Post date: Aug 5, 2019 12:49:03 AM

The Griesbach Regatta honors Ernie and Marga Griesbach, who donated the Club Rhodes 19, which is enjoyed by many. Here is a brief account of the Griesbachs and their connection with Dick Lathrop:

Marga and Ernie Griesbach came to Enfield for many years as guests at Kluges. In 1986 they bought a condo on Lake Mascoma and in 1990 moved to a house in Canaan. Ernie met Dick Lathrop, who was manager of the Dartmouth Sailing club, in the summer of 1988 in a rescue operation. When Ernie was having problems one afternoon on the lake sailing his "beer cooler", as Dick described it, Dick motored over to help him. They became good friends, and Dick later helped Ernie find a good boat, a Rhodes 19. When Ernie died from complications of surgery in 1992, Marga donated the Rhodes to the sailing club and Dick initiated the Griesbach regatta, which has become an annual event in Ernie's memory.

The history of the Griesbachs is remarkable. Marga and Ernie were both German Jews. Marga was captured by the Gestapo in Germany and taken to a ghetto in Riga, Latvia. She was later shipped to a concentration camp, Stutthof, in Poland and then to a labor camp. Those who were able to walk were marched back to Germany, but Marga was able to escape with her mother, who suffered severe frostbite.

Ernie's family moved from Germany to France in 1933 because of oppression. When the Germans invaded France, Ernie's sister was arrested by the French and placed in a camp, Guers, for German Jews. The rest of Ernie's family escaped. The sister, however, was released when the firm that she had worked for indicated that she was an essential employee. As she was heading back toward her home in Bordeaux, she stopped in the marketplace of a small town and remarkably bumped into her family, as they were fleeing. The reunited family headed to Spain, crossing the Pyrenees on foot. They reached the US in 1941.

There was a nice breeze around 10mph for the 2019 Griesbach regatta, with gusts over 15 coupled with some big shifts. Dick Lathrop did some fast sailing, ending up with three bullets and a second place. Gary Orkney and Donna Bowie had one bullet, two seconds, and a third, ending up just three points shy of the first place winner. Tom Kucharski and Jenm Carroll had a second and three third place finishes to capture third place just two points behind the Rhodes 19. Reg Jones and Harriette Yahr finished in the middle of the pack, with eighteen points. Steve Kovacs and Amanda Rafuse had a solid record, but were hampered by a DNF in the last race. Richard Balagur and Matt sailed the Lightning, which made good time but could not overcome the handicap rating. Bill Fontaine finished in seventh place, getting a single fourth place finish in the first race before retiring from the regatta. Jim and Margaret Hourdequin finished last due to only starting in the final race, but made up for a late start with a fifth place finish.

Many thanks to Sally Sharp, who set the course with a variety of races, and Betty Ann Heistad, who got the supplies for the BBQ and served as grill master. And finally, thanks to all our participants

Griesbach regatta 2019

Results as of August 4th, 2019

Overall

Sailed: 4, Discards: 0, To count: 4, Ratings: USPN, Entries: 8, Scoring system: Appendix A

R1

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Place

R2

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Place

R3

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Place

R4

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Place

Sailwave Scoring Software 2.01 build 8

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