Ready to tack,” Chris said, nodding to our nephew Truman, who sat cross-legged in front of me, his eyes wide with anticipation.

At just 10 years old, Truman was now the same age Chris had been when he started racing in the High Sierra Regatta with his father. I was witnessing the proverbial tiller pass from one generation to the next as Truman scrambled into the cabin of our Victory 21, Geronimo. Moments later, with the maneuver complete, he popped back up like a seasoned crewman and found his place on the rail, just as Chris had instructed him. The transition was almost second nature.

“He’s good blood ballast,” I quipped, chuckling as our sensitive little boat responded favorably to the added 80 or so pounds. Every bit of weight and inch of adjustment makes a noticeable difference, as the elders of our fleet have been telling us for years.

This race was special for many reasons. Chris and I have been sailing together for 10 years, but this was our first regatta with a third crewmember. Let’s just say that in years past, the way we conducted ourselves was not exactly conducive to having little ears aboard. This year, though, something had changed. Maybe we were still riding the high of our second-place finish aboard Avocet in the Banderas Bay Regatta in Mexico, or maybe we were ready for a new chapter. Either way, we were thrilled to have Tru on the water with us—and after two solid fourth-place finishes, we were certain it wouldn’t be our last regatta as a crew.

After our final race (which ended in a photo finish), Chris handed over skipper responsibilities to Truman, who navigated us back to the marina. Watching him, you could see the subtle shifts in his focus—the way his small hands guided the tiller with growing confidence, his eyes locked on the telltales as he read the wind’s subtle shifts. His voice, though young, rang out with the command we’d taught him—“ready about”—both timid and confident in equal measure.

Chris and I were in awe of his raw talent, but there was no real surprise that he was a natural. After all, he has Neely blood in him. It’s about 80 percent salt water and 20 percent  wanderlust. Chris spent his formative years sailing with his family on Sea Castle, a Mason 43, navigating San Francisco Bay. His older brother Jon later bought his own bluewater cruiser, the Hans Christian 33 Prism. Sailing was more than a pastime—it was a family tradition, a bond forged through wind and waves.

Back in 2021, when Chris and I cast off for cruising adventures on Avocet, our Cheoy Lee 41, we promised ourselves that summers would always be spent back home, anchored in family. Part of that promise meant making lasting memories with our nephews before they grew up. During those sun-soaked summers, we noticed Truman’s natural affinity for sailing. His comfort with the elements came so easily that Chris and I offered to foster that talent.

After securing approval from Truman’s parents, we set out to find a boat that he and his brothers could call their own. Something small but capable where the boys could learn and grow as sailors. Our search led us to an International 14—a classic choice.

I’ll never forget the sheer excitement in Truman’s eyes on Christmas morning when we unveiled it. The boys christened it with a splash of soda on the bow and the name Bluey on the stern. Since then, the whole family has enjoyed countless sails on California’s Huntington Lake. Truman’s love for sailing has only grown, fueled in part by his time at Gold Arrow Camp, which holds its own legacy of sailing on those same waters.

I often look at old photos of Chris at that same camp, stretched out on a Sunfish with the unmistakable Neely grin and zest for spending time on the water. I see the same sparkle in Truman’s eyes.

“And in fifth place, the crew of Geronimo!”

The sound of applause brought me back to the present. Chris was off helping friends load their boat onto a trailer, so Truman and I made our way to the front of the crowd. The trophy wasn’t for first place, but the sense of accomplishment glimmered all the same.

I held the microphone and thanked the fleet for nurturing our love of sailing as well as the budding passion of our new crew. I said that I hoped to see Truman on the water again next year, continuing the family tradition.

This regatta marked the beginning of something new. Our journey now had a third crewmember to share in the adventure—someone to help carry the legacy forward.

Who knows? Maybe someday Truman will help our future kids, his cousins, learn to sail, passing on the same knowledge and love for the water that we’ve shared with him. Sometimes, you just have to pass the tiller.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Harvard University captured the 2025 College Sailing Match Race National Championship on Sunday, November 17, completing an undefeated run to secure the title and cap a successful fall season.

The championship, hosted by the University of South Florida Sailing and The Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, was contested in light-air conditions, testing the teams’ boathandling and tactical acumen throughout the weekend.

“Winning College Sailing Match Race Nationals was a rewarding conclusion to a successful fall season after winning ACCs and the NEISA Fall Championship,” said Justin Callahan, a sophomore on the squad. “This team means everything to me. Having my twin brother, Mitchell, by my side made the victory all the more meaningful, along with Kate and Harrison, who competed with me in Poland this summer where we earned bronze for the USA at the World Championship.”

