Past Commodores

Shortly after the completion of the new clubhouse and pier rebuild, the Covid Pandemic hit. In 2021 Noroton hosted both the Viper 640 North Americans and the Women’s Viper 640 Women’s Championship.

In 2021 former Commodore Sandy McDonald and his wife Gebby graciously offered to sell their home to the club, as it had a strategic location adjoining our tennis court. The Club acquired it, Jeff Eng retired, and Hank Wawryck was hired to take over as Captain.

"I learned to sail from my Dad in an O’Day Day Sailor at Lake Lanier Sailing Club outside Atlanta. When we first started racing, we were terrible, sometimes the Committee boat would have already pulled anchor and be in before we finished, but we kept at it and after a few years won our fair share of races. In college I raced J24s in regattas around the southeast and crewed tall ships in the Caribbean. After moving to Chicago, I raced Tartan 10s and J24s on Lake Michigan at the Chicago Yacht Club.  When Diane and I and our 3 boys moved to Darien in 1994 we joined Noroton Yacht Club, raced our J24 and cruised on our Sabre 42, Orion, every summer with our boys."

Peggy oversaw the demolition of the old building and the gradual construction of the new building.  Tents and flexibility kept the club running.  Racing at Noroton was still a major part of the program.  Noroton was at an all-time high in the team racing world with our Hinman Masters and Grand Masters Teams claiming titles in 2015 and 2016, and the Grand Masters in an undefeated position over 6 years. Noroton also continued to hold its place as the preeminent club for Sonar racing with Karl Ziegler taking 1st in the 2015 Sonar World Championships followed by Peter Galloway in 2017. 

 Among the juniors, racing was not for every everyone. So Noroton introduced the new Open Bic to the fleet, ushering in an alternative of “adventure sailing” for the less competitive sailors. 

Peggy’s family joined Noroton in the 1960s and they raced an Ensign every weekend.  Peggy sailed the old Dyer Dhows in the Junior program.  When her family moved away, she continued to sail during summer camp on Cape Cod. As an adult she moved back to Noroton and has sailed Sonars and been very active in team racing events.  Tennis has also been an important part of her life at Noroton as it has for so many sailors since the 1930s!  Her three children all went through the junior sailing program and will always consider Noroton their “other home”.

Early women team racers –Peggy Hersam, Carolyn Wilson, Melissa Shepstone, Jan Raymond and Andrea Kostanecki in Newport.

See Story: Team Racing at Noroton

Peggy Wilson Hersam and Jock McDonald

Randy had always been involved with the construction projects at Noroton. This turned out to be the time to have somebody with Randy’s ability in the Commodore job.  Noroton was hit by Hurricane Sandy his first year in office.  This came right on top of the damage to the pier caused the year before by Irene necessitating the rebuilding of the main pier.
See Story: Hurricane Irene and Sandy

"My most vivid memory after Sandy was a meeting in the old library with the structural engineers who pronounced that the existing foundation was so bad the next big storm would put the building into the parking lot. This was the first step leading to building the new clubhouse. To counteract these problems, the club’s support of Rob Crane’s Olympic campaign was great. Noroton’s junior program had grown in complexity that Clemmie Everett became out first Sailing Director. The team racing at Noroton began to really take off."

"Over the years the club had been renovated but around this time it was certainly feeling its age. It seems like a good portion of my time as Commodore was spent on maintenance. It was constantly ongoing, and Noroton was still primarily a volunteer club. I believe Jeff Eng was our only full-time employee and served as chief cook and bottle washer. With such a small staff the membership had to step up to make sure all our programs ran smoothly."

Jim is a champion racer beginning in the Lightning before he could see over the combing.  He went on to compete in numerous other fleets but continued to race the Lightning.

"I am a third-generation member of Noroton following my father and grandfather. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Columbia University's graduate school of business. Prior to Columbia I served as an officer in the US Navy being discharged as a Lieutenant JG. Sailing has been woven into my soul as I worked for North Sails for almost 20 years, sailing and racing in every part of the world. This love was ignited by a wonderful childhood sailing at Noroton and in the JSA of Long Island Sound. My wife Brenda is also an avid sailor. As life would have it, I met her at a Lightning regatta. Our children, Rob and Kelly, have also followed in our footsteps. Sailing is part of the Crane family."

Commodore Bob and Commodore Jim Crane

Citibank J24 Worlds 74 boats made up of former Olympic sailors and various class world champions representing 13 countries comprised our 2005 J/24 World’s competitors. Racing was so tight in the 9 race series, it took a tie breaker to declare the champion.  Basil is a one design sailor very active in both the Sonar fleet and Noroton Team Racing.

