On August 12, the 77-year-old sloop Pisces, owned and skippered by Harry Fish Jr. of Jonesport, sailed to a new record in the ‘Port & Starboard Yacht Club’s annual Commander Wally Kurz Memorial Regatta.

Starting just outside Bucks Harbor, Fish completed the approximately 10-mile triangular course around Machias Bay in one hour and 51 minutes. Crewing for him aboard the 30-foot Pisces were his wife Sherry, niece Inge Herzog, nephew Aaron Herzog, and a friend, Jeremy Bassett of Southport, North Carolina.

Fish credited his speed to a unusual combination of wind angles. “When we started, it was more or less eight to 12 knots north-northwest,” he said. “That gave us a close reach and a broad reach on the first two legs. After a wind shift more to the west, we had another close reach back to the finish line.” The lack of an
upwind leg, except for a few short tacks to get back in the harbor, allowed Pisces to sail more efficiently around the course.

Zephyr, owned and helmed by Harper Dean of East Machias, finished a close second on corrected time. Arthur Hill of Jonesboro crewed for Dean.  Mariah, skippered by owner Ron Beiswenger of East Machias with a two-man crew aboard, also competed but withdrew and came in under power to escape radical wind shifts
and approaching thunderstorms.

Bill Transue Jr. of Bucks Harbor served as Race Commodore, and his wife, Virginia Transue, as timekeeper. Laura and Rick Herzog of Jonesport captained the Race Committee boat, Aaron Thomas.

(all text taken from previous site: http://medowinweb.com/Port/Regatta2006Text.html )