LETTERS

furling mainsail rig — a wonderful, magical thing — and a new UK full-length batten mainsail. To make the boat safer and more comfortable for ocean sailing, we installed bunk boards on all bunks and a cook's harness.

Sailing in the 2003 T ranspac, we found that the boat sailed best with the ASO chute. That's all we used from then onward, always with the spinnaker pole.

Ross got great pleasure from preparing his boat and creating his sailing team of nice, compatible folks, who, as race results showed, were also darn good sailors. Although he loved ocean sailing, curiously, he didn't have high interest in the actual sailing of his boat; he seldom steered — which I loved to do — and he left activities like sail trimming to his happy crew. During the long races, he loved the boat routine, messing with his electronic navigation gadgets, and sailing across the ocean on his beautiful yacht. Ross was a joy to work with and a very pleasant shipmate.

BTS raced in three, maybe four, Transpacs, at least one PacCup, and in a few selected local races. The boat almost always raced in the cruiser-class divisions; she placed first in most of the races she entered. I was aboard BTS for most oject of creating an effective ocean racer from a total cruising sailboat was one of the most challenging and satisfying of all the dozens of rigging jobs I undertook in my long career as a sailboat rigger. Sadly, I understand that Ross has passed away since those days when we raced the dickens out of his beautiful boat.

Fred Huffman

La Diana, Contessa 35 Sausalito

CAN YOU HELP S MYSNG ART? indward

(when she was ketch rigged and had a bowsprit) off Diamond Head, setting a new elapsed time record and winning the Barn Door Trophy in Transpac on July 13, 1971, in the time of 9 days, 9 hours, and 6 minutes. Passage also won the race overall.

The artist is William C. Gilpin (1917-1988) of Newport Beach, California. Gilpin worked primarily in charcoal and is most known for his portraits of Hollywood stars.

Tom Patterson

Tom was commenting on the March 6 'Lectronic with the same name as this letter.

Credit where credit is due. William Gilpin's

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