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For the Advancement of Sailing in the Pacific NorthwestOverviewTHE NEW VP & THENEW YOUTHSALING DIRECTORSAFETY ATSEA2024CALENDARNWYRCUPDATEYOUTHLEADERSHIPSYMPSIUMHOW TODONATEWelcome to our new VP, Erin TimmsErin Timms is our new VP and leads the Youth Advisory Panel. She brings a wealth of knowledge as a long-timeboard member and volunteer at Olympia Community Sailing and Seattle Yacht Club. Erin has raised her sons in theNorthwest sailing community and has felt the positive impact it has had on their lives. Erin’s oldest son, Owen, washooked on competing from his first Green Fleet JAM regatta and has just graduated from George WashingtonUniversity where he was captain of the sailing team. Her younger son, Alan, started attending NWYRC Green Fleetevents at age 4 and now sails the ILCA and competes for Olympia High School’s sailing team. Erin has helped shapejunior sailing over the years, being generous with her time as USODA Opti Nationals event chair, chairing USODA NWOpti Champs multiple times, and as the interim co-chair of the 2023 Northwest Youth Racing Circuit. Erin also was anevent organizer of the 2019 ISSA Mallory Doublehanded National Championship, showcasing the PNW to highschools across the country. The junior sailing community is already in Erin’s debt, and she is only growing her role!“I am excited about the growth in youth sailing inthe Pacific Northwest and the new opportunitiesThe Sailing Foundation is bringing forward.“-Erin Timms, VP

Message from our Youth Sailing Director“I am so excited for the future. The Northwest isbursting with potential and is in a great positionto not simply catch up to other regions, but tosurpass them.“-Solvig Sayre, Youth Sailing Director I grew up in Massachusetts in a traditional junior sailing program whilesimultaneously windsurfing. I kept adding more and more sailing as I got older,joining my high school sailing team. When I was in high school, I was also namedthe US representative to the ISAF Youth Worlds and qualified for the US SailingTeam (the team that becomes the Olympic team in the Olympic year). I continuedwindsurfing around the world, representing the US and placing second at the thetrials for the 2012 Olympic Games, while sailing for the Eckerd College SailingTeam. After graduating from college, I pursued competing in the 2016 OlympicGames.As a child, I always played school, so it was a no brainer that I taught anddeveloped the windsurfing program at my local yacht club. When Istopped sailing full time, I started devoting my time into coaching andhave had the opportunity to coach at programs around the country. I wasthe Sailing Director at Texas Corinthian Yacht Club where I grew theprogram from just a handful of junior sailors into a robust program withmany fun and challenging offerings. Prior to joining The SailingFoundation (TSF), I was at St Francis Yacht Club under the Golden GateBridge where I managed and coached all of their junior race teams andwon a North Americans.I came to the Northwest and The Sailing Foundation in June andjumped right in! This summer I went on a listening tour to manyprograms to see what the programs were doing and to learn how thefoundation could better support them. I took a backseat to see all ofthe incredible events that our partner organizations put on for theNorthwest Youth Racing Circuit. I supported where I was needed atthe circuit events and provided free coaching to the sailors who camefrom programs that were unable to support a team with a coach.My focus for the first few years at The Sailing Foundation will be oncoaching and program mentorship, improving opportunities forsailors under 14 years old, and strengthening the series. Theseregional assets are the basis for a strong future. I hope to advanceour youth sailing skills before creating pathways that will launch theregion into the future. I dream of bringing back skiff sailing andintroducing foiling.

