Provided photos: Joan “Jo” Payjack Forrestel, right, poses with her sister Bonnie Hartway of Medina, seated left, and daughter Libby Naylor at The Book Shoppe in Medina, where copies of Forrestel’s book are being sold. The book An American Thread is the true story of Jo’s and her husband Tom’s sailing voyage across the Atlantic and his tragic, unexpected death aboard ship.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent

MEDINA – A Medina native has written a book on her family’s sailing adventure crossing the Atlantic in 1976 and her husband’s subsequent death aboard ship in Europe.

Joan “Jo” Forrestel will be at The Book Shoppe from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 4 to sign copies of her autobiography, An American Thread: A Sailing Family’s Adventure, in which she recalls a seafaring voyage half way round the world, some of it told in her late husband’s diary.

Jo was born in Medina, a daughter of the late Frank and Laurita Payjack. She met Tom Forrestel in 1949 when he came into Payjack Chevrolet, where she worked as a bookkeeper.

“We took one look at each other and our fate was sealed,” Jo wrote in her book.

She was already engaged to another man, but when Tom asked her to go to a circus with him, she accepted because, as she explained, “A circus wasn’t a real date.”

The second time Tom asked her out, she broke off her engagement, and she and Tom were married six months later.

Jo’s daughter Libby Naylor wrote an introduction to the book, in which she describes her mother as a strong and courageous woman, qualities she comes by honestly.

“She comes from a long line of remarkable women from Western New York,” Naylor said.

These include her mother, her grandmother Elsie Miles and her great-great-great-grandmother Bathshua Brown, who according to family history saved the area from English occupation during the War of 1812.

Jo gave birth to 10 daughters in 13 1/2 years, one of whom, Abigail, died at 3 months.

“That alone elevates her to strong and courageous status, but there is much more to her story,” Naylor said.

Tom and his brother Richard had taken over their father’s business, Cold Spring Construction, and during the busy summers they would rent a cottage at whatever small lake they were near.

Both Jo and Tom had grown up sailing. Jo grew up on Lake Ontario near Shadigee, while Tom spent his first 15 summers at a small lake north of Hornell called Loon Lake.

While building a road near Java in Wyoming County, the family discovered a small lake near Cuba with an active yacht club. There, they learned about sailing and bought their first boat, a Snipe, which they raced every weekend.

“It was a common sight for me to be nursing the baby on our dock between races,” Jo wrote.

It wasn’t long before they graduated to sailing a Morgan 41’ boat out of Point Breeze.

Tom was insistent all the family learned how to sail.

“He would make us practice ‘man overboard’ drills,” Naylor said. “He would dive overboard and we had to rescue him.”

Then came the night in 1972 when Tom came home from a Medina School Board meeting and announced, “Jo, I would like to sail across the Atlantic.”

Jo was not surprised, she said, and began the enormous task of planning.

They contacted boatbuilders in Clearwater, Fla., and ordered a 51-foot sailboat they named “Liberty.”

Tom and Joan Forrestel raised nine daughters at their home in Shelby Center before setting sail to cross the Atlantic in their boat “Liberty.” From left front are Francy, Patty, Amy and Teresa. At rear are Susy, Joesy, Margaret, Libby and Katy.

Susy and Teresa were in college and Francy, Patty and Amy were out of school and working. But that left four children at home, Margaret, Katy and Josey in junior high and high school, and Libby in elementary school. Leaving them behind was not an option, Jo said.

They eventually signed the girls up for correspondence courses.

At that time, there was no GPS and reckoning was done solely by celestial navigation, which both Tom and Jo learned.

“That was a time when the high seas had to be sailed relying on wit and wisdom alone,” Naylor said.

By the end of 1975, all preparations for the voyage were complete and the family was ready to begin their journey. Tom had left the business in the hands of his nephew Steve Forrestel, and on Feb. 8, 1976, in a blizzard, the family departed Shelby Center for Clearwater and life aboard Liberty.

Shopping for food for the long journey was no small task. Canned goods had to be varnished so they didn’t rust. Jo learned to buy meat without bones, as bones took up too much room in their freezer onboard.

On Feb. 11, 1976, Liberty left Clearwater.

Naylor said they loved the boat.

“Mom and dad made it ‘home’,” she said.

On Sunday, June 27, the Liberty came within sight of Bishop’s Rock off Falmouth, England.

The next leg of their journey was crossing the English Channel to Holland.

From Brussels, they took the canal route to Paris, traveling through 34 locks in one day.

