(Annapolis, MD)- Yes, it's those fabulous Bacon
Brothers— Kevin the Hollywood star, Michael the amazing musician!Amazing, but true. Ever since learning how to sail on Sunfish at Red Cross summer camp in upstate New York as little kids, Michael Bacon and his younger brother Kevin, always loved to head down to the lake, go for a swim and sail (often doing both at the same time!). Having growing up in the summers at their family’s Adirondack camp, the big challenge was often hopping into a cedar sailing canoe that their Mother gave to their Father as a wedding present. Using a simple leeboard and a paddle to steer, the boys would have fun trimming the sail on the little lateen rig, going for adventures across the lake like one of their childhood folk heroes, Huck Finn.
After growing up in Philadelphia, the boys went their separate ways, but their common bond was always boating with friends as well as their love for music. While Kevin went off to greater fame and fortune as a Hollywood movie star, Michael stayed in the New York area and ultimately grew his business in the music industry, both as a songwriter and performer. Having played in various groups in the past, the two brothers joined together in 1995 to create the “Bacon Brothers” (see http://baconbros.com). That re-connection also fueled their passion for going sailing and having fun anywhere they had a gig near water.
Recently, Michael became a happy J/22 owner,
having bought his boat from Andrew Armstrong, Commodore of the
Corinthian YC, a beautiful little club on the Delaware River not far
from Philadelphia, PA. With the help of the Commodore himself and
friends at the club, Michael not only became a proficient sailor on his
J/22, but also managed to squeeze in taking the A.S.A. Coastal
Navigation course at Manhattan YC (located on the Hudson River in lower
Manhattan), practicing on J/24s and J/105s. His dream is to bareboat
charter in the Caribbean and is already charter certified! Plus, a
J/World Sailing School in Key West is also in the offing!On their latest trip down to Annapolis, the Bacon brothers had four sold out shows at the famous Ram's Head Tavern, where they make an annual appearance. What to do with a weekend full of working nights and lots of playtime during the day? Of course, find some Napolitan locals and go sailing!
Each of the past few years, Harry Legum of Annapolis Sailing Fitness, has urged the brothers to go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with friends. Last year they sailed a J/105 and took a tour of the bay. However, this year Harry wanted to dial-up the sailing experience a notch and tap into the brother’s competitive side. He enlisted the current J/80 North American champs and entrepreneurs of local tech start-up DATUM LLC, Will & Marie Crump, to host a little match-racing on two identically matched J/80s.
With cool weather and steady easterly breeze that seemed to defy the standard July “hot & muggy” conditions with “less than zero” winds on the Bay, the group gathered at the Annapolis YC dry-sail area for a brief white-boarding session from Marie Crump. Shortly after, teams were divvied up first by driver, Will on one and Marie on the other. Then sorted by Bacon brother, Michael with Will and Kevin with Marie and then on to the rest of the group that included Michael’s wife Betsy and twin sister Pat along with other close friends Hilary and Andrew Armstrong who are members of Michael’s home club- the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia. Rounding out the J/80 experience on the teams to keep competition tight were Brent Allen, Thomas Klok and Roger Kagan.
The morning plan was to perform 4 practice starts before moving on to actual races. Once off the dock, the Bacon’s were introduced to the trimming techniques on the J/80 and then a few practice maneuvers including start-stops and penalty turns. When the first sequence began the teams wasted no time showing that bragging rights were important. From the first dial-up, the Bacon’s were into it with a little shock, some excitement and smiles all around.
Race by race, the teams sailed matches that included penalties, changes in lead and overall tight racing with some extremely close calls. Neither team was out to make any concessions in this friendly outing. By the end, older brother Michael was happily taunting younger brother Kevin over the race record and challenging for more— seemingly the old “playground rules” when they were kids haven’t been forgotten!
Later that evening, the Crumps, friends and fellow Napolitans, enjoyed the Bacon Brothers’ show at Ram's Head Tavern. Kevin, in particular, was gracious enough to talk about their interest in the town and the sailing it offered with a special “Thanks” to all their hosts.
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