Winter Sailing is a Win-Win…


I-LYA Sailors use Yachtmen’s Fund Challenge Grants to Stay Sharp

Jensen Beach, FL.

US Sailing Center Martin County in Jensen Beach, Florida

The 2019 C420 Midwinters took place at the US Sailing Center Martin County (USSCMC) near Jensen Beach Florida, February 16-18. In early December 2018, the USSCMC also hosted US Sailing Junior Olympics for C420 teams. Both regattas were wellrun, attracted top sailors and should be on the radar of all I-LYA C420 racers looking for wintertime warm weather sailing. Former Leatherlips sailor Ryan Clarke is the Sailing Director at USSCMC and he is happy to help in advance or when you get to sunny Florida. Ryan coordinates 100 volunteers for an event like Midwinters, stands ready for breakdowns, and lends a hand when needed. The 103-boat fleet at the 2019 Club 420 Midwinters was made up of high school and college-aged sailors of not more than 22 years of age. The February event boasted 80 degree temperatures in warm water and a range of 6-18 knots of breeze over the three day regatta. The first two days were a qualifying round, where the fleet was divided into two and seeded by a formula. The final day was a medal round with 52 boats in a gold fleet and 51 boats sailing in silver.

Grace Squires and Michaela O’Donnell first around the windward mark in the silver fleet.

Playing the shifts was key throughout Midwinters, in chop and wind similar to Lake Erie and our inland lakes. Day one brought shifty and puffy conditions throughout the racing, while the second day of the qualifying round started light but built for the final two races. The third day of medal racing started off light, but the filling sea breeze made for an exciting end to the event. I -LYA junior sailors Grace Squires and Michaela O’Donnell placed second in the silver fleet and brought home a trophy. It takes a village: and David Hein, now attending Jacksonville University, was on-hand for a practice the day before racing and coached the Ohio girls during the very competitive regatta.

The USSCMC has a great line-up of PROs keeping racing strong and fair. Launching from sandy beaches on the beautiful grounds of the USSCMC should be in the plans of your next va-gatta (VAcation- ReGATTA)!

Top 5 – Gold Fleet
Boyd Bragg/Ryan Wahba (Christchurch)
Colleen O’Brien/Michaela O’Brien (Bay Head YC)
Jordan Bruce/Andrea Reifkohl (CCS/AYC)
Rayne Duff/Savannah Young (St. Thomas YC)
Luke Arnone/Nathan Smith (CCS/CYC)

Top 5 – Silver Fleet
Thomas Erisman/Griffin Pollis (Encinal YC)
Grace Squires/Michaela O’Donnell (Hoover SC)
Nat Edmonds/Isaiah Farr (Wianno YC)
Lily Flack/Braedon Hansen (Mudratz)
Daniel Erisman/Devon Kurisu (Encinal YC)

 


I-LYA Sailors at Orange Bowl

Sisters, Sara and Annie Schumann, navigate big wind and salty water at Orange Bowl in Miami in December

Orange Bowl was Sara and Annie Schumann’s first C420 regatta and Annie’s first regatta overall. Sara, who has been actively racing optis for years with the assistance of Yachtsmen’s Fund Challenge Team Grants has experience in many national and international events. The weather and ocean sailing in Florida did not disappoint. It was blowing 25 the first two days which was exciting for a featherweight team! The wind died down to 8-15 knots the last two days and the girls went 2, 1, 2, 7 and 3 to close out racing. They finished mid-fleet and 5th overall in the Silver Fleet. Proof that opti racing paid off for Sara and Annie, who focuses on lacrosse and field hockey, is a strong athlete who put her casual sailing background to good use. These twins from Cowan Lake Sailing Association are 10th graders at Indian Hills High School. We look forward to seeing them at some Traveler Series events this summer.

AJ requested and received a Yachtsmen’s Fund Challenge Team Grant to help offset his travel expenses.

Vermillion sailor, AJ Kozaritz, attended Orange Bowl a few years ago, but wasn’t happy with his performance. He asked to go back this Christmas and despite big winds, AJ started and finished every race with a best finish of 6th in the Laser Full fleet.

Centennial Celebration

We kicked off the Yachtsmen’s Fund Centennial Celebration on Friday, November 30th with a hospitality room featuring desserts and wine. Everyone had a great time! 