On Oct. 22, Liberty left the French canal system for the Mediterranean.

The family had decided to leave the Liberty in Italy and fly home for Christmas to spend a month with Jo’s mother in Medina.

Returning to life on the water, plans were made to head to Israel by way of Crete toward the end of February.

On March 10, they set sail from Malta.

Israel marked a turning point in their voyage, as from then on it was all westward and home, Jo wrote.

They headed toward Cyprus, then Rhodes, leaving there April 29 for Symi Island and Kos, where Hippocrates lived and taught. Next, they set sail for the Aegean Sea and Greece.

As the family prepared to leave Athens, little did they know how their life was about to change.

They had decided to go through the Corinth Canal, four miles long with 300-foot cliffs. But it saved them several days travel.

They sailed through the Ionian Sea, anchoring for the night at Levkas. They were invited for cocktails aboard a 100-foot yacht nearby, where they were greeted by Alexandre de Lesseps, a movie producer. He was a descendent of the man who built the Suez Canal, Jo said.

“We had such a good time, Tom invited them over for breakfast the next morning,” Jo said.

Later in the evening on the Liberty, Tom said to Libby, “Now I have seen just about everything I want to see. Maybe it is time to think about going home.”

The next morning around 5 a.m. Tom collapsed on the floor of their bedroom.

“My world came crashing down as I looked at him and knew he was gone,” Jo wrote.

Margaret took the dingy and went to the de Lesseps’ boat, which had a nurse onboard. Alexandre went ashore to find a doctor to pronounce Tom dead.

Tom’s brother Richard flew over to help with arrangements, and Jo made the decision to continue sailing Liberty home.

“Liberty had become our home,” Jo said.

Tom had insisted everyone learn an important area of the boat. Jo was at the helm during navigation, Margaret was in charge of the biggest sails, along with Libby. Katy and Libby were responsible for the engine room and Joesy took care of the anchor, winches, chain and ropes. Libby was in charge of the rigging and if something went wrong, she was always the one hoisted up to fix it. Everyone was trained to do an important task aboard Liberty.

“We were confident in our sailing because Tom had trained us all,” Jo wrote. “We depended on each other, and it was time to move on and continue with our adventure.”

Sailing away from Levkas, Jo said they felt Tom’s presence. He was the wind, the sky and the waves that swept them back out to sea, she said.

After completing the voyage, Jo said she now had to figure out where they would live.

Daughter Teresa was attending the University of Miami and they set sail for Miami. The found a house in Coconut Grove and a berth for Liberty in a canal one block from their home.

Jo and the girls continued to sail Liberty from Miami for many years. When the girls had family obligations and could no longer sail, Jo gave the boat to Dolphin Research and 10 years ago moved to Savannah, Ga., where she loves to golf.

Three years ago, she found Tom’s diary. Naylor started to type it so her sisters could have a copy, when Jo decided to write her book.

An American Thread is available at the Book Shoppe, 529 Main St., Medina, at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

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Photo courtesy of Medina Fire Department

MEDINA – A fire in a dryer at the Washboard Willy’s Laundromat was put out by firefighters Tuesday morning, with minimal damage caused to the site at 117 Starr St., the Medina Fire Department said.

The Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at 8:33 a.m., along with the Shelby and Lyndonville fire departments.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke conditions. They put out a small fire inside one of the dryers. Lyndonville’s FAST team was cancelled and Shelby firefighters assisted with ventilation of the structure.

“The cause was found to be rags that had previously been used to clean up kitchen grease prior to being washed and dried,” the Medina Fire Department said. “Residue oils not completely removed during the wash cycle, ignited inside the dryer as it was running. Damage was minimal, the fire was contained to the rags inside the dryer with slight scorching to the dryer drum.”

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SHELBY – A public hearing planned for Wednesday for a comprehensive plan in western Orleans County has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

The hearing will give residents a chance to comment about a comprehensive plan for the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates and the villages of Medina and Lyndonville.

The plan covers a broad array of topics, including socioeconomic trends – housing; land use – zoning and development; infrastructure and utilities; environment; historic, cultural, and municipal resources; parks; open space and recreation; economic development; transportation; and sustainability.

For each topic area, the plan summarizes existing conditions, identifies issues and opportunities and outline recommendations and action items.

A committee with officials from the municipalities has been working on the plan for about 18 months. The Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee has completed a draft of the plan, a 339-page document that is available by clicking here.

