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Volume CXXXII, Number 18 |
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Sailor feature: Tyler "Pops" Dunphy '03
MELANIE KEENE
STAFF WRITER
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| As "Pops," Dunphy is responsible for everything from sailing fast to keeping track of gear and, yes, the many sailboats. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
The Orient recently interviewed Tyler "Pops" Dunphy, co-captain of the Bowdoin Sailing Team and Commodore of the Bowdoin College Yacht Club.
Orient: Well, Tyler, it certainly seems like you have come a long way during your four years on the sailing team. You went from a capsizing first year to the top skipper and captain. Tell us how you originally became interested in sailing?
Dunphy: Well, when I was 12, I became jealous of my sister who got to go sailing with my father, and even though I wasn't interested, I asked my father to let me go to a regatta with him. From that day, I haven't turned back. Since then, I have sailed E-Scows on Gull Lake each summer and have taught sailing for six years.
O: What has been your best experience on the sailing team?
D: It occurred this past fall when I was sailing at the Captain Hurst Bowl at Dartmouth. During one of the races, everything seemed to click, and I found myself sailing at the top of the fleet, amongst the best sailors, right next to "Pete," who is the college sailor of the year.
O: Any funny experiences?
D: One occurred at the USM regatta last fall. We were coming up the starting line when a barny hit the back of my boat real hard, ejecting me right out of the boat into the water. However, it was during the countdown to the start, and my crew, Melanie Keene, was so focused on calling out the time, that she kept counting down: 5, 4, 3-exclaiming when the boat didn't move.
She hadn't even realized that I fell out of the boat! I was thus forced to haul myself back into the boat alone. However, by the time she realized what had happened, I was already grabbing the tiller and pulling in the sail by the time the starting gun went off.
O: Tell us about the background on your team nickname, "Pops."
D: Well it turns out that while at regattas, I'm the responsible one in the group. I make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be when they're supposed to be there. I also try to keep them from forgetting life jackets and boots and keep them from running off with the Massachusetts Maritime boys. In addition, I rent the cars, make sure the team gets reservations at my favorite hotel, the Radisson in Woburn, and generally end up financing most of the trip.
O: Anything else you'd like to say?
D: Just the four time-honored four letter words of sailing: "Live Slow, Sail Fast!"
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