Marblehead Yacht Club

Fame - The Salem Privateer

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 @ 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Event held in-person at the MYC Cliff Room 

Presented by Captain Michael Rutstein

Capt. Michael Rutstein is the owner and operator of the Schooner FAME of Salem — no stranger to the sailors of Marblehead, who have been crossing tacks with her on Salem Sound since 2003.  FAME is a full-scale replica of one of the first American privateers to put to sea during the War of 1812, and the first to send in prizes: a ship and a brig, headed to England with shipbuilding timber, captured off New Brunswick on July 4, 1812.

Capt. Rutstein is an enthusiastic historical researcher and has written two books about the War of 1812. His talk will focus on the exciting story of the original FAME, the building of the modern representation at the Burnham Boatyard in Essex, MA, and the challenges of operating a traditional wooden schooner in the modern era.

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"For more info visit:  SchoonerFame.com

Marblehead Harbor History

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 @ 7:00pm to 8:30pm 

Presented by Bill Conly

Marblehead is best known for its harbor.  Bill has recently published a book covering Marblehead's harbor history and will walk you through the development of early fishing and shipbuilding industries to why this small New England town was called the 'Sailing Capital of the World'.  You may be surprised to learn about some of the changes the harbor and its shoreline have gone through over the years.  

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Bill will present its history with many photos from his recent book and will be happy to answer questions from the participants.  

Waterborne: Floating Through Life

Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022 @ 7:00pm to 8:30pm 

Presented by Dave Roper, A widely published, bestselling and award-winning author

Waterborne: Floating Through Life -- will take the audience on three short voyages, from a young boy and his father navigating fog on the coast of Maine in the 1950s, to the author's encounter with legendary river pilot Big Red in a river bar on the Mississippi , to an encounter with a group of aging Marblehead sailing men reflecting on life in today's time.  Two of the pieces will come from Watching for Mermaids and the third one from Beyond Mermaids.  Dave will be happy to entertain questions afterwards as time warrants.

"For more info on Dave's books:  www.roperbooks.com

David is an avid Maine cruiser aboard his Independence 31 sloop.

His youthful occupations included captaining a 135’ Mississippi

River sternwheel cruise ship, operating a boat delivery business, and

managing an excursion/whale watch company.

Presented by Phil Haydon, Ph.D.

Over the past few years shorthanded sailing has gone through rapid growth. For overnight passages there are several variables to be handled by the shorthanded sailor but perhaps most overlooked is how and when to sleep. There are numerous examples of accidents in which sleep deprivation was a significant contributing factor. Understanding napping can help mitigate consequences of sleep deprivation and prevent serious errors when sailing. In addition to being a solo offshore sailor, Phil Haydon is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on the regulation of sleep. In 2009 he discovered the mechanism that causes the brain to desire to sleep after a period of sustained wakefulness. He will give information about the brain that provides the foundation for napping strategies while sailing and will discuss polyphasic sleep (several short periods of sleep per day) and answer questions including - is caffeine good or bad? are there long-term consequences of polyphasic sleep?