One would think that now the "sailing season" is over and boats are starting to populate area boatyards, sailors could now turn to the long list of shelved household tasks that have been accumulating over the summer months. While this thought keeps patient spouses at bay, the reality is that the sailing season, at least in our area, is a year-around sport. Take for example, this weekend, the first one without a major regatta, weekend sailing or Thirsty Thursday.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the frostbiters had a Tune-up and Clinic at Manhasset Bay YC, and later that evening a party at the home of John and Nora Silbersack to celebrate the start of another winter of sailing. Reports from both events bode well for the season, as all learned a lot at the former, and had a great time at the latter. Then on Sunday, the Moosehead Awards, that annual "Roast the Race Committee" luncheon, was held this year at the Manhasset Bay YC. The organization that puts on this event, the I.S.P.C.R.Y. - The International Society for the Perpetuation of Cruelty to Racing Yachtsmen - a/k/a The Moosehead Committee, gives the reader an idea of the seriousness of the awards. Over 240 people representing 17 clubs from up and down Long Island Sound gathered in the ballroom of MBYC to see which Race Committee would get the "Supreme Moosehead." In spite of the fun nature of this annual event, the Moosehead Luncheon is rife with tradition. A blazing gun salute announced each race committee. Jon Siener, MBYC fleet captain greeted everyone down at the dock, and a bagpiper escorted each committee to the clubhouse. Upon reaching the ballroom, the overflow crowd was treated to "a great luncheon," according to John Browning, a member of the Moosehead Committee. After lunch, the moment of truth had arrived. The Supreme Moosehead was awarded to Sagamore YC for their indiscretions during one race this past summer. And we must report that one of the clubs from our bay also received one of these "awards," but a very, very small one. The Race Committee from MBYC got an award for their work during the second day of the Fall Series, when the shifting wind was giving everyone, RC and sailors alike, a huge headache. So now that the 2003 Moosehead Luncheon is history, we can look forward to another year of Race Committee "goof ups" that will be up for consideration for next year's hazing.

Just when you think you know all there is to know about the America's Cup, in comes Ed du Moulin with a terrific idea of a searchable Cup database. Housed at the venerable Herreshoff Marine Museum/America's Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI, the database is available to marine historians, sailing enthusiasts, and everyone interested in the history of the America's Cup competition who have access to a computer and the Internet. Du Moulin, a 2000 inductee to the Hall of Fame, and a founding member of the America's Cup Hall of Fame Selection Committee, thought that a database would provide users with an easy "point and click" access to 5600 participants in the Cup from the first historic race in 1851 to the present. "I have been closely involved with the America's Cup Hall of Fame since its beginning eleven years ago" du Moulin says. "With our rules permitting up to three nominations per year, with four in certain cases, it bothered me that literally thousands of men and women will never enter the Hall of Fame. To recognize them, I suggested the idea of a database in which they could be included. This would enable their friends, families, and others to access this information from their own computers, and to compile and print out their own participation in the l52-year history of the America's Cup."

The database, at www.herreshoff.org, includes detailed information such as names of crew, boat name, syndicate, year, countries, support groups, chroniclers, yacht clubs, judges, and other related data. As with all databases, this one is constantly evolving and information will be updated on a monthly basis. The museum encourages anyone who has an interest in or participated in the Cup competition to visit the site. Modification, corrections and additions should be sent to the attention of Norene Rickson at cjato@etal.uri.edu or James Russell at j.russell@herreshoff.org. Norene has volunteered her time to create and maintain the database. The direct link to the query page is: http://www.herreshoff.org/db/yacht_search.asp. Mr. du Moulin, John Thomson, Jr., Horace Hagedorn and Fidelity Investments sponsored the project.