The 2017 Charm City’s Ya Gotta Regatta, held September 16 and 17, was a success, raising more than $60,000 to support the Baltimore Downtown Sailing Center’s (DSC) community outreach and accessible sailing programs for at risk youth and people with disabilities. This follows a successful Ya Gotta Tri August 13. Many thanks to the DSC staff, volunteers, participants, individual fundraisers, and corporate sponsors who rallied to support their biggest fundraising event of the year.
Saturday’s One Design of 10 boats completed six short course races led by PRO Stuart Proctor and team. Southeast five- to seven-knot breeze held most of the day despite the dismal wind forecast. Top finishers were: first overall, Mike McNamara; second, Jennifer Millar and Christine Moloney: third, Madeleine Schroeher.
In the PHRF division, 17 boats including five Sonars completed the nine nautical mile course starting and finishing at the DSC in Baltimore Inner Harbor, rounding the Francis Scott Key buoy. First in Spin division was Ian Craig. First in Non-Spin was Drew LoBiondo, and first in Sonar was Ed Carlson.
Sunday was another light wind day for the main accessible sailing event, yet PRO Stuart Proctor was able to complete two heats of Access Dinghy and Sonar pursuit racing.
Following the competitive, fun action on the water, a great time was had by all at Saturday’s post-race party at Little Havana Restaurante and Cantina and at Sunday’s cookout under the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s pavilion, with special music and dance entertainment.
Funds raised by this event will go to:
- 65 youth from South Baltimore will receive 16,000 hours of programming through this school year
- Hundreds of accessible sailors will experience the freedom of sailing
- 18 Baltimore youth will receive an 8 week long first job training and mentoring program
- New capital purchases including a hoyer lift for our accessible sailors, parts for our new freedom20s and dinghies
- STEM opportunities for hundreds of youth from around the Baltimore region
Special thanks to the Ya Gotta Regatta sponsors: Olivia Constants Foundation, War Horse Cities, Under Armour World Headquarters, Brown Capital Management, RCM&D, Little Havana Restaurante and Cantina, Spec Works, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tidewater Yacht Service, The League for People with Disabilities, Pfefferkorn’s Coffee Inc, Waterfront Partnership, Blue Water Baltimore, Brown Capital Investment, Gensler, Chesapeake Urology, Bobby’s Portable Restrooms.
To learn more about the Downtown Sailing Center, visit their website.