Thank you to all who joined us and especially to those who have joined the Fund, as Centennial Sponsors and Benefactors, as well as some new sponsors like the Fully-Verified company.  Your support will help us to increase our capability to support programs that Educate, Challenge, and Inspire the next generation of sailors and boaters in our region.

CLICK HERE
to learn more about the Centennial Campaign

Yachtsmen’s Fund History Highlight – Fall 2018

Dr. Matthew Dubois, Vice President

In keeping with the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the Yachtsman’s Fund, over the next year, I will be
highlighting some of the interesting and important moments in I-LYA from the past 100 years, and some of the interesting characters and achievements that have happened along the way that the Yachtsman’s Fund has been instrumental in making happen.

This month, I was asked by other members of the Fund board to tell the story of what for me personally has been a high point in my own personal life. 13 years ago, my youngest daughter, Ellen, began her junior sailing career as a member of the Grosse Ile Yacht Club junior sailing team. Of course, this also included an annual trek to Put-In-Bay for Junior Bay Week, where she got to meet and sail with and against other junior ailors from all parts of ILYA. Among the other sailors she competed against was a young man from North Cape Yacht Club named Luke Gossman, part of a very active sailing family at NCYC. We heard through the junior sailors grapevine that Ellen and Luke “liked” each other, but we passed it off as just kids being kids.

Well, we couldn’t have been more wrong, as last August, Ellen Dubois and Luke Gossman joined together two prominent I-LYA families, by becoming husband and wife. Both still are sailing, Ellen with mom and dad on their family’s X-3/4 Tonner , Racer X, at Grosse Ile YC, and Luke on the family Henderson 30, Mojito, at NCYC, but I’m sure a boat of their own is not too far off. We will have lost a crew, but have gained an awesome son in law!

And this is not the first time that love has blossomed at Junior Bay Week. In the 90’s another young sailor from NCYC, Skip Dieball, met a young lady from Ford YC named Laurie Synowiec at Junior Bay Week, and Skip and Laurie now have three junior sailors of their own, with oldest daughter Meghan sailing in the US Sailing Junior Nationals the last two years.

These love stories were able to happen thanks to the support of the Inter-Lake Yachtsman’s Fund, who makes Junior Bay Week possible with their financial support, which allows love to blossom! Who’d have known?? These are just two stories, but there may be others. If so, please drop me a note and I’ll include them in an upcoming highlight!

NCYC Featuring I-LYA Junior Sailors & Principal Race Officers

Ian Reimel (NCYC) & Zoe Hoctor (HSC)

North Cape Yacht Club hosted the 2018 Chubb US Sailing Junior Championship for the Sears, Bemis, and Smythe Trophies in early August. We sincerely thank the I-LYA Yachtsmen’s fund as a major sponsor for the event. The Principal Race Officers were all from I-LYA – Matt Bounds and Barbara Shaffer from NCYC, Jamie
Jones from Hoover Sailing Club, and Steve Harris from Buckeye Lake Yacht Club.

Henrik Rolander from Cowan Lake Sailing Association won the Faye Bennet Laser Radial Class Sportsmanship Award. Ian Reimel from NCYC and Zoe Hoctor from Hoover Sailing Club won the C420 Bemis Sportsmanship Award.

Jack Vanderhorst (EWYC), Meghan Dieball (GIYC) & Annika Vanderhorst (EWYC)

Club members and residents in the nearby North Shores and Grand View Beach neighborhoods hosted 120
sailors and regatta support helpers. This means that our partnership with The Marketing Heaven which has provided us with substantial new YouTube views has certainly led to a gathering of a much larger number of Regatta supporters than in previous years. The significance of their generosity and to offer up their homes , food, and
recreation after the long days on the water cannot be overstated. These wonderful people made this event a tremendous success!

The NCYC membership met monthly to prepare for the regatta. Hundreds of volunteers, friends, neighbors and competitors enjoyed a beach-front Aloha Party to support the Junior Championship which was a huge success with nearly five hundred people present at the club!

Spencer Barnes (CYC)

It’s important to recognize the local Lightning fleet that stepped up to deliver 11 well-equipped boats for charter. George Sipel and Skip Dieball worked tirelessly to ensure the boats were ready to race and correctly
tuned each day.

