.
Essex became a major racing port when a neutral meeting ground was required for the rival Boston and New York area Frostbite (winter sailing) fleets. The first regatta was held in Essex in 1933 and was enthusiastically supported by the town with a local band sending off the fleet at Steamboat Dock. The dinghies were sailed by some of the most illustrious yachtsmen of the time: George Ratsey, Ducky Endt, Corny Shields, Alan and Ted Clark, Arthur Knapp, Sherry Fahnestock, Lorna Whittlesay, Fred Thurber, Jack Wood, John Alden, Eleanor Wood, Porter Buck, Rod Stephens, Bob Bavier, Ken Whiting, and Bill Dyer.
With the formation of the Essex Yacht Club in 1933, Frostbiting flourished throughout the years. Several classes of boats have had their hayday on the river: Class A and B, later Class X, then the Rhodes Class and today, 1976, Blue Jays, Lasers and Interclub Dinghies.
The sailors of these boats are still distinguished as some of the best small boat sailers anywhere. Not only do nationally and internationally recognized skippers come to Essex to sail the shifty winds and icy waters of the Connecticut River but homebred and -trained Essex sailors have achieved worldwide recognition in small boat racing. "Frostbiting" takes place from mid-March to early May and from mid-October to early December.
The formation of the Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy in 1953 has continued to foster interest and training in small boat racing. The Pettipaug Yacht Club String, Summer and Fall Series round out the sailing year to provide nearly nine months (mid-March to mid-December) of racing for dauntless sailors of the River.
Today (and hopefully forever) the sight of upwards of 60 small boats rounding their mark, fighting currents, tides, fresh winds, ice floes and New Hampshire logs, continues as a lovely and exciting sight every Sunday on the Connecticut River in Essex.
Essex became a major racing port when a neutral meeting ground was required for the rival Boston and New York area Frostbite (winter sailing) fleets. The first regatta was held in Essex in 1933 and was enthusiastically supported by the town with a local band sending off the fleet at Steamboat Dock. The dinghies were sailed by some of the most illustrious yachtsmen of the time: George Ratsey, Ducky Endt, Corny Shields, Alan and Ted Clark, Arthur Knapp, Sherry Fahnestock, Lorna Whittlesay, Fred Thurber, Jack Wood, John Alden, Eleanor Wood, Porter Buck, Rod Stephens, Bob Bavier, Ken Whiting, and Bill Dyer.
With the formation of the Essex Yacht Club in 1933, Frostbiting flourished throughout the years. Several classes of boats have had their hayday on the river: Class A and B, later Class X, then the Rhodes Class and today, 1976, Blue Jays, Lasers and Interclub Dinghies.
The sailors of these boats are still distinguished as some of the best small boat sailers anywhere. Not only do nationally and internationally recognized skippers come to Essex to sail the shifty winds and icy waters of the Connecticut River but homebred and -trained Essex sailors have achieved worldwide recognition in small boat racing. "Frostbiting" takes place from mid-March to early May and from mid-October to early December.
The formation of the Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy in 1953 has continued to foster interest and training in small boat racing. The Pettipaug Yacht Club String, Summer and Fall Series round out the sailing year to provide nearly nine months (mid-March to mid-December) of racing for dauntless sailors of the River.
Today (and hopefully forever) the sight of upwards of 60 small boats rounding their mark, fighting currents, tides, fresh winds, ice floes and New Hampshire logs, continues as a lovely and exciting sight every Sunday on the Connecticut River in Essex.
Creator
Greenwood, JoAnn
Publisher
Essex Historical Society
Date
1976
Contributor
Little, Matthew W.
Rights
Essex Historical Society
Format
Digital Image, Adobe pdf
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Identifier
Quilt_37
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
The real origins of sailboat racing on the Connecticut River date back to the early 1900's when shad fishermen raced their "dragnet" boats informally each spring. However it was the Great Depression that provided the impetus for organized dinghy racing which has been a winter spectacle on the River from 1933 until today. Yachtsmen, unable to keep up their grand cruisers, took to racing their yacht tenders - an inexpensive, challenging sport.
