The Early Years.......

I can speak to the early years of Trappers life. I met the Trap in July 1951 when I moved next door as a young buck. He and brother Dave were sitting in a little kiddie pool in their backyard as we pulled up to our new house in Riverton, NJ. Parked across the street in an empty lot was father Stan Lippincott's Star boat. I have memories of Little Trapper and Dave collecting frogs and turtles from the nearby Delaware river and along with some furry critters they had the first petting zoo of it's kind that I know of. But mostly I remember him fondly as the Jokester extraordinaire and one hell of a sailor. My favorite story took place circa 1966. It was a cold night and us underage teens were tuning-up with some beer in preparation for the Friday night trip to the local record hop. We were drinking in the storage shed at the Lippincott Boat Works and Trap was trying to expedite us as he broke our onions about how slow we drank and how fast he was. It was very dark in there and suddenly we heard the sound of running water, was it? What's that noise? Cousin Jimmy remarked, and he bent over to look under the boat where the sound seemed to be coming from. Then.........."Trapper, you're busted!" It seems that the sound was beer dripping from the stock boat we were standing next to. Trapper had been pouring out his beer into the hull of that boat..........but the bail-or was open and it ran straight out and formed a puddle of foam. Jimmy broke his chops for weeks after that. A classic Trapper trick.

So God bless and keep you mon Trap, gone but never forgotten.

Robert Gwynn
Riverton, NJ

Directions to EYC

Hate to send you to another website, but Eastport Yacht Club's site has a great map and directions.

http://www.eastportyc.org/about/map.php

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

By: Alfred Lord Tennyson

Trapper,
We wish you a fond farewell and we know that you are in God’s special place and resting peacefully, and enjoying the company of those that left before you, Basil, Monte, “the Jit man” and Marjorie, you were a great friend to us all and we will miss you!

Rest in peace my brother!
Steven Kelly

Services

Celebration of Life for

Alan "Trapper" Walz Lippincott

Friday October 3, 11:00 a.m.

Eastport Yacht Club.

Gob Bless You Trapper

Dear Trap,

I know this note finds you well and that you had a peaceful sail home, But I feel like such a fool, I didn't know you would be leaving so soon. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Once again you have shocked me. But that was your way wasn't it? You always knew where to find the right wind and that it would take you where you needed to be, whether the rest of us knew it or not. You did the right thing and I know you are happy now, but I miss you. I miss you terribly. I wasn't ready for you to go. Could I ever have been? Surely not, that's inconceivable. You meant too much to me.

I went to the Club tonight, just to feel you a bit. I haven't been there in months and didn't expect much without you there. I was wrong. You were everywhere. It was so touching to see your chair adorned with a spray of wheat grass and dusty miller tied across it with a black bow. Your chair is reserved forever. Juanita still has a scotch sitting there for you, just in case, and your friends were there comforting each other in your absence. It was weird - the moment so full of you and empty of you at the same time. Will I really not see you again? Is that possible? No, surely not.

We will be all be together again some day. In the mean time, you must know, I love you, I miss you and always will. But you are in the right place now, I know that. The comfort we can all take is that God now holds you in his arms and that you are warm and peaceful in safe harbor. Please save us all a place in the good seats for when we can join you.

With undying love,
Tantzi

From Tarp

Trapper,
Although are paths have not crossed as often as I would have liked this past decade or so, when they did you were still the fun loving, gentle, kind giant of a man as you were when I first met you in 1964 at the RYC. While reading the comments on your blog I realize that you have many friends and family that love you. I am sure you are extremely proud of what Paul has done - not just for you, but for all of us who now have a chance to say We will miss you and the joy that you brought to all of our lives. I have Hope, so I will see you again. Take care for now.
Ciao,
Tarp

Trapps

I grew up sailing with and against Trapper sailing Dusters at Riverton Yacht Club. This was the home of Lippincott Boat Works, where Trapper and his Uncles and Cousins worked and built
Stars, Comets and Lightnings. Trapper had a Duster named EBFM he said it meant Every Body Follow Me, we were not so sure, but it seemed to work a lot.

Trapper become one of the premier crews in his prime. He crewed for his cousin Jimmy, Durwood Knowles and many others.
I still have great memories of attending "functions" (and event with good groceries (food) and cocktails) and hanging out at the Riverton Yacht Club parking lot with the gang. Later on hanging out at Eastport Yacht Club, which in later years became his host club.

As Trapper goes off to meet up with his cousin Jimmy at the great regatta in the sky, we miss him. But as we move on with great memories we know that Trapper is entertaining a large group.

Terry Rapp

From Cousin Tom

Paul,
I'm sitting here with a crooked grin on my face... kind of a choked up smile...Trap was always larger then life to me. The one cousin who made me wish Iwas older so I could hang out with him. One summer in the 80's I crewed for Trap all summer, I think we won the Spring series, Oxford regatta and Fall windup! Inever liked sitting up front but when Trapper asked me if I wanted to crew there was no hesitation, I had a blast laughing my way around the buoys all summer! I have been following the blog and mentioned to Skip today that I wanted to go see him on Wednesday...He called me back and said Trap had passed.

