Greg Raleigh, from Wisconsin, our Fleet Log Editor, is awarded the 2023 Denise Trophy.
The Denise Award is a beautiful wire sculpture of a Sea Sprite 23 made in 2002 , and is named after Gary Collin’s wife Denise. Originally the trophy was awarded to the winner of the Around Prudence Island Race. In 2012, we began awarding it to a person who has contributed significantly to the Sea Sprite world.
Greg is a perfect person to receive the award. He is a full on participant in our Sea Sprite sailing world. I asked him to write up a bio. Here is what he wrote:
July 1, 2009 I bought my SS23 off an eBay auction on my 55th birthday. I bid on it only to appease a coworker, and based on the bid I submitted, I obviously had no expectation of winning the auction. So it must have been fate that brought me into the Sea Sprite world. I had never even heard of Sea Sprites prior to the auction. That fall was spent sanding and painting the bottom and topsides, restoring the bright work, reworking the wiring, and checking over every part that came with the boat. I changed the name of the boat from Kairos II to STIMULUS. It seemed only fitting as I received my first stimulus check from Uncle Sam which was for almost exactly the same amount as the cost of the boat, and it arrived the same day I went to pick it up. That winter I was on eBay daily bidding on boat parts, building a new wooden hatch and Dorade boxes. I also joined South Shore Yacht club (SSYC), Milwaukee, Wisconsin and by spring I was ready to splash. Only problem was that I didn’t know how to sail. I had been on sailboats before, knew I wanted to sail more, but never really learned to sail.
I started by reading whatever I could get my hands on. Then with all that book knowledge, I ventured out on nice days to teach myself to sail. It wasn’t pretty and I’m sure several club members had a good chuckle watching me sail onto my mooring, but mostly they were supportive. At the bar afterwards, they always took the time to answer my many questions. SSYC was not the closest port to my home in Grafton but it has a break wall that creates a large protected area where I could safely practice without getting beat up by the waves. It also emanated good vibes and just felt comfortable in a Cheers sort of way. I always managed to get where I wanted to go but I knew that I wasn’t sailing efficiently, and still had much to learn. I chose to advance my sailing knowledge by crewing on a race boat rather than taking sailing lessons. I found a skipper that was patient and willing to teach a newcomer. For his patience, I have remained a loyal crew member, I’m not sure he will ever forgive me. We have always done the Wednesday night beer can social series of races. We have raced and helped with the race committee for many Queen’s Cup races, a night time dash across Lake Michigan. Annually we do the Hook Race from Racine, WI to Menominee, MI, about 189 miles up Lake Michigan. We fortunately have been division winner three of our last four attempts. We even almost won the whole thing when we double handed it in 2011. We did get temporarily distracted by a storm with over 90 mph winds which washed our wind instruments when the tip of our stick met the lake. I’m proud to say we survived and finished third that year, I learned more in those two days than I ever thought possible. STIMULUS has been raced, and I use that term loosely, in SSYC’s double handed series, Milwaukee Area Sail & Trail (MAST) social series, SSYC pursuit races, and several Louie’s Last Regattas. Most of these are serious fun not serious racing, but it is very competitive because Milwaukee is home to many good racers. I single or double hand most of these races and have become accustomed to being the pickle boat, even with a 289 LMPHRF rating.
Over the years I have gleaned much from the members of the Sea Sprite Association and especially from the forum which is a repository of so much practical wisdom. Eventually, I even began to contribute by responding to questions on the forum, and writing an article. Later, I think I volunteered to help by managing the Fleet Log. One thing I’m sure of, I have received more than I have given and I’m grateful for all I’ve learned.
I retired three years ago from a job that never was work. I was the Safety Officer and Technical Coordinator for the Hyperbaric chamber facility at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. We were a vanguard facility, one of the oldest hyperbaric facilities in the country, with a high patient acuity level and were one of the busiest. The rewards were not financial but many. I retired to curling, woodworking, my bonsai trees, and of course sailing. For three weeks in spring and fall I help SSYC by operating the derrick for boat launching and haulouts. I’d like to add a Sea Sprite Regatta or a Round the Hog Race to my sailing resume before I permanently stow my sails. It would be fun kibitzing with fellow Sea Sprite zealots. So…. maybe a new trailer should be my next purchase. Someday I hope to meet in person all of the personalities that I have corresponded with through the Sea Sprite Association.
I wish I had a picture of Greg receiving the trophy. Wisconsin is truly a long ways from Rhode Island!
Our very best wishes to Greg for a well-deserved award. Thank you.