Head Sailing Coach Mike O’Connor praised the team’s growth and execution. “I’m very proud of our team. They learned some hard lessons at this regatta last year. They used simple tactics and excellent boathandling to control their opponents,” O’Connor said. “They analyzed the race course properly in every race. They took advantage of every opportunity.”

College Sailing extended its congratulations to all the sailors and teams competing. The top finishers at the championship included:

• College of Charleston
• Tulane University
• Boston College
• Georgetown University
• Brown University
• Roger Williams University
• United States Naval Academy
• University of Illinois
• Stanford University

Special thanks were given to University of South Florida Sailing and The Saint Petersburg Yacht Club for hosting the championship.

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The College Sailing Singlehanded National Championships concluded in Norfolk with standout performances from Cornell and Harvard sailors. Cornell’s Gilda Dondona ’28 won the women’s title, marking the first singlehanded national championship in program history, while Harvard’s Robby Meek ’27 secured the open championship with consistent top finishes.

The regatta was defined by patience and light-air mastery. Competitors faced 8-13 knots from the west-northwest on arrival, but the wind shifted and faded quickly, leaving the first race in very light air. Harvard opened the weekend strong, with Meek and defending champion Sophia Montgomery ’25 posting early wins. Meek had earned an automatic berth this year by winning The Monotype Trophy: NEISA Open Singlehanded Championship, and he finished 27 points ahead after 11 races, with five wins and no finish outside the top three.

Saturday featured a second race at sunset, providing a scenic backdrop, while Sunday brought 6-8 knots from the southwest before dropping further. “It wasn’t the breeze we would expect this time of year in Norfolk,” said Mitch Brindley, head coach at Old Dominion University. “However, the variable conditions were a great test for the fleet. Having great light-air boat handling was a must.”

Dondona reflected on her milestone victory: “I feel so grateful to be a part of sailing with the best athletes in the nation! The team and I have put so much work into this. The conditions were challenging but also my favorite, and I think that gave me an edge. I’d like to thank my parents, my team and the athletes for making this such a special moment!”

Harvard’s coaching staff also praised Meek’s performance. “Robby sailed a fantastic regatta,” said Bern Noack, associate head coach. “He showed he is truly world-class in the ILCA in those conditions. He put in a lot of hard work over the summer, and it really paid off. We are super proud of him.”

College Sailing extended congratulations to all competitors and thanked official suppliers Zim Sailing and West Coast Sailing for their support, along with Old Dominion University Sailing for hosting.

Looking ahead, the College Sailing Match Race National Championship will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida, November 15–16, 2025, continuing a busy fall season for youth and collegiate sailors.

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Sint Maarten’s next generation of sailors delivered a standout performance at the 2025 Caribbean Dinghy Championship, earning second place overall in the Nations Cup and podiums in every fleet they entered. The event was hosted by Antigua Yacht Club from October 24–26.

Six sailors represented the Sint Maarten Yacht Club across Optimist, Topper Fusion, and ILCA fleets, and their consistency put the team just behind host nation Antigua and ahead of other regional programs.

Results

• 1st Optimist: Nathan Sheppard
• 1st Topper Fusion (Double-Handed): Oskar Jarrett Versteegden and Adilyn Treadwell, with Paola Lapierre crewing on Day 1
• 3rd ILCA 4: Harper Treadwell
• 3rd ILCA 6: Massimo Lapierre

“This year’s results show how hard our young sailors have worked,” said SMYC Racing Coach Sam Peeks. “We are so proud of how they represented Sint Maarten not just through their results, but also through their great attitude and sportsmanship.”

In true island-sailor style, the team made an offshore passage to the regatta as well, sailing from Sint Maarten to Antigua aboard a monohull. The trip served as both training and team bonding ahead of the three-day competition.

The Caribbean Dinghy Championship is organized by the Caribbean Sailing Association and brings youth competitors together from across the region for a mix of national pride and top-level dinghy racing.

For more on the Sint Maarten Yacht Club’s programs, visit smyc.com.

Building the Next Wave of Caribbean Sailors

Youth sailing programs across the Caribbean continue to grow, with island clubs investing in coaching, fleet development, and regional racing opportunities. The Sint Maarten Yacht Club, founded in 1980, runs an active junior program aimed at building seamanship, teamwork, and confidence on the water.

