On a spectacularly beautiful fall day last Saturday, October 11th, the Port Washington YC sponsored their 6th Annual Volvo Leukemia Cup. And what a success it was! This was truly a community event that sailors and non-sailors alike supported a regatta to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The regatta has a long history of raising money to fight this disease, which is the number one cause of death among children, and strikes ten times as many adults. The first ever Leukemia Cup Regatta was held at the Pine Harbor YC in Alabama in 1988 to raise funds in memory of a member of the club who lost his life to leukemia, and $5,000 in donations were donated to the Society. In 1993, the Eastport YC in Annapolis, MD, pioneered the concept of competition among boats and crews to raise funds for the fight against leukemia. That year, the EYC handled all sailing and water-related logistics, and the Society coordinated all land-based fundraising and event activities, a management model that proved so successful, it has been used in all subsequent regattas. Enthusiasm spread across the country after Gary Jobson, ESPN commentator and noted sailing expert presented the idea to the Society's 1993 Annual Leadership Conference. Jobson serves as the national chairman of the Volvo Leukemia Cup Regatta, and is still working with the Society to help organize other regattas on a national, regional and local level. Ironically, Jobson is now battling leukemia and is undergoing treatment for the disease.

Port Washington YC is proud to report they raised an estimated $45,000, and quite likely more than that, to fight Leukemia, which will help people like Matthew Fetzer, the Regatta's Honored Patient, who is 9 years old and in the third grade at Bayville Primary School in Bayville. Matthew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) five years ago. After 2.5 years of treatment, including high doses of chemotherapy every three weeks, Matthew has been in full remission for the last five years. And it is because of dedicated people like those at PWYC who help make success stories like Matthew's more common.

Saturday was one of those days that you remember for a very long time. The weather was perfect for running a regatta - great wind, with bright blue skies that put the horizon in sharp focus. Boats of all sizes arrived at PWYC to compete in this event. The big boats were sent out to Long Island Sound to compete and the one-design sailors had a course set up on Manhasset Bay. A fleet of eight 2.4 meters came all the way from Stamford YC to compete, hoping to let people know how much fun these little boats are. Duke Dayton, past commodore of PWYC, wearing his Courageous jacket given to him by Ted Turner, and Rick Doerr, who sails his 2.4 meter out of Stamford, and lives in New Jersey, had an interesting conversation comparing the 12 meters sailed in America's Cup competition years ago and the small 2.4 meters that are part of an international fleet. Turns out these "mini 12s" started life as tank models for the big 12 meters during Cup races. Curiosity and interest spread and now these 2.4 meters, which are built exactly to the 12-meter rule, just smaller, are being sailed around the world. Doerr hopes that a fleet will start competing in Manhasset Bay in the near future. But the 2.4 meters weren't the smallest boats out on the bay. Dave James, of the Rigging Locker, got many of his friends from the Mill Pond Model YC to bring their yachts down to the dock for anyone to charter. Lest anyone think these models are just "little boats," talk to Ralf Steitz, an America's Cup sailor who owns one. He will fill you in on all the intricate controls these models have, making sailing one of them challenging and fun.

Behind all these activities, and the many stories that emerge from the event, the best story always is with the people who spent countless hours planning the regatta, and the sailors, sponsors, and friends who spent the day at the PWYC. Debra Capolarello, from Manhasset and a member of the yacht club, brought her two children Nicole and Dominick, and enticed her sister Danice Berkovich to bring her two young children, Melanie and Gregory, to come all the way from Pittsburg to participate in the event. They admitted that they were not sailors, but came out (to) "enjoying the water and the family and having a great time." They weren't the only ones having a good time, as Growler, from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, was filled with sponsors and spectators, who for a fee, were treated to fine wine, good food, great racing, and one of the best days of racing on Manhasset Bay in a very long time. Three of the seven or so Midshipman that are part Power Squad at the Academy sailed Growler to Manhasset Bay. Matt Hedglin, 2nd Class Midshipman, Plebe Tom Powers and Matt Rickards, 3rd Class, are part of a permanent crew who maintain Growler and have full responsibility for her. When Rich Cain, assistant director of the Waterfront at the Academy mentioned the Leukemia Cup, the three jumped at the chance to bring their ship to our bay. According to the three, they will do "anything to get underway and be sailing - and the people were friendly, beautiful weather, and good wind" which helped make the day so much fun. And yes, the great food helped too, added one of the Midshipman. These young men spend four months at sea learning navigation, engineering, ship structure, among other things, and have collectively been to Germany, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Italy, and Israel.

Special thanks to go to PWYC Commodore Ed Wassmer, Jay and Leslie Campbell, Event Chairpersons, Peter Christie and David DeBaum, Race Committee Chairpersons and their RC members: Arthur Buhr, Penny Ferraro, Bill Geller, Ed Condon on Growler, and Norm Geller, Peggy D'Alessandro, Tom Steele, and Jeff Robbins on the Worry Wort. And a very special thanks to Betsy Alison, one of the top female sailors in the United States, who crewed with the winning bidder, Jay Campbell on his boat, Outsider. Betsy hectic schedule allowed her to sail on and grab a bite to eat on Saturday, then rush off to Newport to coach a Match Race Team on Sunday, drive down to Port Elizabeth on Monday to pick up her Yingling that had just cleared customs, and return to Newport to rig the boat and practice for the Olympics. How fortunate to have people like Betsy and all the volunteers at the Port Washington YC - they gave our community an excellent day on the water. We all look forward to another successful event next year.

Results for the 6th Annual Volvo Leukemia Cup Regatta : Division I: 1. Spirit, J44, Ellsten, 2. Avalanche, Farr 395, Al Albrecht, 3. Promise Kept, Benetau 36.7, Sandy Lindenbaum. Division II: 1. Happy Daze, Pearson 10M, Tom Egan, and 2. Mustang Sally, Dennis, T 10. Division III: 1. Quee Queq, Rhodes 40, Abbott, 2. Java Jive, ranger 33, Civetta, and 3. Chieftan, Frers 45, Cheda. Results for the Knickerbocker One Designs (KODs): 1. Second Chance, Perry Leighton (who came in first in all four races), and 2. Dybbuk, Roy Israel, with three second-place finishes.