Clagett Sailing provides selected sailors and sailing programs with a granted boat. This grant provides the selected recipients with the opportunity to experience, train, and race in adaptive sailing events. The grant provides for the use of the boat and equipment for up to 4 years.
Clagett Sailing's Boat Grant Program is open to any North American sailor with adaptive needs with a desire to train and race, or a sailing program that has either an existing program or is looking to create a new program working with adaptive needs sailors.
Clagett Sailing will be accepting applications for the Boat Grant Program in the coming months keep checking this page. There is currently not a boat grant scheduled, however Clagett Sailing’s Boat Grant Committee invites interested applicants to submit an application. Applications will be accepted, reviewed and held until a boat grant cycle is approved and scheduled by Clagett Sailing's Board. Boats will be granted based on funding and availability. After a boat has been granted it will be available to the selected individuals or program upon availability.
Julio Reguero has been to two Paralympics Games, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Julio has won the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta (Clagett Newport) three times. In 2019 Julio finished 8th overall in the open worlds in Genoa, Italy and 1st in the master division.
Peter Eagar, from York, Ontario, Canada, has sailed in five Clagett Newport regattas and won the overall C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. trophy in 2019. Peter started sailing when he was nine years old and racing about a year later in the International Shark 24 class. Between 1985 and 2003 he won the Shark Class World Championship four times.
In 2010 he was completely paralyzed by Guillain Barre Syndrome. After over one year in hospital and a second year in rehab he started sailing again. He resumed racing first in the Martin 16 fleet and then in the 2.4mR.
Tony Pocklington received Peter Eager’s boat to Edge Sailing in Florida in early August. This boat will be undergoing modification, by Tony, to allow for a jib boom. Peter Eager also attended the online Dave and Dave series in the Spring of 2020.
Erick Poirier is from Repentigny, Quebec, Canada. Erick has sailed in two Clagett Newport regattas in the 2.4mR.
Erick learned to sail in a Martin 16 with the Association Québécoise de Voile (AQVA) in Montreal starting in 2007 and was soon an active participant in their race training program. He discovered the 2.4mR when a fellow AQVA member, Scott Lutes, purchased one. He fell in love with the boat and eventually bought his own which he raced in several regattas, including two Clagett Newport regattas.
Erick Porier’s boat recently made its way across the Canadian border to be delivered to him in Quebec. Erick has sailed his 2.4mR since recieving it, as pictured below.
Erick reported that since March: “On the training side, I followed the training with great interest (The Daves master class for Clagett) Thank you for the initiative! I also took the webinar training for the series Start Smart and The Daves some of our favorite rules. I participated in the restart of the AQVA 2.4mR sailboat so that their sailors can be initiated and use the 2.4mR sailboat during their partial reopening. To date, a few sailors have been able to use the sailboat.”
John Seepe from is from North Carolina. John is a life long sailor, starting when he was in the US Navy in Norfolk. John was hit by an Uber driver in California in November of 2018. He lost his left leg and a fair amount of the motion and strength in his left shoulder and right wrist, both of which have plates in them.
He has sailed up and down the US West Coast on a Peterson 34 he owned. He lived aboard a 42 foot Whitby ketch with his wife Michelle and was planning to take it across the Pacific prior to his accident.
Seepe has a number of regattas planned for the new boat in 2020 including the Clagett Regatta in Newport in June and in November the 2.4mR Para World Championship.
The cancelation of the last of the CanAm Series Regatta Races was irritating but little did I know that the rest of the year was going to get wiped out. Our family trip planned for the Philippines was canceled and most of our outside the house movements got cut to a minimum. After only a few weeks this started to feel more like being trapped than anything. Our new house is on a lake so we bought some items from Harbor Freight and managed to get a Jib Boom Crane assembled so that we could pull out the 2.4mR and put it on our dock. That meant it was time to ramp it into the lake using a long extension to get the trailer deep enough. We successfully managed to get the boat into the lake and found a few issues with our crane that we worked through. Had to beef up the cable that came with the electric winch and put a topping lift on it helping distribute the load better. Being able to sail whenever there were good conditions was nice, however, not being on the coast the daily breezes are not here to take advantage of. Most of my sailing has been in light and shifty winds but still sailing nonetheless.
The Marblehead area recently started sailing and I have plans to join them to get more time on the water and better hone my skills in the 2.4mR. Sadly, to do this my wife and I now have to be Covid Tested and get a negative result to tow into Massachusetts to participate.