The Pacific Northwest is getting an abundance ofsailors out on the water, and I am so excited to be partof developing pathways to prepare sailors for a higherlevel of competition where they can collectknowledge to bring back and share with the region. Ihave been enjoying building partnerships withprograms and look forward to working with them toreach their goals.“TSF's engagement in Safety at Sea training andLifesling research continues to be so important toour sailing community!“-Margaret Pommert, VP and Safety-at-Sea Chair For coaches and program directors, I have been arranging in person one-on-onemeetings to see how to better support each other. The Sailing Foundation will onceagain host the Youth Leadership Symposium on February 10, 2024. The followingday we will host a brand new conference: “Get on Board; How to best support yourjunior sailing program as a board member and volunteer.” I had the idea to bringtogether board members and volunteers based on conversations from my listeningtour. So often board members are isolated from other programs, and I hope this willfoster an exchange of ideas that will help board members in their unique roles. TheSailing Foundation is also hosting a clinic on November 17, 2023, aimed to givecoaches at all points in their careers some tangible takeaways about how to coachtuning and unique aspects of specific boats.The region is doing a great job of fostering high school sailing, and there areopportunities year-round for older junior sailors. Those who are under 14years old are looking for more opportunities, and I am working withprograms to put on events for these sailors to look forward to and motivatethem during their practices. This age group is our future star sailors and ourfuture coaches, so we want to make sure that they are given platforms tolearn and thrive!Safety at SeaThe Sailing Foundation hosted two International Offshore Safety-at-Sea hands-on training courses in the PacificNorthwest in 2023: one in Vancouver, WA, and one on Bainbridge Island, WA. Together, we hosted and certified 180students in these courses! Additionally, The Sailing Foundation provided Lifesling training classes for more than 200participants in locations ranging from Bellingham to Portland.We plan to host our next International Offshore Safety-at-Sea hands-on training course and a refresher course onSunday, February 25, on Bainbridge Island. This US Sailing-sanctioned event is open to everyone, including cruising and racing sailors as well as powerboaters.This course incorporates the latest techniques and information available. Topics include: heavy weather seamanship,medicine at sea, damage control/repair, marine weather forecasting, personal safety equipment, crew overboardrescue, emergency communications, navigation, and more! Safety-at-Sea certification is a requirement for manyoffshore races.

Video summaries of our prior Safety-at-Seacourses can be found here.For more information, and to be notified whenenrollment goes live, visit our Safety-at-Seaweb page.The Sailing Foundation is fortunate to have Margaret Pommert on our Executive Committee. Margaret is our V.P. forSafety at Sea and organizes our annual US Sailing International Offshore Safety-at-Sea training. She is involved innational research in advanced crew overboard rescue techniques and teaches Lifesling classes throughout thePacific Northwest. Margaret chairs the national US Sailing Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal Award Committee whichrecognizes a significant accomplishment in seamanship that has saved a life. This group also collects case studies inrescues for analysis by the US Sailing Safety-at-Sea Committee. Margaret is an appointed member of WA StateBoating Program Advisory Council, providing recommendations on ways to enhance boating safety statewide. Awealth of knowledge, she’s very active in the local boating community, racing, cruising, and promoting Safety at Seaand Northwest Women in Boating.

2024 CalendarNorthwest Youth RacingCircuit UpdateFebruary 10 Youth Leadership SymposiumFebruary 11 Get on Board; How to best support your junior sailing program as a board member and volunteer!Feb. 25 Safety-Sea-CourseSpring Development RegattasJune 8-9 Coach and Opti ClinicJune 22-23 Vancouver Lake FJ RegattaJune 29-30 Bellingham Youth RegattaJuly 8-11 WIND Clinic AJuly 13-14 WIND RegattaJuly 16-20 WIND Clinic BFall Development RegattasPlease go to nwyouthsailing.org for the most up to date calendar.July 20-21 Orcas Island FJ RegattaJuly 27-28 Start and Strategy ClinicAugust 10-11 J.A.M. RegattaAugust 24-25 Northwest Junior Olympics RegattaSeptember 7-8 Octoberfest RegattaParticipation StatisticsAverage Fleet SizeNumber of Skippers by Fleet Who Competedin all Circuit RegattasYou can see that participation in the regattas have doubledsince The Sailing Foundation began managing the NWYRC. *NWYRC was not held in 2020 due to Covid-19You can see that participation in the regattas have doubledsince The Sailing Foundation began managing the NWYRC. *NWYRC was not held in 2020 due to Covid-19

