Reflections from the President

By Tom Hubbell

All of the staff and board members at US Sailing hope that you have good clean start on a happy New Year.  I'm hoping to match the fun we had in 2012.


I was fortunate to spend 76 days on the water:

•    70 Thistle races in a dozen places ranging from St. Pete to the Adirondacks and Indiana to the Chesapeake  
•    20 fleet races at Chautauqua Yacht Club in our C-Scow
•    Raced a day in J/22s at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco
•    Sailed various “just for fun” boas.
•    Cruised the waters off Mount Desert Community Sailing Center in Maine and on Narragansett Bay from Sail Newport. 

Besides a lot of great days of sailing, and a few hot, windless ones, I had the pleasure of spending many days with 30 different, really fun people on the water. While it's true that most of the time we talked about the wind and sailing the boat, or I pretended to be a sailing instructor, we also enjoyed each others company and chatted about everything from porpoises, to clouds and rainbows, to approaching thunderstorms, to kids and parents, to politics and religion. I think we're all the better for it.

My passion for sailing drives me to share it. US Sailing delivers a remarkable menu of programs and services to sailors and clubs and community programs. My mission consists of growing the sailing experience for anyone with a drive to learn, whether that person is a novice or a hopeful Olympian.  

Your sailing growth-experience could start this month with the One-Design Sailing Symposium, which took place last weekend, and the National Sailing Programs Symposium, later this month in Clearwater, Fla. The NSPS brings together the sailing instruction community and program directors to share expertise. These two groups generate a lot of energy about growing the sport. Check the website for details.

I hope you will join me in planning an exciting 2013 full of sailing adventures with friends. As you improve your own skills as a sailor, at the same time lift your friends in the sailing community to a new level of talent and participation. US Sailing stands ready to work with you to make it happen.

Tom Hubbell
President, US Sailing