Essex became a major racing port when a neutral meeting ground was required for the rival Boston and New York area Frostbite (winter sailing) fleets. The first regatta was held in Essex in 1933 and was enthusiastically supported by the town with a local band sending off the fleet at Steamboat Dock. The dinghies were sailed by some of the most illustrious yachtsmen of the time: George Ratsey, Ducky Endt, Corny Shields, Alan and Ted Clark, Arthur Knapp, Sherry Fahnestock, Lorna Whittlesay, Fred Thurber, Jack Wood, John Alden, Eleanor Wood, Porter Buck, Rod Stephens, Bob Bavier, Ken Whiting, and Bill Dyer.
With the formation of the Essex Yacht Club in 1933, Frostbiting flourished throughout the years. Several classes of boats have had their hayday on the river: Class A and B, later Class X, then the Rhodes Class and today, 1976, Blue Jays, Lasers and Interclub Dinghies.
The sailors of these boats are still distinguished as some of the best small boat sailers anywhere. Not only do nationally and internationally recognized skippers come to Essex to sail the shifty winds and icy waters of the Connecticut River but homebred and -trained Essex sailors have achieved worldwide recognition in small boat racing. "Frostbiting" takes place from mid-March to early May and from mid-October to early December.
The formation of the Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy in 1953 has continued to foster interest and training in small boat racing. The Pettipaug Yacht Club String, Summer and Fall Series round out the sailing year to provide nearly nine months (mid-March to mid-December) of racing for dauntless sailors of the River.
Today (and hopefully forever) the sight of upwards of 60 small boats rounding their mark, fighting currents, tides, fresh winds, ice floes and New Hampshire logs, continues as a lovely and exciting sight every Sunday on the Connecticut River in Essex.
Essex became a major racing port when a neutral meeting ground was required for the rival Boston and New York area Frostbite (winter sailing) fleets. The first regatta was held in Essex in 1933 and was enthusiastically supported by the town with a local band sending off the fleet at Steamboat Dock. The dinghies were sailed by some of the most illustrious yachtsmen of the time: George Ratsey, Ducky Endt, Corny Shields, Alan and Ted Clark, Arthur Knapp, Sherry Fahnestock, Lorna Whittlesay, Fred Thurber, Jack Wood, John Alden, Eleanor Wood, Porter Buck, Rod Stephens, Bob Bavier, Ken Whiting, and Bill Dyer.
With the formation of the Essex Yacht Club in 1933, Frostbiting flourished throughout the years. Several classes of boats have had their hayday on the river: Class A and B, later Class X, then the Rhodes Class and today, 1976, Blue Jays, Lasers and Interclub Dinghies.
The sailors of these boats are still distinguished as some of the best small boat sailers anywhere. Not only do nationally and internationally recognized skippers come to Essex to sail the shifty winds and icy waters of the Connecticut River but homebred and -trained Essex sailors have achieved worldwide recognition in small boat racing. "Frostbiting" takes place from mid-March to early May and from mid-October to early December.
The formation of the Pettipaug Junior Sailing Academy in 1953 has continued to foster interest and training in small boat racing. The Pettipaug Yacht Club String, Summer and Fall Series round out the sailing year to provide nearly nine months (mid-March to mid-December) of racing for dauntless sailors of the River.
Today (and hopefully forever) the sight of upwards of 60 small boats rounding their mark, fighting currents, tides, fresh winds, ice floes and New Hampshire logs, continues as a lovely and exciting sight every Sunday on the Connecticut River in Essex.
Original Format
Cloth fabric, quilting square, handicraft art
Collection
Citation
Greenwood, JoAnn, “Sailboat Racing on the Connecticut River,” Essex Library Association digital quilt, accessed May 12, 2024, https://bicentennialquilt.omeka.net/items/show/37.