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Press Release, New York State Canal Corporation

MEDINA – The New York State Canal Corporation announced on Monday the lift bridge in Medina will be closed to all vehicular traffic on Route 63 from July 16 to Aug. 4 as repairs are made to the bridge’s lifting system.

Crews will be replacing the counterweight cables to the bridge, which carries traffic over the Erie Canal in the Orleans County village.

The pedestrian walkways will remain open during these repairs, except for a brief time after the bridge is first placed in the raised position. The pedestrian walkways will not be handicap accessible during the scheduled work period.

During the project, a signed detour for vehicles will be posted utilizing Route 31E (West Center Street and State Street), Route 271 (North Main Street) and Route 104 (Ridge Road).

Motorists using the detour routes are encouraged to plan their trips accordingly and leave extra time for travel.

This work will not affect the Erie Canalway Trail or navigation on the Canal System. While a barge will slightly encroach into the channel, the normal overhead clearance will not be affected. Mariners should reduce speed, stop all forward motion, and proceed at a “No Wake” speed when traversing this area.

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File photo: Medina held its first Farm-to-Table dinner event on a closed off Main Street on Aug. 4, 2016. There were 137 people at that dinner, a five-course meal featuring locally grown food and wine.

MEDINA – It’s a sellout. The third annual Farm-To-Table dinner was capped at 200 tickets at $100 each. It took less than an hour to sell them all.

The five-course meal on Aug. 2 will be at a closed-off section of Medina’s historic Main Street. The event is hosted by the Orleans Renaissance Group, with proceeds to benefit the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, which is also sponsored by the ORG.

This is the third year of the dinner. The first year was planned for 100 people, but was expanded to 137 due to demand. Last year was capped at 200 and it took a few days to sell all of the tickets.

This time the tickets were all gone within an hour of being available online and at the English Rose Tea Shoppe.

Chirs Busch, chairman of the ORG, said the dinner is the highly anticipated.

“It is an incredible event in a beautiful downtown,” he said.

Organizers use the event to showcase Medina’s thriving downtown, and also to highlight local foods, restaurants and wineries.

Arriving guests will be treated to a complimentary Chef’s Course paired with award-winning Tiny Bubbles sparkling wine, courtesy of Schulze Vineyard & Winery of Burt. The dinner will deliver a sensational locally-sourced, five-course meal with Zambistro once again collaborating with local culinary colleagues.

Among those joining Zambistro in preparing the dinner will be Mariachi De Oro, Mile 303, Sourced Market & Eatery and the Shirt Factory. All ingredients used in the meal will be locally sourced and farm-fresh, provided almost entirely from the vendors at Canal Village Farmers’ Market.

This year’s event will feature a couple of new elements. In addition to a 200-seat table, guests will hear live music provided by The Road to Azure and Dark Road Duo.

Proceeds from the event will go towards operational costs of the farmers’ market, Busch said. The ORG is working on plans to make the farmers’ market year-round.

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Photos by Ginny Kropf: Cyclists put up their tents on the grounds of Wise Middle School Sunday afternoon. The 650 cyclists and 90 volunteers with Cycle the Erie Canal will leave Monday morning for a stop in Albion as they make their way to Albany.

By Ginny Kropf, corrrespondent

MEDINA – If Medina wanted to impress the cyclists who descended on the village Sunday as part of the 20th annual Cycle the Erie Canal, it would appear the community succeeded.

“Medina certainly rolled out the red carpet,” said Jack Luftman of Bridgewater, N.J., as he peddled into the Canal Basin during a concert Sunday afternoon by The Foolz Band of Rochester.

Trucks carrying the cyclists’ gear and tents began arriving early Sunday morning on the grounds of Wise Middle School and Medina High School.

Jack Luftman of Bridgewater, N.J. rode his bike to the canal basin where the band the Foolz was playing. Luftman is one of the 650 cyclists who spent the night in Medina Sunday on the 20th annual Cycle the Erie Canal ride. Riders came from 36 states and Australia to participate in the event.

About a third of the 650 cyclists had arranged to have their tents put up for them, while the rest had to set up their own when they arrived.

“There could easily be 300 tents on the grounds,” said Kaden Smith of Grand Island, who was taking part in the ride with his parents George and Amy.

This was the family’s first year participating in the ride and it was Kaden’s 13th birthday.

The family will ride every other day and share volunteer duties the other days.

“We are very excited to be ‘newbies’ to this event,” Amy said. “We’ve already met many new people, some who have done this ride for 15 or 16 years.”

