Jeff Neuberth shared the following memory about BIRW 1983:

In 1983, George Coumantaros was on his first Boomerang, a Dercektor/Kaufman 65 that we considered a mini-maxi at the time. The boats in the early 80s were big and heavy, and George usually sailed Boomerang with 16 in the crew – most of us in our 30s and some in our 20s. We were like a fraternity that was kept in line by our wives.

That was the first time a Boomerang would race in BIRW and George was excited to sail having sailed his 52’ yawl Baccart in the first BIRW. Unfortunately, as happened too often, he had a business conflict and couldn’t make it. However, as was often the case when he had a conflict, he’s let “the kids” have the boat. After all, to keep the crew together the boat had to sail...and we could have our sailing vacations.

To get the boat to Block, we entered the feeder race that started somewhere between Rye, NY and Stamford, CT, on a Friday afternoon. It was a straight shot to Block with the finish right off the mouth of Old Harbor. Most boats would finish and enter the Great Salt Pond, but not us. We crossed the finish line around noon, made a hard left turn, and zipped over to Newport.

The plan was to gather provisions for the week, pick-up the half dozen wives who would join us, and run back to Block a few hours later. The crew was broken into teams, each with specific items to procure. Some went for groceries, others wine or meat, and still others cheese and crackers for the week. The van had already arrived on the island loaded to the gill with beer, liquor, and beer so we didn’t have to worry about that.

Perhaps the biggest score of that was when we went to the Aquidneck Lobster Company with a few coils of old, worn-out stainless jib sheets and spinnaker guys. The lobstermen loved using these wires to rig their pots. The end result: for the wire and $50 cash, we walked away with a crate of cull lobsters (only one claw). The number of claws didn’t matter to us, we were sailors.

The ride to Block turned out to be a dark, rainy night with the entire bow of Boomerang was stacked full of grocery bags and a baby stroller as the infant swung overhead in a makeshift hammock. The crate of lobsters was secured to the mast on deck!

The next night was Lobster Night. Who knew how effective winch handles and vice grips can be to open lobsters. We sailed hard, had a great time, and will never forget that regatta thanks to George’s generosity.

BTW, Jeff and Paige Neuberth’s son, Brad, will be sailing an IC 37 at this year’s BIRW. Remember the winch handles!

And by the way the Feeder Race is coming back! Learn more: https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/50067