We have received glowing accolades from U.S. Sailing, the competitors and visitors about how NCYC  demonstrated its hospitality and conducted a truly top notch event both on the water and off. This could not have occurred without the ARMY of volunteers and the support of our membership at NCYC.

Ian Riemel, Zoey Hoctor, Spencer Barnes Meghan Dieball, Jack Vanderhorst & Annika Vanderhorst
Ian Reimel & Zoey Hoctor winning the Sportsmanship Award
All competitors from the US Sailing Chubb Championship Regatta

Spotlight – Summer 2018

A Note from Our President:

I am sad to see the days grow shorter as we approach September, but I look back on what a fun and eventful summer we had within I-LYA. We were fortunate this summer to have so many national regattas hosted by I-LYA clubs. The Hinman hosted by The Foundry will wrap up the busy summer schedule. The Yachtsmen’s Fund was able to support each and every one of these events in some way. I would love to hear how the Fund impacted each event, and please include pictures that we can share. This Fall we will roll out our centennial celebration fund raising drive, which will hopefully put us in a position to expand our ability to award grants and scholarships to promote sailing and power boat activities in our region.

All the best,
Monica Bloomstine – Yachtsmen’s Fund President


Junior Powerboater Rowing for Temple University

Former Junior Powerboater Morgan Krohn recently redeemed her Yachtsmen’s Fund scholarship certificates and filled us in on her plans for the future. The Ford Yacht Club boater is attending Temple University in Philadelphia and is a member of the women’s rowing team. She plans on majoring in kinesiology. In her letter,
Morgan thanked the Yachtsmen’s Fund, I-LYA, and the Junior Powerboater program where she participated for 8 years. According to Morgan, “The Junior Powerboater program has shaped me into the person I am today, and I am grateful for the experience. Hoping my successes will reflect brightly upon your generosity.”

We think they already have. Best of luck in your studies and on the water!


Seven I-LYA Sailors Receive Championship Grants to Chubb Nationals

Pictured above are (L to R) Ian Reimel, Zoe Hoctor, Spencer Barnes, Meghan Dieball, and Jack and Annika Vanderhorst. Not Pictured – Henry Rolander.

Junior Nationals hosted by North Cape Yacht Club were a resounding success. The Lightning
team of Jack and Annika Vanderhorst and Meghan Dieball finished tied for third in the competition for the Sears Cup. In addition, both the 420 team of Ian Reimel and Zoe Hoctor and radial sailor Henry Rolander received the sportsmanship awards for their respective fleets. According to National Junior Championship Chair Matt Dubois, “The I-LYA sailors were all very competitive and their youth bodes well for the future.” The Yachtsmen’s Fund supported individual I-LYA sailors and also sponsored transportation to and from the airport for sailors travelling to the event.


119 Junior Sailors Participate at Junior Bay Week

Pictured below are the 119 junior sailors who competed at this year’s I-LYA Junior Championship. Housing and coaching grants provided by the Yachtsmen’s Fund keep this event affordable for our I-LYA sailors.

Locals Compete for US Women’s Doublehanded Championship

Kathy Allyn, MYHC

On July 25 – 29, 2018, 40 teams of two young women, ages 13-18, from around the country competed in 420s for U.S. Sailing’s 2018 Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship. Each year, this top tier regatta takes place at great racing venues around the country. This year, Mentor Harbor Yacht Club won the bid and ran the championship regatta with the teams of junior women competing for the coveted Ida Lewis Trophy. Three days of racing took place Friday through Sunday with two days of clinics preceding the regatta on Wednesday and Thursday led by a strong cast of coaches from around the country.

The MHYC regatta machine was orchestrated by Kathy Allyn who arranged meals and housing for the competitors along with fun social events and experiences throughout the week in the greater Cleveland area. Some events were made possible by the Inter-Lake Yachtsmen’s Fund. Many of the young sailors from both coasts remarked how great Cleveland was and the I-LYA surely impressed them!

The competition was fierce with 25 Californians and the prevailing team who repeated their win from 2017. Of the 40 competing 420s, 2 of our I-LYA teams placed in the top half. Skipper Grace Squires and crew Michaela O’Donnell (Hoover SC) had several top 10 finishes and ended up 13th overall. Skipper Nadia Reynolds and crew Zoe Hoctor (Hoover SC) were 19th overall.