“They all say they’ll come back again,” Kaden said.

Cyclists from 36 states and Australia started the tour in Buffalo.

“There are riders from California, Oregon, North Carolina, Washington and all over the country,” said Ken Thomas of Amherst, who was also a first time rider/volunteer.

He and another first-timer, Greg Kaladjian of Schenectady, took time Sunday afternoon to enjoy a drink and some camaraderie with riders Mike and Kathy Eudy of Concord, N.C., and Sasha Eisenstein of Albany. Eisenstein, who was also cycling with the others, is the trails manager for the New York State Canal Association.

“I’ve only been on the job for five months, so I thought this would be a great way to get familiar with the canal,” she said.

The Foolz Band from Rochester entertained cyclists and community members in Medina’s canal basin Sunday afternoon. The band was one of the events planned by Medina’s Tourism Committee to welcome the 650 cyclists and 90 volunteers to the village.

Eisenstein said the Governor last year committed $200 million to complete trails from New York City harbor, past Lake Champlain to the Canadian border, and from Albany west to Buffalo. It is the governor’s vision for the Empire State Trails Initiative to be the longest multi-use trail in the country, and be completed by 2020.

Ground was broken in May on a two-mile stretch of the trail across from the Buffalo/Niagara Heritage Village near Lockport, making the trail 85 percent complete. This will enable cyclists to ride the 135 miles from Buffalo to east of Rochester on an uninterrupted trail, Eisenstein said.

As part of their welcome to Medina, the Medina Tourism Committee, headed by Jim Hancock, arranged for the afternoon concert in the Canal Basin and another in the evening at the school campgrounds by the band Pocket Change.

Kaden Smith of Grand Island constructs a makeshift sign out of cardboard at Wise Middle School in Medina to identify which truck which brought these bags to the campsite for the 650 cyclists who are spending the night in Medina on the 20th Cycle the Erie Canal event.

There was also a shuttle running from 3 to 7 from the school through downtown to the canal basin and back. Dinner Sunday night was catered by Zambistro’s and breakfast Monday morning was provided by the school.

One of the highlights of the day was a talk at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium by Tom Grasso, past president of the New York Canalways Organization.

Gary and Susan Cotton of Amherst, Ohio, have been biking for 15 years, but this was their first time in the Cycle the Erie Canal ride. Gary was amazed at the information Grasso provided on the Erie Canal.

“I couldn’t believe all the alterations it has gone through in its history,” Gary said. “And it was so interesting how they use it now. I didn’t know about the culvert and will be looking for it when we ride over it tomorrow.”

Suzanne Erbes of Detroit said she didn’t know anything about the canal before attending the talk.

“I’ve seen it when I’ve driven through New York, but I didn’t know anything else, like about the mules,” she said. “Tom’s knowledge and details were incredible. His talk was inspirational and instructional and I look forward to seeing the things he talked about.”

The cyclists will make short stops in Albion and Holley on Monday, before heading to Pittsford to spend the night.

Taking time to relax in the shade of Medina High School on Maple Ridge Road are cyclists and volunteers with Cycle the Erie Canal. From left is Ken Thomas from Amherst, a first-year volunteer and rider; Sasha Eisenstein of Albany, New York State Canal Association trails manager; cyclists Mike and Kathy Eudy of Concord, N.C.; and Greg Kaladjian of Schenectady, a first-year volunteer and rider.

As the sun went down Sunday night, cyclists with Cycle the Erie Canal bedded down in their tents on the grounds of Wise Middle School and Medina High School, ending the first leg of their journey to Albany.

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Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – A new band stand is being built at State Street Park in Medina. Students from the Job Corps have done much of the construction so far after the Village of Medina DPW prepared the site and dug holes for the posts.

The interior ceiling will be tongue and groove and there will be asphalt shingles on the roof. Donations are covering the costs of the materials for the project.

The Medina Planning Board is working on a policy for how events will be handled at the site.

Chris Busch, chairman of the Planning Board, said the long-term plans include decorative lights similar to those on West State Street. The covered pavilion is expected to be available for use by the community for concerts, weddings and other special events.

The Orleans Renaissance Group is facilitating and supporting the project.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Susan Schultz, a library clerk at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, holds an autobiographical book by her parents, Tom and Jo Forrestel. The book was recently published and is available at Lee-Whedon.

MEDINA – A Medina native has written an autobiography of her sailing adventures with her husband, including his tragic death and the family’s courageous trip back to the United States.

