Happy new year from the Sailing Committee! As we head into 2024, the Sailing Committee and subcommittee chairs would like to take this opportunity to inform the membership about the respective missions related to sailing at EYC. These committees are looking for members of any sailing and non-sailing backgrounds to participate and provide input on how we can promote sailing and racing to all members. Please read each subcommittee summary below and reach out to the respective chairs with any questions or to get involved!
Recreational Sailing (“Focus on Fun”) Committee
This committee is tasked with developing and implementing programs for recreational sailing activities, primarily in the club’s fleet of Sonars. This includes learn-to-sail events for families, as well as “adventure” sails and races inclusive of all abilities and sailing backgrounds. The mission of the committee is to make sailing accessible to all Eastern members, regardless of experience.
Chair: Ramsey Hoguet
Offshore Sailing Committee
The Offshore Committee’s mission is to promote offshore sailing in larger keel boats through participation in distance races, overnight races, and buoy racing. The committee will present opportunities for sailors to continue to develop sail handling skills, navigation, weather understanding, safety-at-sea, and to promote camaraderie within the experience of offshore sailing. The committee will look to engage young sailors to introduce them to offshore sailing in larger boats, and help promote and re-introduce older sailors to offshore experiences.
Chair: Clarke Smith
Regatta Planning Committee
The Regatta Planning Committee is responsible for working with various fleets and classes to find events for Eastern to host. This includes regional, national, North American, and world championships in major fleets including Etchells, Stars, J/70 and many more. Once Eastern is confirmed as a host, the committee works to find event chairs to take over the planning and execution of the regatta. The committee works with and builds relationships with class and fleet representatives all over the world, at the highest level of sailboat racing.
Chair: Doug Morgan
Speaker Series Committee
The Sailing Speaker Series works with the History Committee to invite sailing coaches, historians and voyagers to educate and entertain us. Topics range from navigation, authors, voyage preparation, Safety-at-Sea certifications, one-design-racing and vast ocean passages. We also have an occasional series, “The Experts Amongst Us,” to discuss general topics of interest for the membership and local community.
Chair: Toby Reiley
Sponsorship Committee (New!)
The Sailing Committee is looking to create this new subcommittee to fill a gap in funding for hosting major regattas. Cultivating ongoing relationships with sponsors will make it easier for event chairs to secure funding, lessening the burden on sailor entry fees, and providing a heightened regatta experience for members and guests.
No chair yet. Reach out to Sailing Chair Bill Lynn for more info.
Team EYC Committee
Team EYC encompasses all of the competitive sailing that is sponsored by the yacht club. The majority of this includes sending groups of members to home and away regattas to represent EYC in supplied-boat racing, both open and women’s. The committee’s mission is to be competitive and win these regattas, while also promoting racing participation among the membership and making EYC an attractive option for talented sailors looking for a team.
Chairs: Clinton Hayes & Hannah Lynn
Women’s Sailing Committee
The Women’s Sailing Committee focuses on promoting women’s sailing of all levels and types. From beginner to advanced, cruising to racing, our goal is to create as many opportunities for learning and getting on the water. We are always looking for new members!
Chair: Alix Israel
Young Members Committee
The Young Members Committee is designed to both help attract new junior sailing members to join the club, and also host events for existing junior sailing members to get to know each other, utilize the club, and network for future sailing opportunities. We are looking for committee members who want to help plan events and find new junior sailing members!
Chairs: Katie Rodger & Eliza Garry
Youth Sailing Committee
The Youth Sailing Committee provides a rewarding opportunity to be involved with the youngest sailing contingent within the EYC. We collaborate with both the Sailing Director and Youth Sailing Director on the upcoming season’s schedule, programming, and ad hoc events. Whether a junior sailor will be participating for one week or the full season, our goal is to offer a fun and engaging program that accommodates all skill levels and provides exposure to different sailing formats. A highlight of the program in the last few seasons has been the “Big Boat Afternoon,” in which junior sailing participants were invited for an afternoon cruise aboard a generous member’s large catamaran. The committee welcomes additional members, particularly those willing to “spread the word” about programming options for families.
Chair: Matt Cady