Growing the Sport, One Veteran at a Time

WindCheck Magazine provides an update on this very righteous program.

Warrior Sailing is a growing program servicing wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans around the country. Since it began in 2013, Warrior Sailing has hosted 12 training camps graduating over 170 new sailors into the sport.

As a mobile program, Warrior Sailing now offers American Sailing Association certifications and has partnered with over 40 clubs, facilities and centers in sailing locations like Newport, Charleston, San Diego, St. Petersburg and Annapolis, to name a few.

“The key to Warrior Sailing is to expose our participants to the various aspects of sailing while breaking down barriers for both visible and non-visible disabilities,” explained Jen French, Warrior Sailing Founder and a Paralympic silver medalist in the SKUD-18. “Our overall achievement is growing the sport in a fun, safe and inclusive manner.”

“Working to meet the demand for core programming, 2017 is slated to be another year of growth,” French continued. “Warrior Sailing is planning to return to partnering locations and to build new relationships in areas not currently covered. As an official program of the USMMA Sailing Foundation, we leverage the donated vessels to offer unique experiences like competing in Sperry Charleston Race Week, sailing in the Vineyard Cup, or making boat deliveries along the coast.”

“As a non-profit organization that strives to provide training at no cost to our veterans, we are seeking sponsorships, partnerships, fundraising regattas and donations to make the programming happen. For instance, Adam Keyes, a triple amputee Army veteran, is the recipient of the Lockheed Martin Fighting Spirit Scholarship to gain advanced training from Warrior Sailing.”

“More importantly, programming support allows us to impact the lives of our participants. We are changing one life at a time, like Mike Murphy, who attended the Annapolis camp. ‘I never sailed before,’ said Mike ‘and I had the best day of my life.’ Look for us at regattas around the country, or when a training camp is hosted near you. Stop by the docks and thank our veterans.”

For more information: WarriorSailing.org