William G. (Randy) Tankoos was born in New York City in 1947 and his family soon moved to Old Greenwich and then 18 months later to Darien where he has lived ever since. He graduated in 1965 from Canterbury School and in 1969 from Yale College with a BS in Administrative Sciences. He later received an MBA from University of Bridgeport. Drafted in 1970, he served in the Army for nearly two years at Fort Dix. On discharge he worked for a yacht rigger before purchasing a metal fabricating business in Stamford. After ten years as an entrepreneur, he sold that business and has since been with the AH Emery Company (currently Emery Winslow Scale Company).
In 1976 Randy married Linda Herdich and they have two sons, Ryan and Grant. Ryan and wife Loni are the proud parents of his two grandsons Ronan and Logan. Linda and Randy were divorced in 2006.
Randy has sailed extensively offshore on large boats since he was 13. He was the youngest crew member at 15 for the 1962 Bermuda Race, paired with the eldest woman on that race, aboard Cotton Blossom IV. Since then, Randy has completed a dozen or more Newport to Bermuda Races, several Annapolis-Newport and Marblehead-Halifax races, and several SORC circuits. His longest offshore trip, 15 days at sea, was with his son Grant to deliver a 40’ boat from Charleston, S.C., to Canouan in the Grenadines.
Randy has been a member of the Storm Trysail Club, New York Yacht Club, Norwalk Yacht Club and Noroton Yacht Club where he served as Commodore between 2011 and 2013. In that role, he worked the club out of the destruction caused by Irene and Sandy and was co-chair of the Building Committee to build a new clubhouse. He continues to share and sail a 23’ Sonar at Noroton. When not sailing he has a 28’ power boat to cruise extensively on the east coast and Hudson River/Lake Champlain.
