European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes tuesday october 18, 1977 by Sid mood associated press the boat gurgled through the water flamboyantly hued As drowned Peacock around the Point and toward the  French flags i asked son Clarke who had the   i turned the boat in that direction while he willingly went Forward to ready the Anchor. In five months of cruising the Caribbean we had become As avid in searching for the Tricolour As that old English seadog lord Nelson had been almost two centuries before. He of course was interested in finding French men of War. We were More curious about France s latest revolutionaries women of yachting. Topless women. It is not confined to the French. But the Odds Are higher that if you spot a French Flag on a yacht these Days you la see a yacht woman going about her nautical chores without Benefit of a Topsail. We moored a discreet distance from the gallic Sailboat a discreet distance being not too close to be deemed peeping Toms but not too far to be out of Spyglass Range. Having three crewmen aboard of about 20 years i had no other Choice. Who the first midship woman was tossed her top has not been recorded. Maybe the sirens who beckoned to Ulysses. But the custom today arose along the Riviera apparently has been gradually moving up the Antil lean Chain of islands and there has been an occasional sighting like the Humpback whale As far North Ashlock Island . We first became aware of the practice while anchored in Road Bay on the Sun bathed Caribbean Island of Anguilla the one that reversed the unanimous nationalist trend of the Day by fighting a minibar against Independence. Anyway we were lolling about when a Sailboat bearing swedish colors approached. It seemed to have been crewed by two Blond nordics one of each sex in flesh coloured bathing suits. As they neared it became unmistakably flesh coloured flesh. I put this Down As a regional idiosyncrasy the swedes slurp ing up Sun after those Long dark Winters As greedily As a Camel gorging water at an Oasis after crossing the Sahara. Columbus of course discovered almost everything in the Caribbean but the Modi fied american plan. He also reported Back to Isabella that the native arawak ladies did not shield their thoracic regions from the Sun. This did not set off a tourist Stam Pede from Europe and the Desh Bilte faded away As did alas the arawak both victims of a More prudish and so called higher culture. Rounding into English Harbor in anti Gua to observe that Island s annual race week we found topless Ness so far As the binoculars could see. The sight of Bla Zered race committee officials mingling with Una layered Crew ladies was one that would have caused that grand old America s cup campaigner sir Thomas Lipton to swoon into his Tea cup. One skipper had an All girl Crew. Five of them All unscathed from amidships up. He also had the slowest boat in his class. Quite obviously he hoped his swifter competitors would lag behind to watch while his foredeck Crew tambolled about setting the Spinnaker. Unfortunately for him most of the yachts had equivalent deckhand their forms Riding the seas As jauntily As any Low Cut Clipper ship figurehead you Ever saw. Bill Robinson editor of yachting Magazine managed to do a photo essay on race week without disclosing any nudity a masterpiece of camera work. I noted however redid not publish any shots of the girls Sunfish race the principle Rule being that the Crew had to Cross the finish line Uncan Assed As it were. Even race week i put Down As a quirk a reflection of the practice current in yacht ing to strip racers Down to the Barest essentials for greater Speed. And if with yachts Why not with yacht persons but by the time we raised Martinique this theory had been shot with holes and left to founder. If you saw a French boat that bore a Mam Selle or Madame with a top you could be sure she was somebody s grandmother or she was allergic to Sun. Whether All this Means the Sailor suit will become one with the birthday suit is anybody s guess. In the past fashion has adapted the Sailor s middy Blouse and Bell Bottoms for use ashore. On the other hand sailors used to Wear pigtails coated with tar to keep their hair from blowing in their faces. That never caught on. It can Only be noted that feminine Fash ions ebb and flow just like the tide. And right now the tide is out just about Down to Rock Bottom. In their cups by Jules Loh associated press hey work hard but who s complaining their sewing machines whirr whirr whirr in a Neon lit room above an empty store on the lock Long main Street of German town a tiny Hudson Valley Village in Newyork which has been blessedly ignored by most forms of Progress As Well As by most map makers. Norma starts with a single Needle Dart. Sue adds a double Needle decorative stitch and passes it to Dolores. Dolores does the top stitching of the darts and hands it to Linda. Linda closes the Bottom of the cup and gives it Back to Dolores for More top stitching. Dottie attaches the Hooks and eyes sews in the Label and it is done. One brassiere. Size 52-d. Now if you Haven t seen a size 52-Dbrassiere, but have seen a Hammock or a Spinnaker on a downwind leg you have an idea of what it is that Norma sue Dolores Linda and Dottie make. There really in t much of a demand for them this size said sue Bruch who supervises this uplifting operation. I sup pose that s Why there is no need for a big Plant just a Small shop like  shop has been there through Good times and bad since 1948.the Good times were nine years ago when mrs. Bruch took Over As supervisor and the shop turned out 10,000 dozen of those beauties a year. Then about five years ago the output began in sagging to its present foundation of 5,000 dozen i just cannot explain Why there has been a decrease in demand Bruch said. It s True that the whole brassiere Busi Ness started slowing Down a few years ago when so Many women began going without them. But i can t imagine that somebody who wears one this size. Well i just can t  in any Case 5,000 dozen a year that s 60,000 items Don t forget not Only conjures up quite a picture of abundance but also has proved to be sufficient work to keep 25 to 30 seam stresses Busy. We re All local ladies Bruch said. All of us can use the extra Money. We re paid Union wages and most of the seamstresses earn Between four and six dollars an hour on piecework. Most work about seven hours a Day. So you see that makes a Nice bit of change at the end of the week. My daughter and two granddaughters work Here. Another Mother and daughter work Here too. We re like a big family All friends neighbors. It s a pleasant place to  Bruch is the daughter of ukrainian parents who came to America in 1905, nine years before she was bom. During the depression she sold Candy Ina theater to help make ends meet later when her husband went into the service in it sir you could have Ben world War ii she answered an and and took a Job in new York s garment  know hard work. I be worked hard All my  Only hard but efficiently. An executive from the top form brassiere  her to take Over when the Job of supervisor opened at the Little shop up the Hudson River. A sol i always lived in a big City. There Are Only a few Hundred people Here but i thought i d give it a try for a year. That was in 1968. I m Here to stay. It s a pretty Little town Don t you think pretty is an understatement. The Only understatement you Are Likely to com across at the Germantown shop of the top form brassiere co