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As Remembered by Bud Phillips
It wasn't long after the Percy Priest Lake impoundment that white sails
dotted this beautiful lake. There seems to be some magic about sailing,
because most of the skippers seemed to go out of their way to hail another
skipper in their vicinity. It also seemed quite natural for these skippers
to "sheet in", "batten down", and "look lively" when another sail
approached "CAUSE HE AIN'T GONNA OVERTAKE ME!".
Most of these Percy Priest "skippers" were new to sailing, so a
"starboard tack" was unheard of in those days. By late afternoon, hitting
the crowded Elm Hill boat ramp, the inevitable skipper's get-together
would take place in the parking lot where one skipper would out-lie
another. These informal get-togethers were fun and always concluded with a
frantic search for a leftover cold beer and a dry cigarette.
On March 31, 1970, these parking lot sailing jockeys got together at
the home of Dan and Gay Reiber to discuss some organized sailing for the
new season. This get-together culminated in what we now know as the Percy
Priest Yacht Club. Dan brought good Yankee sailing know-how to the group.
John Dunlap with his super fast catamaran, Bud Phillips (real green!),
Charlie Phifer, Jim Gibson and Bobby Burton supported the hard working
Reiber efforts to gather as many people together as possible. Before 1970
was behind us, we had gathered some twenty seven charter members and had a
successful year of racing and partying!
Besides those names mentioned above, it is appropriate to mention of
some of the illustrious "skippers" who are charter members and still
active in PPYC. Galen and Carolyn Freeman are familiar to all with their
J-24 and who previously owned the famous thistle, "Snoopy". Back in the
early days, they had a small board boat, graduating to a Mobjack before
hocking the family jewels to purchase "Snoopy". Ed Metke with his P-22
cruiser, who secretly wished he had his "Catfish" back. Tom Jones who
out-Windmilled all the other Windmills single-handed and has since
graduated to a San Juan 21 (old age?); and Bud Phillips who thought DeWitt
Kennard's Flying Dutchman was the most beautiful thing that he had ever
seen and had to have one of his own, called the "Yellow Submarine".
The usual growing pains of any new organization ensued, but they were
softened by he good-humored people who made up (and still do) the PPYC
roster. Chuck and Mary Belle Tyson (non-sailboat owners) acted as race
officers each Sunday. Their small houseboat was used to start races and
carry the famous five gallon can of Harvey Wallbangers. Midway through
this first racing season, PPYC invested (?) in the "Guardian Angel", a
seventeen foot boat (?) that had to be paddled more often than not. It had
an open cockpit, a small three foot foredeck, and no cowling over the
twenty-five horsepower (?) motor. The wood hull had to be stuffed with
caulking to give the crew time to start the races in lieu of bailing. Tom
Eustis' shotgun was used for the starts until it blew up in Bud Phillips'
face. The Season ended triumphantly with a BYOB awards dinner at the Belle
Meade Buffet.
PPYC began its second year (1971) with a stupendous bank balance of
$124 and an aggressive new group of officers. The goals of doubling the
membership, increasing the treasury, obtaining permanent facilities, and
becoming a sanctioned sailing organization were vigorously pursued. The
first Main Sheet was published in March 1971 by Gay Reiber. Letters were
sent to all sailboat owners in the area and a case of whiskey was raffled
off as a means of raising funds. Dues were set at $12 per year, and fifty
cents per race. After much debate, a burgee design was created by a friend
of Tom Jones' and still stands out over other club burgees.
In July 1971, a used boat was purchased for the official PPYC barge.
The "Guardian Angel" became a hulk in the Reiber's garage, where, several
months later, some unsuspecting soul took it off our hands. A garage sale
consisting of sailing gear only was held, and the proceeds enabled the
enterprising PPYC members to outfit the new (fifth-hand) committee boat.
