Nancy & Commodore Tompkins, cruising on Flashgirl

I ran across this update from Nancy & Commodore Tompkins, cruising on Flashgirl, at the St. Francis Yacht Club web site. A very nice account of a wonderful place in the Marquesas. Click here.

Here is proof that WINGS is not the only cruiser in the Pacific without roller furling headsails.

Actually, seeing what one of the world's most experienced and skilled sailors has chosen for a cruising boat validates our own choice, as if that was needed.

I met Commodore Thompkins when he was sailing St Francis VII in the 6 Meter Worlds in Seattle in 1973, with Tom Blackaller, and I was out in my powerboat Easy, taking photographs. They sailed well, and won the regatta, but not by much, over some pretty good local boats. They also had fresh lobster and other exotic goodies in their box lunches, insisted on the fastest towboat (me), and had some beautiful admirers waiting for them at back at the yacht club. I had some nice chats with them while the fleet waited for the wind to fill in, but the new friendship faltered when I wouldn't tow them in and out as fast as they wanted to go. It wasn't that I couldn't; my Searay, with a top speed of 65mph, was by far the most powerful boat around, but I just wasn't playing the game with them. Blackaller insisted on being the the first everywhere, and he wanted me to tow them at about 10 knots. Sorry Tom, find yourself another tow boat. He did.

In the end they also snubbed CYC, flying out of town imediately after the last race, and skipping the awards ceremony.

Maybe that was all Blackaller's doing.

Thompkins, on the other hand, was a very gentle and pleasant fellow.

Sorry I don't have any photos from back then.

Fred Roswold