Yearbook Archive

A History of the Mercury Class Yacht and the Mercury Class Yacht Racing Association

A practical boat for all weather sailing at a moderate price is just as true today as it was in the early 1940’s when Ernest Nunes was advertising his new Mercury design in Sausalito, California. Designed for the rugged conditions of San Francisco Bay in summer, the Mercury proved to be equally at home in the very light air of Carmel. As a result of this versatility, the Mercury is found up and down the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Seattle including several lakes and rivers. The popularity of the class in part stems from the original Nunes idea that the boat should be simple in design so that anyone could build one. In fact, the original Mercury could be purchased as a plywood kit for home assembly, partially assembled waiting to be finished, or complete and ready to sail. To this day plans are available from the Association for the home builder. After twenty years of plywood only construction, the MCYRA made the bold decision to authorize the building of fiberglass Mercuries by a franchised boat builder. The idea while controversial at the time, proved a boost to the class. Not only was the Mercury now low maintenance with major repairs completed with amazing ease, the boats became relatively inexpensive and were uniformly well built. Another major step was taken in 1970 when the Association allowed the use of tubular aluminum spars. It was at this time point that the class evolved into the sophisticated realm of sailboat racing. Now, not only was the mast more controllable, it was stronger. The sail-making technology of other development classes was utilized making the Mercury even more popular with serious racing sailors. The advent of mechanical pushers in 1979 added to the new sophistication. Contrary to the trend in other classes, the Mercury Association has insisted that the boats be well built, durable and safe. As a result, with the advent of sealed bulkheads the seaworthy Mercury has become even safer. It is also not unusual to see wooden boats and the original fiberglass boats among the highest finishers in any regatta. The MCYRA has held its championship every year since 1947 rotating the hosting of the regatta among its nine member fleets in such varied locations as San Francisco Bay, Huntington Lake, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Clearlake. A very active racing calendar that encourages travelling has created a circuit that has its own yearly champion and trophy — the Rosman Travel Trophy. The Mercury Class has been described as a great class to get started in and a better one to come home to. A large percentage of the association have been active participants for more than ten years. The boat attracts good sailors and the association attracts good people. It truly is a practical boat… Good Sailing!

2018 Mercury National Championship Regatta

15 Mercurys entered the 2018 National Championship regatta, organized by the Los Angeles YC, to be sailed in Hurricane Gulch in San Pedro. The courses were from the starting line to a windward mark and then downwind to a gate and finish back upwind.That was considered once around. However for all the races except no.4, an extra l/w leg was added, and for race 4 another l/w was added.Race one, the RC waited for the wind to come in and it did. It was about 10 at the atart building to 13. The starting line gave all plenty of room. Chris Messano  and Doug McLean, instead of the normal go right on this course. They went left and had a nice lead at the weather mark. No one could touch them and this set the tone for the weekend. John Ravizza and Chris Boome beat off the others to place second. Chris Rabb and Kenny Dair, using mike Burch’s Merc, placed third. David West and Tony Basso were fourth followed in fifth place by Chris and Robert Lanzafame.Race two, the wind getting up to 16 with puffs to 19, changed the order of finishes a lot. Dave Bacci and Eric Strassevitch really turned it on to place second as they could not top Messano who won this one going away. Third place went to Steve Jeppesen and Ken Maring. Some SF bay boats like this kind of breeze.Bill Worden and Don Whelan eating this breeze alive placed fourth. Class President Park Densmore and Mike Trela had their best race to place fifth.Race three, the breeze was up a couple of knots. Whatever it blew, it did not matter to Messano. He just went right on winning. Bacci had his groove also  and he placed second again. The big guys were doing it as Lazafame placed third. Ravizza after a little stumble in race two, placed fourth. West placed fifth, also after a little stumble in race two.

The first day ended with Messano unchallenged and Bacci with a solid second placeDay two and race four and different conditions. The breeze came in about 9kts, shifty and with some holes on the race course. The course had another leeward and windward leg to it. This turned out to be the closest race as 3 mercs, Messano, Ravizza and West were all on the final leg to the finish. It looked as though Ravizza had control over the other two, but Messano aced him out at the finish. West was third followed by Jeppesen and in fifth place, Mac Kilpatrick and Jim Taylor.The fifth and final race of the series. Nobody could stop Messano from getting a clean sweep. He won the race and the series. West was second to pull into a tie with Ravizza, who was fourth, for second place in the series. /Ravizza won the tie breaker. Third place in the race went to Kilpatric. Worden placed fifth, which was enough for him to place fifth in the series.

Congratulations to Messano, first place and the winner of all the perpetual trophys that are awarded for winning each race of the series.President Park Densmore won the Silver fleet trophy and Doug Baird  and Katy Worden won the Jack and Jill Trophy.

Many thanks to Commodore Damon Guizot for organizing the regatta. We thank the Los Angeles YC for their great hospitality and race committee work on and off the water.

TSeries Standing - 5 races scored

2018	Mercury	Nationals
Boat No.		Skipper	Crew	Yacht Club	Race 1	2	3	4	5	Total	Place
408	Frenzy Too	Messano	Mclean	LAYC	1	1	1	1	1	5	1
537	Fortran	Ravizza	Boome	STFYC	2	12	4	2	4	24	2
429	Spacw Invader	West	Basso	RYC	4	10	5	3	2	24	3
548	Maruder	Bacci	Strassevitch	RYC	8	2	2	12	7	31	4
431	Tsunami	Worden	Whelan	RYC	6	4	10	6	5	31	5
569	Italian Stallion	C Lanzafame	R Lanzafame	HLBC	5	6	3	13	9	36	6
508	Axion	Baird	K Worden	HLBC	7	7	6	10	6	36	7
541	Arnold	Kilpatric	Taylor	OCBC	9	9	12	5	3	38	8
584	Gator	Jeppesen	Maring	Balina Bay	10	3	11	4	11	39	9
572	No Name	Densmore	Trela	STYC	12	5	7	11	8	43	10
553	Stars	J Bradley	J Bradley	STFYC	11	8	8	8	13	48	11
468	MissBehaven	Priest	Guizot	TPYC	13	13	9	7	10	52	12
565	Citron	L Hines	O Hines	RYC	14	11	13	9	12	59	13
570	Jade	Rabb	Dair	ABYC/CBYC	3	14	15	15	15	62	14
542	Ol"Skool	Conn		ABYC	DNS          15	DNS          15	DNS          15	DNS          15	DNS          15	75	15

