Happy 98th Birthday, Stan.

I find it hard to believe that we met just a few years ago, aboard a Rhodes 22 at the 1980 Stamford in the Water. A month or so later, in October 1980, I went for a test sail and ended up in the kitchen at Amityville where we inked the contract to purchase our first Rhodes 22, a 1981, to be delivered in March. Who knew that purchasing a sailboat would change our lives so much.

We are now sailing our second Rhodes 22 and will continue to do so as long as we are able. People still watch us prepare for launch and tell us that they have never seen such a fantastic sailboat cabin and cockpit layout. A Purdue engineer and a Philip Rhodes design, how could you go wrong?

Thanks for producing such a versatile sailboat. Our children grew up on the boat as we went wherever the wind blew. Life changing, for sure.

I have attached one of my favorite images of The Man, taken at Annapolis in 2013. We must have talked for 2-3 hours while we showed the Rhodes 22 to show attendees who were about to have their lives changed.

Thank you for creating such a great craft and supporting the community of Rhodes 22 owners.

Your Brooklyn Poly friend,
Mike
s/v Wind Lass ('91)
Nissequogue River, NY



Stan Spitzer on Monday Annapolis 2013.jpg