Pictured are the 14 I-LYA girls who participated at the US Sailing Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy, held at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club in July. Each requested and received a $100 Championship Grant from the Inter-Lake Yachtsmen’s Fund

Skipper Grace Squires, who previously sailed in numerous Opti national and regional events, said a favorite memory from the regatta was seeing past Opti friends from around the country who have continued sailing at a high level: “It was great to still be able to compete with them.” Grace was the 2016 I-LYA Traveler Series Opti Champion, followed by being the Traveler Series 420 Champion in 2017. Stay in those Optis and learn to sail them well as long as you can!

Crew Michaela O’Donnell said this was her favorite regatta because of the high level of competition with
sailors from all over the U.S. “The coaches taught us better sailing mixed with life lessons,” Michaela said, along with, “hard work pays off and the winners showed consistency is key.”
As part of the event, MHYC showcased their community to the sailors and their families. The young women
toured the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame followed by a dinner excursion in Cleveland. Sailors enjoyed post-sailing
activities throughout the week, including a Lake Erie beach luau, Shrimpfest, sunset yoga and an Italian
feast.

Parents were not allowed contact with their sailors during the regatta hours and outside coaching was not allowed. An impressive group of pro-coaches were led by US Sailing Championship head coach Richard Feeny. His coaches worked with the junior sailors all week including the clinics on Wednesday and Thursday:

Scott Ikle (Head Coach, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)
Beka Schiff (2016 Hobbs Trophy Winner – Sportsman of the Year)
Amanda Callahan (Head Coach, Roger Williams University)
Alana O’Reilly Marks (2006 Quantum ICSA Women’s Sailor of the Year)
Dillon Paiva (Assistant Coach, US Naval Academy)
Brian Clancy (Head Coach, Cornell University)
Arielle Darrow (2020 Olympic Campaigner)

Everyone is so proud of the 14 I-LYA junior women sailors (pictured below) who represented our region at the US Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy. They made us proud on and off the water! Emma Friedauer (Hoover SC) was the winner of the Sportsmanship award! The following clubs sent teams to participate: Hoover SC, Cleveland YC, Edgewater YC, Mentor Harbor YC and Put-In-Bay YC.
See a full description of the regatta and results at: https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=GDw31YeJ8G

Kathy Allyn sends a huge thanks to Hoover’s Jamie Jones for being the PRO, Sarah Hoctor and Shilah Griffeth for pitching in on the RC boat (and staying away from their girls all week per the rules!:), to the Foundry for lending boats and their smart sailing team, to CYC parents and Edgewater parents for housing and transporting teams, and of course to the MHYC members and friends who went above and beyond to house, transport, help with safety, RC, lend boats, provide entertainment and more, making this event spectacular!

Of course, our local sailors were supported by the Inter-Lake Yachtsmen’s Fund which made their dreams possible. A big THANK YOU! from these young ladies.

The championship regatta is sure to have inspired these I-LYA girls to participate in the Ida Lewis and other national regattas in the future. Registration for the Ida Lewis championship always goes live on March 1, and if this year is a repeat, it will fill up quickly! So keep an eye on ussailing.org for more information.

Special Thanks to All the Local and National Ida Lewis Sponsors:

The Inter-Lake Yachtsmen’s Fund
Mentor Harbor Youth Sailing Foundation
Edgewater Youth Sailing Foundation
North Coast Women’s Sailing Association
Quantum Sails Cleveland
Zim Sailing
National Sponsors – Gill and the Clagett Trust

It takes a village… and a Club… and a Fleet – July, 2018

A Note from Our President:

The Yachtsmen’s Fund meeting was quite lively this Spring with much to discuss. One item that was top on our list is the upcoming Centennial Celebration that will be rolled out in the near future. One of the more immediate items on the agenda was to discuss the many grant requests we received and how to best award them.
We were pleased with the number of requests and the national events occurring within the I-LYA this year.

