On Watch

An enthusiastic member of Cedar Point Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club and Cruising Club of America, Deanna Polizzo has logged over 25,000 nautical miles. “I grew up in Milford, Connecticut but didn’t start sailing until my late 30s,” says Deanna, who lives in Fairfield. “I was invited for a daysail on the boat of a client and good friend on a sunny Sunday afternoon on Long Island Sound. When he asked if I wanted to take the…

The holder of a 50-ton Captains license and an American Red Cross waterfront lifeguard with First Aid, CPR and AED certification, Liz Sistare is the newly minted Watercraft Operations Supervisor at Mystic Seaport Museum (MSM) in Mystic, Connecticut. “I grew up in southeastern Connecticut and went to East Lyme High School,” says Liz, “but didn’t grow up sailing or boating. I started sailing at 19 at college. UConn – Avery Point has a 1-credit Learn to Sail…

Editor’s note: We had insufficient space in our October print edition for our entire conversation with Dave Reed. Citing freedom as the best thing about growing up in Newport, Dave has returned to his sailing roots.   An affable Newport, Rhode Island native and the editor of Sailing World for nigh on two decades, Dave Reed loves his work.   “As one of seven children growing up at the south end of Aquidneck Island, what’s known as…

A talented media professional, enthusiastic Mudhead, dedicated member of Team Patriot, tireless volunteer, chair of the River Jam Festival and a dyed-in-the-wool rock & roller, our friend Courtney Moore is one of the coolest people we know. “I split my time growing up between Mystic, Connecticut and Upper Arlington, Ohio,” says Courtney, who resides in Mystic. “I started in the junior sailing program at Mason’s Island Yacht Club when I was 7 or 8 years old, crewing…

An enthusiastic member of Essex Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America, Phil Dickey, MD is a congenial Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association racer who never has trouble finding crew. “I grew up in Western North Carolina and went to college and medical school at UNC Chapel Hill. I came to Yale for neurosurgical residency, loved Connecticut and stayed,” says Phil, who lives in Guilford. “I started sailing in the late eighties while still…

An offshore and inshore sailboat captain and professional sailor with dreams of being the first American woman to race solo around the world, Cole Brauer made history last month as the first female sailor to take line honors in the singlehanded first leg of the Bermuda One-Two Yacht Race.   “I grew up in a small town called Springs, which is a hamlet of East Hampton on eastern Long Island, New York,” says Cole. “My first boat…

An inspiring teacher, avid racer, and recipient of both the Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association’s Excellence in Instruction Award and US Sailing’s Excellence in Instruction Award, Annie Longo says she has the best job in the world. “I grew up on Mason’s Island in Mystic, Connecticut,” says Annie, who resides in Westerly, Rhode Island. “I’ve been on boats since I was a baby and started sailing lessons at Mason’s Island Yacht Club at six. I sailed my Opti…

The President & Executive Director of the Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, Rhode Island, Bill Lynn is a passionate lifelong sailor…and he really likes to win races. “I grew up in Rye, New York in the American Yacht Club junior sailing program in the old-school progression of Dyer Dhow, Blue Jay and Fireball (whose idea was that?),” says Bill, who resides in Marblehead, Massachusetts. “I don’t remember the Dyer bit too…

The Executive Director of The Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island (also home to the National Sailing Hall of Fame), Heather Ruhsam loves sailing for the sake of sailing. “I grew up along the East Coast, with most of my childhood spent in Litchfield County, Connecticut and St. John, USVI,” says Heather, who lives in Newport, Rhode Island. “I was fortunate to have parents who enjoyed sailing and made it a part of our life. I have…

An accomplished offshore racer and navigator, Ed Cesare has completed five of the World’s Great 600-Milers. “I started sailing aboard our family’s Rhodes 19 along with brother Ben [our intrepid Publisher],” says Ed, who grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut. “The four of us would overnight with a boom tent and air mattresses on the cockpit sole. Later, my parents traded the Rhodes for a Menemsha 24 – sort of a Friendship Sloop copy. This boat had a…