Contributors recognized by US Sailing

Jacksonville, FL (January 31, 2019) – The US Sailing Association Award winners for 2018 were recognized today for their contributions to the sport of sailing in the United States during the 2019 National Sailing Programs Symposium.

The 2018 US Sailing Association Award winners are:

• Thomas and Barbara Farquhar (Marion, Mass. / St. Petersburg, Fla.)received the prestigious Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy for their extraordinary contributions to the sport of sailing.
• Steve Maddox (Essex, Md.) received the Timothea Larr Award for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of sailor education in the United States.
• MudRatz Youth Sailing Organization (Stonington, Conn.) received the Captain Joe Prosser Award for excellence in sailing instruction.
• Noel Field (Little Compton, R.I.) was awarded the Harman Hawkins Trophy for his contributions to race administration.
• Mentor Harbor Yachting Club (Mentor, Ohio) received the Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for its excellent planning and execution of the 2018 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship.
• Ed “Buttons” Padin (New Rochelle, N.Y.), Siobhan Reilly (South Salem, N.Y.) and Bill Sandberg (Essex, Conn.), founders of the Robie Pierce Regatta, received the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy for their outstanding contributions to sailors with disabilities and to adaptive sailing.
• Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience (EASE) received the Robie Pierce Award for Outstanding Adaptive Programming.
• Shelby Hatcher (Woodstock, Ga.) received the Van Alan Clark Jr. Sportsmanship Award.
• Carisa Harris-Adamson (San Francisco, Calif.) received the Virginia Long Sail Training Service & Support Award.
• Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami Beach, Fla.) was honored with the President’s Award for special contributions to the sport and partnership with US Sailing.
• Jessica Servis (Ocean View, N.J.) received the Dick Allsopp CREW Award from US Sailing.

Thomas and Barbara Farquhar – Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy
Barbara and Tom Farquhar have been mainstays of the race administration community for over 40 years. They have taught race management, judging and umpiring seminars extensively around the world, as well as given countless volunteer hours to regattas, US Sailing and World Sailing.

Barbara, a former US Sailing Vice President, has been a certified National Judge and National Umpire and is a Senior Race Officer. She served as the Chair of the Race Administration and Judges Committees and has played significant roles with World Sailing’s Judges, Umpires and Match Racing Committees, the Women’s Forum and the Review Board. Her most challenging and exciting job was being the Rules Advisor and team member for America3, the women’s team syndicate for the 1995 America’s Cup in San Diego.

Tom was a member of the US Sailing Appeals Committee and the Race Management Committee for many years and served as chair of each. He is widely recognized as the creator of US Sailing’s Race Officer training program and served as the chairman of the Race Officer Training and Certification Subcommittee for 10 years. He was the Field of Play Manager for the 1996 Olympic sailing venue in Savannah, Ga., responsible for all of the race management, and organized the US Olympic Trials for Sailing in 1996 and 2000.

Tom and Barbara are members of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and the Beverly Yacht Club, and Tom is a past commodore of the BYC. While in Marion, they sailed and raced their Doughdish, a fiberglass version of the Herreshoff 12½, in Buzzards Bay for 40 years.

Steve Maddox – Timothea Larr Trophy
Steve Maddox has been involved with US Sailing’s training programs for a very long time. A National Faculty member for over 10 years, he participated in the development of the Learn Sailing Right! books and the subsequent nationwide retraining of all Smallboat Level 1 Instructor Trainers. He has also been a major contributor to US Powerboating, most notably with the Powerboat Instructor Training programs, which he helped redesign this past year.

Maddox is an active Smallboat Level 1, 2 and 3 Instructor Trainer and a Master Instructor Trainer for the Powerboat program. In addition to his work at the national level, Steve runs multiple courses around the US each year, providing instructor training to hundreds of sailors and annually. His tireless dedication to US Sailing has made him a valuable member of the Training Committee, where he oversees the Regional Training Coordinators. His calm demeanor, attention to detail and keen understanding of student’s needs have earned him respect among his peers.