Jo Forrestel, 90, has written “An American Thread.” The book includes many photos of her and her husband, Tom, in their sailing trips around the world.

Mr. and Mrs. Forrestel went sailing across the ocean without the help of GPS or cell phones.

Forrestel now lives in Savannah, Ga. She spends part of the year at Cuba Lake. She and her husband had 10 children – all daughters.

Jo Forrestel wrote the book, drawing on her dairy and recollections from sailing adventures that started on Lake Ontario with the boat, Sunfish. Mr. Forrestel was owner and partner in Coldspring Construction Company. He later graduated to sailing a 41-foot Morgan out of Point Breeze.

Jo and Tom would sail across the ocean aboard a 51-foot sailboat named Liberty. They sailed the high seas on wit and wisdom.

“An American Thread” is told by both Tom and Jo Forrestel, with Tom’s words posthumously from letters home and a daily diary he kept during their journey.

The story shares the couple’s love, endurance, loss and triumph.

The book is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and also at The Book Shoppe, 519 Main Street, Medina, NY.

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Multiple fire departments work to put out blaze

Photo courtesy of Medina Police Department: Firefighters kept the fire from spreading to neighboring structures on East Oak Orchard Street.

Information courtesy of Steve Cooley, public information officer for Medina Fire Department

MEDINA – Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire in Medina on Wednesday morning at 104 East Oak Orchard St.

The Village of Medina Fire Department responded along with first alarm assistance from the Shelby and Lyndonville fire companies. Third Platoon firefighters under the direction of Captain Jonathan Higgins arrived on scene with Engine 11 and Ladder 40 to find flames coming from two windows on the East side of the structure.

As the crews made entry into the structure, Captain Higgins requested a second alarm be struck due to several other buildings being in close proximity to the house fire, as well as the high heat index.

Ridgeway firefighters were sent to the scene on the second alarm and units from the East Shelby and Middleport fire companies along with COVA EMS were sent to fill in at the Medina firehouse. Crews quickly extinguished the bulk of the flames in two rooms on the first floor and performed primary and secondary searches of this two-story structure.

The fire had extended to a void area in a roof of a step down area in the rear of the structure. Extensive overhaul was required to make sure no other void areas contained fire. Severe fire damage was contained to the two rooms on the first floor with smoke and water damage to the rest of the first floor. The second floor suffered some smoke damage as well as some damage from overhaul that was necessary to access the void area in the back roof.

One minor injury was sustained by a firefighter and that firefighter remained on duty at the scene. No civilian injuries were reported. Two canines were found deceased and were recovered by firefighters.

A Medina Fire Department fire Investigator with assistance from a Fire Investigator from the Orleans County Emergency Management Office have the fire deemed accidental at this time. Friends and family of the occupant are assisting her at this time and the Red Cross was contacted.

Also assisting on scene was Deputy Fire Coordinator Hydock from the Orleans County Emergency Management Office and the Medina Police Department.

“We would like to thank all our public safety partners for assisting and that includes the multiple neighbors that came out with water and cold drinks for all responders on scene,” said Steve Cooley, Medina firefighter and public information officer.

Also worth noting, four EMS calls were dispatched during this fire, the first EMS call during the fire was handled by COVA EMS who was already on stand-by, Cooley said. Three additional EMS calls then occurred at the Lyndonville Fourth of July celebration. Those calls were handled by MFD firefighters who assisted Lyndonville Fire/EMS. After this rush of EMS calls, the Barker FD was also placed on standby per Lyndonville FD.

“These events highlight the continued cooperation and communication between multiple local agencies to ensure the highest quality EMS care and fire response happen, no matter what other emergencies are occurring,” Cooley said.

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Photos courtesy of Ike Fuller Watts

MEDINA – Medina 1 softball coach CJ Castricone and the Medina 2 softball coach Jessica Demmer are pictured with their teams and volunteer umpire Joey D. Molisani last Wednesday when the players had a dress-up game at Butts Park.

The girls wore their favorite dresses and played a full game. The girls had a lot of fun and hope this becomes a tradition for years to come.

Ike Fuller Watts has a cousin from Webster whose daughters had a dress-up game. Watts suggested to the two Medina coaches and they agreed to give it a try.

The teams play in the Medina minors league with a few of their older sisters that play on the Medina majors team. The team captains were Sydney Watts and Janessa Lindsey.

At the end of the game each girl slid home in order to get a treat at Double Dips.

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