Author: mysail

The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club hosts the Blakely Rock Benefit Regatta (BRBR) every April from Shilshole Marina, around Blakely Rock, and back.  They also hold a silent raffle the night before with products and services from a variety of sponsors.  The proceeds from that raffle are then donated to a local charity.  It is a really cool concept that has been roundly received by sailors throughout Puget Sound.

MY SAIL is excited to announce that the Sloop Tavern YC selected MY SAIL to be the recipient of those charity proceeds for 2019.  Previous recipients are some very prestigious organizations, so MY SAIL is in good company.

We are super excited about our selection for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the funds we receive will be infused into local sailing programs and take these programs to the next level.  In addition, the BRBR and Sloop Tavern YC are both highly respected with a high-profile legacy that will bring MY SAIL’s mission to thousands of people.

Thank you STYC!  We look forward to blowing the doors off this thing, and making it the best regatta to date!!

This F-18 was used by a little old lady to sail to church on Sundays…and the F-18 Worlds going on right now in Sarasota, FL.

Shout out to Goodall Design, makers of the C2.  Goodall is auctioning off not one, but two, C2s for delivery after the Worlds finish at the end of the week.  But the really cool part, and the whole reason you are reading about this, is because they are supporting MY SAIL!!!

A portion of the proceeds from the sale (sail?) of the two sexy boats will be donated to MY SAIL Foundation.  Those proceeds will, in turn, be used to help N. American youth learn, sail, race, and play more on multihulls!  Thank you, Greg (Goodall), as well as Jill Nickerson of Red Gear Racing for making this happen.  This one really floats our boat!!

So if you have a knack for a new C2, get on their website for the live, worldwide auction and get yourself one of these hot, new boats.  You’ll be supporting multihull youth sailing in the process.  This is one of those events where coming in second is a winner!!

One of the functions of MY SAIL is to support youth (and almost youth) teams in their quest to compete at levels higher than just the local regattas.  Besides the obvious, incredible, sailing experience gained at these highly competitive events, the youth also learn a ton about goal setting, budgeting, and a host of other life skills.

MY SAIL sponsored 3 youth teams into the 2018 H-16 N. American Championships in Navarre, FL.  Below is the report from the highest ranking youth team — 11th out of 67!  (Boat #6 in photo.)

“Returning home after the Hobie 16 North American Championship, recently held in Navarre Beach,Fl, was certainly bittersweet. After a week of tough racing and a 25 hour drive each way I was excited to get home and finally enjoy a full night sleep in my own bed, but I wasn’t excited to go back to “real-life”. Coming home on the long drive did allow me to deeply reflect on the event and our performance as a team. Finishing in 11th place overall in a fleet of 66 was not something we had even considered asa possibility coming into the event, our goal was to place in the top 25, and as I drove home I kept thinking about how much more was possible for us as a team if we kept working to become better sailors. Though Caden and I sailed far and above our expectations, we still learned many valuable lessons, pertaining both to our performance on the water and our team organization off the water.

“On the water we had just three goals for every race; have good starts, sail clean, and and have consistently good scores. For the majority of the races held in the first three days of racing during the qualifier series we were able to achieve all of these things, our stars on all but two races were excellent, we were able to finish inside the top ten in all but 2 of the 8 races held in that portion of the regatta, and aside from one incident on leg 1 or race 1 where we had to do a penalty turn we managed to sail the rest of the regatta without commiting a foul. So at the end of day three we were sitting in 7th, which was both incredible and incredibly stressful, but we decided if we kept fulfilling our goal we could maintain our position. However he first two races held in gold fleet were our worst of the regatta. Two terrible starts and two very bad scores sent us out of the top ten. On the final day of racing we managed to salvage our regatta, finishing the last race with a 5. Getting a top 5 finish in gold fleet at a north americans for me was a very proud moment, and it managed to bring us just one point outside the top ten. After all was said and done, we managed to exceed our expectations and goals for this event and then some, and we are hoping to keep our momentum going next season.”

You don’t get that kind of a letter from the IRS every day!

Yesterday we received a letter from the IRS approving our application for tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)3!  That means people can make contributions to the foundation either in the form of cash or boats/equipment and receive a receipt as a tax-deductible donation.

So if you have been chomping at the bit for a funding source to support youth multihull sailing, well, chomp no more!  See our website for instructions on how to make a donation.

This was shared with me today from Steve Murray of Murray’s Marine (a great guy and a great sailing shop):

Are we focused on FUN . . . first ?

GUEST COMMENTARY

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THE SECRET TO RAISING A PRODIGY (#5095)
In addition to giving kids early and fun access to the water via sailing dinghies, I don’t see almost any kids putting around in prams and skiffs with small outboards.

From the moment I got my “trusty” British Seagull 40+ engine around the age of nine, I was on the water at every opportunity, exploring Santa Cruz Harbor and Sierra lakes, trailed by an unfortunate blue haze of traditional outboard exhaust.

I learned about engine maintenance (thank you, British Seagull!), rules of the road (avoid larger vessels), patience (no planing), and the joy of being in complete control of one’s course and destination. That experience brought out the Tom Sawyer (and occasionally the Huck Finn) in my early boating.

A frequent reason for US Sailing Level 1 instructor candidates to not pass the certification on the first try is a lack of powerboat skills, which are obviously vital for sailing coaches. I can understand why: while most prospective coaches may have had access to Optis, El Toros, and CFJs, they may not have experienced the delight of powered dinks.

Seems like it would be a hell of a popular junior yacht club activity, but perhaps I am trying to re-introduce the buggy whip…
– Chuck Hawley

This was put out a few years ago from a kid’s perspective:

1. To have FUN!
2. To improve skills.
3. To make new friends.
4. To be good at something.
5. For excitement.
6. To get exercise.
7. To play as part of a team.
8. For the challenge.
9. To learn new skills.
10. To win.

Research shows children always put FUN at the top of their list. Let’s remember why our children want to play sports, and we’ll all end up winning!
– Mark Lammens

Thanks to Jo Seuk for creating our new logo.  It’s clean.  It’s bright.  It’s easy to read.  We like it!  Hopefully you do, too.

We are incredibly excited to announce that Multihull Youth SAIL Foundation (MY SAIL) has applied to the IRS for non-profit, 501(c)3 status as a tax-exempt, non-profit foundation.  From our by-laws:

“Purpose

“The purpose of the Foundation shall be to introduce and support multihull dinghy sailing and racing to youth and adults under the age of 25 (hereinafter referred to as ‘Youth’.  However, Foundation activities may also target adults over the age of 25.   The Foundation’s activities should be limited to no more than 25% of the Foundation’s annual schedule and/or budget.

“The Foundation will seek to encourage Youth in multihull sailing and racing through fun events, clinics, and regattas. ”

We are still in our infancy, putting the final touches on legalities and such.  Expect more announcements here in the future.  (And bookmark this page!)