When not volunteering for US Sailing or US Powerboating, Maddox runs SeaAffinity, a Baltimore-based non-profit organization whose mission statement is “Challenging youth and adults, including those impacted by disabilities, to develop life skills and realize their potential through water related experiences.”

MudRatz Youth Sailing Organization – Captain Joe Prosser Award
The MudRatz Youth Sailing Organization has made an exemplary contribution to improving the quality and safety of the training and instruction of sailors. The organization began in 2013 on a dock in Mystic, Conn., when 10 junior sailors, disappointed that summer sailing had ended, met to go sailing together and called themselves the MudRatz. Five years later, the organization creates unique and challenging experiences for youth sailors.

Program highlights include the launch of a Melges 24 youth sailing program and creation of a girls-only boat, the growth of the Opti team from five to over 35 sailors and the expansion of the Club 420 team from four to 15 boats during the same time. Perhaps their most notable accomplishment has been the development of an offshore team that won the Stephens Brothers Youth Trophy (and won Class 5) in the 2018 Newport to Bermuda Race and was featured on the cover of the Fall 2018 issue of Sailing World.

A core value of the MudRatz is to share sailing knowledge and educate youth on the importance of sustainability. One way they do this is through their signature event, “The Dinghy Race.” The 2018 race attracted youth teams from as far away as Florida and Illinois. For the second time, their volunteer-led regatta earned Sailors for the Sea Clean Regatta Platinum status.

Today the MudRatz have built a sustainable program that is 100% volunteer driven. Half of their ten original sailors are competing at the collegiate level today, and the other half are still sailing in high school. They focus on complementing, rather than competing with, their local clubs, and as a result, those clubs have become part of the fabric of the MudRatz team, helping them grow every year.

Noel Field – Harman Hawkins Trophy
Noel Field has been a supporter of competitive sailing since the early 1970s, when he began judging at college sailing regattas. Dave Perry recalls that “Noel was always very supportive of the collegiate events we ran at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club and generously drove down and judged on many occasions…we were a club program with no adult in sight, so we appreciated his presence in many ways.”

Field served as Chief Judge at scores of events, including the Shields, 470, Interclub, 210 and Laser National Championships. He also served on the juries for the US Olympic Trials in 1976 with Gregg Bemis, in 1980 and in 2006, as well as the 1980 America’s Cup challenger trials. At every opportunity, he has mentored racing sailors and aspiring judges in the rules and best practices in hearings.

Field was a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Yacht Racing Union and the United States Yacht Racing Union, US Sailing’s predecessor organizations, from 1973 to 1978, including stints as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President. He has served on US Sailing’s Review Board since 2003 and was appointed its first Sailor Ombudsman in 2004.

Even more notable than his impressive resume is the gracious and unassuming way he has shared his time and wisdom. He is truly an unsung hero—one of the essential volunteers who keep sailing events running smoothly.

Mentor Harbor Yacht Club – St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy
The Mentor Harbor Yachting Club (Mentor, Ohio) was awarded the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for excellence in race management. The trophy is awarded by the Race Management Committee based on feedback from the participants as well as self-evaluation by the organizers, including the Principal Race Officer and Chief Judge.

The 2018 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy attracted 40 teams from around the country. The young women were coached by a group of top-flight coaches, and a variety of clubs and sailing centers in the area provided race management volunteers and equipment, making it a truly collaborative effort.

Principal Race Officer Jamie Jones, who managed his team through a variety of challenging conditions, praised the efforts of the race management volunteers: “Having the right people in the right places made running this event a snap: our pin boat…was like having a second set of eyes on the bottom of the course. Our outer leeward mark-set boat managed the outside of the course with great efficiency and provided legs that were true and square all weekend, even in shifty conditions.”

