The story of Clagett Sailing is one of vision, commitment and service, and as its motto suggests, it has encouraged everyone – from its own leadership to the growing adaptive needs sailing community to the many volunteers who make it happen – to “Reach for Success.”
When an athlete participates in a Clagett Sailing program they gain more than a world-class regatta experience. In the most simple terms, the athletes that participate in Clagett Sailing become part of an elite family of competitive adaptive sailors.
Clagett Sailing has had participants enroll from across the USA (at least 26 states and territories) and such foreign countries as Canada (6 Provinces), China, Ireland, Israel, and Norway.
We are immensely proud of all of the athletes that have participated in Clagett Sailing, below are a few highlights through the years.
If you are a Clagett Sailing participant athlete email cmr@clagettsailing.org to be included on this page.
Sarah is a former member of the US Sailing Team as a SKUD-18 Skipper. She has participated in The Clagett since it’s inception in 2003. Sarah teaches classes at Brown University and Boston School of Occupational Therapy at Tufts University.
Sarah currently chairs the committee at US Sailing for Sailors with disabilities. As an athlete with disabilities, Sarah has taught other athletes with disabilities to snow ski and to sail. Sarah lives in Little Compton, RI.
Kevin Holmberg, who hails from Tampa, FL, is a repeat Clagett 2.4mR sailor. In 2018 Kevin competed for the first time in The Clagett/Oakcliff Match Race Clinic and Regatta. Rounding out an excellent summer racing season, Kevin and his crew won the Clagett/Oakcliff Match Race Regatta. The team did not lose a single match at the event.
At the 2018 Clagett Newport, Kevin placed ninth in the 2.4mR class. Later in the summer, in Sheboygan, WI at the 2018 Para Sailing World Championships Kevin came in 22nd in the 2.4mR class.
The Sonar boat was granted in 2016 to the Y-Knot Program based in Lake George, NY. The granted Clagett Sonar has raced in Clagett 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.
Delani Hulme-Lawrence, who's campaign is called Life over Limb, is the recipient of a 2.4mR boat in Clagett Sailing's second year of the Boat Grant Program.
At the 2018 Clagett Newport, Delani placed eighth in the 2.4mR class and won the Larry Gadsby Most Improved Award, nominated by the coaches.
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.
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.
Siobhan's first competitive sailing experience was at the 2013 Clagett Newport. 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.
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. Brian also enjoys skiing!
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.
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 my own which I raced in several regattas, including two Clagett Newport regattas.
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.
Over its 17 year history Clagett Sailing is honored to have had 44 participant athletes from six different countries represent their respective countries at The Paralympics.
Throughout its history, Clagett Sailing has successfully filled a void in advanced training opportunities for sailors with disabilities, and has been able to do this through the outstanding philanthropic and volunteer contributions of the tightly knit community dedicated to its mission. This training and support for the past 16 years has resulted in 19 Paralympic Medals for Clagett sailors: three Gold, seven Silver, nine Bronze. In addition to several World Championship medals.
Silver Medal- Sonar:
Silver Medal - SKUD 18
Bronze Medal - Sonar
Silver Medal- SKUD-18
BRONZE MEDAL - SONAR
Gold Medal- SKUD-18
Bronze Medal- SKUD-18
Gold Medal - 2.4mR
Bronze Medal - 2.4mR
Gold MEDAL - Sonar
Bronze MEDAL - SONAR
