There is a whiff of Spring up here in New England. Today the temperature hit 48 and melted yesterday’s snow. One can almost hear the covers being taken off, the sanders and the grinders revving up, the varnish slurping in the can.
And, of course, with the whiff of Spring comes the wish for dues. Dues support the website, admin costs, a yearly donation to the Herreshoff Marine Museum Sailing School to help maintain their fleet of 5 SS23’s, and other SS sailing and racing activities. The Board Of Directors met last week, and voted to keep the annual dues steady at $25 .
Here is a link to the SSA website Membership section on how to join/renew your membership:
I have received the very sad news of the passing of Cap Woodruff, a longtime sailor and racer of his SS23 in Bristol Harbor.
I met Cap during my first year as a new owner of my SS23 and as a racer in Bristol. He was one of the most gentlemanly men I have ever met, with a marvelous smile and complete presence whenever we spoke. He loved sailing and racing his lovely SS23 “Jenny” . I saw that back rail frequently. He was loved by the racing fleet, and was sorely missed when he moved to Vermont to be with his family.
Here is his obituary:
Spofford “Cap” Woodruff died peacefully in Middlebury, Vermont, on Sunday, November 14, 2021. He was 91 years old.
Cap was born in Providence, RI, to Gerald Beckley Woodruff and Helen Spofford Woodruff. He and his sister, Jane Woodruff Greenough grew up in Barrington, RI.
Cap attended the Gordon School and Providence Country Day School. He began Amherst College with the Class of 1953. He interrupted his college career to enlist in the US Navy serving from 1951 to 1955 in Newport, Boston, and on the destroyer USS Charles J. Badger. He returned to Amherst and graduated with the Class of 1957 with a major in biology.
In 1961, Cap received a master’s degree in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island, where he met his future wife, Sara “Sally” Gifford Petty of East Greenwich, RI. The two were married in April, 1960.
After teaching high school science at Tabor Academy in Marion, MA and the Hun School in Princeton, NJ, Cap and Sally returned to RI in 1967. Here they settled in Bristol with their young family. Cap joined the faculty of the Providence Country Day School where he taught biology and chemistry and coached tennis until 1989. Following his retirement from teaching, he worked as a coordinator and instructor with the U.S. Commerce Department’s Marine Recreational Information Program throughout southern New England retiring from this in 1995.
In 2002 Cap and Sally moved from Bristol to Barrington and in 2013, to Middlebury, VT, where Cap took pleasure in being near family and watching Middlebury College athletics. He volunteered at the Open Door Clinic and Homeward Bound, the Addison County Humane Society. He was a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Middlebury.
Cap was never happier than when sailing whether cruising with his family, skippering a big race or crewing on a friend’s boat. He delighted in the tactical challenges of racing, the camaraderie of a shared experience and a Sea Sprite with well-trimmed sails. For many decades, he was an active member of the Bristol Yacht Club and a supporter of Save the Bay. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of Narragansett Bay, acting as a patient sailing instructor and clam-digging guide to his grandchildren.
Cap also loved music playing the bagpipes and singing in the Bristol Interfaith Choir.
Cap is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sara Gifford Petty Woodruff and his three children and their spouses, Jennifer Woodruff and John Bowin, Charles Woodruff and Margaret Woodruff, and Elizabeth Wright and Thomas Wright as well as six grandchildren: Sara Bowin, Carolyn, Beatrice and Eleanor Woodruff; and Thomas and Eden Wright.
The next time you feel a breeze fill in from the south, raise your glass and think of Cap.
Memorial donations may be made to Homeward Bound, 236 Boardman St, Middlebury, VT 05753 to honor Cap and his lifelong love of animals.
Eight bells for you, Cap. May you rest in peace. Carter
Wind, weather and participants were spectacular for this years Sea Sprite race around Hog Island on Saturday, September 11!
The day started early with Seeker from the Edgewood Yacht Club and Sailaway from Apponaug embarking on a long journey to Bristol Harbor and it continued with Mark Rotsky on the BYC dock proudly wearing a very official “Race Committee” shirt, together with Bob Rude, preparing the inflatable marks for our starting line.
Just like Swiss time, at exactly 1min to 1pm, the first warning signal was made and at 1:05pm the fleet was racing over the starting line and headed towards circumnavigating Hog Island counterclockwise. Great start for all and as always, New Hope hope placed itself in the most vulnerable position and was yet again pushed out by the masters from Bramasole, well done! 🙂 Very shifty winds made for a challenging upwind leg on the west side of the island, Bramasole leading the way while Artemis, Oasis and New Hope exchanged 2nd, 3rd and 4th place a few times, closely followed by Swallow. Seeker joined the fleet at that point and followed the race all the way around the island and to the finish. On the south side of the island, pushing against a strong and wavy outgoing current, New Hope, Oasis and Artemis were side by side only a few feet apart and New Hope enjoyed the advantage of being the leeward boat and pushing everyone up, that was fun! 🙂 Coming down the east side of the island, after enduring the waves by Mount Hope bridge, the fleet was led by Bramasole, followed by New Hope, Artemis, Oasis, Swallow and Seeker. Artemis put in the turbo charger going downwind but ran out of runway to catch up with New Hope but certainly kept that crew on their toes and looking more backward than forward!
Big thank you to Bob Rude, Mark Rotsky, Chris Healey and the BYC for providing the race committee, starting line, facilities and ordering the pizzas! Post race fun was had for sure and it was great to deconstruct the day’s race with all the sailors!
Final standings 2021 Sea Sprite race around Hog Island: 1. Bramasole 2. New Hope 3. Artemis 4. Oasis 5. Swallow 6. Seeker 7. Sailaway (getting big credit for trying to get to Bristol despite impossible winds from Apponaug!) 8. Vexatious (oh wait a minute, this boat was not even in the water anymore! Better luck next year Andrew, lets get these winches fixed!) 9. Lulabelle (oh wait a minute, this boat never even made it into the water this year! Good luck with the new furler installation Bob H./Sean R., we can’t wait to race against you guys next year!)
Thank you all for participating, great seamanship, great fun and friendships!!!
See you all next year at the Wednesday night races, the Sea Sprite regatta in July, and the race around Hog Island in September!
