"A Train" now up at Saratoga Lake Sailing Club

John Power of Connecticut, and head sailing instructor of Saratoga Lake Sailing Club, along with the news about his pickup of a Kirby III, also sends news that Bob Reeves' ex-Kirby IV, A Train, is now residing at Saratoga Lake Sailing Club. Saratoga Lake Sailing Club is embracing it's International 14 heritage and has picked up US 855 for use by their more talented juniors. Jim Biles of Annapolis, the owner of A Train for the last 30 years graciously donated the 14 to the sailing club. These are photos from 2018 of A Train sailing under a suit of more modern sails that had been kicking around the club.

A PSI Kirby III emerges in Saratoga

John Power from Darien Ct., who sails out of Saratoga N.Y., sends along photos of a Classic 14 pickup. Looks like a primo restoration of a glass PSI Kirby III.

John Power fills in the details:

"I found The KIII in Old Lyme. Connecticut. A fellow by the name of Charlie Ritrovato had her listed on Craigslist. He told me it was in the garage when he bought the house, and he had no idea what kind of boat is was. His neighbor helped him rig it and he had it painted and updated some of the rigging. She still needs some rigging work and spin gear. He may have some pics of her sailing as he had posted them in his CL ad. The boat has a centerboard and rudder that seem small, but I could be wrong - I bought her last November, and never got to sail her yet due to COVID."

Well it turn out I did have a email back-and-forth with Charlie in 2014. He sent me a photo of the sail number. So... originally a Canadian KIII.

Given the sail number, I replied to Charlie:

" A Kirby III designed by Bruce Kirby and built in fiberglass by Ian Bruce (who started his company, Performance Sailcraft to build the Kirby Mk III International 14). Ian Bruce would build about 100 of these Mark III's before collaborating with Bruce Kirby and producing the Laser dinghy, the world's most popular dinghy (and also an Olympic class). KC378 would make this boat one of the last Mark III's produced because Ian would start making the Int. 14 Mk V's starting somewhere after number KC389 (the KV would have a distinctive notch in the transom which your 14 does not have)."

Looks like Charlie did an admirable job at restoring this Kirby III given where he started from.



In somewhat of a coincidence, the original Canadian owner of KC378 was another Charlie; Charlie Eckenfelder, who occasionally flashed a good result in regattas in the early 1970's. According to Sinjin Martin, the Performance Sailcraft Kirby III's didn't come out until the fall of 1968. With the switch-over to the K V in 1971, the Performance Sailcraft Kirby III was produced only over a span slightly greater than 2 years.

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In the previous post about the 1969 Team Races held at Kingston Ontario, most of the Canadian Team in the photos were sailing Kirby III's.

John Power; Stories from Saratoga

John Power sends me this interesting sea (actually lake) story filled with Int. 14 (and Firefly) lore from Saratoga Lake;

I actually have had just a little experience sailing 14s, I am perhaps one generation too late. But I have always been keenly interested in the older boats (the modern 14s which while impressive in their own right, are a bit too pricey and high tech for me)

When I was younger, I learned how to sail at Regatta Point Community Sailing in Worcester, Ma (a sister school to the famed Community Boating in Boston) The fellow that taught me to sail was a great guy named Allan Fearn. Al actually won the Firefly National Championships one year on Saratoga Lake, beating none other than Stuart Walker. The story among the old time Firefly/Jet14/I14 crowd at the club is that the chapter in Walker's Tactics book relating to wind around land masses on inland lakes is about the big hill on the east side of Saratoga Lake, and comes from this regatta specifically. I don't know that it is 100% true, but its a cool story and could be very probable.

Anyhow, I was a pretty large kid when I was a teen. Most of the kids at the lake were buying their own Lasers and Force Fives...AL talked me into buying an old Fairey Marine FIREFLY #2828 and thats how I got hooked. (Incidentally, 2828 was built in 1963 and I was built in 1965!) During college I did not sail much, but I had seen my first Thistle.....I have now owned 4, until recently, graduating, or perhaps stepping down to a J28 Cruiser. At my first Thistle Nationals in 89, I met Bill and we got talking about old 14s and he ended up owning my old Firefly. A few years later, I was laid off from my teaching job in CT and ended up teaching for a while up near Saratoga, meeting the old 14 crowd etc. So that is my connection and keen interest in these cool old boats.

About 10 years ago, there were a few of the old 14 fleet that wanted to start a classic 14 group on the lake. At that time John Carcich had mailed (pre email!) the folks at Saratoga to see if anyone wanted 970.(I almost bought 970 then, but I knew the boat meant a lot to Bill since he had raced against it and John Carcich when he was younger, so I passed on buying it and he bought if from Carcich). Later Bill came across and rescued the D&M while at a thistle regatta in FL. Unfortunately one of the jump starters of the classic 14 fleet shortly became ill with Alzheimer's and the movement fizzled. Bill has been making noises about selling his boats for several years and I think he is now at the point he might sell them.

There are a few 14s left up in the area and I think they could be persuaded to sail a few times each season...I would be very interested in that, and perhaps going to a classic regatta or two should I be able to find a seaworthy boat. The only 14s that i have sailed was an old Fairy MK6 and plastic PSI Proctor 7 i think? Both were single trap boats with big genoas and chutes -GREAT FUN in some breeze!

There is a fellow named JOHN BOOTH who has 3 boats at the moment, the two I sailed and a Proctor Hull that I think won the P.O W cup, the boats name is ARIADNE - Bill would know the exact details about this boat, and could fill you in on the history. I m sure there are a few other boats lurking in the area, there used to be a couple fiberglass ones that sailed on the lake on occasion.