Past Championship Skippers and Crews

Year	Location	Hull Number		Skipper	Crew
1947	Stanislaus	48		James Wyatt of Fresno	Joe McAlese
1948	Los Angeles			Bill Jacobs of Los Angeles	Unknown
1949	Fresno			John Hooper of Sausallito	Heine Beagle
1950	Sausalito	386		Henry Mettier of Sausalito	Hank Easom
1951	Balboa	20		Rob Gaestel of Merced	Elva Roth
1952	Merced	20		Rob Gaestel of Merced	Jan Flammer
1953	Stillwater	20		Rob Gaestel of Merced	Betty Gaestel
1954	San Pedro	330		John Koenig of Sausalito	Bob Dynhard
1955	Richmond	383		Al (Smitty) Smith of Los Angeles	Bill Dixon
1956	Merced	20		Rob Gaestel of Merced	Betty Gaestel
1957	Balboa			Roy Ashley of Sausalito	Rich Owen
1958	Huntington Lake	157		Ed Mills of Los Angeles	Bill Jacobs
1959	Sausalito	288		Doug Baird of Stillwater	Mike Figour
1960	Santa Barbara	205		Ed Wellington of Coronado	John Kenick
1961	Coronado			John Kenick of Coronado	Harry Shumwal
1962	Stillwater	288		Doug Baird of Stillwater	Rick Fraser
1963	Los Angeles	286		Bill Lannan of Santa Barbara	Nick Udall
1964	Huntington Lake	461		Holden Sanford of Fresno	Ken Walsh
1965	Ventura	466		Roger Roessler of Santa Barbara	Florence Roessler
1966	Sausalito(a tie)	22		Dick Thompson of Peninsula	Jim Dickinson
1966	Sausalito(a tie)	434		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Tom Wenzel
1967	Santa Cruz	408		Doug Baird of Fresno	Jim Samuels
1968	Santa Barbara	408		Doug Baird of Peninsula	Dave Garibodi
1969	Stillwater	408		Doug Baird of Peninsula	Jim Dereamer
1970	Ventura	466		Roger Roessler of Santa Barbara	Florence Roessler
1971	Richmond	508		Tim Condon of Stillwater	Dick Hayes
1972	Los Angeles	267		Chris Gould of Monterey	Chet Cordrey
1973	Monterey	508		Tim Condon of Stillwater	Colleen Condon
1974	San Francisco	542		Paxton Davis of Peninsula	Ken Keefe
1975	Santa Barbara	428		John Grether of Sausalito	Dave West
1976	Huntington Lake	470		Steve Gould of Monterey	Doug Baird
1977	Stillwater	428		John Grether of Santa Barbara	Betsy Broome
1978	Richmond	482		Dick Clark of Monterey	Tracy Usher
1979	Clear Lake	459		Jack McAleer of Monterey	Pete Sherman
1980	Santa Barbara	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	John Schlepp
1981	Los Angeles	408		James Bradley of Fresno	Kathy Kirk
1982	Monterey	358		Mike Polkabla of Monterey	Charles Queen
1983	San Francisco	571		Dave Huggins of Peninsula	Clayton Huggins
1984	Huntington Lake	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Bud Nestell
1985	Santa Cruz	576		Dick Clark of Monterey	Tracy Usher
1986	Richmond	576		Dick Clark of Monterey	Tim Cordrey
1987	Santa Barbara	408		Jim Bradley of Peninsula	Al Kirk
1988	Huntington Lake	408		Jim Bradley of Peninsula	Kathy Bradley
1989	Stillwater	575		Doug Baird of Peninsula	Karen Mason
1990	San Francisco	408		Jim Bradley of Peninsula	Ed Cotter
1991	Santa Barbara	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
1992	Monterey	570		Dave West of North Bay	Dan Simmons
1993	Clear Lake	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
1994	Huntington Lake	466		Don Whelan of San Diego	Mike Porvaznik
1995	Coronado	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
1996	Stillwater	553		Jim Bradley of Peninsula	Kathy Bradley
1997	San Francisco	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
1998	Huntington Lake	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
1999	San Pedro	576		Dick Clark of Stillwater	Brent Harrill
2000	Treasure Island	576		Dick Clark of Stillwater	Mike Pokabla
2001	Coronado	459		Jack McAleer of Monterey	Eddie Schaup
2002	Monterey	576		Dick Clark of Stillwater	Brent Harrill
2003	Huntington Lake	508		Doug Baird of Fresno	Mike Baird
2004	Ballena Bay	429		Dave West of San Francisco	Chris Kreuger
2005	San Pedro	472		Mike Burch of Los Angeles	JJ Burch
2006	Monterey	508		Doug Baird of Fresno	Mac Kilpatrick
2007	Huntington Lake	570		Chris Raab of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2008	Long Beach	570		Chris Raab of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2009	Richmond	570		Chris Raab of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2010	San Pedro	570		Chris Raab of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2011	Monterey	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
2012	Huntington Lake	508		Doug Baird of Fresno	Chris Messano
2013	Long Beach	570		Chris Rabb of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2014	Santa Babara	570		Chris Raab of Los Angeles	Kenny Dair
2015	Ballena bay	541		Mac Kilpatrick of At Large	Jim Taylor
2016	Huntington Lake	508		Doug Baird of Fresno	Levi Wentzel
2017	Monterey	560		Pat Bradley of Fresno	Brendan Bradley
2018	Los Angeles	408		Chris Messano of Los Angeles	Doug Mclean

