Reflections from the President

by Tom Hubbell

A Tale of Two Teammates

I struggled to return to reality after the second Florida Thistle regatta. We had so much fun! Kathy, at 24, perpetually happy and energetic kept the old guys on our toes. Mark, our rock star teammate, started thinking and planning the day on the water as soon as his eyelids popped open in the morning.

After a not-so-great weekend long ago I realized that the first step to enjoyable racing is a compatible, enjoyable team. No matter how intensely you race, there is a lot of time to pass in the boat, in the boat-park, and on the road with your teammates. I became aware that it’s the playmates that count and everything else is secondary.

US Sailing at Charleston Race Week

US Sailing had a blast last week with the competitors and organizers of the Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week. Here is a rundown of US Sailing’s participation in Charleston:

• Groupe Beneteau sponsored scholarships for 21 educators working in at-risk schools in Charleston and Marion County South Carolina for the US Sailing STEM Educator Course held last Saturday in association with Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week.
  
• At the welcome reception, US Sailing Executive Director Jack Gierhart discussed the benefits of Reach and the program’s long term goals. 
   
• US Sailing served free coffee and espresso to competitors each morning at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina's Reel Bar. US Sailing President Tom Hubbell was on-hand meeting sailors. Coffee and espresso was provided by Francisco Davila’s Coffee Roasters of Charleston. US Sailing members were given one pound of fresh roasted coffee. We served 970 cups of coffee over three days!
   
• Race committee volunteers Carol and Ken Small of Oriental, N.C. won the the GoPro Hero3 raffle prize.

Check out our photos from Charleston Race Week on Instagram.
 
Learn more about Charleston Race Week.