Boat Name: Solenta

Sail: USA 78

Year Built: 1938

Designer: Charles Nicholson

Builder: Camper & Nicholson

Owner: Kleppe Houston

History: Originally K56 and built for brothers Eldon and Kenneth Trimingham of Bermuda. Her initial racing took place in Bermuda in the 1938 King Edward VII Gold Cup, then she competed in the 1938 British-American Team Race with K55 Circe, K57 Erica, and K60 Vrana against US76 Rebel, US77 Fun, US80 Djinn and US81 Goose on Long Island Sound. Solenta and her sisters lost badly in this series, tumbling headlong into the whirling blades of the Sparkman & Stephens machine. After the war, Bryan Newkirk brought her to Toronto, renamed her Buzzy after his grandson, and let Bill Gooderham sail her to victory in the Canadian trials to determine who should represent Canada at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Realizing that Buzzy would not be competitive in Europe, Newkirk bought S62 Trickson VI (now Buzzy II) in Stockholm and Gooderham and his crew sailed her to Helsinki for the Olympic regatta. Solenta's sister, Erica, has recently been donated to the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle.

 

 

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