Past Silver Championships Skippers and Crews

1989	Stillwater	Greg Smith of North Bay	Nick Mason
1990	San Francisco	Greg Smith of North Bay	Nick Mason
1991	Santa Barbara	Dave Hale of Santa Barbara	Barbara Shulart
1992	Monterey	Matt Wilson of Santa Barbara	Scott Deardorff
1993	Clear Lake	Sara Marion	Dan Kreiss
1994	Huntington	Park Densmore	Park Densmore Jr.
1995	Coronado	Rob Anderson	Bob Hayes
1996	Stillwater	Gerald Koldjeski	Mickey Gray
1997	San Francisco	Jim Taylor	Walter Smith
1998	Huntington Lake	Steve Kraft	Mitch Matthews
1999	San Pedro	Chris Messano	Brian Dair
2000	Treasure Island	Brendan Bradley	Pat Bradley
2001	Coronado	Park Densmore	Don Hopper
2002	Monterey	Mitch Matthews	Greg Greenlee
2003	Huntington Lake	Peter Baldwin	Dave Morris
2004	Ballena Bay	Dan Simmons	Phil Macafee
2005	San Pedro	Mike Burch	JJ Burch
2006	Monterey	Dan Simmons	Phil Macafee
2007	Huntington Lake	Mark Comings	Geordy Hershman
2008	Long Beach	Kevin McCarthy	Cathy McCarthy
2009	Richmond	Scott Easom	Matt Siddens
2010	San Pedro	Brad Bergeron	Jim Kenard
2011	Monterey	Mark Chandler	Liz Chandler
2012	Huntington Lake	Eric Conn	Tracy Conn
2013	Long Beach	Tom Priest	Dan Schiff
2014	Santa Barbara	Brad Bergeron	Daniel Kim
2015	Ballena Bay	Tom Priest	Damon Guizot
2016	Huntington Lake	Tom Priest	Damon Guizot
2017	Monterey	Lyn Hines	Dave Bacci
2018	Los Angeles	Park Densmore	Mike Trela

 

Jack and Jill Championship Skippers and Crews

Year	Location	Skipper	Crew	Hull Number
2010	San Pedro	Randy Smith	Kathryn Smith	543
2011	Monterey	Mark Chandler	Liz Chandler	524
2012	Huntington lake	Randy Smith	Kathryn Smith	543
2013	Long Beach	Mike Burch	Kristen Burch	472
2014	Santa Barbara	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley	553
2015	Ballena Bay	Doug Baird	Kate Conway	508
2016	Huntington Lake	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley	553
2017	Monterey	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley	553
2018	Los Angeles	Doug Baird	Katy Worden	508

Mercury Class 50 Years And Going Strong
The Mercury Sloop was designed by Ernest Nunes of the Nunes Brothers Boat Works, Sausalito, California. In 1938, hull #1 was completed and first displayed in the 1939 World’s Fair at Treasure Island. At that time most small boats were built with plank construction so the Mercury, with its waterproof plywood construction was considered very advanced for the time. The hull was light by comparison and the simplicity of construction drew immediate interest in the new boat. Hulls numbered 2 through 8 were constructed at the same time in the shop at Nunes Brothers. These boats were presold and the owners took an active part in the construction. This gave Ernie Nunes the idea that a kit of the Mercury would be a good way to promote sales. The class grew quickly as home builders assembled these kits in back yards and garages throughout the state of California. A few boats even found their way out to the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. With the boat being easily trailerable, fleets developed at inland lakes so that by 1946 an active racing association had developed throughout the western states. To commemorate the 50th birthday of the Mercury class yacht, a party was held at the San Francisco Yacht Club on June 18, 1988. Over 150 current and past Mercury sailors attended the festivities, which included racing in Raccoon Straits and a barbecue dinner at the club house. Past champions, including our first champion (1947) Jim Wyatt reminisced about their most memorable Mercury racing experiences. Many of the past sailors brought their family scrapbooks with them to provide a pictorial history of the class. Three generations of Mercury sailors were in attendance. Hull #6, still an active racer, had the distinction of being the oldest boat sailing in the day’s races and also by having all of her owners present for the Birthday Party.

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Mercury Class Perpetual Trophies

Homecoming Perpetual Trophy
This trophy was donated by Peter Sutter and designed and built by Leonard Delmas. The Homecoming Regatta was sailed in honor of the Builder, Ernie Nunes and later other builders. Currently the regatta is held at the Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda. The 2017 regatta was held at the Sausalito YC in celebration of the clubs 75th anniversary and where the first homecoming regatta was held.

YEAR	SKIPPER	CREW	1997	Pax Davis	Richard Hubbert
1960	Robin Hobart	Jim Enzensperger	1998	Pax Davis	Richard Hubbert
1961	Jim Enzensperger	Robin Hobart	1999	Doug Baird	Michael Baird
1962	Pat Bradley	Rick Gregory	2000	Doug Baird	Michael Baird
1963	Jim Enzensperger	Mark Schaeffe r	2001	Carl Schumacher	Sutter Schumacher
1964	Doug Baird	Bill Sewall	2002	John Hansen	Tony Basso
1965	Jim Enzensperger	Mark Shaeffer	2003	Bill Worden	Doug Baird
1966	Pax Davis	C. Paxton Davis, III	2004	Doug Baird	Tom Priest
1967	Pat Bradley	Scott Harris	2005	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1968	Jim Enzensperger	Doug Baird	2006	Doug Baird	Michael Baird
1969	Mark Dowley	Jim Hobart	2007	Doug Baird	Chris Messano
1970	Leland Pollard	Laurie Pollard	2008	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1971	Steve Gould	John Kedzior	2009	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley
1972	John Grether	Mike Porvanznik	2010	Doug Baird	Mike Dick
1973	Tim Condon	Al Swinger	2011	John Skinner	John Selbach
1974	Steve Gould	Don Whelan	2012	Doug Baird	Michael Baird
1975	Dick Clark	John Umland	2013	Jim Bradley	Ben Bradley
1976	Pax Davis	Julie Davis	2014	Doug Baird	Michael Baird
1977	Dick Clark	Pete Sherman	2015	Pax Davis	Aaron Lee
1978	Jim Bradley	John Kirk	2016	Pax Davis	Aaron Lee
1979	Kelly Robinson	Jack McAleer	2017	John Hansen	Tony Basso
1980	Pax Davis	Greg Salas
1981	Pax Davis	Tim Erskine
1982	Pax Davis	Tim Erskine
1983	Dave Huggins	Clayton Huggins
1984	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley
1985	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley
1986	Pax Davis	Ken Munro
1987	Chris Lanzafame	Robert Hu
1988	Pax Davis	Ken Munro
1989	Dave West	John Daseking
1990	Al Downey	Bill Harvey
1991	Doug Baird	Art Mowry
1992	Dave West	Dan Simmons
1993	Steve Jeppesen	Jim Taylor
1994	Pax Davis	John Hansen
1995	Jim Bradley	Greg Melanson
1996	Pax Davis	Richard Hubbert

