When the J/80 Worlds hit Annapolis later this month, we’ll be seeing some of the best fleet competition to happen to one-design racing. And while the rockstars will all be out, one local hero always stands out in the fleet.
His boat has no name, but when you’ve been sailing on the Bay for as long as he has, you really don’t need one. Of course, we’re talking about John White, owner of USA 1162, often called The White Boat, sometimes simply listed as “No Name.” But it’s usually toward the top of the leaderboard.
"I've never seen anyone focus in light air as well as John does." Photo by Dan Phelps
USA 1162 isn’t White’s first boat, nor will it be his last, but he certainly treats the J/80 as if she’s the only one.
“I’ve sailed on 10 boats with John through the years,” says his regular crewmember and North Sails representative Jonathan Bartlett, “and they (the boats) have all been meticulously maintained the entire time. When you leave the dock, there are no questions about the boat. You can always win.”
White learned to put in the attention to detail at an early age. His family owned and operated the boatyard on Gibson Island, and performing annual maintenance on Bay boats became “the only job I’ve ever had,” he says. “It’s the only lifestyle I’ve ever known. We’re pretty heavy into it at this point, and it will remain this way.”
White’s first introduction to sailing came from his father, Buzz White, who started sailing on the northern Chesapeake in the 1940s. “He was from Baltimore and started running the Gibson Island boatyard in ’66 or ’67. He was a very good boatyard operator, and sailed a lot, but he was more the tinkerer type. He reworked everything he ever owned, for good or for bad.”
Longtime crewmember Debbie Gosselin says that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, so to speak. “The boat is in excellent condition. The bottom is perfect, rudder and keel are perfect. Things don’t break on that boat, and it’s fast.” Part of what makes White’s boat fast is his heightened ability to concentrate in a crowd.
“It’s amazing to me how he can maintain his focus,” says Gossellin, “even when there’s no wind at all.” Bartlett echoes that sentiment. “There’s a saying that if you have 10,000 hours of practice in something, you have mastered it. John has a lot more than that, and now it’s simply second nature to him.”
Humility is certainly one of White’s personal characteristics, though, because when we ask him about it, he’s quick to point to his own faults. “I’m the problem (on the boat), and if I would start better, we’d be better off for it, that’s for sure. The boat to beat is the Krump/Klok boat (R80). They’re doing it very well.”
It’s not unusual for White to sing the praises of another boat. “John is always the first person to congratulate the winner of any given race,” says Bartlett. And this makes him a popular person to sail with. “Through the years, the crew list has had some pretty phenomenal people in the Annapolis area on it. The crew really values a day on the water with John, and they’ll do all they can to be there when asked.”
These days, his consistent crew is Bartlett, Gosselin, son Kevin White (who is also a marine surveyor working at the White’s marina), Shane Zwingelberg, Tyler Raven, Barbara Vosbury, Julie Winters, and Fred Potts. With consistent, capable sailors on that list, it’s hard to narrow things down to the four he’ll sail with for Worlds.
Whatever happens at the J/80 Worlds, you can bet money on the fact that USA 1162 will be having some of the most fun on the water. “One of John’s mottos is ‘If you’re not having fun, why are you out there?’ That’s just what matters to John,” says Bartlett. Gosselin agrees. “It’s about being on the water and doing well, being competitive, and just enjoying each other, too. We’re social racers.”
Those are the best kind, in our opinion.
