The 19th annual Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) Downeast Gam was held Aug. 1, at the de Grasse cottage on Broad Cove, Gilkey Harbor in Islesboro, Maine. Even though the Gam was designated as an SSCA event, 151 cruising sailors from all walks of life attended. A number of potential new members attended their first gam and several joined the SSCA on site. The SSCA is an international cruising organization whose members represent some of the most accomplished sailors in the world.
It was a treat looking east out over Broad Cove from the de Grasse cottage, then looking south over at the Warren Island anchorage from the Islesboro ferry dock and seeing more than 67 sail and power cruising boats from all over the country, including Hawaii, at anchor for the event. Fortunately, the sun shone all day to make up for the unusually wet summer.
Cruisers tied their dinghies at the ferry dock and walked the short distance to the event or landed them on the shore in front of the cottage. Sailors especially love potluck affairs since each boat brings something different for the table. Fortunately, the food held out just long enough! To offset expenses, commemorative Islesboro, SSCA T-shirts and hats were sold as each boat registered for the event.
As the sailors were finishing lunch, it was noted that some of the most accomplished sailors in the world were in the harbor. Special guests included Jim Melcher who had single-handed his homebuilt 33-foot leeboard sharpie Alert to Europe. Later he and Diane de Grasse-Melcher sailed Alert around the Mediterranean and back to the Caribbean where Jim celebrated his 80th birthday. Diane Allmayer-Beck, Ariel III out of Belfast, Maine, read the list of attendees acknowledging their many cruising adventures.
Guest speaker Peter McCrea, sailing his 32-foot Freedom sloop Panacea, out of Thomaston, Maine, talked about participating in the Bermuda 1-2, Newport, R.I., to Bermuda sailing race. The event runs single-handed to Bermuda and double-handed back to Newport. McCrea has won the event several times and described this year’s weather and sea conditions, necessary preparations, failures and humorous events including a flat calm-induced mutiny on another entrant’s boat within sight of the Newport finish!
The weather held for the last event of the busy day. Later in the afternoon, 37 dinghies rafted up behind Herb and Ruth Weiss’ 40-foot ketch Windpower, out of Marion, Mass. Hors d’oeuvres were passed from dinghy to dinghy. Many future rendezvous were scheduled.
Richard and Kathleen de Grasse
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