Club News


Warrior Sailing Program Graduates Race in SCYA Midwinters

By Emily Willhoft | March 22, 2017
Warrior Sailing Program Invovlement Warrior Sailing Program Donations

Every crewmember brings their own story to a boat.

One of the most impressive aspects of San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) is the amount of events that the club hosts. Race organizers are out on San Diego waters for 46 weekends out of the year, meaning that thousands of sailors in Southern California participate in regattas large and small, prestigious and recreational, buoy and offshore, adult and junior. At the Southern California Yachting Association’s Midwinter Regatta on February 11 & 12, 2017, accomplished skippers sailed with their reliable crewmembers, which ranged from the current SDYC Commodore to military veterans who had only learned how to sail a few months earlier. 

The Warrior Sailing Program (WSP) was founded in 2013 with a mission to introduce wounded, ill, and injured military and veterans to the sport of sailing. The program includes opportunities ranging from introductory level sailing to world championship competition. For the past two years, San Diego Yacht Club has had the pleasure of hosting the three-day Warrior Sailing Basic Training Camp to teach veterans the basics of sailing. SDYC is one of several yacht clubs throughout the country that hosts this program, and is the first club on the west coast to do so.

The participants come from all branches of the military and have varying injuries that include but are not limited to limb loss, traumatic brain injuries and Post Traumatic Stress. During the camp, participants sail together in teams of three on J/22 sailboats, with an on-board professional coach accompanying each team. During the camp, SDYC’s J/22s are equipped with adaptations to meet the needs of each disabled sailor.

The program’s co-founder, Jen French, is a Paralympic medalist and a major source of inspiration for WSP participants and veterans. “Being on the water, free from outside distractions, our Warrior Sailors are able to reconnect with others with similar backgrounds. Often when we talk to our participants they comment that their time in service was about the person to their left and to their right. Working together in small teams toward a common goal is a perfect way for our participants to revisit the camaraderie that was inherent in their military service.”

Select graduates join the Warrior Sailing Advanced Training to learn racing skills, have the opportunity to earn a keelboat certification and compete in open and disabled racing events both across the country and around the world. SCYA’s Midwinter Regatta was one of these regattas that had an opportunity for five WSP graduates- Eli Arroyo, Joe Morrison, Chris Peacher, Jordan Ohara and Lisa Kukula- to race.

Three J/120s (caper, CC Rider, and Hasl Free), one Beneteau 36.7 (Kraken), and one Flying Tiger (Ruckus) offered openings for warrior sailors to crew on their boats, a big step for these graduates for two reasons. These boats are much larger, both in length and crew size, than the J/22s that the warrior sailors initially learned their sailing skills on. Secondly, many had never sailed in the ocean.

Not only were all five warrior sailors successful in their first racing experience, but one graduate was even presented with an award for sailing on a boat that placed in its class. Kraken placed second in the Beneteau class and the warrior sailor on crew, Eli Arroyo, was presented with the boat’s trophy, by Kraken’s Captain.

Arroyo described the WSP camp as an “amazing experience” and said it thoroughly helped prepare him for competing in an official race. “It was a great opportunity for us to be part of a team participating in a real race. A chance to put my training into real practice.”

One of the ultimate goals of the WSP, both at training camp and in races, is to help these veterans with their transition back into the community.

The Warrior Sailing Program will return to San Diego Yacht Club in June 2017 where a new group of veterans will learn the sport of sailing, with the hope they will also apply these new skills to racing one day.

There are many ways to help support the Warrior Sailing Program in their efforts to help provide unique and life changing opportunities for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. Please click here to learn more about the ways to get involved with the organization and click here to donate directly.