Luckily I received my Clagett 2.4mR and had the honor of sailing it prior to Covid. I have cherished the time on the water and meeting the fine
people, both on the water and supporting the crews on shore or committee boats, all who have been fabulous.
I have found the competition high and demanding of both knowledge and skills. My observations are that this is highly needed within the United States within the disabled community. I see a few places that get the disabled out into boats regularly to explore a new freedom that they need. The Clagett group does a great job of helping move some from a beginner sailor into one of the highest level competitive classes currently. For that I cannot thank you and others who are helping enough. Not much can be done till Covid stops affecting movement of boats and people to gather and compete in an honest way.
I have added a masthead fly, looking at adjustable forestay, better ways to rig controls and reduce friction, as well as a better way to support
and stabilize the seat. The boat being new needs much of this refining and adjusting. It is my hope that as I move through these refinements that I am doing more good than harm and the
resulting effect is better performance in future competitions. I am reading and studying sailing rules and tactics, with a huge assistance through Clagett by having classes online with Dave
Perry and Dave Dellenbaugh, which will aid in my improvements. These classes were needed and fantastic.
Finally, I just wanted to thank you again for all Clagett has done for me personally and then for all the others like me. I am still quite humbled and honored to be one who this year received a 2.4mR. My only disappointment is in not being able to sail more, compete more, and participate under the Clagett Seal in the World's at Davis Island which I was so dearly looking towards.
Wendy began sailing in 2013. In her own words, she is "a sailor in a landlocked prairie province." Wendy regularly travels from Calgary to Victoria to train and compete. In addition to the 2.4mR, she also competitively sails the Martin 16.
Wendy is also a curler! She has been to the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships five times with Team Alberta.
I have attended most of The Clagett’s Dave and Dave online classes. The 2.4mR race team out of Victoria BC were also having weekly zoom meeting sessions discussing a variety of topics. I attended all of those. When the stay at home order was in place and I was working from home, I highly valued these sessions. One of the Victoria Zoom sessions fell on my birthday May 4th. I baked myself a mug cake and the group sang happy birthday to me over zoom. That was priceless!
Since things have started opening up again, I have been able to make it out to Victoria, BC twice for two informal safe 2.4mR training camps and sailing. (July and August). These were each coached by Richard Mundell and Stephen McBride (Canadian Paralympic sailing coach). On days I was in Victoria and not attached to the camp, I was still out in my boat sailing with and getting pointers from one of the top 2.4 sailors in Victoria. I am planning to go again for 10 days in September pending what is happening with COVID-19. Fingers crossed ! I don’t want to lose momentum and apply my learning.
Between all of this I am finding a huge improvement! I was actually placing within the fleet for the informal racing rather than being dead last
and trailing behind. I simply need more time in the boat. Having the Clagett boat makes this possible.
Here is a YouTube link with a slideshow from the camp held in August:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=e3z73NLVBq8. Both the photographer Andrew Madding and Rod Mack have consented to sharing the slideshow. My
fall/winter plan is to find activities to help with cardio and strength for health. Plus get to Victoria when I can.
In his youth, Brian grew up sailing lasers in Montreal. Brian returned to sailing in the Able Sail program at the Nepean Yacht Club in Ontario. At the 2018 Clearwater Mobility Cup, he won gold fleet in the Martin 16.
Brian is a veteran, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces. He also enjoys skiing!
Unfortunately COVID-19 has disrupted my sailing plans for 2020. Boo! My boat only
went into the water in late July because of local restrictions. I’ve been out on the water just 4x since then. I’ve tried to sail
twice a week with Peter Wood and Aaron
Wong-Sing, but there are only the three of us, as not all the boats are available right now; some are in the USA with the border closed to
travel. Some days the wind cooperates, other times not so much, but it is always fun to get out on the water.
I have a new sail that I purchased from North Sails for the World’s, which were
ultimately cancelled, so it isn’t on the Clagett 2.4 yet. Maybe next year.
What I have been doing in the meantime is learning from the two Dave’s in their Zoom events. I’ve also done weekly virtual sailing of Martin 16s and I’ve tried virtual sailing of the Star. I also get an alternate week or two in the Martin 16. Dock restrictions are tight and we sail 2.4s on a different day from Martin 16s to accommodate social distancing. I’m going to participate in a virtual Mobility Cup this year to keep up my competitive skills. I have also participated in online Warrior Sailing meetings but unfortunately the timing conflicts with other local online sailing events.
