YACHT CLUB TRIBUTE TO BOB ORBEN

We are going to miss our friend and long-time sailor, Bob Orben.  He meant a great deal to the  Grandview and Columbus communities, and he was especially dear to those of us in the Yacht Club.

Bob and Mary in their Y-Flyer

Bob and his wife Mary competed together in our regattas for many years, with Mary as his crew in his trusty “Y-Flyer” model boat. 

 

Bob and daughter Janet

Other family members crewed for him as well. He also encouraged newcomers to sail by having them start out crewing for him. Some first-time sailors said they were nervous about capsizing—until they noticed Bob was wearing street shoes and dress socks. That gave them some confidence—after all, how bad could it be if the skipper wasn’t planning on getting his feet wet?

Of course, those of us who know the mischievous winds of Grandview also know that even Bob capsized a time or two. One legendary capsize, while Bob and Mary were racing, sent their Y-Flyer to the bottom of the lake. Bob, turned that mishap into a favorite story—an ode to the community spirit that brought their boat back to the surface. That tale became part of our club’s lore, and fittingly, Bob told it himself at the Grandview Yacht Club’s fiftieth anniversary banquet. Read it here.

Bob had been sailing since he was a kid on the East Coast. He was a very skilled sailor. He knew how to trim his sails just right and move the weight in the boat to get every bit of speed he could out of each puff of wind.  And he knew racing strategy. He was the season’s club champion a number of times and won the holiday trophy races on multiple occasions.

Close friendships among sailors stay true, but for most sailors, once the starting horn sounds, competitive instincts come alive. This was true of Bob as well. One of Bob’s close friends, Wayne Truex, was also one of the most skilled competitors. Many a time there were “reminders” shouted above the wind by Bob or Wayne to the other about who had the right of way. But after the race, at the “protest meeting,” arms were put over each other's shoulders as friendship ruled over all else.

 

Bob and Wayne laugh at their winning the Booby Prize

No story illustrates this friendly sailing rivalry better than the occasion of what both Bob and Wayne announced would be their final race. Unintentional right of way infractions are not uncommon when racing. Bob protested a maneuver Wayne made. Later in the race, Wayne protested a maneuver Bob made. At the mainly social “protest meeting,” where such protests are judged by other sailors, it was decided that both protests were warranted. They had disqualified each other in their last race!  Everyone—including them—enjoyed the humor in the situation. That also happened to be the first year the club awarded a “Booby Prize,” which went to the two of them for that event to everyone’s delight (including their own).

 

Beth Auld (center) recognizes Committee Boat volunteers Bob and Mimi at the season awards gathering

After he stopped racing, Bob volunteered regularly on the officiating boat for the race—the “Committee Boat.” 

 

Bob and some fellow volunteers at a "Protest Meeting".

Fellow volunteers would hear him compliment or critique the sailors’ maneuvers, tactics, and sail trim. He would share those thoughts with sailors after the race at the “protest meeting” as a way of encouraging them—or maybe even shout some advice from his Chris Craft while watching the race. One of our sailors, Catey, dubbed him the “Sailboat Whisperer” since his advice had a way of resurfacing in sailors’ minds at exactly the right moment.

Bob with Grandview neighbors as they watched a race

Bob enjoyed his classic Chris Craft, At Last, and loved to cruise around the lake in it, accompanied by family and friends. He inherited the wooden boat from his father and had it restored. 

 

At the christening of restored "At Last", Bob gives the okay to his grandson to break the champagne bottle on the bow. 

He held a joyful christening when the boat was complete. He delighted in telling the story behind the dings in the “cutwater” (the gleaming stainless steel plate along the tip of the bow)—left untouched in the restoration, as a kind of homage. Ask a family member or close friend, and they’ll surely smile as they tell you why the dings remain.

 

One of the holiday breakfasts Bob and Mary hosted coincided with his 80th birthday. Mary had this cake made, complete with edible photos.

Bob was very faith-, family-, and community-minded. He and Mary were an incredible team. Their family always seemed to be gathered at their Grandview lake house, and they often hosted the entire lake community at the Grandview Yacht Club’s holiday breakfasts held on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. They hung a huge United States flag across their yard on the holidays. 

Bob asked the blessing at the Yacht Club's 50th anniversary banquet.

Bob could be counted on to deliver a sincere and meaningful blessing if called upon. If complimented afterward, he might respond with a quiet smile and ask something like, “But was it effective?”

Bob was an encourager by nature. Those responsible for an event, project, or presentation would often receive an email from Bob, commending them on their fine work. He was active in all sorts of organizations in the Columbus community, and he and Mary were dependable contributors to them as well.

We sailors and volunteers of the Grandview Yacht Club like to think that our club was Bob’s favorite organization—because he certainly made it seem that way to us. 

 

Framed original 1960 club "burgee" and list of commodores

The current Yacht Club burgee proudly displayed on the bow of "At Last"

Typical of his enthusiasm toward the Yacht Club, Bob had the original GYC “burgee”, sewn by Marge Kirk in 1960, beautifully framed and hung in the Grandview Lot Owners Association office. It has an engraved name plaque for each of the club’s “commodores” since its inception.  Bob served as the club’s commodore in the late 1990s.

 

We miss him already, and share our heart-felt sympathy and warmest regards for Mary and their family.