Joe Logan Memorial Trophy
Dr. Joe Logan was a prominent physician in Fresno and an early member of the Fresno Mercury Fleet. Although his interest in sailing did not develop until later in life, he dearly loved the time he spent on his Mercury. His first boat was hull #104. During the summer months Dr. Logan kept his boat moored off the pier at Santa Cruz. This was in the days before the Santa Cruz Marina was constructed. During a summer storm the boat broke loose from its mooring and was destroyed on the beach. He ordered a new Mercury, built with the salvaged keel of #104. To keep the memory of his old boat alive he christened the new one Wonofora . While preparing his beautiful new boat for its first racing season, Dr. Logan was struck by a heart attack and died. In memory of her husband and to perpetuate his love for the Mercury, his widow donated this trophy. It is a working model of his Mercury #434 down to the smallest detail. The trophy is currently on loan from the Fresno Fleet to the St. Francis Yacht Club where it is on display. Through 1976 the trophy was raced for in Fresno and kept on display at the Fresno Sports Hall of Fame. The new deed was drawn up in February of 1977 and the trophy is now awarded to the winner of an annual series sailed in the waters off the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. The trophy is truly one of the most finely crafted and best looking in small boat sailing.

YEAR	SKIPPER	CREW	YEAR	SKIPPER	CREW
1964	Joe Congdon	Joe Congdon, Jr	2005	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1965	Milt Rubin	Barbara Rubin	2006	Doug Baird	Chris Messano
1966	Clair Williams	Nina Williams	2007	Mac Kilpatrick	John Ravizza/Jim Taylor
1967	LeRoy Hinkle	Pat Hinkle	2008	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1968	Randel Petersen	Stuart Knopf	2009	Randy Smith	Lauren Smith
1969	Steve Gould	Doug Baird	2010	Randy Smith	John Verdoia
1977	Pax Davis	Scott Carpenter	2011	Dave West	Chris Krueger
1978	Dick Clark	Pete Sherman	2012	Randy Smith	John Hayes
1979	Pat Bradley	John Sclepp	2013	Randy Smith	Kurt Hemmingsen
1980	Pax Davis	Rex Allen	2014	Randy Smith	Michael O'Callaghan
1981	Pax Davis	Tim Erskine	2015	Doug Baird	Mac Kilpatrick
1982	Pax Davis	Tim Erskine	2005	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1983	Pax Davis	Tim Erskine	2006	Doug Baird	Chris Messano
1984	Pat Bradley	Doug Baird	2007	Mac Kilpatrick	John Ravizza/Jim Taylor
1985	Doug Baird	Carl Petersen	2008	Doug Baird	Jim Taylor
1986	Doug Baird	Earl Stutes	2009	Randy Smith	Lauren Smith
1987	Jim Bradley	Pat Bradley	2010	Randy Smith	John Verdoia
1988	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley	2011	Dave West	Chris Krueger
1989	Not Held	Earthquake	2012	Randy Smith	John Hayes
1990	Pax Davis	Brad Whitaker	2013	Randy Smith	Kurt Hemmingsen
1991	Pax Davis	Brad Whitaker	2014	Randy Smith	Michael O'Callaghan
1992	Doug Baird	Dick Hansen	2015	Doug Baird	Mac Kilpatrick
1993	Tracy Usher	Mike Spencer	2016	Jim Bradley	Kathy Bradley
1994	Tim Parsons	Nick Brya	2017	Scott Easom	Ernie Rodriguez
1995	Jim Bradley	Peter Baldwin
1996	Tracy Usher	Erica Mattson
1997	Doug Baird	Tim Parsons
1998	Pax Davis	Richard Hubbert
1999	Jim Bradley	Ed Cotter
2000	John Hansen	Tony Basso
2001	Doug Baird	Rob Moore
2002	Jim Bradley	Ben Bradley
2003	No Wind
2004	Jim Bradley	Ben Bradley

Los Angeles Midwinter Regatta
Hosted by the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in conjunction with the Southern California Yacht Racing Association this annual President's Day Weekend event has long been a favorite of sailors from both Northern & Southern California. Along with over a hundred classes and in excess of one thousand yachts, the Mercury Class has a long history of participation in this, the largest yachting event in the world. The regatta is held at the north end of Los Angeles Harbor with occasional sojourns outside the breakwater to the Point Fermin bouy. Most of the competitors lodge at a single waterfront hotel, fostering camaraderie between Northern and Southern fleets. The highlight of the weekend is the annual Saturday night extravaganza at the Palos Verdes Estates home of Park & Lynn Densmore. One of the most entertaining evenings of the Mercury year, the Densmore party makes this winter outing a well attended tradition. 

