Founded 1876
History of BQYC's Racing Cups and Trophies
Our
club is blessed with a number of beautiful, valuable, old and new trophies
for our sailboat racing. I’m going to attempt to write about a
couple of them each month in the bulletin and share a bit of our club
yachting history.
The “BRAIDWOOD Cup” was
donated to honour Jack Braidwood and his contribution to the BQYC. (As
an aside I am pleased to tell you that Jack’s widow, Gwen, an
Honorary Member of the club, is still in good health at 97 years of
age.) The “Braidwood” was first awarded in 1975, to the
winner of the race to Main Duck Island. This race was approximately
103 miles long, and it started in Belleville, ended in Picton. The first
winner was Ken Douglas aboard Serendipity. Other winners were: Dick
Bird, Mai Tai, 1976; Roger Poultney, Nereide ,1979; Gord Smith, Kraken
1981/83/85 ; Don Reidel, Windsprint 1986; Gord Smith, Vengeance, 1987;
Brian Thompson, Argo, 1988; and the last winner of the original Braidwood
race was Patrick O’Boyle-Kelly, Kraken in 1989.
In 1990 the cup was not competed for. In 1991 a shortened
course was designed, from Q54 in front of Myers Pier to the Glenora
Ferry marker, finishing back in Belleville. The first winner of the
altered Braidwood was Bernie King, Fortune Carree; then Gord Smith,
Sundance, 1992; Barry Orchard, Sea Apple, 1993/94; Bernie King, Shanahy,
1995/96; Brian Thompson, Psychosus, 1997; Gord Smith, Sundance, 1999/
2000; Bob Owen, Tyke, 2001/02.
The “WICKERSON” Trophy
was presented in 1967 by Elwood Wickerson to the winner in Division
One, Prince Edward County Race. Some of the winners of that cup have
been: Ken Douglas, Serendipity, 1969/70; Dick Bird, Mai Tai, 1977; Bill
Finkle, Lucretia, 1983; Brian Smith, Trooper, 1985; Ian and Peter Morch,
Lickety Split, 1986/87/88…. the “Round-the-County Race”
has not been competed for since then.
The “WICKERSON” trophy was not awarded
from 1989 through 1996; since 1997 it has been awarded to the White
Sail boat that won the shortened “Braidwood.” Its winners
have been: Frank Harnden, Melody, 1997; John Boor, Fifth Season, 1998/99;
Hugh Cooke, Grayling, 2000/01; Anthony Gallow, Take Five, 2002.
The
“Frostbite Series” is a series of three or five
races competed for in late September and October; the format has changed
somewhat from year to year.
The PUSSER’S RUM Trophy was donated by Gilbey/Smirnoff,
and was first awarded in 1985, for the winner of the Frostbite Series
at BQYC. It has been awarded 18 times, to a total of only 5 skippers.
Brian Smith aboard Trouper was the first winner; Lannings won it in
1986/87 on Runaway and 1988/89 on Warpaint; Morches won in 1990 on Watch
Out!
And all racers are aware of Doug Smith (Alliance) and his commandeering
of this series from 1992 through 2001; Gord Smith aboard Sundance won
it in 2002.
Many racers today are not aware that we had many more
spinnaker boats racing several years ago, with white-sail
competition virtually non-existent until the mid eighties. Accordingly,
there were very few, if any, trophies designated for what used to be
Division Three, the white-sail boats. Fortune Carree (Bernie King) was
the sole white-sail racer in 1985, when he raced every Wednesday night
single handedly. (Bernie’s going to kill me for this!) He was
soon joined by Mike Shaw on Polaris, Peter Savidge on Moonbeam, and
the McEwen family on Sheiling II… And the rest is history! Our
white-sail fleet now usually outnumbers the spinnaker fleet, which consists
of only one Division rather than two as it used to be.
In 1993, the McEwen Family Trophy was awarded for
the Frostbite Series White Sail winner. The first winner
was Bill Finkle aboard Winrise; in 1994/96/97 Gord Smith (Sundance)
won; Barry Orchard, Sea Apple, 1995; Bernie King, Shanahy, 1996; Hugh
Cooke, Grayling, 1999/2001; the late Past Commodore Ewart Jordan was
delighted to win this in 2000 on Yahalla; Mike and Jan Bryant, Viento,
2002.
Over the last few years there have been many other
white-sail trophies added, thanks to the generosity of various members.
Also some of the unused Division Two trophies have been re-designated
as White Sail awards.
Fiona King