Memphis Thistle Fleet 72

In 1955 Gordon "Sandy" Douglass, designer of the "Thistle", delivered #876 to John Martin. Martin named the boat "Loch a Lee". Within a year Francis Cole, M. D. and Clarence Fisher had purchased 883 ("Blue Bell") and 988 ("Mister Boo") respectively. They applied to the Thistle Class and the charter for Fleet 72 was issued. Fifty o­ne years and 3000 hull numbers later the fleet is still alive and kicking as o­ne of the oldest, if not the oldest, o­ne design fleets in Memphis. Lightnings arrived about the same time.

 

Two of those boats are still active in Fleets of the Middle

America Disrict: 876 owned by Bill Bruce, grandson of

John Martin, and Larry Wagner's 988. Bill sails out of

Fleet 72 while Larry is  member of the Little Rock fleet.
In addition to these 50+ year old competitive boats (Larry and Bill have both won chevron events sailing them) Fleet

72 has three boats of more recent construction; 3918 (1999), 3930 (2000) and 3943 (2001)

Delta Sailing Association is Memphis One Design club located at Hernando Point on Lake Arkabutla in north Mississippi. The facilities consist of a large dry sail parking lot immediately adjacent to the launch ramp. The lot can accommodate over 100 boats. There is an open pavilion with adequate picnic tables and bar-be-que pits and heads. The heads are camp style with cold running water only.  The club operates two Boston Whalers for race committee and rescue purposes.

There are three active fleets; Thistle Fleet 72, Lightning Fleet 274 and Hobie Fleet 134. Generally there is racing on Saturday and Sunday, two races each day, with the first race set for 2PM. The lake is over 10,000 acres with sufficient open space for Olympic style courses on any wind. It has, by reputation, the best wind on an Army Corps of Engineers lake between Cairo, Illinois and New Orleans. In addition to club racing Delta Sailing Association has hosted District and Interdistrict regattas and similar regattas for Lightnings and Hobies. Since it is a flood control lake there is no racing between October and April. The racing season starts when there is sufficient water to launch and ends when the lake is drawn down to winter pool levels.

Driving directions: South from Memphis on I-55 approximately 15 miles to the Hernando MS exit. Right off the exit on Commerce about one mile to US 51 by the DeSoto County courthouse. Left on US 51 five miles to Wheeler Road (note the Hernando Point sign), right on Wheeler five miles to the launch ramp. The club is to your right; hard to miss with all the masts.

For more information about Delta and Fleet72 go to the link below:

Link: http://www.deltasailing.com/