The R19 Photo Roster is a unique feature that you won’t find on any other class website! The photo roster is by boat name with background information on the sailors, where they sail, how long they’ve owned their boat and how they came to name their boat.
Click on the boat image to see an enlarged picture.
To join the photo roster, please send me a picture of your boat, and include how long you’ve sailed a Rhodes, who you sail with and the meaning of your boat’s name. I will return all pictures.
LA PERLE NOIR owned by John Supan
John bought the fully restored 1977 Rhodes 19 cb in February 2008 from a shipwright in Sarasota, Florida. He named her in French for “The Black Pearl:” Black, due to the black hull; pearl, since oysters pay the bills (he’s an oyster expert at LSU); and in French, since he lives in Louisiana. Her home port is Grand Isle, Louisiana where she has sailed along
the shallows of Caminada and Barataria Bays near the Grand Terre Islands. During the winter, she is drysailed from the Pontchartrain Yacht Club along the Mandeville Lake Front. John lost his last sailboat, a Kestrel, on Grand Isle, to Hurricane Katrina and, after a three year soul search, realized he was still a dinghy sailor and purchased the Rhodes for daysailing and future racing, once she is appropriately fitted. John joined the National Association and Fleet 7 in New Orleans as an Associate Member to get to know the boat, the class and its sailors. La Perle Noir is a family boat, also enjoyed by Karen, Eric and MJ
FASTER PUSSYCAT owned by Tony Lowery
Faster Pussycat was a derelict that was salvaged from the New Orleans City Harbor in 2001 by Tony Lowery, Dave Legier, Nancy Fitzpatrick, and David MacFarland. It was sunk with only the cutty cabin & fore deck above water, and literally had oysters growing on it. It was
raised and trailered back to Tony’s workshop in Pascagoula, MS and restored to its present condition by 2002. Ray Lewis, Alan Bishop, Dave Legier, John Stassi, Alan Kelley, Shelley MacNary, Rick MacGregor, Vivian Gaudet, Phillip Lowery, Leo Povin, and others have helped campaign Faster Pussycat on Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Lake Pontchartrain. Faster Pussycat is one of the faster boats in Fleet 4 (Fairhope Yacht Club) and mixes it up with Fleet 7 (Southern Yacht Club and New Orleans Yacht Club) on a regular basis.c and MJ
DAVID ROSE owned by Mort, David and Mark Rubin
David and Mark Rubin have been racing their boat since the late 70’s. They joined the
Marblehead fleet in 1987 after sailing in Rockport for many years with their dad. Chris Takacs also sails with David and Mark.
Mark commutes to Marblehead and to all major Rhodes regattas, from Washington DC.
Their dad, Mort named their boat “David Rose”, after his parents, David and Rose Rubin. or friend’s boats.
DOGBITE owned by Fred Bieberbach, Jr.
Fred started out in the early 1960’s racing “one-design” Beetle Cats, Town Class, and then ended his one-design years on an International 110 Class. After moving up to bigger boats, he became a lazy cruiser and raced a few big boats until he became an even lazier cruiser. Finally after three decades, Fred found his way back to small boat “one-design” racing.
Fred was “tricked” back into small boats racing for a couple of seasons as crew on Rhodes 19, “Reject Blue”. After a couple of successful seasons, he had the “bug” again. Not soon
after, the owner of “Reject Blue” decided to sell and become another lazy cruiser, so Fred went on a loose hunt for his own Rhodes 19. But Fred’s hunt had a certain criteria to meet. Being a bit of a Swamp Yankee, Fred telephoned the Doyle sail loft and asked how much a new set of Rhodes 19 sails might cost. Fred set out to buy his Rhodes with the stipulation that he would spend no more for the boat than it cost for a new set of sails.
After a lengthy hunt all around the northeast, hull #2346 was bagged only a couple of miles away. With a small deposit, but before Fred actually bought the boat, he ordered the new sails. Now another set of criteria was required to be met. Every boat, and there were many, that Fred ever owned had their hulls painted dark green, one of Fred’s hard fast rules. So hull #2346 immediately got a new “Awlgrip” job.
Now, although Fred’s first boat may have been a catboat, the rest were named dogs, i.e. “Black Dog”, “Dog Watch”, “Dogsbone”, “Dogs Breath”, etc…. So after much agonizing and scores of suggestions, Fred’s Rhodes 19 assumed the name – “Dogbite”
Fred sails “Dogbite” with Fleet 35, Narragansett Bay, out of Riverside, Rhode Island and after a second season, the old dog may finally be catching on.
