Do you know John and Linda Edwards out of Solomons, Md.? They’ve been around the sport for a long time, competing on board a series of boats named Rhumb Punch. Their daughter Regan used to steer the family’s J/29, but she’s now living in Seattle and not always available to make the trip east. John and Linda also have a son, Patrick, who maintains the boats and races with them when not getting paid to sail on other boats.
Around the Chesapeake Bay Area, John and Linda are known as strong ambassadors of the sport. It all started back in the ‘70s when gas prices soared. At the time, they were active powerboaters, and they thought that a switch to sailing would offer a more economical option. Thanks OPEC.
“I’ve been sailing for al long time,” says John. “I graduated college in 1979, and Linda and I had a boat before we had a house. That was an Edel 22 that we cruised for five years. Then, armed with a PHRF number of 252, we won our first event in 1986 and I knew right then what I would do for the rest of my life. I still have that trophy of a Clorox bottle mounted on a wooden plaque.”
The Edwards have raced in CRW four previous times, three on board their J/29 and once on board the Farr 30 that they still own. This year, John will be out there on a GP32, a boat chartered to him by his friend Peter D’Arista, a recent convert to sailboat racing.
“I love the GP26,” says John. “It’s got a super-powered sailplan for a boat that weighs 2,500 pounds, and it just flies off the wind. In light air, we get mixed results, but when it’s breezy, we can basically stay with the Farr 280s upwind and down. That’s pretty impressive.”
John says he customarily races with the same crew, most of them former St. Mary’s College sailors. “On the Farr in our home waters, we have had a very successful program. Now that we race the GP26, we’re usually in the mix somewhere as we have two other GP 26s to contend with.”
John steers and manages his own starting-line strategy. Shawn Stanley handles the mainsail trim and is also the alpha dog on tactics replacing longtime Rhumb Punch mentor, Clarke McKinney. Then there’s Joe Szymanski as the primary trimmer for headsails and spinnakers and Scott Patterson on the foredeck.” The rest of the crew that travels with the team, includes Laura Stanley and Michelle Januzzi, who both work mast and pit. And Linda remains the key for the team’s logistics. In 2008, US Sailing named her Sailor of the Week due to her pivotal shoreside contributions. And to help Linda, Sandy Leitner also travels with the team.
So, what brings the Edwards and their crew back to Charleston? For John, Charleston has a special allure. “I can’t say enough about this regatta,” he says. “The first time we were there, Teddy Turner, Jr. offered to stow our boat free of charge for three months at his boat yard. That’s really what got us started. But the event just seems to get better and better, going from an A to an A+ . The atmosphere is amazing. You’re on the beach with a rum drink, the boats are right there, and the race course is just beyond.”
John says he also likes the fact that you don’t have to get up ultra early. “With the schedule they put in place, you’ve got time to have a decent breakfast and then head out to the race course. That’s nice. Also, I really like the timing of this event. Most of us who race in Florida in the winter have been idle for two or three months at this point, so the itch starts to set in right about mid April.”
And maybe, just maybe, John’s fondness for CRW is influenced by his past success. “The first year, Clarke and I won all seven races. Then, when we brought the Farr, we did the same. I can definitely say, I’ve never had a bad day in Charleston. We came here initially because of the convenience, but we keep coming back because of the quality.”
