The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

educational organization that promotes

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

and

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating its value as a hands-on tool for teaching math and science. The organization was established in 2005.

Museum

The National Sailing Hall of Fame was originally housed in the Captain Burtis House, located on the City Dock in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Visitors to the site could participate in on-the-water experiences and learn about sailing history, art and lore. On 1 May 2019, it was announced that the National Sailing Hall of Fame would move from Annapolis to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. In 2019, the National Sailing Hall of Fame purchased the Armory Building in Newport, an historic building with connections to the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

race. The space is being developed into exhibit space, in collaboration with the Herreshoff Museum and the America's Cup Hall of Fame. The new museum open May 10 2022, and is called the Sailing Museum.

Governance

Gus Carlson became president of the board of directors in 2019, succeeding

Gary Jobson Gary Jobson is a sailor, television commentator and author based in Annapolis, Maryland. He is a Vice President of the International Sailing Federation. Gary has authored 19 sailing books and is Editor at Large of ''Sailing World'' and ''Cruising ...

. Effective April 15, 2019, Heather Ruhsam became the organization's executive director, where she also serves as the executive director of the upcoming Sailing Museum.

Honorary Advisory Board

*Betsy Alison *Harry Anderson *Ed Baird *Janet Baxter *Bill Buchan *John Burnham *Malin Burnham *Frank Butler *Paul Cayard *Stephen Colbert *Steve Colgate *Dave Curtis *Mason Chrisman *Dennis Conner *Bruce Farr *J.J. Fetter *Paul Foerster *Gilbert M. Grosvenor *Olaf Harken *Peter Harken *Sally Helme *Halsey C. Herreshoff *Stan Honey *Terry Hutchinson *Bob Johnstone *Rod Johnstone *Bruce Kirby *William I. Koch *John Kostecki *Timmy Larr *Geoff Mason *Buddy Melges *Lowell North *Bill Pinkney *Ken Read *Mark Reynolds *Dawn Riley *John Rousmaniere *Frank Savage *Ted Turner *Dave Ullman

Inductions

The National Sailing Hall of Fame began inducting honorees in 2011. As of June 2020, 88 individuals have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Nominations to the National Sailing Hall of Fame are made online. A nominating committee evaluates all the submitted nominations. Inductees are typically announced in the summer, and the induction ceremony is held in the fall at different locations around the United States. Inductions began in 2011. The 2020 induction ceremony was held virtually in September 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Class of 2011

Note: Inaugural Year *

Buddy Melges Harry C. "Buddy" Melges Jr. (born January 26, 1930) is a competitive sailor. He has earned national and international championships in several classes in conventional sailing and ice-boating. Early life Born in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Melges ...

* Hobie Alter *

Betsy Alison Elizabeth "Betsy" Gelentis Alison is an American sailor who has been voted Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year five times. She was inducted into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011 Sailing history Alison started sailing sunf ...

* Harold Vanderbilt *

Paul Cayard Paul Pierre Cayard (born May 19, 1959) is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

Dennis Conner Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September ...

Nathanael Herreshoff Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (March 18, 1848 – June 2, 1938) was an American naval architect, mechanical engineer, and yacht design innovator. He produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893 and 1920. Biography Herr ...

Ted Hood Frederick Emmart Hood (May 5, 1927 — June 28, 2013) was an American yachtsman and naval architect. He founded the sailmaker Hood Sails in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1952. Hood Sails operated until purchased by Quantum Sails in 2017. Hood fo ...

* Bus Mosbacher, Jr. *

Lowell North Lowell Orton North (December 2, 1929 – June 2, 2019) was an American sailor and Olympic gold medalist. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in the Star class with the boat ''North Star'', toge ...

Joshua Slocum Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wr ...

Olin Stephens Olin James Stephens II (April 13, 1908 – September 13, 2008) was an American yacht designer. Stephens was born in New York City, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massa ...

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...

Charlie Barr Charles Barr (11 July 1864 – 24 January 1911), was an accomplished sailing skipper who three times captained winning America's Cup yachts. Early life Charlie Barr was born in Gourock, Scotland in 1864 and first apprenticed as a grocer before w ...

Class of 2012

*Peter Barrett *Bob Bavier, Jr. *F. Gregg Bemis *

Stan Honey Stan or STAN may refer to: People * Stan (given name), a list of people with the given name ** Stan Laurel (1890–1965), English comic actor, part of duo Laurel and Hardy * Stan (surname), a Romanian surname * Stan! (born 1964), American author ...

*Bruce Kirby *

John Kostecki John Paul Kostecki (born July 7, 1964) is an American competitive sailor of Polish descent. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started his sailing career in the San Francisco Bay, California. Events World Championships Kostecki won a n ...

*Mark Reynolds * Roderick Stephens Jr. *

John Cox Stevens John Cox Stevens (September 24, 1785 – June 13, 1857) is best known for founding and serving as the first Commodore of the New York Yacht Club as well as being a member of the ''America'' syndicate which, in 1851, won the trophy that would beco ...

Class of 2013

John Alden John Alden (c. 1598 - September 12, 1687) was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, US. He was hired in Sou ...

Tom Blackaller Thomas David Blackaller, Jr. (January 6, 1940 – September 7, 1989) was a world-champion American yachtsman, America's Cup helmsman, sailmaker, and racecar competitor. He was a two-time world champion in the Star class keelboat, a world champio ...

, Jr. * Bill Buchan *

William Starling Burgess William Starling Burgess (December 25, 1878 – March 19, 1947) was an American yacht designer, aviation pioneer, and naval architect. He was awarded the highest prize in aviation, the Collier Trophy in 1915, just two years after Orville Wright w ...