DIXIE owned by Andy Wilson
Andy Wilson bought DIXIE in Mandeville , La., on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in the spring of 1999, having rarely sailed Rhodes 19’s
before. In the late 1960’s-1970’s he had sailed a Town Class at Touissett Point, RI, as well as in Bristol, RI, and in Narragansett Bay Yachting Association Regattas where the “Townies” shared starting lines and starts with Rhodes 19’s as they are about the same speed. So Rhodes 19’s were not an unknown commodity. DIXIE (O’Day#342) was well over thirty years old at the time of purchase, had been stored for six years in a barn and had to be completely overhauled by Diversified Marine Service in Mobile, Alabama. since then she has admitted to several “face lifts” and remains dark green. In one of her prior incarnations when she had been left derelict, sunk in her slip, her condition and color scheme closely resembled a discarded “Dixie” beer can, hence her inherited name. Since acquisition, DIXIE’S speed has improved dramatically as is evidenced by the photo here of her outrunning a Union blockade imposed on Southern ports as part of the Coast Guard’s “Zero Tolerance” for marginal, local Southern beers. DIXIE’s usual complement consists of Andy and a cast of characters depending on schedules including his wife Karen Gautreaux (who is penning her memoir, “Fear & Loathing on the Foredeck”), son-in-law, Ian Schnitzler, and on board consigliore, Bruce Cranner. As the word “Dixie” was the nickname Americans in New Orleans used for French ten (“Dix”) dollar bills, it is hoped DIXIE may retain her name even after the local brewery decided not to do so.
FANDANGO owned by Mike and Maureen Hebert
Having campaigned Lemon Zinger (#1553) successfully for the previous 3 1/2 years and faced with decreased sailing time with the arrival of Gabrielle, Mike & Maureen Hebert did what all new Rhodes 19 parents usually do. . . they sold Lemon Zinger and bought Stuart Rhodes 19 #3101 half-way through the season!
Fandango’s informal definition is “an act of tomfoolery; nonsense”, but it is also a sexy dance of Spanish origin. Much like a sailboat race, the dance begins to the rhythmic clacking of castanets with the couple dancing slowly, then picking up speed in time with the music. Occasionally, much like the wind, the music and the dancers change tempo, often including abrupt pauses. Fandango is also a great coming-of-age movie (not in Maureen’s opinion) from the 1985 movie starring Kevin Costner and Judd Nelson.
Fandango debuted at the 2001 National Championships in Hingham Bay.
HOOLIGAN owned by Bill and Sharon Clune
Bill and Sharon Clune, and sons Mike, Pat and Kevin, bought the black hull Rhodes 19 (hull #797 built 1962) as a project in 1991 with a $150 donation to the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley. Cal Sailing planed on taking the boat to the dump because it was deemed unseaworthy by the club’s boat maintenance manager.
The boat did need restoration in the form of a wood rib/keel job, mast repair, interior painting, and a good cleaning to make it seaworthy again. There was nothing wrong with the hull, deck, rigging or sails.
Bill and Sharon owned and actively sailed a CAL 25 on San Francisco Bay from 1978 to 1998, and looked at there R19 as an excellent replacement boat when the time came to sell the CAL25, … and the boys left home.
HOOLIGAN’S mast was repaired in 94, the wood rib/keel job was completed in 96, the CAL25 was sold in 98, and their R19 was ready for the 1998 sailing season. The total restoration and repair costs to get HOOLIGAN sailing again was $200 for the mast, $200 for the oak wood and various marine store items, and $300 for a J24 trailer. .
HOOLIGAN is dry-stored and sailed out of the Alameda Marina and Bill and Sharon consider the Rhodes 19 a very safe and ideal boat for San Francisco Bay.
As a kid Bill always wanted to sail in SF Bay, but never had the opportunity until he joined the U. S. Coast Guard, and they taught him how to sail in boot camp.
Bill named their boat HOOLIGAN because the dictionary definition of hooligan is a young Irish rowdy and the USCG is called the “hooligan Navy” by the other services. So, HOOLIGAN it is!
HUFFY owned by Philip Hubbell
Philip Hubbell bought “Huffy”, hull number 340, in 1995 after crewing on her in New Orleans for a year. Huffy’s name is inherited from a line of former owner/racers in New Orleans. Sanding preparation on the transom revealed a mysterious earlier name, Ka-Bill.