In September I will be able to workout at a private gym in my new apartment, just a few blocks from where I presently live. The fitness club I
belonged to only recently
reopened and I opted not to continue membership since I have a full gym available for me to train.
Siobhan's first competitive sailing experience was at the 2013 Clagett Regatta. She won a bronze medal in the 2.4mR class at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.
Siobhan was recently voted to be the Keelboat Captain for the Queen's University Sailing Team. In addition to sailing her 2.4mR competitively, Siobhan is the head instructor at her family's local sailing club, Sail Mabou in Nova Scotia.
Since March, I participated in the Dave's masterclass series which was amazing! I took notes every session, as usual they were excellent. I spent June and July at my family's sailing
club fixing up boats and coaching lessons for local kids. I would go out on the water as much as possible after lessons! I have also
been doing some sonar sailing in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia where I try to apply everything I've learned at Clagett and my
time in the 2.4mR. Now I'm getting ready to move to Toronto and join the fleet of 2.4mR's there! Looking forward to the change and will be ready to get on the water with everyone as soon as I get there.
Delani Hulme-Lawrence, who's campaign is called Life over Limb, is the recipient of a 2.4mR boat in The Clagett's second year of the Boat Grant Program.
At the 2018 Clagett Regatta, Delani placed eighth in the 2.4mR class and won the Larry Gadsby Most Improved Award, nominated by the coaches.
I am very excited to tell you all what I have been up to since March. COVID19 turned my world upside down. Incredibly, it was a blessing in disguise! In early March, our club was shut down which gave me enormous amounts of time to get out on the water and train in my Boat Grant 2.4mR. We were ramping up to go to the CANAM Finale in Florida until the Canadian border was closed. In April, we found ourselves back in Alberta and received news that I am going to be an Aunt this December! In May, we were welcomed onto the Canadian Sailing Development Squad (National Team). This has been a lifelong dream of mine that could not have been reached without the love and support of the Clagett. The boat grant program has changed my life. I will never be able to thank you enough. In June I was able to get on the water and do some serious training with my coach. I even had the pleasure of sailing a Beneteau Oceanis 54 which was a complete rush! I have spent nearly every day on the water this summer between sailing and fishing with my dad. This down time has really brought my father and I together all over again. In August, I started a new job as the Programs & Communications Manager at the BC Sailing Association! I get to work with clubs across the province; focusing on the development of youth sailing programs. I am so humbled by the opportunity to share our sport with new people and new communities. I feel like I really get to make an impact at the grassroot level here in British Columbia. The best part is the flexibility that allows me more time throughout the week to go sailing! I hope that good things have happened for all of my friends at the Clagett Regatta. I think about you often and miss you all very much. I would love to know what you have all been up to during these strange times too. Stay safe out there. I hope to see you all very soon.
A Sonar was granted in 2016 to the Y-Knot Program based in Lake George, NY. The granted Clagett Sonar has raced in The Clagett Regatta in Newport each year since receiving the boat.
The Sonar is skippered by Dave Whalen with crew Spencer Raggio and Dan Kennedy. The Sonar team has also participated in The Clagett/Oakcliff Match Racing Clinic and Regatta in Oyster Bay, NY.
We have not been able to launch our boats this year but a few of our volunteers and sailors have gotten out on Lake George and beyond! We had 3 adaptive sailors and 2 volunteers join for the online course with Dave & Dave and the below overview was shared by one of our long time Y-Knot sailors (Eric Rose) who was in the course:
That was a great class. I spend a lot of time in Zoom (or other video) meetings (as I’m working full time from home), and I am not joking when I say those classes were the best Zoom meeting/class I’ve attended so far during the quarantine. The Daves were very well prepared, used appropriate props (white boards, magnetic boards, Zoom tools) to make the concepts easy to understand. They employed quality cameras, mics and lighting. I wish they could work for us and do all of our Zoom calls! Not sure how much they know about TCP/IP, Voice over IP, etc. The preparatory emails were also appreciated, as they had detailed instructions which allowed us to read up on the upcoming lesson. The lessons were way more useful to me after having read through the provided material before the class started. Also, having two instructors made the classes go smoothly. One giving the lecture, the other monitoring the Zoom meeting for muting issues, hand raising issues, text chats, etc. Overall I cannot praise enough how useful the classes were. Considering that Dave literally wrote the book on sailing rules, it was just awesome to hear it directly from his mouth.”