Fleet spread of sailorswho competed in threeor more NWYRCregattas in 2023Only a handful of FJ sailors competed in at least three circuit events.Participation StatisticsThe c420 fleet was invited to CGRA’s WIND Clinic, and it was ahuge success. Skills were built, and there was a clear divide inabilities between the sailors who had participated and whohad not.As seen in the participation charts, the c420 has grown to be aclass that is taken as seriously as the ILCA 6 in the region forcompetitiveness.2024 NWYRC FJ SeriesThe FJ circuit will be composed of a few stand-alone events and jointhe other classes at Octoberfest for a series of events across theregion. Only 4.65% of FJ skippers participated in more than twoevents. Creating a separate FJ series will allow us to engage withmore sailors across a geographic area.With having a separate circuit for the FJs, these sailors will have racecourses better suited for the boat and their level of sailing, but mostimportantly, the coaches will be able to focus on them and bettersupport their learning and safety. The FJ circuit will culminate inOctoberfest with all of the other fleets in attendance.Membership duesThe Northwest Youth Racing Circuit will be instituting an annual fee for 2024.These fees will help support The Sailing Foundation’s effort to provide a bettercircuit by offering more training resources for coaches through the variousconferences held over the winter as well as mentoring opportunities. TheSailing Foundation will also use these funds to help create race committeetraining opportunities so that we can host more high quality events.The annual fee will be $50 and $0 for Green Fleet participants. There will be adiscounted fee of $25 for sailors joining later in the series. TSF is working oncreating an easier pathway for scholarships to cover these and other fees.These membership dues match those of volunteer-run regional circuits (butwe have a paid position that helps organize).

Youth Leadership Symposium 2023“TSF’s outgoing Youth Sailing Director, Andrew Nelson, gave apresentation about current NW youth sailing entitled LookingBackward—Moving Forward and The Sailing Foundation boardwas able to use that opportunity to recognize and thankAndrew for his many years of excellent work growing andconnecting NW youth sailing.“-Haley Lhamon, Youth Advisory Cmte member & Event Chair On January 28, approximately 80 coaches and program leaders (board members, volunteers, team captains, headinstructors) from throughout the northwest gathered at Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle for the first in-personconference for area youth sailing movers and shakers since late winter 2020. Formerly known as The Coaches’Clinic, the officially expanded Youth Sailing Leadership Symposium began with a welcome address by executiveboard leader Dick Rose and then a presentation about current NW youth sailing entitled Looking Backward—MovingForward by TSF’s outgoing Youth Sailing Director, Andrew Nelson. The Sailing Foundation board was able to use thatopportunity to recognize and thank Andrew for his many years of excellent work growing and connecting NW youthsailing.For the breakout sessions, two simultaneous tracks focused on coaching and programmanagement. Each track had five excellent presentations with time in between andduring meals for participants to talk, ask questions, and connect. Coaching topicsincluded tips for teaching rules; best coaching practices; notes from a successful NWyouth alum; and singlehanded Jr. racing—performance, rigging, and coachingtechniques. Program management sessions covered large-scale fundraising, place-based learning via school partnerships, board best practices, how to run a successfulregatta, and how to build a successful youth program. The coaching and programmanagement sessions each concluded with a valuable open discussion. Presentationmaterials are online under the clinics’ tab of the NW Youth Sailing website.2023 Presentation Materials

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time to take these fabulous photos!4817 Lake Washington BLVD NE APT #5Kirkland, WA 98033Your paragraph textTel. (253) 245-9338info@thesailingfoundation.orgAs a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, donations to The Sailing Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent of thelaw. Here are several ways to consider giving:Direct contributions Donation of stock to our endowment Employer based matching for volunteer hours Estate planning In-kind donations Event sponsorship Send us an email at info@thesailingfoundation.org if you have questions or ideas! The easiest way to make a directcontribution is on our website at thesailingfoundation.org/support-usSupporting The Sailing FoundationCorinthian Yacht Club proved to be the ideal central venue with the large downstairs classroom space and the diningroom upstairs for the program presentations and the three meals. During dinner, featured guest speaker Brady Sihpresented about his Olympic 470 path and insights into successful SoCal high school sailing programs.Big thanks to all who volunteered, presented, registered, physically supported, and sponsored this year’s YouthLeadership Symposium! In particular, we’d like to thank CYC Commodore Wanda Creitz, CYC members, and AlexSutter from Fisheries Supply.We look forward to the next Youth Leadership Symposium at CYC, February 10! Stay tuned for registrationinformation.Rusty and Haley Lhamon with college sailingfriend Brady Sih, the keynote presenter