Year	Skipper	Year	Skipper
1965	Roger Roessler	1999	Pax Davis
1966	Duerstein	2000	Chris Messano
1967	Roger Roessler	2001	Dave West
1968	Roger Roessler	2002	Not held
1969	Jack Nerdrum	2003	Don Whelan
1970	Jack Nerdrum	2004	Ron Dougherty
1971	Doug Baird	2005	Doug Baird
1972	Steve Gould	2006	Don Whelan
1973	George Patterson	2007	Doug Baird
1974	Austin Lysight	2008	Mike Burch
1975	Don Whelan	2009	Chris Raab
1976		2010	Doug Baird
1977	Jim Bradley	2011	Hal McCormack
1978		2012	Doug Baird
1979	Jim Bradley	2013	Randy Smith
1980		2014	Dave West
1981	Pat Bradley	2015	Mike Burch
1982		2016	Dave West
1983	Pat Bradley	2017	Mike Burch
1984		2018	Chris Raab
1985
1986
1987	Doug Baird
1988
1989
1990	Pax Davis
1991	Pax Davis
1992
1993	Don Whelan
1994	Howie Marion
1995	Pax Davis
1996	Tracy Usher
1997	Dave West
1998	Doug Baird

Perry Cup
During the 1950’s and early 60’s, members of the Stillwater Mercury Fleet often discussed starting a winter racing series on the other side of the hill in Monterey. Many members felt that the limited summer season in Stillwater really wasn’t enough. Thomas K. Perry was one of the original advocates of the winter series which now bears his name. Although the idea of a winter racing schedule came up over and over again, nothing was really done about it until a number of Stillwater sailors decided to create a new fleet in Monterey in 1970. The Monterey Fleet, looking for a way to attract new members, yet, also wanting to continue racing at Stillwater during the summer, decided to hold the first winter championship in Monterey. The series was to last all winter, but not wanting to create a series which would drag on, seemingly forever, it was decided that it should be raced only one weekend per month. The first Monterey Winter Championships were won by Tim Condon in 1970-71. Later that year Tom Perry was killed and his widow Pat offered to donate a perpetual trophy for the series to be named after him. Pat Perry passed away in early 1995. Dick Clark, at the 1995 trophy presentation announced that this series would go on forever in Pat’s honor.

YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER	YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER
1970 - 71	Juggernaut	Tim Condon	2004-2005	Axon	Doug Baird
1971 - 72	Mehitabel	Steve Gould	2005-2006	Axon	Doug Baird
1972 - 73	El Primera	Pat Bradley	2006-2007	Pacer	Pax Davis
1973 - 74	Contagion	Steve Gould	2007-2008	Axon	Doug Baird
1974 - 75	Lima Bean Machine	John Grether	2008-2009	Pacer	Pax Davis
1975 - 76	Contagion	Doug Baird	2009-2010	Axon	Doug Baird
1976 - 77	Contagion	Steve Gould	2010-2011	Fast Break	Randy Smith
1977 - 78	Christmas Pudding	Jack McAleer	2011-2012	Fast Break	Randy Smith
1978 - 79	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley	2012-2013	Axon	Doug Baird
1979 - 80	Rufescent Rhubarb	Dick Clark	2013-2014	Axon	Doug Baird
1980 - 81	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley	2014-2015	Axon	Doug Baird
1981 - 82	Swift	Pax Davis	2015-2016	Axon	Doug Baird
1982 - 83	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley	2016-2017	Axon	Doug Baird
1983 - 84	Seven Toed Re-Pete	David Huggins	2017-2018	Stars	Jim Bradley
1984 - 85	Frenzy	Jim Bradley
1985 - 86	Frenzy	Jim Bradley
1986 - 87	Burning Desire	Doug Baird
1987 - 88	Pacer	Pax Davis
1988 - 89	Pacer	Pax Davis
1989 - 90	Christmas Pudding	Jack McAleer
1990 - 91	Pacer	Pax Davis
1991 - 92	Vandal	Tracy Usher
1992 -93	Vandal	Tracy Usher
1993 -94	Disco Volante	Howie Marion
1994-95	Pacer	Pax Davis
1995-96	Pacer	Pax Davis
1996 -97	Vandal	Tracy Usher
1997-98	Pacer	Pax Davis
1998-99	Pacer	Pax Davis
1999-2000	Bushwhacker III	Don Whelan
2000-2001	Pacer	Pax Davis
2001-2002	Strider	Doug Baird
2002-2003	Vandal	Tracy Usher
2003-2004	Pacer	Pax Davis

Race of Champions / Cinco De Mayo Trophy
Donated by Mr. & Mrs. Lester Baldwin, active Mercury sailors of the 1960's, this trophy is a beautiful silver sailing ship model on display at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. The trophy was originally gifted as a competition between current & past Mercury Class Champions. In recent years the trophy is presented to the winner of a spring regatta sailed in the waters off Santa Barbara. This spring format was chosen to obtain optimum weather and wind conditions. The large fleets and competitive racing has made this regatta a premiere event on the Mercury Class Schedule.

1962	Doug Baird	1997	G.T. Koldjeski
1963	J. Enzensperger	1998	Don Whelan
1964	Holden Sanford	1999	Doug Baird
1965	Roger Roessler	2000	Don Whelan
1966	Not Held	2001	Dave West
1967	Roger Roessler	2002	Doug Baird
1968	Not Held	2003	Dave West
1969	Roger Roessler	2004	Doug Baird
1970	Steve Gould	2005	Doug Baird
1971	George Patterson	2006	Doug Baird
1972	George Patterson	2007	Doug Baird
1973	Ted Lindley	2008	Doug Baird
1974	Steve Gould	2009	Jim Bradley
1975	Richard Miller	2010	Randy Smith
1976	Not Held	2011	Chris Messano
1977	Dick Clark	2012	Doug Baird
1978	Dick Clark	2013	Doug Baird
1979	Austin Lysight	2014	Doug Baird
1980	Not Held	2015	Doug Baird
1981	Not Held	2016	Doug Baird
1982	Not Held	2018	Doug Baird
1983	Pax Davis
1984	Dave Huggins
1985
1986	Chris Lanzafame
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991	Pax Davis
1992	Dave We s t
1993	Lee Sandow
1994	Pax Davis
1995	Kelly Robinson
1996	Tracy Usher

Nunes Championship Series Trophy
This is the top prize of the Mercury racing year. It is awarded to the top skipper of the Mercury Championship Series. It was donated by Ernest Nunes, designer and first builder of the Mercury Yacht. The list of past winners is printed preceding the story of the last Championship Series.