Philip has raced dinghies, offshore handicap, and one designs on three coasts for over 30 years.
Though various repairs and keel fairing did little to improve her standing, a recent eye-catching – even admonishing – paint job seems be paying off. Fleet leaders are now quaking in their deck boots!
MO HOTTA MO BETTA owned by Christina and Kim Pandapas
Christina and Kim have been sailing their boat in Marblehead for five years. Their boat name, “Mo Hotta Mo Betta”, comes from the name of a hot sauce catalogue. They finalized the name after a late night of too much wine.
MOON SAFARI owned by Geoff Schaefer
Geoff sailed Rhodes 19s in Rockport, MA last summer and then bought his own Rhodes 19 in the fall of 2000. He named his boat Moon Safari, after the album by the soothing and spacey French band Air, that he’s spent time listening to while on other people’s bigger and CD-player equipped boats.
Geoff and his wife live in Portland, Maine but keep the boat in Vinalhaven, Maine. The photos are of him sailing on the the Fox Islands Thorofare over Labor Day weekend. He sails with his wife, cousins and friends.f too much wine.
THE PRESENT DANCE owned by Jim and Ellen Lidington
Jim and Ellen Lidington have been sailing with the Rockport fleet since 1996. For several years they sailed a borrowed boat, and then in 1999 they bought their own boat.
Their boat name, “The Present Dance”, is from the opening stanza in the Maximus poems written by Gloucester poet, Charles Olsen. The Maximus poems are a collection of poems written in the 1950s to the people of Gloucester by Olsen.
Jim and Ellen also feel that being on the water in their boat either racing or sailing “almost feels like a dance”.
RHUBARB owned by Bob Jensen
Rhubarb was built in 1965 and Bob acquired her in the fall of 1968.
Bob sails with fleet 12 in Chicago and Rhubarb has carried him through 32 sailing seasons and 25 national regattas, as of 2000.
Current crew is typically Laura Reischel and either Tim McJilton or Christiaan van Opstal. In the accompanying photo, that’s Laura holding the pole forward with Tim (partly obscured) hoisting the spinnaker. But in the last 32 years, at least 100 good and capable crew have served aboard Rhubarb, unfortunately too many to list by name.
Bob named her Rhubarb simply because the name appeals to him and it’s a red boat.
SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED owned by Kevin and Joni Lane
Kevin and Joni Lane have been sailing a Rhodes since 1981 in Marblehead and most recently Rockport.
Their boat name, “She Who Must Be Obeyed”, is from the PBS Mystery series Rumpole of the Bailey. In this series the main character is a well-read British barrister who frequently repeats this line from a British author, when describing his life. In the book, the “She” referred to an African or Amazon queen.
Joni also interprets “She” to be the boat, wind, ocean and waves, all of who must be obeyed when on the water.
SPECTRUM owned by Marilyn and John Thompson
Marilyn and John Thompson have been sailing their Rhodes 19 with the Rockport fleet since 1984. Marilyn skippers in the light and moderate conditions, John skippers when the conditions are windy. Donald Seiffert also sails with them.
Their boat name “Spectrum” refers to the multi colored spinnaker they fly.
The Thompsons are a three boat family! In addition to sailing their Rhodes, Marilyn races her Turnabout, “My Turn”, in the Rockport women’s Turnabout series. John and Marilyn also sail their 36’ Choey Lee, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, named after the Peter, Paul and Mary song that was popular when they were dating.
STEALTH owned by Steve Gelineau and Catherine Van Mater
Steve Gelineau and Catharine Van Mater, a husband and wife team, have been sailing together since they first met. They purchased their Rhodes 19, number 3135, in the Fall of 1998 with the help and encouragement of Norm Cressy. They now sail actively in the Marblehead fleet despite the demands of two careers and the ongoing challenges of raising four boys.
The name of their boat: “STEALTH” implies “undetectable or artfully sly actions,” which is how they hope to perform as they move up the R19 learning curve and fleet rankings in the years ahead.
SWEEP owned by Bill and Renee Heffernan
Bill and Renee Heffernan sail with the Marblehead fleet and they have owned their boat since 1994. At that time, their 7 year old son Tom, named their boat “Sidewinder” because of his interest in rattlesnakes.
