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Member Spotlight: Janice Ursani

Updated: Sep 30

Have you had much boating experience outside of PSPG?

I'm a direct descendent of a pirate captain named William Tree. His ship, Unity, was one of several involved in the battle of Chestnut Neck and by that time he was a privateer. Despite losing the battle, there's a memorial commemorating it with his name on it alongside other captains - interestingly the word "captain" is put in quotations. 


I've pretty much always lived at the shore so I've done a lot of boating - Sunfish, cats, day sailers, and a variety of power boats. My family makes fiberglass resin and boat patterns and their customers include Viking and Pacemaker. Viking Boatworks is just up the river from me and I can watch the yachts go through their sea trials while sitting at a local dive. So I guess I was destined to be on the water.


I got into tall ships because when I retired I wanted to get a sailboat. When I looked in the boat shopper I was floored by the prices, so I figured there had to be another way. 


What is your secret talent?

I used to bicycle race and was state champion fourteen times. I raced in several national championships and in Europe. I still ride with friends and keep in contact with some old racing buddies.


What is your most memorable experience with PSPG? 


My favorite trip was to Baltimore for their Bicentennial. Because of a time constraint I didn't sail and instead commuted by train, but I stayed to help out with open ship. It was amazing to see hundreds of people lined up to see us. After the tours stopped for the day I walked around Baltimore with friends, stopped in a store where I bought a hat, and then we ate at Bertha's Mussels. One of these friends was the cook Paul Parsons who died suddenly months later. The hat I bought that day still reminds me of him.


I also was talking to a couple of sailors and we got on the subject of why we got into sailing. I told them about my ancestor the pirate. When I mentioned his name one guy looked at me and said he was a direct descendent as well. So I found a distant cousin on that trip.


While I was packing up to take the train home there was a large group of schoolchildren touring the ship. They were peering down all the hatches and one of them spied Tony Souza and asked what we were doing. Tony said, "we're prisoners." I picked up a crusty dog bowl that was placed to catch leaks and said "we're waiting for dinner." The kids said they were doing a school project on the visit and I still wonder what kind of grade they got.




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