Reston, Va. Sailmaking pioneer Steve Haarstick, 82, crossed the fleet for the final time on Oct. 8. Steve was an avid Star sailor, beginning in 1959. It was a combination of his love for the Star and a strong engineering background that led Steve to a career as a sailmaker.Read More
Exeter, N.H. Wells Darling, 96, a lifelong sailor and devoted race-management volunteer, passed away Sept. 24 at his residence in Exeter, N.H. Wells came from a sailing family in metropolitan New York. His grandfather was one of the first sailmakers (Valentine Sails) on City Island, in the Bronx. After servingRead More
Southport, Conn. Mary von Conta, who made sailing better through her involvement, passed away August 7 at age 90 in Southport, Conn. With her passing sailing lost someone special. Spotlighting the need for better instructor training, she developed and implemented a program to bolster ethics, integrity, and culture in juniorRead More
Sag Harbor, N.Y. Michael “Bruce” Tait, who was a fixture for more than 40 years on Sag Harbor’s waterfront as a sailor, yacht broker, and longtime chairman of the Village Harbor Committee, died on July 29 at his home, just a stone’s throw away from the harbor he loved. Tait,Read More
Sag Harbor, N.Y. Michael “Bruce” Tait, who was a fixture for more than 40 years on Sag Harbor’s waterfront as a sailor, yacht broker, and longtime chairman of the Village Harbor Committee, died on July 29 at his home, just a stone’s throw away from the harbor he loved. Tait,Read More
Brooklin, Maine Guilford Ware Full, lovingly known as “Giffy,” died peacefully on Saturday, July 6, with his children Bill Full and Arlene “Tuny” Page at his side in Brooklin. Giffy was born in Lynn, Mass., on Feb. 9, 1927, to William Sanford Full and Mabel Farnham Full. The family relocatedRead More
Waterford, Conn. David James Pavelko, 50, of Waterford, Conn., passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on June 30 after losing his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. David was born on July 8, 1973 in Bridgeport, Conn., the son of the late James Edward Pavelko and Susan Henchman Pavelko.Read More
Friendship, Maine William Henry Zuber, II began his final expedition on June 19 at the age of 88, after a short illness. Born in Manalapan, N.J., the son of Ethelmae (Kroll) and William Henry Zuber on March 10, 1936, Bill grew up on a farm in New Jersey, attended ManasquanRead More
Newport, R.I. Dr. Charles P. Shoemaker, Jr., accomplished surgeon, community builder, and sailing competitor, passed away June 4 in Newport, R.I. He was 86 years old. Born July 6, 1937 in Franklin, New Jersey, son of Charles P. Shoemaker, Sr. and Alice Haight Shoemaker, Charlie was a 1959 alumnus ofRead More
Reading, Mass. Renowned college coach and race manager Ken Legler died on May 31 after a 20-year battle with cancer. He was 70. Legler, the head sailing coach at Tufts University from 1980 until his retirement in 2023, was an All-American at the University of Rhode Island and a 2019Read More