“Sidewinder” lasted one year and then they renamed their boat “Sweep”, the same name they’d had on their previous boat, a Town Class. The name “Sweep” has many meanings for the Heffernans. First, it refers to the company Bill owns, which offers chimney sweep services. It also refers to the wind sweeping across the water and sweeping a series.
SWING ROOM owned by F. Shan McAdoo and Doug Trees
Shan and Doug have been sailing Rhodes 19s since 1998. Shan bought the boat in
1988 to put on his mooring in Beverly harbor to preserve the room around the mooring or the “Swing Room”. The name just seemed like a natural fit.
When they decided to start racing the boat, they literally went out with all of the old gear on the boat to see if the boat would be competitive. Since then they have completely re-built the boat with new ribs and faired the keel.
Prior to joining the Marblehead Rhodes 19 fleet, they sailed Etchells and PHRF. 2001 marks the 18th season that Shan and Doug have been sailing together.
They are always looking for new crew victims, but frequently sail with Joe Mello.
TAHOOT owned by Eckart and Tilda Colsman
In French/Basque, ” Tahoot” means Abracadabra or Hocus-pocus. Owned by Eckart and Tilda Colsman since 1982 and sailed out of Marblehead, they named their boat after watching with their two sons, a street magician’s show in Paris. This Parisian magician always said in his tricks, “Oh, it does not work this time – tahoot -tahoot!”. But in the end, the magician always succeeded in pulling the rabbit out of his hat, thanks to his “tahoot”. So, for a while “TAHOOT” was the most popular word in the Colsman family and became the name of their boat!
Sailing “Tahoot” in this photo are Walter and Eckart Colsman, and Tim McCaffrey.
TUXEDO owned by Rob Paterson
Rob Paterson sails Tuxedo out of Gloucester and Eastern Point. I bought her in an effort to add to the small but dedicated Rhodes 19 fleet and help resurrect Fleet 39. Tuxedo came from the other side of Cape Ann in Annisquam where she was owned, sailed and race for many, many years by the Gale family. With permission her name stayed with her. To consummate the purchase the former owner and I had a great Thursday evening race in Gloucester harbor. I think we only lost to a 210…..
VITESSEE owned by Dave and Jane Legier
Dave purchased their boat in ’89 and he has been actively racing it out of New Orleans for over 10 years. Jeff Lind has been crewing on Vitesse for 5 years. Also sailing with Dave for the last two Nationals is Philip Hubbell, owner of Rhodes #340.
The literal French interpretation of Vitesse is possessing or having Speed! Since we refer to our boats in the feminine, Dave’s figurative boat meaning is Speed Lady, Fast Lady, Speedy Girl or Speedy R19!
WOODSTOCK owned by Stephen and Jennifer Uhl
Stephen and Jennifer bought their boat in 2000 and actively race with the Marblehead fleet.
While rumor has it that Steve, Jennifer and their hippie friends were truant from kindergarten and spotted at the first Woodstock concert enjoying three days of music, peace, love, and mud, in actuality the origin of their boat’s name is really from a previous owner!
Those of us who know Steve and Jennifer believe they should adopt the Woodstock concert version and sail in their old faded jean bellbottoms, tie-dye shirts and head bandanas!
WOOTZEL owned by Fred and Barbara Brehob
Fred began sailing a Rhodes in Marblehead in 1963. He purchased his boat, as a new Rhodes 19 in 1967.
Fred has served in just about every capacity, both nationally and on a fleet level to support and promote Rhodes 19 sailing.
“Wootzel” is a German term meaning dust balls under the bed. Fred says that Barbara is the Queen of the Wootzels and he is the King!
YOU SEXY THING! owned by BJ Mansfield and Michael Carpenter
BJ Mansfield and Michael Carpenter have sailed Rhodes 19s in Marblehead since 1979.
They sailed #1090 “Blue Chip” (named for a blue poker chip found under the floorboards), intensively from 79-96, then sold it and took a 3 year sailing hiatus.
Feeling a need to get back to the Marblehead Rhodes fleet, in 2000 they bought Charlie Loutrel’s old boat #2003 “Anything” and renamed it, “You Sexy Thing!”
Their boat’s name came from the title song in one of their favorite movies, the 1997 British comedy, “The Full Monty”. The song, “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate begins with the lyrics:
I believe in miracles, where you from?, You Sexy Thing!”….. the King!