A Victory At Sea
Women at the helm of American Eagle 
by Sharon Lorenzo

With gusts up to 25 knots, a brave and determined crew of women from Nantucket sailed to victory Friday in the third race of the twoday, four race series for the championship of the 12-metre classic division during the Nantucket Race Week Regatta. With veteran skipper Linda Green at the helm of American Eagle, cheers were heard as the women crossed the finish line ahead of competitors onboard Weatherly, Columbia and Nefertiti.

The Nantucket crew of the 12-metre American Eagle. PHOTO BY JILL SANDOLE

This level of ocean racing is tough and demanding, with the course located between the harbor entrance and Great Point Light. It takes skill, coordination, teamwork and timing to move through the waters of Nantucket Sound with the proper sail trim and boat speed. One small mistake and any member could lose an arm, leg or eye in heavy breezes. Linda's quiet determination and persistent focus on sail trim and boat speed brought victory over seasoned skippers like Senator Ted Kennedy, the eventual winner of the 12-metre classic division competition.

While the men in this event might outdo the women in terms of brawn, there is no mightier match for the brains of this group of ladies. Green has degrees in mineral engineering, biology and psychology and sails in the IOD fleet each Sunday in the Echo syndicate. As co-chair with Ward Belcher for the entire Nantucket Race Week schedule, she is also Rear Commodore of the Nantucket Yacht Club. Alice Breed holds a Ph.D. in economics, taught at the university level and worked for Chemical Bank. Jane Schnitzer was on the foredeck as well, a certified financial analyst retired from the US Trust Company who moved on to a second career of historic architectural preservation and landscape painting. Alice Rubenstein, currently the chair of the Alaska Native Arts Organization, was grinding the port jib. Polly Miller as the starboard jib tender is a Renaissance lady with a specialty of making hooked rugs on Nantucket year-round. Sharon Lorenzo was prepared to defend a threatened protest against the sailing strategies of the crew with her background in law and business, which has given way to a career in teaching art history. Susan Ward is another MBA graduate who writes novels when not sailing on the high seas with the Echo Girls, and she manned the main sheet with skill and alacrity.

These members of the Echo IOD syndicate were joined for the 12-metre challenge by visitors to the crew: Joan Gerstner, Katherine Watts, Lucy Breed, Kasey Constable Nugent and Tara Vittone. All women on board have extensive years of sailing experience.

The quiet competence of this determined dozen was organized by Herb Marshall, the current owner of American Eagle who has chartered her out of Newport Harbor since 1987 when he purchased it from prior owner Ted Turner. The boat was built in 1964 and has a red hull with 68 feet on the water.

The American Eagle has been chartered for two successive summers by the women's crew for the Nantucket Race Week Regatta. There was a rumor that a group of men is trying to unseat the "chick boat" for next year, but with a victory already under his belt Herb Marshall will have a hard time finding a better team than his girls for future 12-metre matches on Nantucket Sound. I