On Watch

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…

A longtime member of Beverly Yacht Club in his hometown of Marion, Massachusetts, R. Gregg Nourjian is a PHRF New England Commodore Emeritus and an enthusiastic supporter of Courageous Sailing who relishes introducing young people to the joys of sailing. “My parents, Wendy (Peirson) Nourjian and Bruce Nourjian, met racing 110s against each other and spent their honeymoon on a 40-foot sailboat,” says Gregg, who grew up in Stowe, Vermont and spent summers in Marion. “I was…

A three-time J/24 World Champion who’s won titles in numerous other one-design classes, Brad Read has served as Executive Director at Sail Newport in Newport, Rhode Island for nearly a quarter century. “Sailing on the family cruiser-racer as a young sailor allowed me to see the sport from various angles,” Brad recalls. “Gunkholing in the harbors of southeastern New England allowed our parents to teach us the proper way to anchor and raft to other boats, basic…

The Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Director of Museum Galleries at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, Christina Connett Brophy, PhD is a lifelong sailor who loves riding the breeze on both water and land. “I was sailing before I was born,” says Christina. “My parents started the R/V Geronimo maritime research and sailing program for St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island in the early 1970s. My brother and I grew up on…

The Assistant Sailing Coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, Alicia Blumenthal loves helping others become better sailors. “I grew up on the South Shore of Long Island in Bellport, New York and was 5 when I began sailing,” says Ali, who lives in Stonington. “My parents put me in classes through the Bellport Bay Sailing Foundation. They thought sailing would be a good skill for me to have, but couldn’t have guessed…