From Optimists to ILCA dinghies, young sailors across the region are gaining offshore experience as well, often through inter-island passages to major events. With regional regattas like the CDC and iconic events such as the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta in their backyard, Caribbean sailors are finding a clear pathway from junior fleets to international racing.

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American sailors made a strong showing at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, bringing home two gold medals and one bronze after four days of racing in Encarnación, Paraguay. The international regatta drew athletes ages 17 to 22 from 23 countries across the Americas, with competition held on the shifting currents and light winds of the Paraná River.

The United States’ medal haul came from standout performances in both iQFOiL windsurfing and ILCA dinghy racing. In the ILCA 7 fleet, Hamilton Barclay won three of his five races to secure gold. Windsurfer Makani Andrews matched that record in the Men’s iQFOiL division, earning a gold of his own. With their victories, both Barclay and Andrews gained automatic qualification to the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

“It feels great. This was the big event I worked toward all summer, and to see it all come together is a dream come true,” Barclay said after the win. Andrews added that competing against close friends from the iQFOiL circuit made the event especially meaningful.

On the final day of competition, Danicka Sailer added to Team USA’s medal count with a bronze in the Women’s iQFOiL class, closing her series with a race win. “I kept it simple: good jibes and good starts. Now I get a pretty cool medal and a little jaguar plushie, so that’s fun,” she said.

In the ILCA 6, Isabella Mendoza Cabezas posted a fifth-place finish, highlighted by a victory in the second race of the series.

Team coach Rosie Chapman praised the squad for its composure in difficult conditions, noting the collective support shown onshore and afloat. “A highlight of the week was watching the team rally together on the final morning to help Danicka rig and see her off the beach,” Chapman said. “It was a real testimony to the team environment. I am proud of these young athletes for their commitment, and the future is bright.”

The sailing portion of the Junior Pan American Games ran August 13–18, with racing completed August 15–17.

With three medals in total, the U.S. sailors left Paraguay with proof that the next generation of competitors is ready to make its mark on the international stage.

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The next generation of sailors in the US Virgin Islands took a confident step forward last week as 22 public-school students graduated from the 4th annual Junior Sailing Summer Program at the St. Thomas Sailing Center, located at the St. Thomas Yacht Club.

Now in its fourth year, the free summer program is a collaborative effort between the Sailing Center and the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA), with financial support from RapierMed LLC, a local healthcare investment group that donates $25,000 annually through VIPCA’s non-profit Marine Rebuild Fund.

“What started with just 14 enthusiastic participants has expanded significantly,” says Bobby Brooks, director of the Sailing Center. “This summer we welcomed 30 youth, including 22 first-time sailors. Eight of our past graduates returned as Counselors-in-Training to guide the new students, helping to foster safety, leadership, and hands-on learning on the water.”

The two-week program, open to students aged 13 to 18 from public schools in the Virgin Islands, offers both land-based and on-the-water instruction. Students began with swimming lessons at the St. Thomas Swimming Association pool before progressing to sail training aboard Hobie Waves and IC24s. Instruction included boat handling, navigation, weather awareness, safety, and teamwork—all delivered by a skilled crew of instructors including Brooks, Spencer LeGrande, Emily Verdoia, and Kasheem Sexious.

On graduation day, proud parents joined their teens for a sail before a beachside certificate ceremony at the yacht club.

“Watching these students complete the program and graduate with hands-on experience in the marine industry is a powerful reminder of how exposure and opportunity can shape futures,” said Trey Goldsmith, COO and General Counsel at RapierMed. “We’re excited to see how they carry these skills forward.”

VIPCA Executive Director Kennon Jones emphasized the greater impact: “This camp teaches teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving. It’s more than just sailing—it’s career preparation, and we are proud to support it.”

Graduates now have access to the After-School Sailing Program, held weekly starting in January and supported by IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande St. Thomas. Many will go on to VIPCA’s Marine Apprenticeship Program, where young adults can earn their USCG OUPV Captain’s licenses and prepare for employment in the marine sector.

For more information on the program or to become a sponsor, visit stthomassailingcenter.com or vipca.org/junior-sailing-summer-program.

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This July, Estonia’s capital will take center stage in Nordic youth sailing as the 2025 Zhik Nordic Youth Sailing Championship comes to Haven Kakumäe, one of the Baltic Sea’s most modern harbors. Hosted by Tallinna Yacht Club (TJK), the weeklong regatta (July 21–26) will welcome around 300 sailors under age 19 from eight countries—making it the largest event of its kind ever held in Tallinn.

