Some sailors, mostly outside of AZ, might think we live in a sailing “wasteland”, but those of us that live here realize that is FAR from the truth.
One more example of how blessed we AZ sailors are is that the US Sailing Board of Directors meets HERE IN AZ every other year for their annual Board of Directors meeting. As US Sailing members, and on behalf of AYC – Arizona Yacht Club, not Annapolis – we get to join in on the fun and information sharing and help welcome them to our fair city.
Several AYC members showed up for the welcome reception at the PV Embassy Suites and it was once again a marvelous opportunity to meet with the leaders of our sport from across the country. Joe Motil took the stage with Gary Jobson to welcome participants, and George Tingom, Tony Chapman and I rubbed elbows with US Sailing leaders like America’s Cup sailor Dawn Riley and rules “Guru” Dick Rose. We had a great time swapping sailing stories and discussing the many common problems in our sport that exist regardless of the kind of boat we sail or where we sail it.
A special feature of the evening – in addition to the awarding of the US Sailing Herreshoff Trophy to Jim Muldoon (CEO of St. Mary’s College in Southern Maryland) – was the unveiling of the “Motil Mark” created by our very own Commodore Joe Motil. My guess is we will see more development and in time you’ll see “Production Versions” of Joe’s simple yet effective Race Mark – The Motil Mark!
When US Sailing is here again – and I for one hope they continue to visit us every two years – I recommend this evening and the event in general as a way to get to know who is “at the helm” of our sport on a national level and to show that AZ sailing is active, alive and well!