On Watch

A love of sailing and a passion for creating stunning images of the sport have taken professional photographer and videographer Amory Ross across the Atlantic with the Oakcliff All-American Offshore Team and around the world with PUMA Ocean Racing, and he’s currently working with the America’s Cup defender, Oracle Team USA. Amory, known to his many friends as “Amo,” grew up in Morristown, NJ and did some sailing on the Jersey Shore each summer. “My mom grew up…

WindCheck is proud to have published many of Fran Grenon’s photographs of the Marion Bermuda Race and the Buzzards Bay Regatta over the years. Fran’s images have also appeared in SAIL, Sailing World and Cruising World, and his dramatic shot of Steve Hollis’ J/105 Sirocco in a stiff breeze at the 2004 J/105 North American Championship graces the cover of J/Boats: Sailing to Success by Anthony Dalton. When he was three years old, Fran, who grew up…

As the owner of Custom Marine Canvas in Noank, CT, Katie Bradford has turned her passion for sailing and sewing into a successful business. She’s also the Co-founder and President of New London Community Boating, a non-profit organization that has introduced hundreds of kids to the sport. “I’ve been sewing since I was a kid, and I started sailing at Thames Yacht Club in New London in 1976,” says Katie, who lives in Mystic. “My mom, Carolyn Leuze,…

A well respected and popular sailing coach on Long Island Sound, Clemmie Everett is also a frequent WindCheck contributor. We are proud to have published several of her excellent ‘Coaches’ Corner’ articles. “I started sailing at American Yacht Club when I was nine,” says Clemmie, who grew up in Rye, NY and currently resides there. “My first boat was an Optimist, and then I moved into Blue Jays and Lasers. A lot of girls quit sailing when they’re 11,…

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…