At the conclusion of the International Sunfish Class Association North American’s, Bill Brangiforte received the Class’s Lifetime Member Award. There is truly no one more deserving than Bill. I got the opportunity to say some words in person, but I forgot a bunch of stuff, so I wanted to add some more notes here because it’s not every day that your sailing mentor and friend receives such recognition.
After college, I got back into the Sunfish class when Bill and the Willys hosted the Northeast Challenge Sunfish Regatta at the club where we grew up. In typical Bill fashion, he gave a rigging demonstration on the beach before racing, teaching us how to use the newly fashionable, yet very confusing Jens rig (a way to depower the Dorito that is the Sunfish sail). Starting that day, and in the nearly 20 years since then, I’ve learned just about everything I know about Sunfish sailing from Bill (or Eric Woodman).
Bill always denigrates himself by saying, “I’m just a brick layer.” In reality, he’s a highly skilled and sought-after South Shore Masonry, Inc. who will go above and beyond for his friends. In 2012, when the devastating and historic Hurricane Sandy ripped through Long Island and nearly destroyed the beloved distributor for the Sunfish Class, the Dinghy Shop, Bill didn’t hesitate to pack his truck and supplies. He helped the Koehlers rebuild the concrete walls of the shop; they couldn’t have done it without him.
Bill’s generosity with his extensive sailing knowledge makes him so deserving of this award. He shares his secrets not only with newbies but also with fierce rivals. Bill has written loads of Words of Wisdom that can be found on the class website. Before sailing at Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club, his “Light Air on Lakes” is a MUST-READ! He’s read practically every book on sailing and especially loves the Stewart Walker books, dry as they are. I’m pretty sure that his daughter, Alexa, was raised on those as bedtime stories.
As I mentioned on Sunday, the Sunfish Class is special because at any given regatta you’ll find fathers and sons, mothers and sons and the occasional father and daughter combo on the racecourse. Bill was introduced to the class by his dad, Phil, at a young age. They crossed tacks until Phil retired from sailing in the mid-2000's and later passed in 2008. Even after retiring from the racecourse, Phil remained involved and was a presence at Sunfish regattas. One Windward Leg quoted Phil as saying, “What time does the bar open?” I digress. As soon as Bill’s daughter Alexa was born, he called the class office to lock down his dad’s old sail number so that Alexa could have that number when she finally gets into the class.
What I neglected to mention is what a fierce competitor Bill is! He is a North American Champ after all! He’s always at the top of the fleet, AND he always competes with the highest level of sportsmanship. He’s really nice to race against. He’s not the guy who will tack right on top of you even if that is the prudent tactical move. He’ll leebow you with space and beat you anyway. He won’t take your hole on the starting line, but you’ll see him ahead of you shortly after go. He has been the dominant force in New England, winning the majority of the events for decades and perennially landing on top of the frostbiting fleet (unless Andy David beats him by a point). He was shortlisted for the US Rolex Sailor of the Year award in 2010.
Bill is famous in New England for his youth clinic at Wequaquet Lake Yacht Club ahead of the regional qualifier. For years, he would take the day off from work and roll down to the cape to help the junior sailors fix up their boats. And those boats are in constant need of repair! Afterwards, they headed out on the lake for some priceless coaching from Bill. Those junior sailors don’t know how lucky they were.
Beyond helping the juniors, Bill will lend a hand to anyone. He’s got every spare part and tool that you could imagine in his trailer. You’d be hard pressed to find a Sunfish sailor he hasn't helped, whether its rigging or repairs.
I can’t count the number of times he has helped me personally. Some pretty clutch moments include through-bolting the mainsheet eye straps on my boom (an incredibly tedious job), lending me his spare mainsheet on the water at a Barrington regional when mine split into two, and critically helping me prep my boat for the Pan Am Games. He helped me run a clinic at Edgewood Yacht Club for the intrepid Frozen Few. And of course, lent his time and talents at the clinic at RWU a couple of summers ago. The list could go on for days.
When you see Bill on the water, you’ll likely find his wife Gisele P Cruz, his sister Rene Brangiforte, and his daughter Alexa nearby on land. The Brangiforte squad puts up with a lot of sailing talk around the dinner table. And they spent all of Mother’s Day weekend filming the Barrington weather and tide primer to share with the class. They are the team behind Bill, supporting him all the way and definitely are part of this award too.
We love you Bill! Thank you for everything!!!!!
Submitted by Amanda Callahan
