The College's Associate Director of Waterfront Activities Rick Loheed has worked behind the scenes of the Governor's Cup Yacht Race for the past 15 years, but this year he has entered as a contestant, racing "Poor Richard" in the Dahlgren leg of the event. His crew includes members of the College's Offshore Sailing Club. We interviewed Captain Rick to learn more.
Q: What made you decide to race this one?
A: I could not let the opportunity to sail in the 50th pass me by. I’ve wanted to race in the Gov Cup since 1991 when I first moved here and first experienced it. Back then I was still a very competitive sailor but didn’t have a boat capable of it. I lived on St. George Island and every year used to sail what I had out to the incoming boats and up through the finish. Now I have a bigger boat, and at age 69 I’m getting really close to retirement!
Q: You’ve worked the behind-the-scenes of Gov Cup for 15 years: now that you’re a participant instead of an organizer, what are you most looking forward to about the race?
A: In the ‘70s I raced up in Maine on my uncle’s Bristol 39 in the Monhegan Island overnight race. It was spectacular but hard, showing me the challenge and the beauty of overnight sailing. As challenges go, you have no idea what the weather will be like- but unless the Race Committee deems it too dangerous beforehand big boat sailing is all weather.
Q: How did you decide on your crew? As Offshore Sailing Club adviser, was the club a natural extension?
A: I love St. Mary’s College, love teaching and promoting sailing at any level, and have been the adviser to Offshore Sailing for some time. Each generation of St. Mary’s College students has been so great, it was a natural extension. I tend to think of them as if they were my own sons and daughters. Several years back we raced over at Solomons in the Frostbite Series and did quite well.
Q: What insider information/experience do you have from being an organizer, a scorer, a logistics expert, a boat builder, that you’ll draw upon to fuel your race performance?
A: I Understand the race classes and I know the course layouts well since I created them. Performance in sailing comes from boat handling, aerodynamic understanding and tactics. In reality, those that have the experience of competing every year have a distinct advantage over me.
Q: How have you been preparing/practicing with your crew for the race?
A: We’ve been sailing together a bit on the J-29 “Tenacity,” and we’ve also gone sailing a few times on “Poor Richard.” Hopefully we can get a few more practices in before the race.
Q: Who do you predict will be your main competition in the Dahlgren race?
A: Everybody!
Q: What type of boat is “Poor Richard”?
A: “Poor Richard” is a 1988 Hunter 35 Legend; it’s 35’ 7” long with an 11’ beam and is a nice balance between cruising and racing. It’s considered a coastal cruiser though that model has crossed oceans before and it sails very well. It’s not as fast as the College’s Frers 41 “Oscar” or the Swann 44 “Aura” but it’s a really great boat. I’ve sailed a lot of performance boats here at the College but this one has surprisingly become a personal favorite.
Capt. Rick’s crew includes Molly Antinucci ’25, Adrianna Danvers ’23, Nate Norris ’25, Celeste Shiflett ’26, Mortimer Shiflett ’27, Maxwell Taylor ’26