Below are some of the grant recipients for 2018:

  • Jr. Power for the purchase of GPS units, coaching, and scholarships.
  • Jr. Bay Week for help with housing, coaching, and scholarships.
  • Mentor Harbor YC for hosting Ida Lewis.
  • The Foundry for US Team Race Championship for the Hinman Trophy.
  • North Cape YC for the 2018 Chubb US Sailing Jr. Championship.
  • Ian Moran to attend the 2018 I-420 Worlds in Newport.

A banner indicating the support of the Yachtsmen’s Fund will be flown at each of these events.
All the trustees of the fund are working diligently to raise money, so we can continue supporting these  worthwhile endeavors.

Wishing you fair winds,

Monica Bloomstine—President Yachtsmen’s Fund


It Takes a Village… and a Club… and a Fleet…

Each year, the Yachtsmen’s Fund provides Championship Grants for the sailors who qualify to represent I-LYA at Chubb Nationals. However, as the story below shows, support for our young sailors comes in many forms and from many people.

Triple-handed boats competing for the coveted Sears Cup are usually sailed in the dinghy which is most popular in the vicinity of the hosting club. In 2017, sailors knew that the Sears Cup in Tom’s River, New Jersey would be sailed in Flying Scots. Fortunately for the qualifying Hoover/Cowan team, Hoover Sailing Club had the most gracious and generous Flying Scot fleet around! 2018 Hoover Commodore Marty Sweterlitsch and her boat partner Stephanie Bahr lent Ryan Squires and his crew their boat for practice at Hoover and Hoover’s deep talent pool lent advice for sailing the Flying Scot. Marty also called on the national fleet and the builder to help the boys practice at the Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta sponsored by the Deep Creek Yacht Racing Association. North Sails Rep Zeke Horowitz met the boys at the regatta, the first for them in the Flying Scot, and spent time with the team helping them understand the boat. The builder lent a very race worthy Flying Scot to the team to race that weekend in lovely Deep Creek and even had it rigged and ready awaiting the junior sailors! The regatta sponsors found local housing for the boys and their chaperones. The red carpet was truly rolled out. The boys and their families will be forever grateful to the Flying Scot fleet and the Yachtsmen’s Fund for making their dreams possible!

Sara Schumann, a past recipient of Yachtsmen’s Fund Challenge Team Grants for travel outside the I-LYA footprint, was recently on the road again competing at the International Optimist Class Team Race, the 32nd Trofeo Marco Rizzotti in Venice, Italy.
Grace Squires and Michaela O’Donnell representing Hoover Sailing Club finished on top of the C420 fleet at the first Traveler Series regatta hosted by Alum Creek Sailing Association. Grace took advantage of Yachtsmen’s Fund grants to attend events in Florida this winter.
Pictured R to L sailing a Thistle – Skipper Ryan Squires (HSC), Luke Schumann (CLSA), and Bryn Irvine (CLSA). These boys represented I-LYA and Area E at the 2017 Chubb US Junior Championships for the Sears Cup.

Spotlight – May, 2018

A Note from our President…

So good to see everyone at the Spring Meeting.  It has been such a long winter, that it was nice to talk about boating and the summer months to come.  Thanks to all the Dollar-per-Member clubs that responded to our request so promptly.  A second mailing will be coming soon to those clubs that are just “waking up” for the boating season.  Another exciting celebration this year will be the start of our Centennial Celebration.  The Yachtsmen’s Fund was incorporated in 1919.  We will launch special donor opportunities this fall.

2018 promises to be another exciting year as I-LYA Clubs, with the support of the Yachtsmen’s Fund, host three US Sailing National Championships: Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club in July, Chubb US Sailing Junior Championships for the Sears Cup and Bemis & Smythe Trophies at North Cape Yacht Club in August, and the US Team Racing Championship for the Hinman Trophy at the Foundry in Cleveland in September.

Thank you again to our annual members, life members, and all the clubs that participate in our Dollar-per-Member program.  Your support makes our work possible.

