Published on June 11, 1999 Hartford Courant  article by Bob MacDonnell
    On Wednesday evenings off Groton Long Point, about 40 boats can be seen sailing in what appears to be mass confusion around a race committee boat flying an unusual flag. A triangle - black on the bottom, blue on top with two yellow legs sticking up - the burgee depicts this yacht club's founders capsizing in the shallow waters of the Mystic River. So they called themselves the Mystic River Mudheads. At 6:05 the committee boat horn sounds and their Wednesday night races get under way.     The group's beginnings took shape in the mid 1970s. According to commodore and original member Donald "Donzo" Wilkinson, there were about a dozen "hotshot" sailors who loved to have a good time but couldn't get into any of the yacht clubs in the Mystic area. "We couldn't afford to join and they didn't want us." he said. So they formed the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association in 1976.
    The early Mudheads quickly built a reputation as great sailors and wild partiers. "Guys would show up at races with beers in hand and usually win." said longtime member Bill Rambow. The Mudheads aren't as crazy now, he says, because most of the boat owners are getting older.
    Those wild early years may be fuzzy memories now, but the club still promotes the same principles it was founded on - "to promote camaraderie and fun by encouraging competitive sailing and hosting memorable social events."