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Thread: Up the Mountain to visit Ed Ruszel

  1. #1
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    Default Up the Mountain to visit Ed Ruszel

    Last week I drove up to the very top of Skyline Drive at the invitation of Ed Ruszel, a longtime SSSer who no longer races with us. Ed says he almost got hit so many times by doublehanders that he decided to quit racing with the Singlehanded Sailing Society until it is a singlehanded racing club again. Ed still owns the J 32 Flicka, keeps her in Brickyard Cove.

    Before we started talking boats we walked his property, which also serves as Ed’s de facto millworks, Fish Ranch Millworks. When the local forest service cuts down trees for defensible space, they bring Ed specimens and he “mills” them to create the most beautiful boards and bits. Beautiful and incredibly aromatic. It was a sensuous experience up there, what with the view to the Farallones and the smells of eucalyptus and cedar. Mmmmmm.

    Ostensibly the purpose of my visit was to collect a huge trove of SSS memorabilia, which Ed would like to transfer from his closet to my closet. I arrived to find that he had laid out newsletters and programs, photos and race results in a wide semi circle in a front room where floor to ceiling windows surrounded them. From there we went into a closet where he unearthed dozens of tshirts from the 80’s and 90’s, when Ed was active in the club and participated in the 1992 Transpacific Yacht Race on Chelonia, a 30’ Yankee.

    We also talked about the Singlehanded Sailing Society, past and present, its history and current circumstances. I was at Ed’s house a long time ;-)

    Ed gave me this photo of the thirteen sailors who registered for the 1992 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race

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    And a photo of the seven who finished, including Ed. He says there was an eighth person, but somehow he didn’t make the photo of the seven of eight who finished

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    I was hoping that Ed would make it to the Cruise-Down in Brisbane this past weekend, but he didn’t. He woulda totally won the t-shirt contest, like this from an old BAMA race, offering the sailor a chance to recall the course by simply looking down.

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    Here’s a photo of Ed telling the story behind this trophy. A prize to the person who remembers it.

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    Last edited by Philpott; 11-18-2019 at 03:27 PM.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philpott View Post
    Last week I drove up to the very top of Skyline Drive at the invitation of Ed Ruszel, a longtime SSSer who no longer races with us. Ed says he almost got hit so many times by doublehanders that he decided to quit racing with the Singlehanded Sailing Society until it is a singlehanded racing club again. Ed still owns the J 32 Flicka, keeps her in Brickyard Cove.

    Before we started talking boats we walked his property, which also serves as Ed’s de facto millworks, Fish Ranch Millworks. When the local forest service cuts down trees for defensible space, they bring Ed specimens and he “mills” them to create the most beautiful boards and bits. Beautiful and incredibly aromatic. It was a sensuous experience up there, what with the view to the Farallones and the smells of eucalyptus and cedar. Mmmmmm.

    Ostensibly the purpose of my visit was to collect a huge trove of SSS memorabilia, which Ed would like to transfer from his closet to my closet. I arrived to find that he had laid out newsletters and programs, photos and race results in a wide semi circle in a front room where floor to ceiling windows surrounded them. From there we went into a closet where he unearthed dozens of tshirts from the 80’s and 90’s, when Ed was active in the club and participated in the 1992 Transpacific Yacht Race on Chelonia, a 30’ Yankee.

    We also talked about the Singlehanded Sailing Society, past and present, its history and current circumstances. I was at Ed’s house a long time ;-)

    Ed gave me this photo of the thirteen sailors who registered for the 1992 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race
    I can identify about six of those sailors. Between all of us, I bet we can get them all.
    Name:  1AD66C33-EF45-4A74-9C38-207673EDAF53.jpeg
Views: 530
Size:  160.6 KB

    And a photo of the seven who finished, including Ed. He says there was an eighth person, but somehow he didn’t make the photo of the seven of eight who finished

    Name:  632306D2-84A7-4B8F-A845-E8AE3BDF2CDA.jpeg
Views: 643
Size:  171.9 KB

    I was hoping that Ed would make it to the Cruise-Down in Brisbane this past weekend, but he didn’t. He woulda totally won the t-shirt contest, like this from an old BAMA race, offering the sailor a chance to recall the course by simply looking down.

    Name:  shirt w course.JPG
Views: 538
Size:  305.5 KB

    Here’s a photo of Ed telling the story behind this trophy. A prize to the person who remembers it.

    Name:  Ed.JPG
Views: 642
Size:  418.1 KB
    When I first started in the SSS in the late 90's, my "role models" were Ed Ruszel, Mike Jefferson, Phil MacFarlane, and Rob MacFarlane.

    I was somewhat in awe of Peter Hogg, and charmed by Shama Kota's accent.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  3. #3
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    From left to right...

    half cut-off...not sure
    brown t-shirt, arms crossed...I think that's Reed Overshiner
    white shirt, white basball cap....pretty sure that's Mike Jefferson
    net to Mike with the button-down shirt holding the program in front of him...not sure
    But next to him in the red t-shirt, is Phil MacFarlane
    Next to Phil, in the black baseball cap is The General - Ken Roper
    Behind the General..white hair, white beard...don't know
    The smaller guy up front, not sure, nor am I sure about the guy behind that

    The white t-shirt in the very back is Ed Ruszel
    Nearing the right side...the guy with the sweatshirt draped over his shoulders, is that Bob Cranmer-Brown? I only met Bob once and it was a long time ago.
    Then behind him is Dan Benjamin, next to the far right side in the red shirt and blue shorts
    and on the far right is Dan Newland
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

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    pogen is offline Sailing canoe "Kūʻaupaʻa"
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    The smaller guy in the front, center in the dark blue t-shirt might be Frank Dinsmore.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  6. #6
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    Nice to see Ed R. And good to see he's still in the family wood-working field. Ed was very important to the SSS in many ways, especially as a cheer-leader during races. We sailed in the same division for years - Yankee 30 vs Newport 30. I began to do better when he sold the Yankee! The group was lots smaller then, and closer knit. Ed, if you're reading the SSS Forum, give me a shout at b-r-o-d-e-r-i-c AT. s-o-n-i-c DOT n-e-t. Our daughter lives in Santa Cruz and we drive down often - perhaps a quick visit?

    I have that BAMA shirt somewhere in the storage locker, along with many others back to 1985. I should remember the trophy since Lina and I were doing trophies about that time. but those brain cells have disappeared. Pat B.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wylieguy View Post
    Nice to see Ed R. And good to see he's still in the family wood-working field. Ed was very important to the SSS in many ways, especially as a cheer-leader during races. We sailed in the same division for years - Yankee 30 vs Newport 30. I began to do better when he sold the Yankee! The group was lots smaller then, and closer knit. Ed, if you're reading the SSS Forum, give me a shout at b-r-o-d-e-r-i-c AT. s-o-n-i-c DOT n-e-t. Our daughter lives in Santa Cruz and we drive down often - perhaps a quick visit?

    I have that BAMA shirt somewhere in the storage locker, along with many others back to 1985. I should remember the trophy since Lina and I were doing trophies about that time. but those brain cells have disappeared. Pat B.
    I do miss battling the two Yankees, Chelonia and Emerald, on Travieso. I learned a ton of racing on the Bay trying to beat those two boats.

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