Monica Bloomstine
President, Inter-Lake Yachtsmen’s Fund


Gifts to Educate, Challenge, & Inspire the Next Generation…

Recent Memorial Gifts

In Memory of Bill Wells and Mary Wells from Dick & Betty Bliss
In Memory of P/C Leo “Buddy” Durocher from Michelle Durocher

Welcome to our newest Life Members

The following supporters joined the Fund as Life Members during the past year.  Their names will be added to the Life Member list in the I-LYA Yearbook

Raymond Arth, PIBYC
Paul Campbell, CYC
Greater Cleveland Boating Association
Scott Marriott, LMSA
Monroe Boat Club Sailing Fleet
Tim O’Brien, PIBYC
Commodore Ed Payne, FYC
Donna Payne, FYC
Kathy Powers, MBC
Karen Prenger, CCSC
Nate Prenger, CCSC
Tony Prenger, CCSC
Pam Sattler, SSCC
Mark Sprenger, PCYC
Mike Trebilcock, PIBYC
Dave Zmek, LCYC


Ohio State High School Sailing Championship
Hoover Sailing Club
April 28, 2018

Thirteen teams representing 10 Ohio schools competed in windy conditions on April 28, 2018 at Hoover Sailing Club to crown this year’s Ohio High School Sailing Champs.  Finishing 1, 2, 3 were Thomas Worthington High School, Westerville South High School, and Westerville North High School.  Full scores are available online at https://scores.hssailing.org/s-18/ohio-state/full-scores/.  Look closely and you will see lots of familiar I-LYA Junior Sailors who will hit the ground running when the Traveler Series kicks off in June.

Pictured are the Ohio High School Sailing Champs representing Thomas Worthington High School: (L-R holding trophies) XiaoJiao Hall, Grace Squires, Zoe Hoctor, and Marshall Wellejus and their coaches (L-R back row) Jamie Jones, Dave Alvarado, and Kyle Assad

Spotlight – March, 2018

A Note from Our President:

Thank you to all the clubs and Fund members who responded so promptly to our January mailing. We look forward to hearing from more of you as the snow melts and boats are launched. 2018 promises to be an exciting year as I-LYA hosts three US Sailing National Championships: Junior Women’s Doublehanded for the Ida Lewis Trophy at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club in July, Chubb US Junior Championships for the Sears Cup and Bemis and Smythe Trophies at North Cape Yacht Club in August, and the US Team Racing Championship for the Hinman Trophy at The Foundry in Cleveland in September.

Requests for support from the Yachtsmen’s Fund increase alongside the growth of sailing and focus on powerboat education in our area. Please take a minute to look around our website – you can donate online, download a membership form, or read about what we do. Follow us on twitter @YachtsmensFund. If you need to contact us, email us at yachtsmensfund@gmail.com.

Thank you again to our annual members, Life Members, and all the Clubs who participate in our Dollar-per-Member Program. Your support makes our work possible. I look forward to seeing all of you at the Spring Meeting!

Monica Bloomstine
President-Yachtsmen’s Fund


Gifts to Educate, Challenge, and Inspire the Next Generation!

Recent Memorial Gifts
In Memory of Bill Wells and Mary Wells from Dick and Betty Bliss


Jamie Jones of Hoover Sailing Club Recognized by US Sailing as an Outstanding Organizational Leader

On February 1, 2018, I-LYA’s own Jamie Jones was recognized by US Sailing as an Outstanding Organizational Leader at an awards reception held as part of the Sailing Leadership Forum in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Each year, US Sailing recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to our sport with a variety of Community Sailing and National One-Design Awards. Jamie is certainly deserving of national recognition. Among the many hats Jamie wears: Program Director of LTS at Hoover, US Sailing Certified Instructor (since the 80’s), Principal Race Officer, US Sailing Area E Training Coordinator, Area E Junior Championship Representative, certified STEM Educator, accredited OHSAA High School Sports Coach, member of the US Sailing Community Sailing Committee, husband, and father. Below is a picture of Jamie at the awards and his write-up from the US Sailing website.

Jamie Jones – Outstanding Organizational Leader

Jamie Jones (Westerville, Ohio) is a true leader in his support of the development and operations of sailing instruction programs, especially at his home club. Comprised of individuals and families, the Hoover Sailing Club in Westerville, Ohio has over 200 members. Jones increased enrollment in the Club’s youth sailing programs from 160 in 2010 to 430 in 2017, while the adult program has expanded from 50 students to 156. Jones played a major role in starting the Ohio High School Sailing program, which now boasts 16 MISSA-recognized teams. In 2017, the Hoover Sailing Club had 60 active sailors from eight schools, along with another 50 youth who came out to try the sport; these numbers reflect half of the teams in the state. He has bestowed the gift of sailing to thousands of individuals, thus empowering them to reach their greatest potential. Jones is a great volunteer and organizational leader who has significantly increased access to sailing in the Midwest.


