LinGin Teams with SkyBird for Canadian Friendship Team Races

There are two locations where one finds a significant fleet of Alberg 30s: Annapolis, Maryland, and Lake Ontario, Canada. Since 1965 the two groups have held team races. The one on Lake Ontario is early in summer and the one on the Chesapeake Bay is held in the early fall.

LinGin was built in 1967 by Whitby Boat Works in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. It was originally sold to David and Alice Bonney of Salem, Mass. on July 10, 1967 and named Salem Packet. She was subsequently bought by my grandparents, Bruce and Jean Rankin, on December 13, 1972. The name, "LinGin" comes from a combination of names of their two daughters: Linda (my mom) and Virginia.

My grandfather teamed up with Ted Osius in 1975 and won the Canadian Friendship Team Race. He would win it five more times over the next 16 years. After his death in 2001, the award for the Chesapeake Bay team race was renamed the Bruce Rankin Memorial Trophy. I'm sad to say that LinGin has yet to win the trophy named after my grandfather.

Rolph Townshend, "Towney", has been part of the team that has won the Canadian Friendship Team Races every year since 1996 up until last year. That's eight years in a row! (The race was canceled in 2001 due to the 9/11 tragedy.)

Since we are usually competing for High Point neck and neck, I've been hesitant to ask Towney to team with us for the races. LinGin has also done some of her worst racing during that regatta. (I shudder to think about some of the poor racing decisions I've made there!)

This year, however, Towney has not been doing all of the High Point races, and is not planning to do Oxford, the remaining distance race. This makes him less of a direct competitor for High Point. (Although since Solomons Island did not count for High Point, I have a feeling he is right in the mix.) He has decided to loan SkyBird to the Canadians, but is racing another Alberg and put out an e-mail last week looking for a teammate.

I was quick to jump on the e-mail and Towney has graciously accepted us as his teammate this year. I'm looking forward to the races. I plan to do my very best.

Perhaps this is the first time LinGin will be part of the team to win the Bruce Rankin Memorial Trophy. Grandpa would be proud if we did!