The green skippers of the PPYC braved the laughter and scowls of their
sister club (HIYC) by entering the 1971 Tennessean Regatta on Old Hickory
Lake. We sailed off with four pieces of Harbor Island silver!
PPYC was officially accepted for admission in the Dixie Inland Yacht
Racing Association in November 1971. Despite not being a sanctioned
organization prior to November, the membership went ahead and held the
first of its famous Oktoberfest regattas. Over seventy skippers from all
over the Southeast participated, and the Saturday night beer bust and the
German supper were held under an undertaker's tent in the Elm Hill marina
parking lot. The PPYC skippers didn't fare too well against the super
skippers from Atlanta, Birmingham, etc. in the first Oktoberfest, but have
since compiled a commanding lead in the "silver" department. In 1972,
racing was the name of the game. PPYC skippers like Reibers, Culbersons,
Eustises, Phillips, Smiths, Caldwells, Carlsons, Zipperers, and Rawlings
were traveling the Southeastern weekend racing circuit and more often than
not, bringing home the silver. PPYC even managed to capture three first
place trophies plus the overall trophy in the 1972 Tennessean.
The years 1973 to 1976 showed continued membership growth and greater
accomplishments from PPYC's racing skippers. The San Juan 21 fleet cut a
big swathe in racing circles ins the Southeast. The parties became bigger,
better, and more frequent. It wouldn't have been a successful party
without Tom Jones and his famous "Brown Bag Awards" or without Galen
Freeman and his meerschaum pipe.
PPYC has come a long way from the days of parties at the Belle Meade
Buffet, Bonanza, and Coon Hunter's Lodge. It has established a reputation
for putting on great regattas; the Force Five, Grand Ole' Open, Doldrums,
Equalizer, Touch Of Class, and Oktoberfest, which draw many boats from
around the Southeast, and having great parties.
The past and present officers of PPYC have dedicated themselves to
providing activities for all classes of boats, racing and cruising. I'm
sure our future will be as colorful as our past!
Circa 1982
As Remembered by Tom Jones
One early day in the Summer of 1970, Barb and I were lazing along off
Elm Hill cove in our Windmill, "Tipsy Gypsy", when we were hailed by a
fellow on a board boat. "Ahoy, windmill!", said Harold Spehar (for this
was his name), "Why don't you come out and race with us Sunday at two
o'clock?" "Aye, aye", says I, letting him know by my nautical reply that I
was a force to be reckoned with. And thus began my long and happy
association with Percy Priest Yacht club.
Approaching the Elm Hill launching ramp the following Sunday, we were
met by Dan Reiber the organizer of the races and, shortly thereafter,
PPYC's first commodore, who gave us a mimeographed race circular and
invited us to meet with a group of fellow sailors who were forming a yacht
club. Early meetings were hosted by Dan and Gay Reiber at their home, and
by Chuck and Maribelle Tyson who served as a sort of permanent volunteer
race committee conducting the races from their houseboat and consoling the
losers with Harvey Wallbangers. Among those early PPYC competitors were
Galen Freeman (Mobjack), Ed Matke (Catfish), Bud Phillips (Flying
Dutchman), Dan Reiber (Javelin), John Maguirk (Javelin), Charlie Phifer
(Pearson Ariel), Mike Eliot (Windmill), Tom Eustis (Thistle), Rus Lenz
(Widgeon), Phil Schoggen (Blue Jay), Fred Peyser (Surfwind), Mark Kinney
(420), John Dunlap (Catamaran), and myself.
Percy Priest Yacht Club's second season, 1971, was notable for the
purchase of the "Guardian Angel" (more often referred to as the "Wooden
Shoe"), a plywood launch of uncertain age that was to serve the Club as
committee boat for the next couple of seasons. The Club's books for 1971
show that more money was spent for Git-Rot to keep the "Guardian Angel"
afloat than for gasoline; not surprising since the Wizard outboard seldom
ran!
