Month: December 2012

BUCKY REARDON

I grew up hearing about Bucky Reardon, a legend of the Newport waterfront. Much later our paths crossed on a number of occasions. Bucky was the mate on “Bolero” while she belonged to John Nicholas Brown. Fred Lawton was the Captain. Bucky revered Fred Lawton, who was an even greater legend.

Bucky later was the paid hand on “Figaro” for Bill Snaith.

In 1977 when I was sailing on “Independence” vieing for the America’s Cup; Bucky turned up with a new kind of deck shoe called “Barnacles”. They were frankly better than topsiders and we all started wearing them. Unfortunately our syndicate had a contract with Sperry Topsider so the Barnacles appearance was short-lived.

I would phone Bucky about once a year. Really I wanted to hear his stories of the past. They were fine stories of the era before us. Stories for another day. Today we remember Bucky.

 

 

James “Jim” “Bucky” Reardon died Nov. 30, 2012, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on June 9, 1931, in Newport, R.I., son of the late John and Marion (Baxter) Reardon.

 

He is survived by his loving wife, Janet (Brady) Reardon; five children, Kathy (Robert) Kurisko of Massachusetts, Kara (Ken) Navan of New York, Kevin Reardon of Florida, Sean (Cherie) Reardon of Virginia, and Liam (Nicole) Reardon of Massachusetts; seven grandchildren, Christopher and Timothy Marciante, Kayla, Julia and Nicole Navan, Kate and Lauren Reardon; a brother, William Reardon; and two sisters, Patsy Robertson and Suzanne Reardon of Newport, R.I. He is predeceased by a brother, John Reardon Jr

 

At a young age, Jim discovered a love of sailing that took him around the world to win such races as the America’s Cup, Fastnet and the TransAtlantic. He was a member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London, England, Cruising Club of America and the Storm Trysail Club.

Jim married Janet (Brady) Reardon on Nov. 11, 1961. During their 51 years of marriage, family and faith was his key priority while raising a family in Larchmont, N.Y. After he retired, he enjoyed time in Cape Cod, Massachusettsm, and Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda, Fla.

He graduated from Providence College with a degree in mathematics and was a former shoe buyer at R.H. Macy & Co. Recognized for his attention to detail and one who delivered results, Jim’s mantra was, “I deliver.”

 

Visiting hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in the Hallett Funeral Home, 273 Station Ave., South Yarmouth. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, in St. Pius X Church, Station Avenue, South Yarmouth. The burial will follow in Chandler Gray Cemetery, Chandler Gray Road, West Yarmouth.

 

At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sisters of Mercy, 21 Searles Road, Windham, NH 03087; or Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893 Memphis, TN 38101.

FACES OF THE PAST

As 2012 is coming to a close, One tends to review the past before starting anew. Over the past few years I have scanned almost 200,000 images. Most of them connect to yachting in some way. There are still some I have not found. Tom Blackaller, as example. It’s there, I just could not put my cursor on it today.

Each photograph evokes memories of a race or a series of anecdotes associated with the circumstances. By and large, one of the thoughts that occurs to me is that these people are associated with their boats. Dick Nye, a prime example is synonymous with “Carina”. Bill Snaith With “Figaro”. Jesse Phillips with “Charisma”. Georgio Falk with “Guia”. Tom Watson with “Palawan”. Edmund Rothschild wit h”Gitana”

Because the boats had a longer life they acquired personalities of their own as well.

24 HOUR RUN

YACHT ATLANTIC

 

The Vendee Globe  non-stop single-handed around the world race is in it’s third week. Speeds are high; a new 24 hour record of 483 miles for a single-handed boat was set and re-broken the next day. Francois Gabart is the new record holder.

I grew up with the legend of the Yacht Atlantic crossing the atlantic in 1905 in 12 days, with a 24 hour run of 341 miles. A record that stood for years, but it is a new world.

The photograph above I took around 1973 in Norfolk, VA. The Atlantic was as you see her and the USS United States was still there as well. Speaking of records, the USS United States

held the Blue Ribbon (record across the atlantic for a passenger ship)

EVERYONE IS YOUR FRIEND UNTIL THEY’RE NOT

Alameda, CA – Artemis Racing, Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup, announced today a new afterguard featuring Olympic medalists; Iain Percy, Nathan Outteridge and Santiago Lange as well as Loïck Peyron, one of the world’s most experienced multihull helmsmen. The technical and multihull experience of this group will provide Artemis an efficient nucleus to guide the team’s AC72, particularly through the next few critical months of sailing and testing.

Iain Percy will also act as sailing team director.

With these changes taking place, Terry Hutchinson has been released from the team. “Terry has made a huge contribution to the team since we started our quest for the America’s Cup. Terry’s leadership and match racing expertise led Artemis Racing to win the 2012 ACWS Match Racing Championships and has brought the team to where we are today. We appreciate all of his efforts and dedication. We wish him the very best for the future,” said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing.

Artemis Racing’s 72 was christened on November 3rd and the team has been training on San Francisco Bay in preparation for the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series which begins next summer, as a lead up to the 34th America’s Cup in September 2013.

Cayard added: “With the America’s Cup racing just seven months away, it’s crucial that we maximize each day the team is sailing the AC72, both in terms of training, as well as understanding the boat’s limitations and attributes to be considered for future boat and wing development. The experience this afterguard brings is unmatched and is what will help the team succeed.”

The sport of the America’s Cup is big business, corporate in structure, so really changes like this should come as no surprise. I am perhaps showing my age, I am always surprised, even when I know better.

Jimmy Spithill of Oracle will be challenged for his position as helmsman in the coming months by Ben Anslie. The Olympics have truly become a stepping stone to a career in sailing.