Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 31, 1993 TAG: 9306020289
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN Outdoor Editor
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"If you can sail this lake, you can sail anyplace," said Al Groden, who operates the Dutch Inn in Collinsville.
About five years ago, Groden and his wife, Darlene, traveled to Deltaville, on the Chesapeake Bay, to buy their first sailboat.
Earlier, Darlene had gone to the Carolina Coast to learn to sail, something she'd wanted to do for years.
"She went to sailing school for a week, came back, we bought a boat and she taught me how to sail," Al said.
The Grodens were like the middle-aged couple who goes to an automobile dealership to buy a family sedan, but drives home in a high-performance sports car. Instead of purchasing a sturdy cruiser, they chose a lightweight, 26-foot racing craft with a French name - Beneteau - and a spinnaker designed to grab gobs of wind.
They named it "Bushido," something to do with warriors and preferring death to dishonor, Al explains to people who raise their eyebrows.
"I went down just to buy a nice, little crusing boat and this fellow talked me into a racing boat. I probably should never have bought it to start with, being a novice sailor. But it has been exciting."
The Beneteau is not your typical Smith Mountain sailboat, but it represents a growing class of lightweight, high-performance, high-tech racing craft adding spice to the lake's competitive scene. They are distinguished by their spinnakers, those large and colorful headsails that look like hot air balloons when running before the wind.
There were several such craft in the recent Piedmont Cup, sponsored by Piedmont BankGroup, Inc., including a 30-foot Olson and a bevy of J24s.
It is possible to sail a J24 solo, just as it is possible to juggle while walking a tightrope, but most of these larger racing craft are operated by crews. Five is a nice figure for the 24-foot J24.
Edgar Cliborne of Moneta was the name at the top of the leader board in the spinnaker division of the Piedmont Cup, but everyone knew the victory really was a family affair. There is Edgar, his sons, Glenn and Robert, his daughters-in-law, Vickey and Meg, and his wife, Pat, ready to pitch in when needed.
Who is the boss?
"We race by committee," Pat says. "This is what really makes a good racing crew, coordination and knowing what everyone's job is, and working together."
It is a setup that generates some envy for those who spend considerable racing time with the Cliborne stern in view.
"Edgar Cliborne and his family have been racing that J24 together for 12 years," said Meredith Spruill, a J24 owner from Roanoke. "He has a crew plus. He hasn't had to worry about strangers on the boat."
While close-knit crews are good for coordination, the need for strangers has been like a fresh puff of wind for the lake's sailing scene.
For a number of years, sailors on Smith Mountain have had the reputation, real or perceived, of being somewhat snooty, of flaunting a "this is a private club" philosophy. But this spring, the lake's two major clubs, the Virginia Inland Sailing Association (VISA) and the Black Water Yacht Racing Association (BYRA), have been embracing newcomers.
"What we decided this year is to try to promote sailing, particularly for the new racer, for the new sailor," said Ron Rash, of VISA.
The clubs sponsored a joint racing seminar earlier this month, designed to encourage the recreational sailor to try competition. Rash, a Lynchburg banker, was delighted with the better-than-expected turnout. What's more, the sponsors discovered that there are a multitude of people in the region who would like to sample sailing for the first time.
"We turned down all kinds of people who called us and said, `Look, I've never been on a sailboat. I'd love to learn to sail.' Unfortunately, this class was a little too high-tech for them. So the next seminar we are going to do is just a basic learn-to-sail seminar."
Rash hopes that can be scheduled this summer, on a pleasant day that invites a dip in the water.
One of the factors sparking interest in new blood is the general decline in sailing, said Bill Cox, of Ridgeway, the commodore of BYRA.
"Sailing right now is sorta at a low," he said. Maybe it can be blamed on the economy or a cyclic quirk, but what it means for certain is fewer boats showing up for racing, fewer people available to fill out the crews, facts that can add up to less fun.
Spruill believes this gives the newcomer a distinct advantage.
"There is much more of an openness now. Both clubs are really trying to reach out to new people."
At nearly every event there will be boats that need crew members, she said. "That is a great way to learn, because you are with people who know how to sail and they know how to teach you."
Is Smith Mountain Lake really the tough piece of water that local sailors claim it to be?
That was a question put to Mike Schmidt, a sail maker from Deltaville who participated in the Piedmont Cup aboad the Groden craft.
"It takes a lot of concentration to sail real well in this stuff, because the wind is shifting and you have to change gears real often, you know, retrim the sails," said Schmidt.
"You have to have a lookout, somebody looking for wind. You get puffs coming from all different directions. You spend a lot more time being active. You never sleep."
The clubs
VISA is a private club with a quota of 200-family members and facilities on the Roanoke River side of the lake. The commodore is Ray Ferree of Salem, 703-387-5005.
BYRA is open to anyone who pays $60 dues. Members sail out of Pelican Point Yacht Club, on the Blackwater River. The commodore is Bill Cox of Ridgeway, 703-956-2741.
by CNB