Larger then life, with a heart as big as they come.

Let me know if there is anything I do.
Cousin Tom

From Terry Rapp,

I was saddened to hear of Trapps passing. He was a great guy and a good friend. I was sorry that I did not get a chance to see him, but our prayers are with you and your family.

Love

Terry and Mary Rapp

Trap!!

Had to think awhile, try to wrap this around my head...Trapper is gone!!

No longer will I (improper bow) hear from a proper stern person, "There's a zephyr overthere...We need to be over there" and, as I was reminded tonight, "Dammit, Bruce,we're RIVER sailing!

"Summers as a child, in Oxford, with all the Lippincotts, later with a family marriage,related!!

We will ALL miss you, my man, you're with Jimmy, and the rest of the famous family.But you carved your own niche in many places: life, your place at EYC, many numerous boats,my soul...

Trap, from a friend of years (and yours), here's to you!May you always be on the favored side of the race course, with fair winds and a screwy river current, so you will always come out on top...

Love to you,

Fred (& Annie) Lewis

A Toast to Trapper

For Trapper... Ever a Constant in the EYC family
Dot Leonard

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide,

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

Ana all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

by John Masefield (1878-1967)

From Josh Phypers

Hi Barbara,

Over the years I have known Trapper from the two of you happily sailing together.

He was almost always smiling and warm and seemed to always have a host of friends around him at regattas with many belly laughs going on – a real genuine man.


My family has kept him in our prayers these last months and I’m very sad to hear of his passing.

But, It feels good though – to know that after all of the racing, sailing and competing Trapper did in his life; he has won the most important competition – which is to leave a legacy that he was a really good man who was respected by all those who knew him.

He will be remembered and missed.

Josh Phypers
Star 7265

Son of a Son of a Sailor from Rick Peters

While doing my daily check of the Star Class website this morning I was saddened to learn of Trapper's passing. During my day I recollected a few images of him from the time we spent together at Star regattas.

Telling his story about Tom Blackaller coming to visit the shop. Trapper was hauling the wooden keel mold around on his back pretending he was going to collapse at any moment, telling Tom "It's OK, I got it, no problem, just getting your new Star finished up!". Blackaller was horrified, thinking that it was an actual cast iron keel, "What kind of shop are the Lippincotts running here", also wondering "What had they been feeding him"!

Nobody in the Star Class knew how to stock a trailer box better than Trapper, even though he tended to wear his shiny silver spandex hiking suit much later into cocktail hour than the rest of us!

I will always remember Trapper as an unassuming character, full of life, happy just to be there, always willing to lend a hand, and quick with a funny story.

Sail On

From Guy Avellon

SOCIAL! at the Star North Americans in Boston!

You will be greatly missed and never forgotten!!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done...The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done... Walt Whitman

Sail on Friend,

Guy

Trap

Trapper Lippencott lived a life that was absolutely full.
Full of friends, laughs, stories and humility.
A simple man that was certainly not full of bull.
EYC, he loved more than all.
The members, his adopted brothers and sisters.
Although not all adored.
The petty politics he never explored.
As God has taken our Star sailor friend,
We all stop a pray God’s angels have Trapper’s favorite Scotch Whisky blend.

Cheers Trapper a relatively new friend will miss you.
Sanford

From Curt Wells

All,

Nicely done Alex and Jon, my turn.

What I admire and remember most about Trapper is he was a giver. I never
raced Star boats but we would talk for hours about tiny aspects of the
sailboat racing game. He truly loved the sport and there were no secrets.
Trapper shared all he knew (and he knew a lot) with whomever would listen.
He had access (through his employer) to these tiny mints that would explode
into your mouth and knock your socks off. Every month he would mention that
he might be able to get his hands on the very last container on the East
Coast. He'd run down to his car, grab a tin of mints and return. I of
course bought him a drink and had my mint supply for the month. This went
on for years.

Trapper loved to tell stories. Deliveries in and around the Islands, Mon
were his favorite. I would listen for hours on the deck of EYC as he spoke
of navigating back to Annapolis with only a compass, a VHF radio and one
Island chart as his tools. "I know the bay, who needs a chart" he would
query. Simple logic, but still..... I too celebrate his passing. Learn
from his humble giving, and his lack of need for the material things in
life. I aspire to selfessly share as he did, to truly give to others
without expecting anything in return. I miss his life lessons and welcome
the day we meet again on the other side of God's race course.

Curt

From Louan Zagarino

It is Never easy, even when it is
expected. I am just glad that he didn't linger and suffer. I am sure Frank was there to greet him!
Lovingly,
Louan

From Read Ruggles

That was a tough weather leg but Trapper was in first place all the way.
Love from your friend
Read

From Harry Walker

Sure sorrry to hear about Trapper.
He was one good Starista.
Fighting a battle of my own now, so am doubly sympathetic.
My best to all his family,
Harry

From Magnus Liljedahl

My heart goes out to Trapper's family and friends. He will be greatly missed on Biscayne Bay and around Coral Reef Yacht Club.
Lots of Love,
Magnus