Those of you who subscribe to Seahorse Magazine already know that there’s a profile of Butch Ulmer in their September issue. What you don’t know is what inspired my (very fun) interview with the Hall of Famer.
Butch is retired from both building sails and running regattas, and he sticks pretty close to home (Larchmont, New York), so we’re not likely to just run into each other. It was only when exchanging emails with him last spring, trying to track down yet another detail for the Hound book, that his witty banter inspired me ask: “Would you be willing to be my next victim for a Seahorse profile?”
“If you think I’d be a good subject for Seahorse Victimhood,” he responded, “I’d be happy to give it a try.” I offered to stop in on my way to Annapolis for a Snipe regatta, and a few weeks later we sat down in the elegant library of the Larchmont Yacht Club. After a chat that could’ve been much longer, I had more than enough detail to put together a profile.
Butch has already told his life story many times before, so the challenge was to dig out what Blue Robinson calls the “gold flakes” of detail that would make this interview fresh. For me, the key takeaway was that he tends to blame his own success on others—so I suggested that as a headline. (What can I say, it’s not my strong suit.) Instead, Seahorse (which is refreshingly unconcerned with SEO) chose a single word: Stalwart. Yup, that works too.
Not long after I received the printed copy, another email from Butch landed in my inbox: “You should work for the FBI or CIA because you catch even the smallest details. You treated me very kindly. Thank you!”
If you aren’t yet a subscriber to Seahorse, you can sign up for print (my recommendation) or digital—or both—on their subscribe page. They’ve graciously allowed me to share Butch’s profile here, and you can also read my previous profiles by following the links below.
Have a suggestion for a future profile? Share it in the comments below, or send me an email. I read every single one, with gratitude. Thanks for reading, and see you next Thursday.
Read Stalwart
Previous Seahorse Profiles
Seahorse Profile: Sharing a Brain
Paul Callahan: Maximizing His Unique Potential
Giving Paul Bieker Some Seahorse Love
Betsy Alison: Using All the Tools
Jerry Kirby: All the Stories are True
Peter Harken: What an Amazing Guy
Buddy Melges: He Really Was a Wizard
Toppa Talks: One Job, One (Big) Dream
Circus Minimus: The Rich Life of Bill Mattison
Mark Reynolds: Hard Chines and Unasked Questions
Dawn Riley: Setting the Standard
Clicks of Chance: Onne van der Wal
Just Say Yes: Stan and Sally Honey
Rod Davis: Why You Need His Wisdom in 2021
Rod Johnstone: An Amazing Legacy of Yacht Designs
A Final Conversation with Harry Anderson
Great article, and a must read magazine.
Butch is a gem in so many ways. He has done so much for sailing. And has always made time to talk with anyone he can help.
Next profile; Nick Newman
Hah great idea Paul!