Youngs Boatyard...where it, pretty much, all began

NPSA HISTORY

There seem to be a lot of variations on the history of the Club's earliest days...some say it started one way, some say it started another. So, rather than choose a definitive history, we'll let the NPSA legend fester by the using the traditional of The Nautical Yarn as rendered below by various NPSA charter members:

FROM PHIL AND ANNETTE YOUNG: (visit Young's Boatyard )

Once upon a time, in the year Nineteen hundred and seventy-nine, North Point Sailing Association was born.

One evening as the Youngs were eating dinner, they began discussing boat building and design. Young Phil Young casually mentioned that he admired the design of Alberg’s Pearson Ariel, and if he were to buy a boat, that’s what he would buy. Mom and Dad Young took note of this wishful thinking and prayed that the younger Young’s dream would come true.

Some weeks later after perusing the newspapers, Mom Young came across an advertisement for, what else! a Pearson Ariel. She quickly passed on the information to young Phil Young. Even with an old outboard and worn out sails, Number 190 was too good to be true, and without further ado, young Phil Young purchased her.

Alas, he lamented to the older youngs, he now wished that he had someone to race against. Here he was with a beautiful boat, superb skippering abilities, and a truly exceptional and loving crew, yet there was no local sailing competition. Young, the Older, concerned with the welfare of the younger Young and about the number of boats just sitting at the dock, never being sailed, had an idea!

That Wednesday, in the summer of the year of Nineteen hundred and seventy-nine, Harry Young gathered his stop watch, his air horn, and his straw hat, casted off the 13ft. boston whaler and motored, with his 6 horse-powered engine to #14 ship channel marker in Old Road Bay where he set a starting line. Following close behind were 5 or 6 boats that included “Sea Chase” skippered by Al Karasa, “Gung Ho” sailed by Bud and Jim Fischer, and “Ma Cherie” with of course the younger Young at the helm. These skippers and crews were thrilled to be racing rather than tied up at the pier, and competed good naturedly in a race out to the main shipping channel.

After the race, the captains and crews met in front of the big shop back at Young’s Boat Yard to enjoy a case of beer and talk about their boats and the racing. During one of these get-togethers, Jim Fischer, an enthusiastic sailor like the younger Young himself, suggested that this group of intrepid sailors form a sailing club. Shortly thereafter, on a Saturday morning, in the year Nineteen hundred and seventy-nine, the group conducted its first meeting and duly appointed Jim Fischer Commodore, the first commodore of many illustrious commodores, including the younger Young himself.

And so, the North Point Sailing Association was born and lives happily ever after.

(Written and presented by Annette and Phil Young at the North Point Sailing Association Trophy Party in 1995. The underlined words indicate use of props)

FROM AL KARASA (click to learn more about Al's books)

Unfortunately, I don't remember all the other founding members by name
except Harry Young, Bud Fischer (Jim's dad), Dudley Boycott, Skip
Wallace, Phil Young, Ken Rotan, and Clarence King. There were
several others, as we already had 12-15 boats racing on Wednesdays in
June 1979, and that was before the official formation of ORBSA (Old Road
Bay Sailing Association): the name later shortened to NPSA.

This august event took place at Young's Boat Yard on May 3,1980. Harry
Young was the catalyst and 4 racing classes were established: Division I
for up to 25", Division II for over 25", each subdivided into Spinnaker
and Non-spinnaker groups. These were very loose designations not based
entirely on boat size.

The committee boat (Harry in a Boston Whaler at first, then other boats
taking turns) used red, blue and green flags to designate the 4 race
courses available. A handicap of improved time behind the leading boat,
compared to previous races, was used to make for more competitive racing
among boats of unequal performance (Phil Young's idea?). Among the first
ORBSA boats were Shamrock, Gung Ho, Myth, Lady, Sea Chase, Skyrin,
Rainbow, Red Clam, Generous Return, Irish Mist, Le Bucanier and Drumfire.