Sailor Spotlight

Tactic Tip: Be a Student of the Game
By Clay Johnson Sailing is hard!  There are so many variables in play - the wind, weather, clouds, current, tides, etc - that are out of your control.  One thing that I like to preach is to master the things that are actually in your control so that you increase your odds of success.  1. Your boat should be perfect.  There is no excuse for a breakdown and no reason why everything on your boat shouldn't be dialed in to perfection.  Loose ends of control lines should be neatly trimmed... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Steph Colie
  Steph and Dev Colie are arguably the most influential people for junior sailing in the Barnegat Bay area.  Together, they started Colie Sails in 1976, first making sails for the local fleet and then expanding to selling sailboats, gear, parts, and everything else needed to be on the water.  When the Optimist dinghy first came to NJ, Steph and Dev jumped at the opportunity to support the class.  It also helped that their two sons - Rich and Stu - were rock star sailors themselves.  The Colies embraced the... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Jason Lutz
Jason Lutz wears many hats around Barnegat Bay.  He is the coach of the CBA sailing team, one of the largest and longest tenured high school teams in NJ.  He also coaches at the Bay Head Yacht Club, spearheading their Adult Sailing Program during the summer months. When he's not coaching, Jason is sailing himself in either a Lightning or a J70 with his family.  Most people know his dad Jody, uncle Jay, or his brother Jonathan.  Together they are one of the prestigious sailing families on the bay.Jason is a... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Greer Scholes
Greer Scholes grew up at the Island Heights Yacht Club.  He was an active sailor in the IHYC Junior Sailing program and then sailed for Roy Wilkins at OCC.  In 2009, though, he and his wife Heather (Switlick) had the opportunity to move down to the US Virgin Islands - and they haven't looked back.  Heather is a teacher at the Antilles School, and Greer is the Club Manager at the St. Thomas Yacht Club.  These guys live in paradise.  The weather is fantastic and the sailing is some of... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Kyle Rogachenko
Kyle Rogachenko will never publicly admit this, but his favorite song is Lady Gaga's "Alejandro."  One summer while driving through Europe sailing Lasers, he played that song on repeat for a week straight.Kyle always has a smile on his face when sailing.  Look at the picture of him sailing a Waszp and you'll see just how much joy he gets out of sailing.  Kyle is an incredibly accomplished sailor too; he's an Opti World team member, he won the Laser Radial Youth Worlds, he did Olympic campaigns, and he's always... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Aidan Millar
Aidan Millar is fresh off a breakthrough performance at the Optimist Midwinter Championship.  With a focus on consistency and avoiding the big mistakes, Aidan strung together an impressive scoreline - highlighted by a 6th place finish - to make Gold fleet and likely qualify for his first international team.  Now that Aidan has a taste of Gold fleet racing, he's only going to work harder.  So many local sailors put in the hours during the summer and off-season months; it's nice to see their dedication pay off and it only... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Bobby Koar
  I recently asked a friend of mine, "What do you think makes Bobby Koar such an awesome person?"  I immediately agreed with the response:  "Bobby is a genuinely nice guy, fun to be around, and is inclusive of everyone.  He crosses lines-- both generationally and from yacht club to yacht club--to make sure that everyone is included and having a good time."Bobby loves Bay Head YC.  He grew up sailing in the junior sailing program, and immediately returned after college.  Not many young people get involved in the flag... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Jack Brown
  Jack Brown is a rockstar.  After an incredibly impressive Opti career (2nd at the US Nationals, 6th at the Opti Europeans, Team Racing National Champion) he moved on to the Laser Radial and Club 420 where he always finished at the top of the fleet.  Now, Jack is a sophomore at the College of Charleston, one of the best sailing teams in the country.  (The College of Charleston has won the Fowle Trophy - given to the best college sailing team annually - in 3 of the past 4... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Billy Warner
    Each year the Toms River Yacht Club host the Turkey Bowl in their fleet of 30 techs.  This event is wildly popular with a fleet limited to 56 sailors (it's grown so much they have to sail in heats) sailing in 28/30 boats (they keep two replacement boats on stand-by in case of a breakdown).  There are so many people who help make this event happen, from the tech owners who helped fund the fleet to the people who make food or run the Race Committee to the... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Brielle Willoughby
  Brielle Willoughby is a junior sailor who grew up sailing on Long Beach Island.  After a very successful Opti career, Brielle has transitioned into the Club 420 during the summer and winter months.  As a sophomore, Brielle actually transferred to Southern Regional HS.  Obviously Southern is a fantastic school, but one thing that made the decision easy was the fact that Southern had one of the best sailing teams in the state.  Now she is sailing in the fall and spring for the Southern team, and she is kicking... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Mark Beaton
  Mark Beaton is a sailing professional on Barnegat Bay.  Mark has built wooden boats, designed sails, and provided service for many sailors in our area.  Mark has not only sailed many classes of boats, but he's also won in many classes of boats.  Two things strike me as interesting in this interview:  the first is that Mark grew up sailing many boats with all different people.  Learning to sail different boats makes you a versatile sailor.  My second takeaway is that you should never say no if a good... Read more...
Sailor Spotlight - Peter Slack
  Peter Slack is one cool dude.  Growing up in the famous Slack family from Island Heights, NJ, he was engrossed in sailing at an early age.  Since then, photography has become his passion.  And he's really good at it.  You can often find Peter in the middle of the course chasing down anyone worth taking a picture of -- and as a racer, I appreciate that he blends in well and never interferes with the race!  His omnipresence on the water encourages sailors to hike harder, look tougher, and... Read more...