"I learned to sail at Larchmont Y.C. sailing Blue Jays, Lightnings, and even 505’s for a bit. My first experience coming to Noroton YC was at the 1966 Blue Jay Championships. The Baviers hosted us and it seemed that everyone we met knew and cared about the races. We really loved the hoists at this tiny club and couldn’t understand why big Larchmont Y.C. had such wimpy ones and a bumpy dry-sail area. I came back and had my best job ever teaching sailing at Noroton during college. This picture with driver Sally Campbell, Dave “Rat” Nightingale, and Rick Polhemus found me back at another Blue Jay Champs with much better hair than my old buzz cuts."

After taking on a $1 million loan for the 1992 Clubhouse rebuild, it became clear that we were not properly funding our depreciation. To fix this Noroton restructured the dues and assessments to earn a profit each year in order to add between $100 and $150 thousand to a capital reserve that would help fund major future projects like pier repair, a new committee boat and other likely upcoming needs.

After learning to sail in the Navy, Peter’s father moved his family to Darien in 1953 because wanted to live near a yacht club. The Wilsons joined Noroton where Peter sailed lapstrake dyer dinghies all week (3-4 kids to a boat) and Lightnings on the weekends with his parents. Peter crewed with Carolyn McCurdy for Kevin Jaffe, securing a win at the Junior Championships in 1958 and 1959 as well as the Sears Cup in Vancouver in 1958. Intercollegiate sailing for Princeton led to Naval service aboard a Destroyer in Vietnam, then ocean racing and the 1970 America's Cup. Marrying Carolyn in 1971 led to many sailing adventures: J24's (co-owned with the Linvilles), Sonars ("Spitfire" with Craig and Dave Sinclair), competing against one another in 2.4 meters, and Grand Masters team racing together for five years.

Clubhouse construction made the building unusable for the summer. A tent was erected and life went on, including hosting the Ensign Nationals. This major undertaking once again preserved the Club’s basic character, traditions, and priorities. In an effort to make sure all members were involved, Anne Campbell and Carolyn Wilson started Sunbusters so younger children would make friends at Noroton and be comfortable going into the junior sailing program when they turned 8.  

Jeff Eng became the club Captain replacing Ed Devers.  

Bill was a dedicated one-design racer, first in the Tempest, then J24, then Sonars. See Story: J24 Down  

He grew up sailing at Stamford Yacht Club, and at 18 he contacted Bill Cox and said he was available to be a sailing instructor for the newly formed Noroton Junior Sailing program.

Sailing was booming during Ed’s time as Commodore. Noroton had a Sonar fleet of 29, a J24 fleet of 22 and an Ensign fleet of 11. Noroton hosted the US Youth Championships and then the 420 Nationals. Ed was always involved with the upkeep of the Club and during his time it was discovered that the sill of the club was 6” below grade. 

Ed was an active Sonar sailor. He was also the leader of the Master Builders. This was a group of members who got together in the fall and built many new floats and gangways for the club over the years.

See Story: The Master Builders 

“It never fails to amaze me how Noroton members sail hard against each other but then pull together when a job has to be done.” – Dave Sinclair

During Dave’s tenure, the Club was at full capacity with 229 members. A microcomputer system was bought to help with bookkeeping. Women’s sailing had 23 signed up, and they sailing sailed lasers and dinghies. Nun 28, where Noroton started all Saturday and Sunday racing for 30 years, was permanently removed from the end of Long Neck Point.

See Story: Nun 28

Dave grew up sailing in the Pennsylvania Poconos. He married Sue Widmann and they moved to Darien and joined Noroton in 1958. Dave continues to live in that same house. Dave was Noroton YC's first certified US Sailing Judge and served as a member of the LIS Appeals Committee for many years. Dave has always been an active one design sailor, first in the Lightning and then the Sonar fleets.

Andy approved the acceptance of non-member children into the Junior program for first time. A new Race Committee Boat was acquired and named Paul Smart to honor the Club’s founder who died the year before.

Doug overturned the long-standing prohibition of liquor at the club. In 1974, the Board agreed to allow members to bring their own alcohol, but only after 6:00 PM and within designated spaces. Even within these parameters, bottles had to be kept out of sight.

Doug and his four brothers grew up sailing at Noroton YC in the 1940s, commuting from New Canaan and even sleeping on their boats some weeks to save gas rations. Doug competed in all fleets, but his true love was his series of Star boats as well as his father’s sloop, The Brant. Doug met and married Sandra Woodworth who also sailed at Noroton and even lived there when her father was the club manager. Doug and Sandra spent the next 70 years racing, cruising, raising four sailors and even living aboard their “Campbell 42” for 12 winters.