Ray Johnson Trophy
This beautiful silver pitcher was donated to the Class in 1983 in honor of Ray Johnson’s contribution to the MCYRA. As Secretary of the association from 1961 to 1982, we can safely say that no other individual member of the class has made a more significant contribution than Ray. The trophy is presented annually to the winner of the first race of the Mercury Championship Series.

1984	Pat Bradley
1985	Dick Clark
1986	Dick Clark
1987	Jim Bradley
1988	Jim Bradley
1989	G.T. Koldjeski
1990	Pax Davis
1991	Jim Bradley
1992	Don Whelan
1993	Pat Bradley
1994	Don Whelan
1995	Doug Baird
1996	Pat Bradley
1997	Dave West
1998	Steve Gould
1999	Dick Clark
2000	Dave West
2001	Dick Clark
2002	Jack McAleer
2003	Dave West
2004	Dave West
2005	Mike Burch
2006	Pat Bradley
2007	Chris Messano
2008	Doug Baird
2009	Chris Raab
2010	Chris Raab
2011	Pat Bradley
2012	Dave West
2013	Pat Bradley
2014	Chris Raab
2015	Mac Kilpatrick
2016	Pat Bradley
2017	Dave West
2018	Chris Messano

The Park & Lynn Densmore Perpetual Trophy
The Densmores presented this beautiful half model of their Mercury to the Mercury Class Association to be awarded each year to the winner of the second race of the Championship Series. This donation represents a continuation of their involvement in the activities of the Association which goes back more than a few years. For Park, Mercury sailing began many years ago on San Francisco Bay when he raced with John Koenig in a Mercury during the 1942 season. Lynn was introduced to the Yacht in 1960 and together they have been and still are faithful supporters of the class.

1995	Pat Bradley
1996	Jim Bradley
1997	Pat Bradley
1998	Pat Bradley
1999	Doug Baird
2000	Jack McAleer
2001	Jack McAleer
2002	Dave West
2003	Doug Baird
2004	Dave West
2005	Jim Bradley
2006	Jack McAleer
2007	Chris Raab
2008	Chris Raab
2009	Chris Raab
2010	Chris Raab
2011	Mac Kilpatrick
2012	Doug Baird
2013	Chris Raab
2014	Jim Bradley
2015	Dave West
2016	Doug Baird
2017	Paul Cayard
2018	Chris Messano

The Matt & Mimi Jenkins Perpetual Trophy
This perpetual trophy was donated by several members of the Mercury Class in memory of Matt and Mimi Jenkins. Not only did they own one of the first Mercurys at Stillwater Cove, but they spent their time and money to preserve sailing at this beautiful location. For many years at the Labor Day Weekend Regatta they hosted a fabulous cocktail party for their friends and regatta participants. This half model of the Jenkin’s Mercury will be awarded to the winner of the third race of the National Championship series.

1995	Pat Bradley
1996	Pat Bradley
1997	Pat Bradley
1998	Jack McAleer
1999	Pat Bradley
2000	Dave West
2001	Jack McAleer
2002	Dick Clark
2003	Steve Gould
2004	Dave West
2005	Jim Bradley
2006	Doug Baird
2007	Pat Bradley
2008	Mike Burch
2009	Jim Bradley
2010	Chris Raab
2011	Jack McAleer
2012	Doug Baird
2013	Chris Raab
2014	Chris Raab
2015	Randy Smith
2016	Doug Baird
2017	Mac Kilpatrick
2018	Chris Messano

Holden Sanford Perpetual Trophy
Holden Sanford's involvement with the Mercury Class dates back to the late 1940's when he began racing his Mercury as a member of the Lake Millerton Sailing Association, now known as the Fresno Yacht Club. Holden served as President of the class in 1960 and won the class championship in 1964 with fellow Fresno Mercury sailor, Ken Walsh, as crew at Huntington Lake. Holden's many friends in the class thought it would be a good idea to honor Holden with a perpetual trophy. Ken Gardiner, famous model maker of Newport Beach CA., was commissioned to construct a half model on a plaque of Holden's Mercury number 461. Fittingly the trophy was presented to the class, to be awarded to the winner of the fourth race of the Championship series, at a special ceremony prior to the 1994 Championship series at Huntington Lake on the thirtieth anniversary of Holden’s victory.

1994	Pat Bradley
1995	Pat Bradley
1996	Tracy Usher
1997	Pat Bradley
1998	Dick Clark
1999	Dick Clark
2000	Jack McAleer
2001	Doug Baird
2002	Chris Lanzafame
2003	Jim Bradley
2004	Doug Baird
2005	Jim Bradley
2006	Doug Baird
2007	Jack McAleer
2008	Dave West
2009	Chris Raab
2010	Pat Bradley
2011	Randy Smith
2012	Dave West
2013	Mike Burch
2014	Greg Dair
2015	Mac Kilpatrick
2016	John Hansen
2017	Pat Bradley
2018	Chris Messano

John Koenig Memorial Perpetual Trophy
John Koenig was one of the founding fathers of the Mercury Class. As MCYRA President in 1953 and Class National Champion in 1954, John developed a lifelong love for the Mercury. Following his death, his wife Pat Koenig donated this a silver bowl in memory of John. The trophy is presented annually to the winner of the last race of the Championship Series. 

YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER	YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER
1974	Seven Toed Pete	David Huggins	2008	Axon	Doug Baird
1975	Lima Bean Machine	John Gre t h e r	2009	Race Abandoned
1976	Contagion	Steve Gould	2010	Arnold	Mac Kilpatrick
1977	Lima Bean Machine	John Gre t h e r	2011	Frenzy	Chris Messano
1978	Swift	Pax Davis	2012	Space Invader	Dave West
1979	Frenzy	Jim Bradley	2013	Carbon Offset	Chris Raab
1980	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley	2014	Axon	Doug Baird
1981	Sea Deuce	Tracy Usher	2015	Gator	Paul Cayard
1982	Whale Bait	Mike Polkabla	2016	Axon	Doug Baird
1983	Frenzy	Jim Bradley	2017	Ol' Buzzard	Pat Bradley
1984	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley	2018	Frenzy Too	Chris Messano
1985	Ernie	Dick Clark
1986	Italian Stallion	Chris Lanzafame
1987	Frenzy	Jim Bradley
1988	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley
1989	Exterminator	Doug Baird
1990	Frenzy	Jim Bradley
1991	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley
1992	Ernie	Dick Clark
1993	Ernie	Dick Clark
1994	Space Invader	Dave We s t
1995	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley
1996	Vandal	Tracy Usher
1997	Christmas Pudding	Jack McAleer
1998	Christmas Pudding	Jack Mcaleer
1999	Strider	Doug Baird
2000	Ernie	Dick Clark
2001	Buswhacker III	Don Whelan
2002	Space Invader	Dave West
2003	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley
2004	Old Buzzard	Pat Bradley
2005	Bushwacker III	Don Whelan
2006	Axon	Doug Baird
2007	Jade	Mike Burch

Santa Barbara Mercury Fleet Invitational Perpetual Trophy
The winner of the Mercury Fleet in the Santa Barbara Yacht Club Semana Nautica Regatta.

YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER
1965	Radiant	Jack Nerdrum
1966	Mehitabel	Steve Gould
1967	Limey II	Don Anderson
1968	Frenzy	Doug Baird
1969	Fromf	Doug Baird
1970	Blue Mist II	Roger Roessler
1971	Mellow Yellow	Austin Lysight
1972	Contagion	Steve Gould
1973	Radiant	Jack Nerdrum
1974	Swift	Paxton Davis
1975	Contagion	Steve Gould
1976	Contagion	Steve Gould
1977	Lima Bean Machine	John Grether
1978	Melba	Dave West
1979	Funny Farm	Bill Ryon
1980	Sea Deuce	Kelly Robinson
1981	Frenzy	Kathy Kirk
1982	Italian Stallion	Chris Lanzafame
1983	Frenzy	Jim Bradley
1984	Not Held
1985	Swift	Pax Davis
1986	Bonne Chance	G.T. Koldjeski
1987	Not Held
1988	Bonne Chance	Gerald Koldjeski
1989	Not Held
1990	Pacer	Pax Davis
1991	Pacer	Pax Davis
1992
1993		Lee Sandow

Stillwater Labor Day Regatta
Since it’s inauguration in 1950, the Labor Day Regatta hosted by Stillwater Yacht Club on Carmel Bay, has been a highlight of every Mercury year. 62 Mercurys were in the starting line in 1959, an all time record. A great storm then destroyed the old pier, and the event was held in Monterey Bay in 1969-71. By 1972, despite the pull of other classes and other regattas, Labor Day drew 55 Mercurys, second largest record. Special thanks are due Past Commodore Matt and Mimi Jenkins for 40 years of their fabulous Log Cabin cocktail party (1952-91) which helped pull the whole class together, for donating the sterling silver permanent senior trophy and for Mimi's strong personal commitment to the rebuilding of the pier. In 1975 an annual senior championship regatta was established, followed in 1976 by a B division regatta. The three starting lines and three sets of trophies are unique in Mercury racing and afford appropriate recognition to important segments of the class. 

1950	Rob Gaestel	1985	Doug Baird
1951	Rob Gaestel	1986	Paxton Davis
1952	Rob Gaestel	1987	Eric Arndt
1953	Roy Ashley	1988	Jim Bradley
1954	Rob Gaestel	1989	Steve Kraft
1955	Rob Gaestel	1990	Jim Bradley
1956	Rob Gaestel	1991	Jim Bradley
1957	Jon Konigshofer	1992	Doug Baird
1958	Allen Mitchell	1993	Tracy Usher
1959	James Wo m b l e	1994	Tracy Usher
1960	Roy Ashley	1995	Pat Bradley
1961	Roy Ashley	1996	Tracy Usher
1962	Pat Bradley	1997	Pax Davis
1963	Roy Ashley	1998	Pax Davis
1964	Rob Gaestel	1999	Jack McAleer
1965	Dick Thompson	2000	Pax Davis
1966	Dick Thompson	2001	Doug Baird
1967	Tim Condon	2002	Dick Clark
1968	Doug Baird	2003	Pax Davis
1969	Ralph Buchan	2004	Pat Bradley
1970	Harvey Kilpatrick	2005	Pax Davis
1971	Lee Pollard	2006	Pax Davis
1972	Steve Gould	2007	Doug Baird
1973	Steve Gould	2008	John Ravizza
1974	Pax Davis	2009	Doug Baird
1975	Pat Bradley	2010	Randy Smith
1976	Dick Clark	2011	Pax Davis
1977	Dick Clark	2012	Dave West
1978	Tracy Usher	2013	Jim Bradley
1979	Stillman Chase	2014	Jim Bradley
1980	Jack McAleer	2015	Doug Baird
1981	Tracy Usher	2016	Doug Baird
1982	Chris Gould	2017	Scott Easom
1983	Pat Bradley
1984	Pat Bradley

George Rosman Travel Series

One of the most difficult to win, this series is awarded to the MCYRA member who compiles the best overall record in the best 7 of the 9 designated major Mercury Class regattas. By finishing in the top five places at the Los Angeles Midwinters, Coronado Spring Series, Race of Champions, Nunes-Hart, Huntington Lake, Labor Day, Joe Logan, Monterey Invitational and Turkey Day regattas; a participant will earn bonus points as follows :

First:: 6 Points
Second: 4 Points
Third: 3 Points
Fourth: 2 Points
Fifth: 1 Points

Additionally, each MCYRA skipper receives 2 participation points for each of the 7 regattas in which he or she competes. The winner is announced at the MCYRA annual meeting. George Rosman, MCYRA Chief Measurer from 1961 to 1974, established this event as a means to encourage Mercury owners to travel to major regattas. George felt that by encouraging trailering of their boats, Mercury sailors would become better all around yachtsmen and at the same time build friendships throughout the State of California.

