Olympic and Pan Am games

Resume of Participation as Boatwright, U.S. Sailing Team

1976: Olympic Games, Montreal

1979: Pan American Games, Puerto Rico

1980: Olympic Games, Moscow (aborted)

1983: Pan American Games, Venezuela

1984: Olympic Games, Los Angeles

1986: Goodwill Games, Estonia, USSR

1987: Pan American Games, Michigan City, Indiana

1988: Olympic Games, Seoul, Korea

1990: Goodwill Games, Seattle

1991: Pan American Games, Havanna, Cuba

1992: Olympic Games, Barcelona, Spain

1995: Pan American Games, Argentina

1996: Olympic Games, Atlanta

1999: Pan American Games, Winnipeg, Canada

2000: Olympic Games, Sydney, Australia

2004: Olympic Games, Athens, Greece

(Plus five on-site Pre-Olympic Regattas, 1983,'87,'91,'95, and '99)

Mr. Fix-It carries the flag

Donald MiralWGetty Imaes photo

Representing the 640 U.S. athletes at the Pan Am Games, Carl Eichenlaub, 73, carries the American flag. All of his life, Carl Eichenlaub, 73, has been behind the scenes. The boat repair guru has followed U.S. athletes to premiere sailing events around the globe, putting their broken and battered boats back together to sail another day (See "Mr. Fix-It", May 2003 SAILING). But on August 1, Eichenlaub stepped into the spotlight and, with the 640 U.S. athletes competing at the event walking behind him, carried the United States flag into the opening ceremonies of the XIV Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was Eichenlaub's seventh trip to the Pan Am games, but Mr. Fix-It has also supported the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team at six Olympics beginning in 1976. Although Eichenlaub works for the American athletes, he's been known to put competitors' boats back together, all in the spirit of good competition.

Olympic Games 1996

ISAF website Report From Savannah -- July 11Measurement began, and set no speed records.... lots of usual problems, especially for sailors at their first Olympics, who have never seen such close, precise measurement.

Special notice and recognition to Carl Eichenlaub of the US team; Carl has been to maybe 3012 Olympics, he is an easily recognized fixture, in his overalls, floppy hat, and stoggy cigar. He is famous for his magic tricks out of his shop, his specially-equipped 20-foot shipping container, and he is also famous for his open attitude and sportsmanship, his willingness to help anyone from any country when he isn't immediately occupied by a US team problem. He has quite literally made Olympic sailing possible for a lot of sailors, from all over the world, with his ability to make/fix/change anything made from fiberglass or metal. Thanks, Carl.

Mark Reynolds: Carl retired as shipwright after 2004 Athens Olympics. Not long after he came into my sail loft. He said he'd just been tuned up by the doctors and thought he really had another Olympics in him. He was concerned that perhaps they didn't want him anymore and asked me to put in a good word for him.

Not long after Carl had come by the loft to say he thought he was up to another Olympics on a Monday morning I got a call from Jay Butler . He said Carl had a stroke in the race that weekend on the Cadenza and had been taken to the hospital. Soon after I was surprised to see Carl walking into the loft. Right off he said "the rumor that I'd had a stroke was greatly exaggerated". He said what happened is that they had started the race and they were headed upwind. He called out to set up for the spinnaker and since they were going up wind everyone thought "I'd lost it". He said he could just feel it coming and sure enough there was a big wind shift and up went the kite. Still concerned they took him to the hospital. He said one time he actually had admitted that he was "losing it" and that was a big mistake. He was at the DMV to renew his driving licence. It had been years since he'd had to do that and he'd heard from "Hump" that you can take an oral test and it was much easier. He told the woman at the counter that he wanted to take the oral test. She asked him why and he said "Well, I'm kind of losing it and I heard that it was easier". She said OK but it would have to be scheduled at a later time. Carl didn't want to wait so he went ahead and did the written test but then they told him he'd have to take a driving test too. The guy that went with him keep telling him to turn right here, left there, another right here and eventually he said let's head on back. Carl then figured the guy was trying to get him lost and see if he could find his way home. Carl told me "luckily I'd always been a good navigator and I found my way back to the DMV but the moral of the story is if you go to the DMV never tell them that you're losing it". I think he came by that day because he still wanted to do the shipwright job for one more Olympics. He would have been great in China!

Carl delivering a new boat to 1956 Olympic Gold Medalist Bert Williams

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