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Ed von Wolffersdorff, an honorary life member of Corinthian Yacht Club and a longtime leader in the Northwest sailing community, died Wednesday morning, June 3, while undergoing hospitalization for pneumonia. He had been battling Alzheimer's disease for several years.
A memorial gathering was held at the CYC Shilshole clubhouse Friday, June 12 at 2 p.m.
Von Wolffersdorff sailed successfully in many classes, including Thunderbirds, J/24s. Olson 30s and Stars, but he was best known as a rules expert. He wrote a rules column in the sailing magazine 48 Degrees North for about 25 years and achieved the ranks of U.S. Sailing senior judge and international judge. He also was a U.S. Sailing judge emeritus, an honor he earned both for his longevity as a judge and for the quality of his decisions.
Ed von Wolffersdorff
"He tried to keep it simple in the column," said Rich Hazelton, 48 Degrees North editor who hired von Wolffersdorff and worked closely with him over the years. "He was good at writing about not just what the rules said, but what they meant. And his column wasn't just for elite racers. He wanted everyone to understand it."
"And outside of the column, if someone had a rules question, he'd always find an answer," Hazelton said. "They might not like the answer, but he'd find it for them."
Hazelton, describing von Wolffersdorff as "part of the family" at the magazine, said he loved the sport of sailing and worked so many hours as a judge so others could enjoy it. as well.
Joe James, CYC's junior staff commodore and senior U.S. Sailing judge, said von Wolffersdorff got him and several others into judging in the late 1980s. They worked long hours together in the protest room over the years.
"Ed had a way of working with both the protestor and protestee, so they both left the room feeling good about the process," James said. "He was gracious, kind, explained things well, and always ended up by saying, 'Let's go have a Coke or a beer and move on from this.'"
Staff Commodore Herb Holley, chairman of the club's Monday Lunch group, said von Wolffersdorff seldom missed the weekly gathering of old-timers until the last couple of months when his health began to fail quickly.
"I found it interesting that when he had something to say he always stood up, one of the few to do so," Holley said. "We all enjoyed very much hearing about his experiences as a judge in regattas both local and far away, particularly when he had been an on-the-water judge. He was a congenial and friendly person, and we have already been missing him since he had failed too badly to come to lunch any more."
Von Wolffersdorff, who never lost his New York accent despite his many decades in the Northwest, delighted in telling stories about growing up on Long Island, living on an estate where his father was the caretaker.
"One of his favorite yarns recounted how he found a sailboat stowed along the shore, stole it, went out on the water, and had to be rescued by his dad because he didn't know how to sail," said George Trusk, another CYC staff commodore and longtime friend of Von Wolffersdorff.
Von Wolffersdorff was proud of his work during World War II for Republic Aviation, for which he served as a service representative and traveled to Asia. He later was a safety engineer for Boeing.
He joined CYC in 1967, and was elected in 2004 as an honorary life member, the club's highest honor. He also was a two time winner of the club's Hans Otto Giese Inspirational Trophy.