2010 MCYRA Yearbook
Electronic Edition
Page 2
A Short 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!
Past Silver Championships Skippers and Crews |
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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 |
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