On Watch

Later this month, Justin Smith is embarking on a very ambitious journey to raise money for a worthy cause. Justin, age 12, will be sailing his 8-foot Optimist across the Long Island Sound singlehanded, and he is seeking donors to help fund a project to restore the Sound’s ecosystem. “I really like sailing, and during the summer I primarily sail in the Long Island Sound,” says Justin, who lives in Muttontown, a village in the Town of Oyster…

New England Science & Sailing (NESS), a US Sailing-certified community sailing center in Stonington, CT that also teaches marine science and adventure water sports to students from age 4 to adult, is fortunate to have Mistral Dodson and Michael Smith on staff. Mistral and Mike have strong backgrounds in outdoor education and have been with NESS since its inception in 2008. She is the Marine Science and Adventure Sports Program Director and he’s a Marine Science Program Director….

by MARY GRADY Jessica Wurzbacher, the newly hired Director of Marine Education for Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island in Newport, RI, remembers vividly the moment when she realized the oceans would be at the center of her life. “I was sitting on a beach, on an island off the coast of Indonesia, where I’d gone on a research trip after graduating from university,” she recalls. “We had spent the day scuba diving for a coral reef survey. I was…

A native of Sydney, Australia, Jeremy Wilmot has an impressive sailing resumé, including a world championship in an ultra-competitive one-design class. Now living in Newport, RI and Norwalk, CT and a member of the Sales Team at North Sails in Milford, CT, Jeremy enjoys sharing his expertise with clients. “My first boat was a Manly Junior, and I did my first state championship when I was five,” says Jeremy, 26, who won several national titles as a…

You won’t meet a person more strongly connected to Black Rock Harbor than Kaye Williams, nor anyone as passionate about the history – and future – of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The founder and owner of Captain’s Cove Seaport, a popular tourist attraction and full-service marina in Black Rock, Kaye grew up in a cottage on Fayerweather Island at the mouth of the harbor. “I’m proud to have been brought up in Black Rock Harbor,” says Kaye. “What a great…

by BILL SANDBERG If ever there were a person who knew how to bounce back from adversity, it would be Newport, RI’s Robie Pierce. At the 1982 Miami Boat Show, while working for the newly formed J Boats, Robie was moving a J/24 around the parking lot when the mast struck an overhead electrical wire. Robie was electrocuted, but survived. How did he deal with this? He named his J/24 Full Charge, complete with lightning bolts for graphics. Robie grew…

Like others who are devoted to advancing the sport of sailing, Paul Risseeuw is exceedingly modest about his accomplishments. A soft-spoken resident of Ivoryton, CT, Paul has built one of the best junior programs in the country and he’s a pioneer of hands-on powerboat instruction.