The sailors also praised the event experience. Maddie Hawkins, the winning skipper, noted that she and her crew learned how to improve their starts and find the best pressure on the race course and said, “We had a lot of fun at the scheduled activities this week, including the yoga session and the trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Overall it was a really good experience.”

Ed “Buttons” Padin, Siobhan Reilly and Bill Sandberg – Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy
The Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta was first held in 2008 and named after Robie Pierce, a pioneer in developing and promoting adaptive sailing. The Larchmont Yacht Club (N.Y.) and American Yacht Club (N.Y.) co-host this regatta annually, alternating the location each year. Since its inception, over 250 sailors have raced in the regatta on Western Long Island Sound in the clubs’ specially adapted Ideal 18s.

These three chairpersons arrange club and area volunteers for support and establish relationships with several generous sponsors. The event attracts sailors from the United States and Canada who have a broad range of disabilities, both physical and cognitive.

2011 marked the initiation of the Robie Pierce Women’s Invitational. This all-women’s adaptive event is sailed one day before the Robie Pierce Regatta and is the only all-women’s adaptive sailing event in the world.

Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience (EASE) – Robie Pierce Award for Outstanding Adaptive Programming
EASE began in Erie, Pa. in 2001 and is the only adaptive sailing program in the state of Pennsylvania. The program attracts people from the entire tri-state region, including cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. The organization is run by a team of dedicated volunteers led by Kathy and Bren Lindell.

The specially designed Access Dinghies serve sailors with a wide variety of mobility and developmental issues. Several years ago, EASE was chosen to host the Access Dinghy North American Championship, attracting adaptive sailors from both the US and Canada. Vital to the viability of the program are the partnerships and collaborations developed with businesses, organizations and individuals.

Shelby Hatcher – Van Alan Clark Jr. Sportsmanship Award
Shelby Hatcher is an accomplished one-design sailor from Atlanta. She is a five-time Y-Flyer Junior Champion and three-time Y-Flyer Women’s Champion. Beyond her outstanding talent, she is known for putting others ahead of herself. Here is an example of her displays of sportsmanship, related by a fellow competitor at the club’s women’s championship:

An hour before the start, one of the skippers got hurt and I was approached to sail. Neither of us had much experience, but we wanted to participate. Before the third race, the wind picked up and we were having trouble with the jib, so we went in search of Shelby, knowing she would help us. But we couldn’t get the boats close enough to board, nor could we communicate the problem, so we decided to keep sailing around. A short time later, we heard a splash—Shelby had jumped off her boat and swam over to us! She chose to help us instead of going through her pre-race preparations before the final race of the Championship.

This is just one example of her willingness to help fellow sailors. This attitude is exemplified in her comments in a recent newspaper article: “It doesn’t matter what type of boat you sail; sailors are always willing to support other sailors, on and off the water. That brotherhood and family is something that is almost unlike any other.”

Carissa Harris-Adamson – Virginia Long Sail Training Service & Support Award
Carisa Harris-Adamson had a vision for San Francisco to create a world-class sailing location to help grow the sport, provide another avenue for elite sail training and competition and, most importantly, use sailing as a tool to enrich the lives of San Francisco’s schoolchildren and help prepare them for adulthood and citizenship.

With very little besides her passion and perseverance, Harris-Adamson and other elite racing sailors from the Bay Area founded Treasure Island Sailing Center, commonly known as TISC, in the 1990s. She was selected as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and has remained in that role ever since, overseeing the tremendous growth and success of TISC.

Under her stewardship, TISC has accomplished the following:
• Provided scholarships to more than 80% of its youth sailing campers.
• Hosted numerous elite regattas, from the National High School Championships to the 2000 Olympic Trials.
• Started a girl’s empowerment program partnering with Life Learning Academy, a high school on Treasure Island, for underserved and at-risk girls. In two years, what started with 10 girls has blossomed to 230.
• Created a new initiative called “Puddles to Podium” that helps build the base of the pyramid for competitive excellence. While it’s focused on competitive sailing, the initiative is designed to ensure that there are many “on=ramps” and fewer ‘off-ramps” for sailors in their care.

