Dancing Bear

In 1986, I sailed my first Newport Bermuda Race on "Scamp" a custom Northeast 39 owned by Robert Rainey. Rob Ball, designed these boats and Eric Bruckman built 7 of them to a very high standard. After sailing hundreds of races on various "Scamps", I purchased an abandoned 1984 Nelson Merick 36R "Circuit Breaker. I then restored her and successfully raced her for 22 years building many lifelong friendships along the way. The boat was lost in Hurricane Sandy. 2 years later, I found "Scamps" sister ship "Annie O" languishing in Connecticut. The boat was purchased and again, completely restored this boat. We have been racing the renamed "Dancing Bear" ever since. Sailing the 2024 Bermuda race brings full circle my 40 years of sailing with this Northeast 39 entry.