August 15, 2013. What's in a name? JATO - Jet Assisted Take Off. Stan Secora named his Dolphin 24, #7, JATO for a reason. Stan was Supervisor of Ship Building for the US Navy, stationed at General Dynamics ('Electric Boat") in New London, Connecticut. This is where the US nuclear powered submarines were built - in the cold war period there may have been no more technically important strategic military project. The following quote is excerpted from the US Naval Sea Systems (NavSea) Command website

A small group of NAVSEA engineers are charged with the huge task of ensuring the efficiency and quality of the ships constructed by NAVSEA’s industry partners. Supervisor of shipbuilding uphold strict design standards, overseeing the construction process from keel laying to Fleet delivery.

While we don't know (yet) exactly why Stan named his Dolphin JATO, thanks to Senior DFI Mark Steinhilber (Rascal), who crewed for Stan, we have the following historical tidbit.

From when I was really little, I remember the names of the people who were racing down at Thames Yacht Club. I remembered hearing that before Stan Secora bought his Dolphin, he had an Adams Interclub named Jato. He kept it at Thames Yacht Club and raced against the slightly longer Quincy Adams 17’s that were there. I think I may have previously sent you a copy of my Dad’s QA17 #16 to windward of an Adams interclub (owned by Brooks and Cullen) sailing out of the Thames River. QA 17’s also raced as a fleet over at Fisher’s Island Y.C. around this time.

Once Stan Secora sold his Adams Interclub, the boat was owned by Ray Koenig and was named Lazy Liz and was hull #2.. She hauled out at Niantic boat yard for many years, the boat yard was owned by the Howard family. It was at the Niantic Boatyard that many Atlantics and several QA 17’s were hauled each fall including my dad’s varnished #16 “Aqua Magic,” and Bob Olsen, Dutch Brouwer, & Toby Hermes’ - “the syndicate” which was either QA hull 5, or 7 as I remember.

Eventually Lazy Liz showed up on the Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation website and was adopted and restored in Jamestown Rhode Island by Don Salisbury. There is an amazing restoration Log available on her at:

http://www87.pair.com/wbrf/www.woodenboatrescue.org/Adams_Interclub_restoration_log .htm

In this restoration log, she is still wearing remains of the paint colors I remember her being painted by Ray Koenig at Niantic Boatyard. Perhaps you might remember the boat too. Perhaps this might be added info for Stan Secora’s page on his Dolphin named Jato. Cal Brouwer would remember a lot of the history with the Quincy Adams from the early 1960’s. Both Bob Geary and Dick Roberts began crewing with my dad on the QA, and they went on to be well known in the Off Soundings Club and other sailing circles.

Adamant, ex Jato is now for sale :http://www.ladyben.com/SearchResultsFull.asp?VesselID=4582 When you look at the for sale listing, you see previous names “Jato.” QA 17 is up near Camden or Rockport Maine and has been restored by Tony Petrulio, although she has had hatch modifications and is shown sailing with a H 28 mainsail. http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3086 I spoke to Tony Petrulio and found out that he had bought her from a lady from Fisher’s Island Sound area who had had her restored. The restoration included reversing the reverse transom modification that my dad had made around 1970.

Also, my mom sent me the bill of sale from May of 1972 for our Dolphin “Rascal”, Sail 2798, CT Registration # 6729 M, built in 1961 by O’Day Yachts.

Mark S.