TISC’s diligence in fundraising and grant writing is a model for all community sailing organizations and a testament to the high level of credibility it has built up over nearly three decades.

Here’s a sampling:
• A $43k grant to support a 5th grade STEM program called “Sailing to Save the Sea from NOAA.”
• A $965K five-year award to support their Summer Camp from DCYF (Department of Children, Youth and their Families – City of San Francisco).
• A $50K grant from the St. Francis Sailing Foundation, which is being used to supplement NOAA’s grant for Sailing to Save the Sea.
• In partnership with the St. Francis Sailing Foundation and FAST, the Facility for Advanced Sailing and Technology, TISC is accepting the entire America’s Cup Base structure from Oracle Racing, starting the most exciting chapter in their Puddles to Podium initiative.

Her leadership has helped ensure that TISC will continue to provide opportunities for sailors of all interest and skill levels for years to come.

Elizabeth Kratzig – President’s Award
Through the leadership of Elizabeth Kratzig and the Corpus Christi Yacht Club, host of the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in July 2018, the “Green Team” implemented effective sustainability practices, creating an example for future World Sailing Championships to meet. It implemented many of World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 initiatives, showcasing the dedication, hard work and power of volunteers. It was honored with World Sailing’s 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award at the World Sailing Annual Conference in October.

“The leadership and vision that Elizabeth showed leading up to and during the Youth Worlds in Corpus Christi, to promote and deliver on an ambitious sustainability plan for the event, is a model for each of us involved in sailing programs around the country. The volunteers of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club showed the world that they can put on a first-class regatta while being stewards of the ocean and our environment,” said Cory Sertl, President of US Sailing.

Jessica Servis – Dick Allsopp CREW Award
Jessica Servis has been working at US Sailing for the past six years. Over her time there, she has done remarkable work for the Education Department and all other aspects of the organization.

She has consistently demonstrated exceptional service through her never-ending dedication to the Reach Initiative, US Sailing’s STEM program. She started, fostered and grew this program significantly since it began in 2011, and it is still growing today. Every sailing center and yacht club connected to this program feels valued by US Sailing and is thrilled with the customer service provided by Servis and the people involved with her work.

She started the Hub program, which connects Reach centers with each other in specific regions around the country, strengthening the program even more. Servis coordinated multiple mentor sessions (professional development days) in each region, securing speakers, evaluators and food. She also managed all the grant submissions and reports, compiled data and was a resource to these programs any time they needed additional support.

Her respect for her colleagues both in and out of the office is extraordinary. One example is her organization of the National Sailing Programs Symposium (NSPS) for which she previously served as Agenda Coordinator. The event requires a great deal of pre-event coordination, communication during the event and logistics with staff. Throughout this whole event, she is nothing but courteous, helpful and positive. She values the input of others, considers it thoughtfully and is receptive to feedback at all times.

The Reach program is one example of her standard of excellence and follow-through. Her more recent work in the Education Department managing publications and online courses shows another level of excellence, attention to detail (books, editing, coordination with many staff, etc.) and travel to collect course video footage for online purposes. Her products are well designed and extensively edited, ensuring that customers are satisfied with the outcome. She does not quit until her programs are completed to a high standard.

She works with multiple departments regularly, travels to many events, leads professional development courses and coordinates video and outreach media with many partners, students and videographers. Her output is a testament to how well she works with others despite pressing deadlines and stressful environments.

In 2019, the CREW Award was renamed after the late Dick Allsopp who passed away in November of 2018. Allsopp was a pioneer in powerboating and sailing education, and a long-time contributor and supporter of US Sailing and the sport of sailing.

Source: Jake Fish, US Sailing