RAISE YOUR PADDLE TO SUPPORT THE SAILING CENTER
The Mystic Seaport Museum Sailing Center, home base for the Museum's sailing and overnight programs, began in 1961 with just six Dyer Dhows donated by local yacht clubs. Today, the Museum has the world's largest active fleet of these 9-foot boats, as well as a variety of other sailing vessels to accommodate a wide range of programs. The Dyer Dhows and their colorful sails are a summertime fixture on the Mystic River and have been the learning platform for thousands of sailors of all ages.
The Sailing Center's signature program is the Joseph Conrad Overnight Sailing Camp, which has engaged young sailors for over seventy years. It combines a residential camp model, historic setting, top-notch sailing instruction, and dynamic staff to create an unforgettable and fun experience. This camp is unique because it combines the best of a sailing camp with opportunities for campers to experience one-of-a-kind, hands-on activities on the beautiful Mystic River. Campers sleep aboard the Joseph Conrad, sail, participate in maritime apprenticeships such as astronomy and navigation, and even climb the rigging.
Over the past several years, the Sailing Center has refined and grown our Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program. This program provides teenagers the opportunity to develop leadership skills in a day and residential sailing camp environment. During the program, CITs learn teaching, teamwork, leadership and youth development skills under the guidance of camp staff. Counselors in Training are role models for campers and model the Sailing Center's values of respect, kindness, helpfulness, and teamwork.
Many students who would otherwise never have the opportunity to learn how to sail have been able to thanks to the generosity of our donors. Sailing is not only a fun and exciting sport, but also a deeply formative experience that teaches lessons extending far beyond the water. A mother of a student impacted by a sailing scholarship shared: "I feel so lucky that my daughter was able to attend the Conrad Camp. Your patrons may never know that their generosity sparked life in my child ... I especially want to convey how their kindness impacted our little family after so much hardship in recent years ... it allowed a brilliant young girl who lives in Spanish Harlem to learn about sailing and the ocean. She describes the experience as an 11 on a scale of 1-10."
2024 AMERICA AND THE SEA AWARD HONOREE: COLE BRAUER
Cole Brauer finished 2nd in the 2023-2024 Global Solo Challenge on March 7, 2024, sailing a Class40 boat named FIRST LIGHT, also setting a new around- the-world speed record for the class. She began the race on October 29, 2023, in Vigo, Galicia, Spain, and was the only female and the youngest among the sixteen competitors.
Cole Brauer's unparalleled journey exemplifies courage, determination, and a deep connection to the maritime spirit. Her achievement not only sets a new standard in solo sailing but has also inspired countless individuals worldwide. Cole connected to the internet via Starlink satellites and established an influential social media presence, introducing a new audience to the sport. From 13,000 Instagram followers to 500,000 in 133 days (4,000 new followers a day for more than four months), clearly Cole has struck a chord for this generation and created a new paradigm for the world of professional offshore racing. Part of the allure and the compulsion for hundreds of thousands of people to check in with her each day was Cole's unvarnished presentation of herself. During the race she injured a rib, suffered dehydration, and gave herself IV fluids.
Cole didn't set out to become a celebrity. She set out to prove a point. Her career as a professional sailor had seen the gamut from skepticism to outright dismissal. On smaller circuits, she found she was regularly paid less than her male counterparts, even when they were younger and less experienced. After trying out for an Ocean Race campaign in 2022, she was told that at 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 100 pounds, she was simply too small for the Southern Ocean.
"I'd always wanted to sail around the world before I turned 30," Cole says. "I didn't specifically want to do it on my own, but if no one was going to take a chance on me, I was going to have to go alone and prove them wrong."
Cole will be honored during this special ceremony at Mystic Seaport Museum on September 26, 2024, where she will share insights from her extraordinary voyage and discuss the challenges and triumphs of solo circumnavigation.
Evening Program
6:00: Doors open, cocktail reception on Benet Deck
7:00: Dinner, award presentation and paddle raise in the Collins Gallery.
8:30: Conversation with Honoree Cole Brauer and Tracy Edwards, MBE.
9:00: Dessert reception to follow
Attire: Cocktail
Arrival: Please use the entrance at the Thompson Exhibition Building, located at 75 Greenmanville Avenue.
Parking: Is available in the North lot of the Museum, directly across the street from the Thompson Exhibition Building.
Ticket and table sales are now closed.
For any inquiries, please contact [email protected].
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Platinum
Betsy and Hunt Lawrence
Gold
Cayre and Alexis Michas
Travelers
Silver
Glenmede Endowment and Foundation Management
Sheila McCurdy and David Brown
Laurie Olson and Maria Fasulo
Risk Strategies | Gowrie Group
Bronze
Peggy and Grant Cambridge
J. Barclay Collins, II
Delamar Hotels
Wendy Davies and Walter Johnsen
Delphine and Michael Hudner
Cynthia and Robert Martin
Mattern Construction Inc.
Clarke Murphy
Susan and Martin Wayne & Anne Vinton Bauer and Greg Bauer
Betsy and George White
Wiggin and Dana, LLP
Helen Garten and Michael Wiseman
THE AMERICA AND THE SEA AWARD
The America and the Sea Award, established by Mystic Seaport Museum in 2006, honors and celebrates those who embrace the scholarship, exploration, adventure, aesthetics, competition, and freedom that the sea inspires.
PAST RECIPIENTS
2023 Admiral James Stavridis, decorated sailor, author, consultant, and businessman contributing to the American maritime culture through his nearly four decades of service and numerous books and articles on related subjects.
2022 Captain Bill Pinkney, former Mystic Seaport Museum trustee, U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman, sailor, educator, author, and adventurer.
2021 Terry Hutchinson, outstanding yachtsman and President of Sailing Operations/Skipper of American Magic
2020 Tom Whidden, America's Cup Hall of Famer and one of the most acclaimed sailors of all time
2019 Wendy Schmidt, American businesswoman and philanthropist whose ocean explorations have advanced our understanding of the ocean's biodiversity and vulnerability
2018 Dawn Riley, groundbreaking Whitbread and America's Cup sailor, and Oakcliff Sailing
2017 David Rockefeller, Jr., philanthropist and environmentalist, and his Sailors for the Sea
2016 Rod and Bob Johnstone, and their company J/Boats
2015 Nathaniel Philbrick, author and historian
2014 Charles A. Robertson, founder, chairman and CEO of American Cruise Lines, Inc., Pearl Sea Cruises, and Chesapeake Shipbuilding
2013 Gary Jobson, America's Cup Hall of Famer and author
2012 Jon Wilson, WoodenBoat Publications founder
2011 The Honorable John F. Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy
2010 Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and explorer
2009 William I. Koch, America's Cup sailor
2008 Thomas B. Crowley, Jr., President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation
2007 David McCullough, author and historian
2006 Olin J. Stephens, II, legendary yacht designer
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