Getting to Know the Freshmen: Spencer Garland

As we approach the beginning of the Spring Season, we're going to begin a "getting to know the freshmen" feature.  First up, freshman Spencer Garland from Maine.

Name: Spencer Garland

Hometown: Cape Elizabeth, ME

High School: Cape Elizabeth High School

Major: Engineering

Favorite Boat: FJs, with a close 2nd being 420s

Previous Sailing Experience: 2 years of club 420 sailing, some bigger boat sailing, 1 week on an 80’ steel hulled schooner in FL, 1 week on a 50’ windjammer sloop, 1 season of spring 420 team racing, various weekend day cruising.  Unfortunately, don’t own my own boat (yet).

Other Sports/Activities: Avid outdoorsman. I have a lot of random interests that vary by season including: cycling, rock climbing, ice climbing, sea kayaking, scuba diving, Nordic skiing, surfing, mountaineering, running, hiking, and amateur photography.

Favorite Part of Sailing at Kings Point: Besides the physical act of getting out on the water every day, my favorite part is the amount of accessible experience and knowledge, both in the coaches, and the older sailors on the team.  I’m still a novice skipper, back of the pack and trying to maintain my speed and boat handling, and every day I go out and work to learn something new, or improve on something.  Having 3 fleets of dinghy’s is also an awesome treat, not many other schools have such a wide variety.  Coming from a small town in southern Maine, the view of the sun setting against the Throggs neck bridge and the skyline of the city from the water is also incredible.

Sailing Goals: To improve my skills as a sailor, to look forward to learning something every day, and to have fun while doing it.

Random Facts:

Favorite Music: Pretty much anything, but will always enjoy listening to Phish, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Deadmau5, Andrew Bird, Dire Straits, U2, classic rock, and jam bands. 

Any pets?:  A mostly white Tibetan terrier named Harry with a brown head, black/brown ears and white “scar shaped tuft” that earned him the name Harry (Potter) Garland.

Favorite ice cream: Ben and Jerrys’ Half Baked.

Kings Point Wins Montego Bay Race

Congratulations to the KP Offshore Team and Alumni who finished1st overall in the Montego Bay Race!  Genuine Risk (our 90' canting keel maxi) finished only 25 minutes behind Rambler (ex-Speedboat 100'), even though they owed GR more than ten hours.  Kings Point easily corrected over the rest of the field in the light air race from Fort Lauderdale - Jamaica.

Dinghy Team Takes to the Ice

What do you do when there is below freezing temperatures and a lot of ice all around? Most say stay inside because it is too cold to go sailing, but that is not the case here. A few of us on the Dinghy Team go ice boating. Yes, it is possible and it has been around since the 1800s!

You must be thinking ‘what is an ice boat’ and ‘how fast do you go?’ Well it is just what you think; it’s a cockpit on three ice skates (as you can see in the photos). But how fast can you go?  Well that depends on the wind and it is FAST - this weekend I clocked myself at about 50 knots. Try doing that on a Maxi! Since most of us dinghy guys don't go that fast in a 420 this is a chance to get your fix in before the sailing season starts.

We have been sailing most weekends and this year being abnormally cold has made for some great ice!  AJ Bailey and I have a few boats, and are always willing to take people out and show them how to go really fast. We wear helmets because ice is a little harder then water and hurts if you flip. We have been sailing down in Toms River and in Lavallette. Also in Red Bank there is an Ice Boating Yacht Club that has some really cool vintage boats as you can see in the pictures. There website is www.nsibyc.com. There are ice reports there and a lot of information about ice boating and how you can get started if this is something that sounds fun to you.  This is a sure way to scare yourself and push your skills to the limit on how fast you can go; an all-around great time!

Here is a video of some iceboating on the Toms River, thanks to Peter Slack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYxMJnvw0Qs&feature=player_embedded

See you on the ice!

Commodore (Eric) Horrocks