2007 Lightning Boat Grant - Final Report

I broke the mast in Blue Jacket 11 while I was racing at Cedar Point Yacht Club in the Fall Classic. There we sat, after logging 300 miles on Friday night and getting too little sleep the night before, bobbing around Long Island Sound, in a little boat with no mast. It was a little disheartening. It was a great experience.

It was a great experience because it put this year into perspective for me. Sometimes it takes some trauma to put things back into perspective. Trauma exists when you are sailing upwind in 22 knots of breeze and the mast folds up, especially when it’s not your boat. By the time I was back in the yacht club parking lot I could only look in disbelief.

Since leaving the parking lot I have thought a lot about my summer as a boat grant recipient. Breaking the mast was a low point, but there have been so many high points. Being selected as one of the first boat grant recipients has been a truly incredible experience. I will never forget pure adrenaline rush when I read about the boat grant program for the first time. I read and reread the web page the rest of the day, to make sure it said what I thought it did. It was a dream come true that the program even existed. When Allan Terhune called to tell me I was one of the people lucky enough to get picked for the program I was beside myself with happiness. The experience has been truly rewarding. I sailed 13 regattas, with 15 different people, traveled thousands of miles, slept on several couches, met scores of new people and just had a lot of fun. There have been countless lessons about sailing and life. I thought the program was going to be about becoming a better sailor. As I sit here today, I think I am a better sailor, but I know the program and the Lightning class is about so much more than sailing. Sailing is the

The highlight for me, as far as sailing, also came at Cedar Point, in the Atlantic Coast Championships. Cedar Point runs great regattas, so I put it on my schedule, even though I would be leaving for the event right from the New York State Bar Exam in Buffalo. I was sailing with Billy Healy, my super-star front crew, but needed a third until two days before the regatta. We were lucky enough to sign up a great dingy sailor, Danielle Powers, who was new to Lightnings. Billy and I became friends at our first NA’s, 2000 in Annapolis, he was 13 and I was 16. Ched Proctor won and Bill Fastiggi was second at that regatta. Billy and I were in awe of them. They we both at ACCs. In the second race we rounded the top mark first, Proctor second, Fastiggi third. In the end, the regattas was three races, we won the second two, and finished second overall. It was a complete thrill for us to be able to mix it up with the two guys who were at the top of the class when we started seven years ago. We knew we had come a long way and it wouldn’t have happened without the boat grant program.

The real highlight has been the people of the Lightning class. Three have gone above and beyond to make this year something special for me. Jim MacIntosh has been my biggest supporter. He is always the fourth crew member. He is such a supporter of the class, and the boat grant program, that he provided his new Allen, for the season. He has traveled with us and kept the program going strong all summer. Most of all Jim is always a lot of fun to be around. Mike Healy and Jed Dodge were my two coaches. Jed was in charge of helping me sail better. Mike was in charge of helping me do everything else better. Jed spent the summer trying to race his boat while watching me race mine, so we could dissect every move before the next regatta. Mike spent the summer fielding calls from me. At first the calls were about how to run a sailing program. He did such a good job helping me figure that out that I started asking him about a lot more things. He did a good job helping me figure those out too. I will always appreciate the time and effort the three of them provided to make the boat grant program successful for me.

I have been lived a charmed life this summer because the Lightning Class. The best part of this program, for me, has been the support that I have received from so many great people. It has been a humbling experience to see what other people will do to help me, and the class, succeed. The support has come from people I have known for a long time and people I have never met. Several people said something like “you’re the boat grant kid, if there is anything I can do to help you let me know” – that always made me feel welcome. Four people wrote me great letters of recommendation. Several people have housed the team. One person gave me a spinnaker pole when we broke ours. One offered us his boat for Sunday when we broke our mast. One team gave us half their lunch when we left ours on shore. Many of you have shared your thoughts and ideas. Many more of you have been great friends. Thank you all.