99 years young
So good that they named a course after him – Carol Cronin looks at the life extraordinaire of Henry Hill ‘Harry’ Anderson
I first met Harry Anderson in 1984 when he gave a rules talk to my college sailing team. Though he was a household name in our sport (if only because of that racecourse), I’m ashamed to say that I’ve retained none of the wisdom he undoubtedly shared that evening. I do, however, remember his New York Yacht Club tie, because it hung out- side a ragged crew-neck sweater. What a missed learning opportunity. So when the editor of this magazine
requested a profile of Harry, who was born in 1921 into a sailing family and today provides a living link back to an America’s Cup of J Boats and Vanderbilts, I immediately set up an appointment and hopped in my car. An hour later I let myself into a sunlit ground-floor apart-
52 SEAHORSE
ment near Mystic, Connecticut. As soon as I close the door I forget all about the retire- ment facility I’ve just walked through. Taking a seat at an antique wooden
table, I’m overwhelmed by both the cosy atmosphere and historic significance of Harry’s collected favourites. Every picture crowding the walls and every book on each carefully catalogued shelf cries out for my attention. Instead I focus on Harry and his bright red suspenders, getting up to inspect a particular half-model or photo only when it comes up in conversation. As soon as I tell him I’m writing a story
for this magazine Harry nods. ‘Seahorse, for the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Tail is backwards, you know…’ Promising to pass that information
along, I mention greetings from my father, who in the 1970s helped develop what became the International Measurement System (IMS). That sparked a story about a New York Yacht Club (NYYC) cruise to Maine, when several race committee members went for a sobering late-night
swim after the gangway down to the float- ing dock gave way underneath them (‘a collapse of Commodores, heh heh heh’, as Harry put it). For the next hour any name or event I mention leads to another tale – while I just try to hang on for the ride. What follows is an amalgamation of
that chat, fleshed out with details gleaned from The Strenuous Life of Harry Ander- son by another Seahorse writer, Roger Vaughan. Published in 2013 by Mystic Seaport, this weighty tome provides a per- sonal view of the last century’s sailing highlights, as well as pointing out Harry’s inherent contradictions. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, most of his colossal energy has focused on expanding access to sailing and education. A sailing philanthropist who got his
hands dirty while staying out of the lime- light? Hard guy to summarise. And a very entertaining interview.
Flag officer, media and trout Harry grew up sailing out of Seawanhaka
PAUL J MELLO/OUTSIDE IMAGES
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