On the Harbor: Remembering Phillip Ramser

By LEN BOSE

A lighthouse is a structure (such as a tower) with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators. Within the lighthouse is a keeper –a lighthouse keeper is a maritime professional who helps guide boaters on the water and prevents shipwrecks. How do I relate Phillip Ramser to a lighthouse keeper? Something in my gut tells me he was the go-to person for yachtsmen seeking guidance and preventing many shipwrecks during his watch.

I attended Phil’s memorial service this past Tuesday, June 28. The late morning service was filled with family and friends. The attendance was a who’s who of our harbor’s yachtsmen. Phil passed away on June 18 at the age of 91, leaving his wife of 68 years, Trish. It was always more than obvious that Trish was always his No. 1 priority, followed closely by his four children and 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren with two more on the way.

During the memorial service, there was a photo slideshow of Phil’s life…each photo of his presence drawing me in to him, as I wanted to say hello to this gentleman, whose guidance and friendship I sought often. 

At the service I learned many interesting things about Phil, such as he was prone to misplace his wallet. Two family members spoke about their stories with him about when he misplaced his wallet; one finding his wallet a year later in the back seat of the car. One topic we can’t misplace is Phil’s influence and support for our sport of sailing. His first race, at the age of 9, was aboard his father’s boat – a Kettenburg 46-foot PCC named Antigua. Hal Ramser, Phil’s father, had gathered some of the better keelboat sailors from the harbor to win the Lipton Cup that year. Phil told me one time he was tasked with running the pit and controlling the boat’s halyards. When he told me this story I can still recall his chuckle describing the last beat against the San Diego Yacht Club’s skipper Mr. Kettenburg. “We must have tacked 24 times on that final leg to cross the finish line for the win,” Phil said.

From there, Phil sailed the Snipes circuit, while still sailing aboard his father’s boat Antigua. He later moved on into the competitive Etchells fleet where he competed internationally – jumping into the 5.5-meter boat to compete in Europe with none other than Harry “Buddy” Melges and Tom Omohundro. In the ‘80s, Phil raced his New York 36 Vidiot in our harbor’s local club events. One of Phil’s many achievements in promoting our sport was devolving the Harbor 20 fleet which is still the most active one-design fleet in our harbor.

Phil had other sports he was interested in too – skiing, polo, hunting for birds and foxes, along with gardening, music and dance. During the eulogy, his son Scott told a story about how his father preferred to stay busy and had convinced himself he was a handyman. While trying to fix a pool heater during a family gathering, everyone attending heard a loud kaboom! Phil came around the corner with his hair and eyebrows singed and was lucky not to be seriously injured.

Scott went on to tell another story. Given a task, Phil could be relied on to get the job done. There was nothing he couldn’t accomplish on behalf of the YC with his roster and a phone. How could anyone say no to a guy like Phil when called upon for help? He always managed to create his own army of volunteers.

“There is a great story about my Dad’s presence at the club,” shared Scott. “Charlie Buckingham was about 6 years old, hanging out with his dad on the front dock. My Dad walked by them and Charlie turned to his dad and asked seriously, “Is that the captain of the yacht club?”

Each time we sail past the lighthouse at Marina Park, I am going to feel that Phillip Ramser is the keeper…always asking him for his guidance and the awareness not to run into anything that day. It’s also very heartwarming that somehow both Phil and I picked up saying goodbye to our friends the same way.

Sea ya.

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.