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From left: Terry McDell, Tessa, Jake, Jamie and Kim McDell aboard Mike Malcolm’s Bird on the Wire
McDells share stories and laughter in a slow race to honour ‘Pop’
While lack of breeze turned this year’s Roy McDell Race into a bit of a fizzer, on one boat two generations of McDells enjoyed a memorable day of fun, laughter and many stories about their father and grandfather, who was fondly known to all as ‘Pop’.
The gathering was organised by General Committee member Mike Malcolm, who was one of a host of young sailors Pop encouraged and supported in their early years with the club.
“I sailed with Pop on his Townson 32, Sunset,” Mike recalls. “He was very kind to us young guys and looked after us. We learned a lot.”
Normally, the McDells would have sailed the race with Zamzamah, in which Terry and Kim McDell are partners. However, with Zamzamah temporarily out of commission, Mike invited them to join him on his Bird on the Wing. They were accompanied by Terry’s daughters, Jamie and Tessa and Jamie’s husband Jake.
“Terry and Kim helmed with the younger generation fully involved in keeping the boat
moving, while I sat on the rail,” notes Mike.
“It was quite special,” says Kim. “We had a very pleasant day, although the wind was quite light and we had to eventually withdraw from the race. The stories came thick and fast.
“Pop was a passionate sailor on all sorts of boats from 18ft skiffs to K-Class and several others. He was passionate about getting young people involved with sailing and always had young crew on board, including P.J. Montgomery, Bill McCarthy and many others.
“On one race with his K-Class, Waiomo, they were coming around the back of Motutapu, hard on the wind. Pop was a great one for cutting corners and, sure enough, he hit a rock at 8 knots.
“Pop was flung from the helm down the companionway and ended up with blood pouring from a gash over his eye. P.J. Montgomery patched him up, gave him a whisky and got him back on the helm for the finish of the race, which they won. Back on the dock, a doctor from one of the other yachts stitched him up and the enthusiastic post-match celebrations resumed as normal.”
Roy McDell was RNZYS Commodore from 1981 to 1983 and served yachting in a wider sense, representing the Squadron on the Auckland Yachting Association and representing Auckland at the New Zealand Yachting Federation.
“He always encouraged young people to get involved with the RNZYS, which tended to be quite a stuffy place back then,” Kim recalls. “He was keen to get the younger generation onto the General Committee and supported Peter Hay and Richard Endean, for example, both of whom later became commodores. He was also a very strong advocate for the Youth Training Programme.”
Peter Hay (1994-96) was commodore when Pop McDell died. He suggested the RNZYS Gold Cup race be named the Roy McDell Race. The first race under that banner was in 1995 and it has kept that title ever since.
Terry McDell, who with Kim and Peter Brook won the 1974 18ft skiff world title in Auckland, also enjoyed the outing with Mike Malcolm, particularly with his daughters joining the action.
“They never actually knew Pop, but over the years they have heard plenty of stories and heard some more during the race.”
In the time-honoured fashion, the race was followed by a lively after-match function lubricated with rum and ginger beer.
“Pop would have looked down with pride,” Terry chuckles, recalling his father’s fondness for a whisky and milk in the morning and spirited after-match sessions in the cockpit.
Pop was also a lover of music, so it would have been appropriate if Jamie McDell, who is a talented award-winning alt-country singersongwriter and guitarist, had entertained the troops – but it did not happen.
“Pop was big into music,” Terry recalls. “When we did overnight races on Waiomo, I would bring my guitar and he would tell us which songs to play.
“It was nice remembering all those times.”
Past Commodore Roy ‘Pop’ McDell 1981-83
By Ivor Wilkins
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