The club’s total revenue reached $101,000. Disbursements totaled $87,500. Denis led the decision to build a Captain’s apartment in the clubhouse.

Denis was a member of the first eight-man crew while at Oxford University. He and his family moved to Darien in 1957 and joined Noroton Yacht Club. Outside of yachting, Denis was renowned for his ability to sing any Gilbert and Sullivan song, his affinity for writing clever double acrostic puzzles, and for the HO gauge train set that ran through his extensive wine cellar. He could often be seen driving around the Bay in a Mercedes convertible nicknamed “The Red Baron.”

Denis Kemball-Cook – first row far right

During Bob’s tenure, membership interest was three times the available openings. A proposal to build two paddle courts was turned down as it would take up too many parking spaces. Sailing was reconfirmed as the primary mission and purpose of the club with discussions of additional tennis courts and a pool being tabled. The brief women’s sailing venture (The Wind Bags) was disbanded.

Bob was from New Rochelle and sailed out of Larchmont YC as a child. He spent his first year of marriage living in New Rochelle, but moved to Rowayton and later Darien because of the sailing reputation of Noroton YC. The move also likely had to do with the lower cost of living in Rowayton/Darien vs. New York before I-95 was built. Bob was the Publisher and President of Yachting Magazine for many years as well as the winning skipper of Constellation in the 1964 America’s Cup. He was known for playing the harmonica and loved singing.

Noroton starts an Ensign fleet which will build to a peak of 21 boats in the late 1070s. Three members of this class have become Commodores:  Sandy McDonald, Tor Arneberg and Jim Barker. Ladies Sailing is organized, and they called themselves the Wind Bags. The harbor was dredged and what came out of the anchorage was put inside the bulkhead.    

Two Noroton members, Bob Bavier and Bill Cox, were battling each other in the America’s Cup. “After 20 minutes on the starboard tack, during which she was going very well, Cox put Eagle about. Bavier, sailing Constellation, quickly tacked on his lee bow and Cox was compelled to go about again to get away from the disturbed air.”

Bill Cox (top photo) Versus Bob Bavier (bottom photo)

Tom joined the club and within a couple of years was made Commodore. As many young families moved to Darien at the end of the war, it was time for a younger leader who understood the needs of his contemporaries. But some things were slow to change. In 1959 after racing tea was still served hot by the Commodore’s wife, “wearing her hat of course”.  Ross was one of five commodores to serve more than two years as he took over Howard Earl’s term once Earl moved to Florida. Tom led the process of rebuilding the tennis courts and changing the surface from clay to HarTru. Tom grew up racing sailboats in Great South Bay and moved to Darien to be near the water. He and his wife had 7 children in all and the family crewed on their Lightning, Grand Slam.

Tom Ross, Jr., Andree Somers July 1941, Patchogue, L.I. 

Purcell “Purcy” O’Gorman also turned down request for paddle court in order to keep the focus of the club on sailing. Purcy was a major supporter of the Noroton Junior Program. 

Range lights were installed so boats could navigate the channel at night.  Membership has increased to 160. The Cruising fleet was established. There was a heated debate on whether or not to have a bar.

Oscar grew up in Brooklyn Heights and came to Darien for summers when he and Marian were starting a family. He then built a house near the shore in Darien in the early 30s and sailed out of Scott’s Cove. He joined Noroton Yacht Club in the early 40s and started his young family sailing: Tony in the Star class, with Susan and then Sandy following in the Dyer 10s. Eventually, all three progressed through to the Lightning class. Noroton provided the base for his family’s lifelong passion for competitive racing and cruising.

When Paul Smart decided to retire as Commodore the club officers selected Gordon Aymar, a friend and neighbor of Mr. Smart and also known socially by many club members. Although not a club member at the time, he lived close by, was interested in sailing, and had no war obligations. So the officers made him a member and unanimously elected him Commodore in the same meeting. His job was to keep the club running despite lean times. The Membership cap was set at 150, with annual dues of $25, or $35 with tennis and sailing included.
See Story: Gordon Aymar's Watch

Gordon was a nationally known art director and portrait artist, He was also a writer and illustrator. His books on sailing and the sea included: Michael Sails the Mud Hen, Start’um Sailing, The Second Book on Sailing, A Treasury of Sea Stories, and seven editions of Yacht Racing Rules and Tactics, the primary rules reference for North American racing skippers in the 1960’s and 1970’s.