A sailing niece recalls Opera House legacy
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
He won the very first Opera House Cup 34 years ago, and Cedar Poirier fondly recalls what her uncle Bob Tiedemann meant to her.

Cedar Poirier is part of a sailing family that has deep Opera House Cup roots. MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent

"U. B.," as she called him, introduced her and her sisters to the world of 12-metre sailing; what he handed down will stay with her always.

Poirier sailed to Nantucket from Newport last weekend for Race Week festivities, and for this Sunday's Opera House Cup in particular. Although she won't be sailing for the cup this year, she will witness the event from the water and remember the times she and "U.B." raced in the regatta.

Tiedemann died of cancer almost two years ago. A special trophy was instituted in his honor at last year's Opera House Cup, the Robert H. Tiedemann trophy for the most authentically maintained classic yacht.

Tiedemann came out of nowhere, it seems, to take the first Opera House Cup aboard Mariner in 1973. But that was simply his style, Poirier notes today. "He used to work on race cars; he wanted to be a drummer at one time," she said.

Mariner, a 54-foot Alden yawl, was a family boat, originally owned by Tiedemann's father. "My grandfather was aboard for that first win," Poirier said, adding that she makes it a point to go to 21 Federal (the de facto Opera House Cup headquarters) whenever she's on Nantucket to look at the commemorative plaque. "Good old Mariner," she said.

Tiedemann and Mariner won again in 1978, and his 12-metre, Gleam, took first place honors in 1979 and 1985. "Gleam was his baby," Poirier recalled. "He knew her so well it was like an extension of his body."

Poirier also knows Gleam well. She sailed aboard her for seven years, including Opera House Cup races with her uncle Bob. He was eager to pass on his knowledge to the next generation, including Poirier and her two sisters.

"He gave each of us the offer that when we were 16 we could work on his 12-metre," she recalled. "It was just an amazing offer."

Tiedemann chartered boats in Newport, beginning with Mariner. "After a while he got Gleam, restored her and started to charter her," Poirier noted. "Then the feeling was, 'Why not get another 12-metre to race against her?' He got Northern Light, that had been sunk in Lake Michigan with a piling in her hull, restored her, too, and sailed around Newport Harbor. He was the first to bring 12- metres to Newport to charter; that was almost 30 years ago."

For Poirier, who grew up in Nova Scotia, the chance to travel to Newport and sail aboard sleek 12- metres was the opportunity of a lifetime. She took her uncle Bob up on his offer, and she's been sailing ever since. This week she's here aboard Hannibal, a 70-foot Chesapeake Bugeye ketch owned by the Crocs company, a race sponsor. (She's also helping to restore another boat for the footwear company.)

The Opera House Cup holds special meaning to her, and Poirier said she just couldn't miss being here. "I love this race," she said. "It was always the highlight of the summer for me.

"I've been here for 11 of them, and raced in 9. My mom used to race in it with Uncle Bob (as did) my aunt Janet, my grandfather and grandmother. It's a family tradition. I've been here since I was 16 and haven't missed an Opera House Cup yet."

That she's able to make her living on the water is something that Poirier does not take for granted; after all, it's in her blood. She's keenly aware of the legacy given to her by her uncle.

"He was my inspiration. He shaped my future in a way. I don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't

doing this." I