Ginny Perry Worcester
With great sadness we report the passing of Ginny Perry, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer on October 21, 2023. She had been a treasured member of our Atlantic family for years, most recently as spinnaker trimmer and tactician on David Polsky’s A16 Savvy. One of the well-known Perry sailing family of Southport, CT that includes her father Hop, her aunt Sharley, and brother Dave, Ginny was a fine sailor and a delightful person.
Fellow crew member Trip Gabriel writes: Ginny was the secret sauce on A16 in recent seasons, a masterful tactician and a wonderful companion in the boat. She wasn’t able to race this past summer but was with us on RC at the start of the season, where she was in good spirits and a beam of sunshine. Fair winds, Ginny.
And from Dave Polsky: Trip said it perfectly. I can add that it was always a great day when Ginny sailed aboard A16. She brought intensity, energy and a great depth of knowledge and experience to our team. It was always fun to sail with her, and we were so happy to have her join us on RC this past Memorial Day. Her unfortunate battle with cancer this past year was inspiring. She maintained an amazing attitude throughout a terrible ordeal. We miss her deeply.
There is a brief obituary here.
Mark Foster
One of our leading skippers, Mark Foster, passed away peacefully at his home in Southport, CT on November 9th, 2023 at the age of 66, after a 14-month battle with brain cancer.
Mark graduated from Tabor Academy where he distinguished himself on the sailing team before attending Tufts School of Engineering. He subsequently embarked on a successful 33-year career as a civil engineer at AECOM and retired in 2022 having helped lead key marine projects such as the Staten Island ferry slips, Battery Park flood resiliency project, and the New London State Pier.
He was a dedicated member of the Southport Harbor Commission, served as Commodore of Cedar Point Yacht Club, and was an active member at Pequot Yacht Club. Mark had success racing a variety of boats with family members, winning the Thistle Class Atlantic Coast Championship with his wife Carla, and the Atlantic Nationals crewing with his father John in their Atlantic, named Thistle. Mark finished second as skipper in the 2014 and 2017 Nationals, and was always up in the hunt. He was also a keen and successful Laser frostbiter.
Mark’s calm, humble, gentle presence and quirky sense of humor will be greatly missed.
Douglas H May
October 2021
We lost a very good man in Doug May this October. A lifelong sailor, he partnered in A56 Tara at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club with former class champion David Noyes, and then carried on after Dave retired. Despite a series of devastating health challenges in recent years, Doug maintained a positive attitude and kept sailing. He is survived by his wife, Ann, and daughter Liz.
The family has created a memorial website (link here) and is planning a celebration of his life at the Beach Club next spring. Doug's presence, dry wit and sailing skills will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Noel Yaney
February 2021
Longtime Cedar Point YC member and former Atlantic Fleet sailor, Noel Yaney, passed away at the beginning of February, aged 90. He owned A-47. Read his obituary here.
F Richards Ford
January 2021
Dick Ford, a long-time active Atlantic sailor and member of the old fleet at Pequot Yacht Club, Westport, CT, has passed away, aged 92. Click here for an obituary.
Peter Benzie
November 2020
The Madison Beach Club fleet sadly lost Peter Benzie when he died unexpectedly at his home on November 1. Peter did not sail many Nationals and so may not be well known to the Class, but he was a big part of the MBC fleet. He owned two Atlantics, first buying a Seafarer, Arete, A123, then a well-restored Cape Cod boat, Go Blue, A30. His attitude was always positive, even from the back of the fleet. One of the nicest guys you could meet, he always offered to help with anything in any way that he could. It was great to see him move to the front of the fleet in the 2020 season in his beautifully-maintained Go Blue. An obituary is here.
Mary Lindsay
October 2020
Mary Lindsay, principal foredeck crew on A22 Noweta for over 35 years with her husband George, and since, lead cheerleader and hostess for her son George, Jr. on A73 Ranee, passed away Oct. 4 at her home overlooking Cold Spring Harbor.
Born Mary Dickey, she grew up in Philadelphia and Northeast Harbor, ME, where she sailed and cruised with her father and brothers. George & Mary started racing the Atlantic together during their engagement, and they raced and cruised all over the world for the rest of their lives. George passed away in 1995, but Mary carried on and always hosted Atlantic sailors for the Janeway regattas and Nationals at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club.
At her death, she was just a few weeks shy of her 101st birthday – a life well lived. Mary was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and health and a volunteer organizer and fundraiser for an amazing range of causes.
Her full obituary can be found here
Charlotte Perry Barringer
August 2020
It’s very sad to report the passing of an Atlantic class legend, Charlotte Barringer, aged 94. Sharlie famously won the 1944 Nationals at Larchmont as Charlotte Perry, the only woman to have done so, sailing against a competitive field of mostly male skippers. Here is a recent photo of her at a class event, and the well-known Rosenfeld picture of her relaxing between races during the 1944 Nationals. A great lady whom we will miss very much.
Click here to read George Lindsay's 2010 interview with Sharlie.
Charles Robertson
February 2020
Charlie Robertson, Atlantic National Champion of 1993 sailing A142, has passed away. He only raced in the class for one year, but made a strong impression, not only with his sailing ability but with the thoroughness of his boat preparation: his boat was the first to incorporate the center console for mainsheet and control lines that is now a common feature on many Atlantics. An obituary may be found here.
Francis W. Mergenthaler
July 2019
Hank Mergenthaler left us in July. He will be long remembered for his intelligence and humor, as well as his long and successful involvement in the Atlantic Class. He won the Nationals in 1979, and despite failing eyesight he remained competive right up to last year. He'll be greatly missed.
Here's an obituary from Westport Now
David C. Noyes, Jr.
1921-2015
David Noyes, our longest-surviving Atlantic skipper from the early days, has passed away after a heart attack. He was a fine sailor and a wonderful person, long regarded with great affection by Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club members. Starting when his father bought A90 Sea Fever in the late 1930s, he had a successful Atlantic racing career culminating in his 1950 Nationals win, against strong competition that included Briggs Cunningham. Later he turned to bigger boats, enjoying great success with his Ohlson 38ft yawl Elixir, in the Newport Bermuda Race and other major East Coast events.
Click here to read Al Loomis's interview with David Noyes in the December 2009 Newsletter.