I-LYA Juniors Compete at Midwinters in Florida

The 2018 C420 Midwinter Regatta was held February 17-19th at the beautiful US Sailing Center Martin County, Florida. I-LYA junior sailors included Clare Elden (Vermilion BC), Michaela O’Donnell (Vermilion BC) and Grace Squires (Hoover SC). Detroit juniors (Crescent Sail YC) included Max Klaasen steering with Shay Gualdoni, Johnny Walton skippering with Drew Clutterbuck. Johnny and Drew sailed very well finishing 23rd out of 75 boats. Clare and her skipper, Gannon Troutman, sailing for Christchurch School, finished well with several great races in the VERY competitive fleet finishing just ahead of Grace and Michaela. Several upper mid-fleet finishes by our I-LYA girls were impressive considering the high level of competition against advanced racers who aged-out at 22 years old.

Grace Squires (Hoover SC) and Michaela O’Donnell (Vermilion BC) enjoying the wind, waves, and competition at the C420 Midwinters in Jenson Beach, Florida.

The US Sailing Center of Martin County located in Jensen Beach, Florida is an outstanding venue with good wind and beach launching. Their new Sailing Director is Ryan Clarke, who was a member at Leatherlips YC last year, and can be reached at 772-334-8085. Ryan offers helpful advice and support and encourages I-LYA folks to reach out.

115 miles south of Jensen Beach in Miami, the International 420 fleet also held their midwinters at the same time. Ian Moran (Edgewater YC) sailing with Ariel Casaretto, and Cameron Turner and Maxwell Uittimberga (Chautauqua YC) sailed very well in the 42 boat I420 fleet.

Gifts to Educate, Challenge, and Inspire

Gifts to Educate, Challenge, and Inspire the Next Generation!

Recent Memorial Gifts:

In Memory of William Gilroy from Betty & James DuPre’

In Memory of Ed Skoch from Don Harris

Recent Special Occasion Gifts:

“Happy 75th Birthday P/C Tony Jucaitis, EWYC” from Tim Yanda

“Steve Harris, Thanks for the Great Website” from Anonymous

“Happy New Year! and Follow us on Twitter!” from Steve Harris

 

Over $5,000 in Scholarships Redeemed in 2017

Scholarship certificates totaling $5,150 were redeemed by ten sailors and powerboaters in 2017. Scholarship certificates are awarded annually by the Yachtsmen’s Fund to the top finishers at the I-LYA Junior Championship and Junior Power Regatta and through the Szambecki Fund to the top Thistles in the Traveler Series. Winners redeem their certificates when they head off to college. Redemption instructions are available on our website. The 2017 recipients are attending the following institutions:

  • University of Toledo
  • Butler University
  • Miami University
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Bowling Green State University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Cornell University

I-LYA Sailors Experience Sunshine and Saltwater at Orange Bowl

Six I-LYA junior sailors took advantage of Yachtsmen’s Fund Challenge Team travel grants to help finance their participation in the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta held December 26-30th at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, Florida. Sara Schumann (Opti-CLSA), Grace and Ryan Squires (C420-HSC), Barrett Hall and Matthew Mrocca (C420-NCYC), and Reagan Lessick (radial-ECSC) had four great days of racing on Biscayne Bay. Results are available online by clicking HERE. Also making the trip was Siri Schantz (radial-HSC) and Ian Moran (I420-EWYC) who participated in the 2017 Open Orange Bowl Regatta held the same days out of Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

Warm Weather Racing at Orange Bowl in Miami…

Siblings Grace & Ryan Squires from Hoover Sailing Club in 7007 at Orange Bowl
Matthew Mrocca & Barrett Hall from North Cape Yacht Club enjoy big breeze while sailing on Biscayne Bay in Miami
Sara Schumann from Cowan Lake Sailing Association is actively campaigning in the Opti
Reagan Lessick from Eagle Creek Sailing Club & Siri Schantz from Hoover extend their 2017 season by racing their Laser Radials at Orange Bowl.