MONTHLY CLUB MEETING
Tuesday, September 10: Doors open at 6 p.m. for mixing, mingling, and ordering dinner. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Guests and the public are always welcome!
Dave and Busters in Tempe Marketplace
2000 E Rio Salado Pkwy / Suite 1100 / Tempe AZ 85281
SPEAKER: A consummate veteran of international yachting, Tom Ehman has been at the forefront of many changes and innovations that have transformed top-level sailing into the modern, professional, and more media-friendly sport that it is today. Notably, Tom spearheaded on-the-water umpiring, leading its adoption for the 1988 Congressional Cup in Long Beach and for the 1992 America’s Cup in San Diego. Umpiring is now used in virtually all Match and Team Racing, the Olympic Medal Races, as well as the America’s Cup, SailGP and other professional events.
A former collegiate champion (University of Michigan ’75), and winner of multiple North American one-design championships, he won the USYRU’s Championship of Champions in 1976. At age 25, Tom became the youngest-ever Executive Director of the United States Yacht Racing Union (now US SAILING). During the 90s he was head of the USA’s delegation to the International Yacht Racing Union (now World Sailing) and represented North America on the IYRU Council, as well as serving for eight years as Vice Chair of the IYRU/ISAF Events (Olympic) Committee. One of the world’s first certified International Judges and International Umpires, he served as the sole American member of the Olympic Sailing Jury in 1992 and 1996. Tom started with the America’s Cup in 1980 and has served in many roles, including rules advisor, team executive director, event manager, and Chairman of the Challenger Commission.
He is the only person of longstanding involvement in the Cup who has worked only for American Cup campaigns of the New York, San Diego, St. Francis, and Golden Gate Yacht Clubs. After Golden Gate YC successfully defended the Cup in 2013, he objected quietly but strongly to an American club hosting the 2017 Cup outside of the USA. He resigned as Vice Commodore of Golden Gate YC and joined the Fourth Estate as the Founder, Executive Producer, and Host of Sailing Illustrated. Now in its eighth year and over 700 shows, the twice-weekly live video podcast on YouTube and Facebook has thousands of followers around the sailing world and millions of views. He is a past commodore of Portage Yacht Club, his home club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been a member of the New York Yacht Club having joined in 1981, is a founding and life member of the prestigious Gstaad Yacht Club in Switzerland, and is also a proud member of St Francis Yacht Club, Fort Worth Boat Club and Balboa Yacht Club, where he helps lead the Governor’s Cup TV team.