Our second season was crowned by our first Oktoberfest, a huge success
with around sixty boats attending. Those of us who competed will never
forget the huge dead air pocket at the downwind mark on the second day
when all 60-plus boats converged to form a raft-up with Bruce Carlson in
his albacore on the outside claiming luffing rights on the entire fleet!
Members who joined about this time included Jack Caldwell (Highlander),
Buddy Culberson (Thistle), Jim Rawlings (Windmill), Al Ledoux (Coronado),
Bob Olmstead (Mallard), Cleo Hughes and family (Windmill), Jack Zipperer
(Javelin), Bill Kirkelie (Snipe), Rick Loudermilk (Venture), and Larry
Owen (Ventura).
By demonstrating with our first Oktoberfest that we were capable of
conducting a major regatta, we earned the respect of DIYRA, and were
accepted as a member club in 1972. Once blessed with legitimacy, we
proceeded to make our name known in a hurry.
A core group of PPYC racers hit the regatta circuit with great success,
winning silver throughout the Southeast and serenading their hosts with
lusty renditions of the PPYC song, the refrain of which advertised that
PPYC skippers "come in a bunch to eat your lunch and drink up all your
beer".
A magazine story of the time described PPYC as "a swashbuckling bunch
of pirates in contrast to its more sedate sister club across town". And I
suppose we were. But then, with skippers like Freeman, Culberson,
Rawlings, Caldwell, Loudermilk, Jack Benz, John Smith, and others
consistently in the money, we had many a swash to buckle!
During the 70's, PPYC's annual Oktoberfest earned a reputation as one
of the Southeast's premier regattas, with the emphasis on fun. Early
regatta dinners were prepared and served by the ladies of PPYC at a
secluded establishment called the Davidson County Coon Hunter's Club, and
featured German music and bottomless kegs of beer. As our fame spread, the
number of boats competing soared to well over one hundred, and the Coon
Hunter's Club had to be abandoned in favor of larger quarters. At one
Oktoberfest dinner, held at the Tennessee Air National Guard's NCO club,
the caterer got lost and never delivered the food. No matter. The beer was
in plentiful supply, and we had one hellava breakfast the next morning at
Elm Hill marina!
The ensuing years saw us go through a succession of committee boats and
an eventual site change. After ten years fighting the stinkpots, rubber
wormers, ramp hogs, and parking problems at Elm Hill, we transferred our
base of operations to Hamilton Creek when the city opened it's sailing
facility there about 1980. All attempts to obtain a site of our own on
Percy Priest Reservoir have met with failure.
Many unforgettable characters have passed through PPYC, and as many yet
remain. Worthy of special mention are Dan Reiber, our first commodore and
his wife Gay, perennial Javelin national champions whose arguments on the
race course are legendary; Bill Kirkelie ("Swim, Edie!" Hurry and catch
up! The crew has to finish aboard!"); Fred Peyser who threatened to slash
a ramp hog's tires with his rigging knife if he didn't back off and let
Fred retrieve his sinking Lightning; Dr. Charles Phifer, a swinging
bachelor who sailed with an ever-changing crew if nymphets and gave his
name to Charlie's Cove; irrepressible Ed Metka, who would sail clear
across the lake just for the pleasure of luffing someone; Buddy Culberson,
who used one of the area's major trophy's as a feeding dish for his dog;
John Maguirk whose knowledge of boats and sailing gear was so exiguous
that he ordered one brummel hook; Jack Zipperer, who castigated the club
for its total disregard of parliamentary procedures after the annual
meeting had dragged on for four hours!; Wanda Shotwell, for whom an hours'
telephone conversion was merely a warmup; Bob Olmstead, who drove his
camper over from Tullahoma every weekend; Bill Harriss, whose
pulchritudinous crews gave him and his Thistle a tactical advantage. And
many more.
At the end of it second decade, PPYC can look back on a colorful
history and forward to many more exciting chapters. One thing we've
proved: sailors have more fun than anybody!
Circa 1988 |
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