Young athletes from Estonia, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, and Latvia will compete in five boat classes: Optimist, ILCA4, ILCA6, Zoom8, and 29er. With more than 300 additional coaches, parents, and fans expected, the championship promises to be both a high-caliber competition and a lively celebration of youth sailing.

Australian performance gear company Zhik returns as the title sponsor. “For us, sponsorship is about more than brand exposure,” said Johannes Polgar, Zhik’s representative. “We’re proud to support the next generation of sailors with meaningful engagement and innovation.”

To foster a true championship atmosphere, organizers will build a dedicated regatta village on shore, complete with live race coverage on large screens, entertainment, food services, and an opening and awards ceremony. Two race courses will be set just offshore, with excellent visibility from Kakumäe’s long breakwater.

For Estonia’s youth sailors, including Helen Pais and Helen Ausman—members of the country’s Olympic talent program—the chance to race internationally at home offers a crucial stepping stone toward future goals. “Competing at this level, in home waters, is an invaluable experience,” the duo shared in a joint statement.

While the Optimist fleet traditionally draws the most attention, this year’s high turnout in ILCA4 and ILCA6 classes reflects the growing momentum behind Olympic development pathways. The 29er class will also feature prominently, with three countries sending teams to test their skills in the fast double-handed skiff.

“This regatta is more than just a race—it’s the starting line for Olympic dreams,” said TJK Commodore Harri Mikk, noting that several past Estonian Olympians began their careers in the very classes racing this month.

Racing begins July 21. Spectators are encouraged to visit the regatta village, follow the action from shore, and cheer on the next generation of Nordic sailors.

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Proteus Yacht Charters has announced a new initiative to help fund youth sailing. Any sailing clubs in the United States or United Kingdom that have, or aspire to have, junior programs are eligible to participate in Proteus Future Sailors.

Each participating club is given a promo code, and for each charter booked through Proteus Yacht Charters with the code, $100 is given to the club to support its junior sailing program.

The company plans to expand the Proteus Future Sailors initiative to Europe and Australia in 2018.

For details, contact future@proteusyachtcharters.com.

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Life is all about ­cruising into second chances for Capt. Michael Long. Without a second chance of his own, this 20-something who once journeyed through Florida’s juvenile justice system wouldn’t have landed in Sarasota’s New College as a public policy/economics major in need of cheap housing.

In 2010, Long swapped his Jeep for a 30-foot sailboat and became an anchored liveaboard without a clue about sailing. The self-taught sailor, with friends as crew, eventually realized the positive impact sailing was having on his life. This sparked the idea for a program that would utilize the life-changing potential of sailing to navigate off-course kids into entirely new worlds. The foundation of SailFuture was laid. Today it’s a well-respected youth intervention program for society’s highest-risk teens.

The success of the initial pairing of college kids with at-risk high-schoolers aboard 420s and FJs inspired Long and co-founders Mark Hunter and Hunter Thompson to gain needed agencies’ permission to test three-day liveaboard cruises. This winning formula resulted in charter school certification, with three months cruising alternating with shore time in SailFuture group homes. Youth referred by the Florida Department of Children and Families are guided by teachers, mental-health counselors and captains. Community service projects, like teaching policemen to sail, are performed in each port of call.

Via connections with the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s boat donation program, SailFuture then became the owner of a 65-foot McGregor fixer-upper. The staff aptly named the vessel Defy the Odds. Their challenge: getting it from Turkey, where it was docked, to Florida. To raise money, Long, Hunter and Thompson launched Vacations with Purpose, a donation-based international charter business, through which they invited donors to come for weeklong sailing adventures in the Med. They raised enough money to make the vessel seaworthy and cover expenses for the delivery home. The boat sailed from Turkey to the Canary Islands in the summer of 2015. A group of eight youth sailed throughout the Canary Islands and Morocco, completing service projects in Casablanca and Rabat. The kids flew home, and the captain and staff made the transatlantic journey in December.

A SailFuture grad recently told a crowd at a Sarasota Yacht Club fundraiser that he was in charge of washing the crew’s logo T-shirts in buckets on the bow of Defy the Odds. When they docked in Casablanca sporting clean shirts, he felt enormous pride, as locals knew the guys were part of a team. At that moment he realized how much the team meant to him — they were his new family.