*Frank Butler *Runnie Colie, Jr. * Dave Curtis *

Timothea Larr Timothea "Timmy" Larr is a naval architect and three-time winner of United States Women's Sailing Championship. She was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013. She is also known for her work in developing training programs for s ...

Morris Rosenfeld Morris Rosenfeld (Yiddish: מאָריס ראָסענפֿעלד; born as Moshe Jacob Alter; December 28, 1862 in Stare Boksze in Russian Poland, government of Suwałki – June 22, 1923 in New York City) was a Yiddish poet. His work sheds light ...

* Stuart H Walker

Class of 2014

*Harry Anderson, Jr. *

Nathaniel Bowditch Nathaniel Bowditch (March 26, 1773 – March 16, 1838) was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book '' The New American Practical Navi ...

*Carl Eichenlaub, Jr. * Olaf Harken * Peter Harken *

Lewis Francis Herreshoff L. (Lewis) Francis Herreshoff (November 11, 1890 – December 1972), was a boat designer, naval architect, editor, and author of books and magazine articles. Early in his career he worked for the Herreshoff Manufacturing and for naval archite ...

* Jim Kilroy * George O'Day

Class of 2015

*Steve Colgate * JJ Fetter *

Paul Foerster Paul Jeffrey Foerster (born November 19, 1963, in Rangely, Colorado) is an American sailor. He received All-American honors three times from the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association sailing for the University of Texas at Austin and competed a ...

*Jan Gougeon *Meade Gougeon *Sam Merrick

Class of 2016

Ed Baird Phillip Edward "Ed" Baird (born May 17, 1958) is an American sailor. He was a coach of the 1995 America's Cup-winning Team New Zealand and a helmsman for the 2007 America's Cup-winning Alinghi syndicate. Growing up in Florida, Baird raced in ...

*Malin Burnham *Bill Ficker * Harriet Electa "Exy" Johnson *

Irving Johnson __NOTOC__ Irving McClure Johnson (July 4, 1905 – January 2, 1991) was an American sail training pioneer, adventurer, lecturer and writer. Johnson was born in Hadley, Massachusetts, the fifth child of the writer Clifton Johnson (author), C ...

*Bob Johnstone III *Rod Johnstone *Tom Perkins *Dave Ullman

Class of 2017

*Bill Bentsen *Ray Hunt *Bill Martin *Clarkie Mills *Robby Naish *Corny Shields * Randy Smyth *

Tom Whidden Thomas A. Whidden is one of the most-acclaimed sailors of all-time. He is a member of both the America's Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Whidden joined North Sails, the world's largest sailmaker, in 1986, just before being ...

Class of 2018

* John Scott Biddle * Vincent D'avila Melo "Vince" Brun * George Stravos Coumantaros * William Ingraham "Bill" Koch * James Martinus "Ding" Schoonmaker *

William Henry Webb William Henry Webb (June 19, 1816 – October 30, 1899) was a 19th-century New York City shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's first true naval architect. Early life William Henry Webb was born in New York on June 1 ...

Class of 2019

* Captain John Bonds * Thomas F. Day * Robbie Doyle * Buddy Friedrichs *

Allison Jolly Allison Blair Jolly (born August 4, 1956) is an American sailor and Olympic champion. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, Jolly began sailing at the age of 10 and attended the Florida State University where she won the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Ass ...

Donald McKay Donald McKay (September 4, 1810 – September 20, 1880) was a Canadian-born American designer and builder of sailing ships, famed for his record-setting clippers. Early life He was born in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, on Nova Scotia's ...

* Everett A. Pearson * Doug Peterson * Herbert Lawrence Stone

Class of 2020

* James E. Buttersworth * Gordon Douglass * Robbie Haines Jr. * Bill Mattison * Dave Perry *

John Rousmaniere John Rousmaniere is an American writer and author of 30 historical. technical, and instructional books on sailing, yachting history, New York history, business history, and the histories of clubs, businesses, and other organizations. An authori ...

* Diane and Hoyle Schweitzer

Class of 2021

* Alexander “Red” Bryan and Cortlandt “Bud” Heyniger * William Carl Buchan *

Augie Diaz Agustín Díaz (born June 6, 1954), known as Augie Diaz, is an American sailor and world-class competitor in the Snipe, Star and Laser classes. He is the son of Gonzalo Diaz, who sailed for Cuba at the 1959 Pan American Games. He began sailing ...

* Gilbert Gray *

Lynne Jewell Lynne M. Jewell (born November 26, 1959, in Burbank, California) is an American sailor and Olympic champion. Jewell attended Boston University and while there participated in competitive yachting. She was the Yachtswoman of the Year of the New Y ...

* Stephen Luce * Jane Wiswell Pegel *

Dawn Riley Dawn Riley (born July 21, 1964) is an American sailor, and a pioneer in the sport of sailboat racing. She is in the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the international America's Cup Hall of Fame. The youngest and only female to be a 'dual-famer ...

* Richard “Dick” Rose

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients

2019: Arthur Knapp, Jr. 2020: Briggs Cunningham, Jr.

Affiliations

US Sailing The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing) is the national governing body for sailing in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers t ...

Partnerships

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

*Gowrie Group

References

External links

National Sailing Hall of Fame
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:National Sailing Hall of Fame Sports museums in Rhode Island

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

Museums in Annapolis, Maryland Non-profit organizations based in Rhode Island 501(c)(3) organizations Sailing museums and halls of fame Sailing in the United States Sports museums in Maryland