60-Second Interview with BWYC’s
Bishop Stieffel
After the whirlwind tour associated with Bay-Waveland Yacht Club’s victory in this years Lipton’s, along with the real whirlwind from Hurricane Ivan, NOYC.org was able to sit down with skipper Bishop Stieffel for a quick 60-second interview.
For those of you who don’t know Bishop, along with being the GYA and BWYC webmaster, he is an avid Sunfish and Flying Scot sailor who has been sailing in the GYA since he was 5 years old. He is also the Fleet Captain for Bay-Waveland, who has organized the year-long sailing series that ultimately determines the team that will sail in the Lipton’s.
NOYC.org: Who were your biggest sailing influences growing up?
Bishop: I suppose the biggest influences in my racing would have to be my three older brothers, Woody, Rod and Dennis. I never was able to beat them, but by having them as targets, I got to be a decent sailor. I have yet to win anything big, but my greatest achievement, I’ve always felt, has been my part in keeping the racing program going so strong for so long at the Bay.
NOYC.org: How many years have you consecutively been on the BWYC Lipton Team?
Bishop: As a child, I tried to make our Lipton Team for six years before I finally got on. 19 years total. 16 as a skipper, 3 as crew and / or team captain (do they count?).
NOYC.org: Is that some kind of record?
Bishop: I doubt that’s a record, I mean, how many times was Marc Eagan on the team between the early 70’s to the mid 90’s?
NOYC.org: Last year, there was a story about your coaching of the Houston Lipton Team, any truth to that?
Bishop: I’d love to take some credit, but most of their sailors are better than I am, so I don’t know about the “coaching†thing, but I have been able to help them out a bit with the rigging and tuning of a Flying Scot and the recipe for the Bushwacker.
NOYC.org: BWYC obviously has a very deep talent pool. Every year a Bay-Waveland skipper, who wins his race, doesn’t make the team the next year. To what do you credit your position as the only repeat skipper from last year?
Bishop: Wow, that’s strange, I never really thought of that. Evidently, I can credit it to not winning my race last year, or maybe the fact that I’m usually the scorekeeper at our club, or maybe pity from the rest?
NOYC.org: For a while, you were the king of the local sunfish world. Has that fleet disappeared or simply shrunk in size? Do you attribute your success in the Flying Scot to your Sunfish sailing?
Bishop: Absolutely, I credit a lot of my success in Flying Scots to the Sunfish. There has always been some kind of Sunfish racing down here since the early 70’s. Participation does go in waves and, though I agree that this year was down a bit, the class is here to stay. The competition is always stiff and the boats are very close in speed, so you have to sail smart. Those skills are easy to translate into the Scot. If I have any speed in Scots, it’s simply because we sail them a lot over here.
NOYC.org: In your race, you led for over four legs in very shifty conditions. What happened on the last leg? Were you happy to see the same thing that burned you, help Andrew Eagan win in the very next race?
Bishop: When Pass & Pontch rounded, they went left and we could see that the left looked a tiny bit better, so we went with them. When Christian rounded and continued on to the right, we knew that if we didn’t go with him, we would be keel-hauled, tarred & feathered then kicked out of the club. On that long port tack with Christian, we sailed from 84 degrees all the up to 58! Sure, losing Pontch & Pass sucked, but when Gulfport got between us & Southern, it was easier to live with it. Nothing against Danny, but I was really happy to see DJ win that race.
As far as Andrew winning his race, no-one deserved it more. In the last five years, he’s worked harder than anyone prepping the boat, practicing, doing Capdevielle, etc. He is the man!
NOYC.org: What’s the true story behind the eyebrow-shaving incident? Have you ever gotten your revenge on the culprits? Can you relate the eye brow shave off incident to Lorena Bobbitt’s mishap and just chalk yourself up as lucky?
Bishop: After a long day of spectating, I was simply taking a power nap on the Festoon Bay boat and when I woke up, one of them was sitting on me and the other was shaving away. I don’t know how far they might have gone, but now that you put it that way, sure, I suppose I was lucky. I did not seek revenge….  Yet.
NOYC.org: It seems everyone at BWYC has had at least one run-in with Schmoo over the years, how many times have you had to slap Gilly around to straighten him out?
Bishop: Surprisingly, very few. I don’t think he realizes how out of shape I am right now. Guess I’d better start working out before he reads this. Maybe ZMF will keep him busy for a while.
NOYC.org: Apparently, BWYC has found the secret formula to building a competitive Lipton team. To what to you attribute this success? Do you find that having an elimination series that goes through the year and culminates in a sail-off is the best method of choosing teams? What do you say to the clubs that simply choose the team based on past experience without a sail-off?
Bishop: Weekend club races and the elimination series following is what we’ve used for the last 30 years. It forces us to stay sharp on the Scot. I have and will always recommend that the other clubs try it. It would be difficult to start up, but with a few hard working, committed people, a similar program can be built in a just couple of years. I’m not kidding when I say that I look forward to the Boh Series as much or more than the Lipton’s.
NOYC.org: How many of the NOYC & SYC sailors did you recognize as regular Capdevielle racers this year at Lipton’s?
Bishop: Actually, quite a few from NOYC, but Baker & Keith were the only SYC sailors that I saw out at Capdevielle events. Keep in mind I only made two of them myself.
NOYC.org: How critical was the new boat as part of the BWYC Capdevielle program the last two years?
Bishop: To the Capdevielle program, it certainly helped some, but to the Club Racing program, it was a great pick-me-up. We have a couple of boats that are aging out and the fleet needed a bit of an upgrade. Maybe getting another Red boat fired us up little and the fact that it’s moving so fast can’t hurt.
NOYC.org: How old were your last 3 girlfriends?
Bishop: 39, 28 and 33. No, really – I’m serious.
NOYC.org: Other than fat boards, stiff booms, sharpened transoms, lowered center-board trunks, custom rudder heads and longer rudders, what else can the other clubs do to cheat?
Bishop: Hey, you just gave me a couple of great ideas! I don’t know, I guess if a club were to intentionally finish out of the top ten, then the next year, they could go all out.
NOYC.org: BWYC use to sail with a tight rig around 200lbs on the shrouds, now it looks like ya’ll are sailing snug around 50lbs on the side stays? Any pointers you can give us here?
Bishop: Actually, it was 230 lbs, but we’ve had the tension set so many different ways, I don’t think any of us really know where it is right now. Any pointers you can give us?
NOYC.org: Is Charlie better than any two medium size crews you know?
Bishop: Definitely AS good, but he’s certainly more fun and big enough to keep me in line. Sometimes, after a mark rounding and after we get going, I kind of look around the boat, trying to figure out how he did certain things. He’s fast.
NOYC.org: How’s the chow at MeanOlMentor’s house?
Bishop: Depends on who’s cooking.
NOYC.org: Do you think MissOlMentor is a babe?
Bishop: Why do you think I go over there? Free food & Mount Gay?
NOYC.org: Why do you post so often under the handle “HOOTIE�
Bishop: I really don’t do it that often, only when one of the other three comes close to blowing his cover.
NOYC.org: Any pictures of you in action???
Bishop: Not that you know of.
NOYC.org: Thanks for the time, Bish!! Good luck in the future!
Bishop: Thanks for having me, it was fun!!
