Figawi Race

When three friends gathered at Baxter's Boathouse in 1972 to discuss their Memorial Day weekend plans over a few beers, none of them would have suspected that they were on the verge of creating one of the prestigious sailing events on the Atlantic coast. The Figawi Race began as a challenge among a group of sailing enthusiasts who wanted to see who could race their boat to Nantucket first. After the first race, in which Bob "Red" Luby beat out brothers Bob and Joe Horan, it was decided by Bob Horan that it should become an annual event. In 1973, there were 15 boats, and the Figawi Race was off and running. The race evolved into a three-day event complete with a New England clambake. Figawi Race: Hyannis to Nantucket shares photographs and stories of a race that for over 40 years has continued to bring friends and sailors together.

Joe Hoffman was born in Fremont, OH, on April 20, 1950, to Ed and Theresa Hoffman. At age two, the family moved to Helena, OH, where Hoffman grew up. He lived in a Norman Rockwell town of the '50s, where life was free and the Pennsylvania Railroad presented a constant treat of massive steam locomotives rumbling down the tracks a few hundred feet from his home. There were limited cultures in that small Ohio neighborhood. As it is sometimes said, "it was a great place to raise your kids".