1964	Holden Sanford	1991	Pax Davis
1965	Holden Sanford	1992	Dave We s t
1966	Roger Roessler	1993	Doug Baird
1967	Steve Gould	1994	Howie Marion
1968	Roger Roessler	1995	Pax Davis
1969	Doug Baird	1996	Pax Davis
1970	Doug Baird	1997	Tracy Usher
1971	Ted Lindley	1998	Pax Davis
1972	Steve Gould	1999	Pax Davis
1973	John Grether	2000	Don Whelan
1974	Pax Davis	2001	Dave West
1975	Pax Davis	2002	Doug Baird
1976	Pax Davis	2003	Pax Davis
1977	Pax Davis	2004	Pax Davis
1978	Dick Clark	2005	Doug Baird
1979	.Jim Bradley	2006	Doug Baird
1980	Kelly Robinson	2007	Doug Baird
1981	Pat Bradley	2008	Doug Baird
1982	Pax Davis	2009	Doug Baird
1983	Pax Davis	2010	Doug Baird
1984	Dick Clark	2011	Randy Smith
1985	Jim Bradley	2012	Doug Baird
1986	Pat Bradley	2013	Randy Smith
1987	Doug Baird	2014	Randy Smith
1988	Pax Davis	2015	Randy Smith
1989	Pax Davis	2016	Doug Baird
1990	Pax Davis	2017	Doug Baird

Huntington Lake Regatta
The Race was started in 1954 informally when five Thistles raced a windward leeward around the windward island. With Bill Bradley as one of the founders, the regatta was formally initiated in 1955. The Mercurys and the Thistles were the original classes to compete on this 7000 foot high lake. The lake and it’s surroundings have remained unchanged over the past 36 years. Other than a cluster of condos with tennis courts and a pool, there has been very little new construction. The sailing has also remained perfect. The wind comes up at 10 am and fades at 6 pm daily. The Mercury has been in attendance every year since the regatta’s inception. In the early years, the class raced under the auspices of the Fresno Yacht Club. Due to logistics, the class now sponsors it’s own regatta, which normally occurs on the fourth weekend of July. Bill Bradley’s friends, in 1981, put up a trophy to be known as the BILL BRADLEY PERPETUAL TROPHY. This is to be presented to the winner of the annual regatta. Bill and June Bradley have been kind enough to host a Santa Maria Barbeque at their cabin with the Pat and Jim Bradley Families supervising. Attendance at this great party numbers over 200. Many families travel to Huntington Lake to enjoy what is known as baby beach. This is a lagoon like setting where most of the boats tieup bow to the shore and the young ones frolic in the lake.

1955	Tim Condon	1990	Jim Bradley
1956	Rob Gaestel	1991	Doug Baird
1957	Rob Gaestel	1992	Steve Gould
1958	Rob Gaestel	1993	Pat Bradley
1959	Rob Gaestel	1994	Howie Marion
1960	Tim Condon	1995	Don Whelan
1961	Rob Gaestel	1996	Pat Bradley
1962	Jim Enzensperger	1997	Pax Davis
1963	Jim Enzensberger	1998	Doug Baird
1964	Roger Roessler	1999	Pat Bradley
1965	Roger Roessler	2000	Dave West
1966	Roger Roessler	2001	Pat Bradley
1967	Tim Condon	2002	Pat Bradley
1968	Roger Roessler	2003	Doug Baird
1969	Dick Thompson	2004	Doug Baird
1970	Roger Roessler	2005	Doug Baird
1971	Roger Roessler	2006	Pat Bradley
1972	Austin Lysight	2007	Chris Raab
1973	Pax Davis	2008	Pat Bradley
1974	Pat Bradley	2009	Pat Bradley
1975	Pat Bradley	2010	Doug Baird
1976	Pax Davis	2011	Doug Baird
1977	Pat Bradley	2012	Dave West
1978	John Grether	2013	Pat Bradley
1979	Dick Clark	2014	No Race
1980	Jack McAleer	2015	No Race
1981	Pat Bradley	2016	Mike Burch
1982	Pat Bradley	2017	Doug Baird
1983	Pat Bradley	2018	Dave West
1984	Jim Bradley
1985	Jim Bradley
1986	Doug Baird
1987	Pat Bradley
1988	Jim Bradley
1989	Jim Bradley

Hart Nunes Trophy
For many years James (Jim) Hart had been reminded of his memories sailing KATAPURA II by the half model of Mercury #33 hanging on his den wall. He has been a member of the San Francisco Yacht Club since 1937 and decided in 1995 to donate his beautiful half model to the Mercury Class and the San Francisco Yacht Club. The Mercury Class has established the Hart-Nunes Trophy to be awarded to the winner of an annual regatta to be sponsored by the San Francisco Yacht Club. The trophy resides at this club.Jim had the half model built in the late forties while he was sailing KATAPURA II. Jim is looking forward to seeing the Mercury Class have many years of good racing out of the San Francisco Yacht Club.

1995	Jim Bradley
1996	Pax Davis
1997	Dave West
1998	Pax Davis
1999	Doug Baird
2000	Dave West
2001	Dave West
2002	Bill Worden
2003	Bill Worden
2004	Doug Baird
2005	Doug Baird
2006	Dave West
2007	Doug Baird
2008	J Skinner
2009	J Hansen
2010	Pax Davis
2011	R Smith
2012	No wind
2013	R Smith
2014	R Smith
2015	R Smith
2016	S Jeppesen
2017	R Smith
2018	Lanzefame

Coen Carmiggelt Memorial Trophy
This trophy was donated by the parents of Coen Carmiggelt after his death at a young age.. Coen started a Mercury fleet at Lakeport on Clear Lake. He purchased 543 and his father, Hans bought 541. Several other Mercs were purchased by their nieghbors and a new fleet was born. The 1979 National Championships were sailed at the lake and again in 1993. Coen not only raced at the lake, but also came to the bay area to participate. The trophy is awarded to the winner of a designated regatta in the annual NORCAL Series.