Dave and Al in the 2002 Around-the-Island Race

Helm: (Uncle) Al Schonborn
City, Town: Oakville, Ontario
Club: Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club, Lake Eustis SC
Age: 71 (72 by Worlds time)
 Crew: David Schonborn
City, Town: Hamilton, Ontario
Club:
Age: 25
Worlds Experience:
2004: 8th
1998: 31st
1995: 6th
1992: 18th=
1989: 19th
1986: 13th
1983: 34th
1980: 5th
1978: 7th
1976: 8th
 Worlds Experience:
Sailing History: Uncle Al is in his 60th year of sailing/racing, having started his career in 14' Brutal Beasts in 1954 in the Junior Club of Toronto Island's Queen City YC. Started sailing W116 Snoopy in 1964 and since then not a year has gone by that he hasn't sailed some - usually all - of the events on the North American W calendar. After sailing W852 and W4000 in the early 70's, he settled down to the lovely SHADES in 1977. An avid, successful racer, Al has lately discovered the beauties of W cruising as well. Like George Blanchard, Uncle Al is a Wayfarer for life, but he does occasionally race other centreboard boats provided they do not require ooching, pumping and rocking.
Another stint as WIC International Secretary currently helps keep Al out of the bars.
 Sailing History: Dave crewed for Al a fair bit from age 7 into his teens. Then "retired" to pursue martial arts. Who knows what he'll be able to do with that spinnaker pole based on his stick fighting training?
When not sailing:
work: a retired teacher of French and German (mostly), Al has helped to created several French study guides, Keys to French, which are proving quite popular across Canada. Al's most enjoyable linguistic pursuit however, is trying to speak Danish, and of course, to do this, he has to sail the Danish Nationals every few years.
hobbies: like all Wayfarers, Al enjoys sharing what he has learned with his fellow-sailors. For nearly 40 years, this was largely done via the CWA newsletter, the Whiffle, but in 1998 he was finally and reluctantly dragged into the computer age by CWA Cruising Secretary, Tim France. Since then, Al's web empire has grown so much that he often cannot find material he knows is in there somewhere - thank God for Google! These web sites give Uncle Al even more reason to run amok with the CWA digital camera and indulge his other main hobby, photography.
And let us not forget reading. Al loves to escape into tales of adventure where some of his not too obvious favourite authors are Hammond Innes, Nevil Shute, Dewey Lambdin, Julian Stockwin, Randy Wayne White, Robert Macomber, Sue Henry, Dana Stabenow, Margaret Maron - and of course not a day goes by without my wishing that Patrick O'Brian were still alive and writing his masterpieces.
 When not sailing:
Dave is in his second year of computer engineering at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Family: wife - Julia; Joanna (27), David (25)
 Family: see left