Your memory is much better then mine. Yes Roy Swenson, or perhaps Gary Swenson as the sailor of the Ranger 26, bringing his kid or perhaps someone's kid at the club out sailing. He would have been a bit young to have a toddler at his age then then of 19-20. Age wise, Gary Swenson would be almost or about my age. Frank Klatt the owner of the only Islander 30 Mk II out of CIYC, I sailed on a lot the fall and early winter of '72. He kept his boat moored out near the end of one of the finger piers, in front of the club. After I got back from deployment and got our 30 days of "Muster and Make it", the two of us mostly double handed his Islander 30, till I got my requested orders to the Aleutians, at the end of December.Boomer you speak of the master sailor Gary Swenson and his dad Roy that had the Ranger 26.
Gary is still one of my best friends. He is a legend that won about every race that California had to offer. All of us learned how to properly sail with him, either against or with him on his boats. he has natural ability, salesmanship and balls in spades.
The Islander 30 mk2 was owned by Frank Klatt (we called him fine entry Frank) and sailed by mostly his son David we called him Deek, still a great sailor. Yeah he wore glasses but he could see shit that others couldn't. Frank's daughter Liz also a very good sailor did a lot of racing with and against us as youngsters.
The Cal 40 was notorious for the guy that owned it. We won't mention his name or the boats name. He had a wife and a girl friend that mysteriously fell overboard on separate occasions on sails out to Anacapa Island. They never made it back but he did. I was never quite sure if this was a myth or not and I was around. That lot is long gone.
There was an other Cal 40 owned by Walter Pressel. That's probably the one your thinking about hopefully.
Ventucky, you didn't sail with me on one of my Moore 24's did you? Saltshaker or Zinfidel?
One was red the other was yellow.
We probably know a lot of the same people. I surfed Hollywood and the Strand when it was HARDCORE 60's 70's 80''s and the 90's when it was over run with southers (which could have been people from the north too including Ventura). very tight group of locals there. I was just there a few weeks ago. I hardly recognized the place. Over run! I remember mostly fields of beans and cilantro as far as the eye could see. Now strip malls and condos.
A real gregarious and friendly guy Frank, he introduced me to the Channel Islands Yacht Club sailors. The racing was unlike the racing in the PNW that I was used to, which was usual at least 3-5 legs for club racing or long distance races for the larger Center Sound races in the PNW. Where as if most of our club racing out of Channel Islands Yacht Club, was up or down the coast, round a mark and return or twice around.
Frank had a friend from Marina del Ray who'd occasionally come up and sail with us, and we went 60 miles south down to sail with him on his largish Meter boat once, I don't recall his name either, but a well known sailor down there, everyone knew him. He'd win all the big races around LA with his meter boat.
I don't recall Frank being married at that time, but perhaps he was - but as far as I knew he was single and acted single in 1972. Sailed out to the island on cruise, with another sailor from CIYC aboard his Ericson 29.
I recall now, Walter Pressel. The Cal 40 was probably the first one you spoke of and not Walter Pressel's Cal 40, I don't recall how I met him, probably through Frank or at the Yacht Club. The owner was the party type, with more then a few single women at his parties. I was more interested in the Cal 40 moored in front of his place. I only sailed on it once, with a crew of, you guessed it - women - whom I was cordial with, but nothing more, because it seemed like most, besides the partying, were looking to party, with some looking to get hitched - which I had a strong adversion to at the time.
At least the women around the Channel Islands were mostly trim or in shape - and easy on the eyes - so that was a good thang - unlike many of the women around Port Hueneme/Oxnard night club scene then, many of whom, us Seebees dubbed Port Hueneme Sweat Hogs. Which was common around Navy bases in those days. But the word was out among the Seabees, not that I need to be told, "to give Sweat Hogs and Bremalos a wide berth."
Gary Swenson of Ullman Sails at 69
David "Deke" Klatt is about four year younger then I - and kinda looks like his dad Frank - odd that Frank didn't talk about a family - perhaps he did, I don't recall - perhaps they were seperated at that time - beats the hell out of me.
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