US Sailing honors contributors in Captiva

by Jake Fish on 20 Oct 2013 An outstanding list of contributors to the sport of sailing in the U.S. were presented with US Sailing’s highest honors during Friday night’s Annual Meeting Awards Dinner, presented by Rolex, at the South Seas Island Resort in Captiva, Fla. US Sailing recognized these esteemed award winners for their extraordinary achievements in the areas of sailing education, race administration and operations, disabled sailing, safety and overall contributions to the sport.

• David Irish (Harbor Springs, Mich.) received the prestigious Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy for his outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing.

• Magnus Liljedahl (Miami, Fla.) received the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy for his outstanding contributions to disabled sailors and the sport of disabled sailing.

• Peter Reggio (Essex, Conn.) received the Harman Hawkins Award for the major role he has played in the advancement of race administration.

• The Sandusky Sailing Club (Ohio) received the St. Petersburg Trophy for excellence in race management.

• John Rousmaniere (New York, N.Y.) received the Timothea Larr Award for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of sailor education in the U.S.

• Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) and Gary Bodie (Hampton, Va.) received President’s Awards for their service as U.S. delegates to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy – David Irish: David Irish has recently completed his eighth year as an ISAF Vice President. He was significantly involved with integrating governance structure and support of big boat sailing within ISAF. Irish was also involved in competitor classification. He was elected to three, one-year terms as US Sailing President from 1995 to 1997. He also served 16 years on US Sailing’s Offshore Racing Council. In 1961, he founded the Irish Boat Shop in Harbor Springs, Mich. The shop remains in business today and has expanded to two locations.

'I learned a lot along the way about people, racing, and governing the sport,' commented Irish.

Timothea Larr Award - John Rousmaniere: After sailing in the deadly 1979 Fastnet Race storm and writing a book about it, Rousmaniere spoke at Safety at Sea Seminars and has participated in more than 100 safety events across North America. He is a member of US Sailing’s Safety-at-Sea Committee and coordinates the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal program honoring mariners who make rescues.

In 2011, at the request of US Sailing, Rousmaniere reviewed fatal accidents involving a 420 dinghy in Annapolis and an entry in the Chicago-Mackinac Race. These reports inspired widespread discussion and on-water tests in which he participated. His report of an incident in the 2012 Newport Bermuda Race stimulated new thinking about communications and on-board medicine. In 2013, he developed a pilot safety clinic for yacht clubs that was held with US Sailing’s assistance in Nyack, N.Y.

'I have hope for this sport and organization when I see ocean sailors racing along side dinghy sailors, sharing the same spirit,' said Rousmaniere.

Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy - Magnus Liljedahl: Magnus Liljedahl, an Olympic gold medalist and world champion, has dedicated the last eight years of his professional life to providing opportunities and service to disabled sailors in the U.S. In 2005, he created the Paralympic Sports Club, Team Paradise, located at Shake-A-Leg Miami, with the goal of providing expertise to disabled sailors through coaching and instruction. He focused on resources in the research and development of adaptive sailing equipment to compete in national and international events. Participants of his program have reached the podium at the highest levels of competition, including the 2012 and 2008 Paralympic Games. In addition, Liljedahl runs a weekly veterans program for recently injured soldiers.

Award presenter Peter Goldman said, 'With all that he has achieved in life, Magnus would tell you that none of his medals compares to the sense of fulfillment that he has received since he began introducing disabled sailors to the sport of sailing.'

Harman Hawkins Trophy – Peter Reggio: As a certified International Race Officer, Peter Reggio has been involved in the various aspects of race management for the past 35 years, including international regattas for a wide range of boats from the Finn to Maxi yachts. He holds the rare distinction of being the only individual who has served as a race officer for both the America’s Cup and the Olympic Games. In 1999-2000, he served as the Deputy Principal Race Officer for the Louis Vuitton Cup (LVC) and as the PRO for the LVC in 2002-2003 in Auckland, New Zealand. As the PRO for the LVC and the 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain, he was responsible for managing all aspects of the on-the-water events for both regattas – a first for any individual in the same Cup cycle. He served as an International Technical Official (ITO) for the Finn and Yngling classes at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao, China. Reggio returned to the Olympics in 2012 when he was appointed the lead ITO to supervise racing for the Finn and Star classes in Weymouth, England.

Reggio has been at the forefront of creating competitor friendly race management features, many of which have been adopted world-wide. It has been his goal to improve sailors’ overall experiences on the water.

'I am honored to accept this award on behalf of all the sailors I've had the privilege or running races for,' said Reggio.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy – Sandusky Sailing Club (Ohio): The St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for excellence in race management was awarded to the Sandusky Sailing Club (SSC) for its exceptional organization of the 2013 Thistle Class National Championship. The club was requested to host the nationals after Hurricane Sandy severely damaged the original host club. The SSC rallied under short notice to host 109 Thistles during the six-day event in August.

Competitors were enthusiastic in their praise of SSC’s race management. From race committee work to on-shore support, and club facilities to social events, the SSC was commended for their overall professionalism and first-class standing as a national championship host. They also proved to be adequately responsive to challenging wind conditions and stringent class rules. The race committee, led by Principal Race Officer Jim Tichenor, ran a total of 14 races over the course of the regatta. Other key organizers were protest committee chairman George Griswold and regatta chairman and SSC Commodore Surge Vanderhorst.

'There were some trials along the way, but we pulled together some fantastic volunteers to make it all happen,' said Tichenor.

President’s Awards – Cory Sertl and Gary Bodie: Gary Bodie is an ISAF Council member through 2016. He was an ISAF Events Committee member (2008-2012). Bodie served as US Sailing’s High Performance Director and Olympic Sailing Team Leader. He was also a Team Racing Subcommittee member.

Cory Sertl is an ISAF Council member through 2016. She was a member of the ISAF Match Racing Committee (2000-2004) and ISAF Women’s Sailing US Sailing website