Hall of Fame
Sam Mollet III
Class of 2008
Sam Mollet, born in 1928, has been an avid
outdoorsman his entire life. He joined the Portage Lakes Yacht Club in 1975 where he
claims he frequently would admire Carl Zimmerman's technique from the rear. In fact,
if asked, he will tell you that Carl Zimmerman is the best sailor he has ever seen.
We now know that if he were to look in the mirror, he might just see a better sailor!
Over the years Sam has seen a lot of good sailors. He's been to every major US Snipe regatta, and a number of international events as well. His awards are many, not the least of which is the 1994 world masters championship he and Ms. Norway won on a borrowed boat in Japan. Another indication of Sam's skill is that through his sailing career he has been successful with an ever changing crew, many of whom still consider their time on Sam's boat among the best in their sailing lives. What more can one say?
Carl "Zimmy" Zimmerman
Class of 2006
Carl Dele Zimmerman, born in 1890 and deceased 1982, was a native of Buffalo NY and later
Akron, Ohio. He worked for Ohio Edison as an electrical engineer and was a member of
the Portage Lakes Yacht Club from 1937 through to his death in 1982. In that time he
served as commodore of the Portage Lakes Yacht Club, the Miami Yacht Club and SCIRA.
In 1937 he was introduced to sailing while boarding at the Turkeyfoot Island Club. There Mrs. Billie Gaylord, who needed a crew member, asked him if he would help her out. Ever the gentlemen he got on her inland scow and on that first trip around the lake, never having set foot in a sailboat before, capsized. That trip whetted his appetite for sailing after which he became one of the best sailors and mentors PLYC has ever seen.