When word came that a TP52 would be donated to the Naval Academy, offshore sailing coach Jahn Tihansky envisioned entering the vessel in the Newport-to-Bermuda Race.
However, the state-of-the-art racing machine was set up for windward-leeward competition by owner Gunther Buerman and was far more technical than a previous TP52 that was campaigned by members of the Naval Academy varsity offshore sailing team.
"We realized there was no way we could get the boat or crew ready in time for Newport-Bermuda," said Tihansky, in his 11th year as Navy head coach.
So Tihansky turned his attention to preparing another recently donated boat as platform for a series of summer events.