The Moroccan people affected him, too. Back in his childhood neighborhood, drug dealers had taught him that money meant power, but he realized a wad of cash doesn’t bring you the heart-warming happiness he witnessed among the poverty-ridden people of Casablanca. Another transformed graduate posted on Facebook: “I woke up this morning missing the boat. How can something that isn’t human evoke so many emotions?”

For information about SailFuture and Vacations with Purpose, visit www.sailfuture.org.

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2016 Newport Bermuda Yacht Race finish. HIGH NOON, a Tripp 41 skippered by Peter Becker and crewed by 7 young sailors aged between 15 and 18. sneaks over the St David’s Lighthouse finish line to take elapsed time honours within the traditional fleet.

As the Newport Bermuda Race fleet rushed to the finish line on Monday in the wake of the first-to-finish boat, the powerful 100-foot grand prix Comanche, to the surprise of many they were led by an unusual boat and crew. High Noon, at 41 feet, is fully 59 feet shorter than Comanche and tens of feet shorter than many other entries.

Yet High Noon was the second boat to finish this Newport Bermuda Race. She also was the first finisher to have a traditional design, very unlike the one of the extreme stripped-out Comanche. And consider High Noon‘s unusual crew. Of the 10 sailors, seven are teenagers between ages 15 and 18, sailing alongside three adults.

The story of High Noon 2016 is about new ideas in training young sailors. For decades they sailed only small boats. Enter Peter Becker, who sails out of American Yacht Cub, in Rye, New York. He was an eager 15-year-old when he sailed his first Newport Bermuda Race. “I was the kid on the boat, up on the bow changing sails,” he recalls. Since then he’s done 16 more Bermuda Races and a race from New York to Barcelona, Spain.

Four years ago his teenage children were getting interested in ocean racing, and he came up with a new approach: a unique training program at his club that came to be called the Young American Junior Big Boat Sailing Team.

Every junior on the boat is there because they’re competitive and they want to win the race.” He put youngsters in a J/105 racing in local regattas under the tutelage of himself and other big-boat sailors. It worked so well that the US Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation loaned High Noon to his program to sail in the 2016 Newport Bermuda Race.

“This Bermuda Race will be the culmination of at least three years of work by these juniors,” he said last winter. “First they did overnight distance races, then weekend races, and then they looked for opportunities to sail offshore.” The young sailors underwent hands-on safety training, and some helped deliver boats home after ocean races. They are committed to the project, and so are their mentors.

But it’s not all about winning, said Becker. “The kids are resonating with this. They love big boats. It’s challenging, it’s social, and it’s really inspiring. You get out there and you see the stars overhead and you think, ‘the land is really far away.’”

High Noon‘s 2016 campaign was so ambitious that Becker and his colleague Rob Alexander, recruited a third adult to sail with them to assist with training, Guillermo Altadill, a Spanish sailor who has done ten ’round the world races. When he told the kids they had to change jibs three times in five minutes, they asked him why. Recalled Alexander, “He told them, ‘Because we have to do it, that’s why.'”

Two of those kids were the watch officer’s children, Colin Alexander and Carina Becker. Split-second sail handling was crucial in the race’s constantly fluctuating weather, with frequent changes of headsails and spinnakers. When it was light they went with the Code Zero when sailing close-hauled. When the wind came up, they favored a double-headsail rig for power reaching, sometimes tying in a reef.

They were prepared for heavy weather—each of the young sailors wore a scopolamine seasick patch—but got little of it in the race when, Becker said, the predicted storm “didn’t have much in it.” He credited their strategy of tacking downwind at aggressive angles for the big gains they made in this largely off-wind race, especially as they neared Bermuda.

Preparing for anything, the crew organized in three watches: three or four sailors (young and older) standing watch, another group standing by on deck, and the third resting below. They practiced everything; when the rudder snagged some Gulf weed, the crew knew what to do, most of them heeling the boat to one side while a shipmate leaned over the windward side and poked the weed away with a batten.

Like any boat that’s pushed hard in the ocean for several days, High Noon suffered some damage, but it was minor—a broken block here, some torn sails there—and with no injuries.

One goal was to do well, which they did in a way that became instantly famous. Another was to make the youngsters responsible leaders. “Our job,” Becker said of himself and Rob Alexander, the two parents, “is to help with tactics navigation, and sail selection.” He added, “I’m trying to give these kids the same passion and experience I was exposed to when I was young and sailing with older sailors.”

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