We are given a gift called "life."  What you do with your life is your choice and opportunity.  Sailing has always given me great pleasure.  It has allowed my spirit to soar.  Through sailing, I have met great people, seen the world and made so many memorable experiences.   When I first came to Manhattan after college in 1985, there was no organized sailing in New York Harbor.  I set about to change that and created the Manhattan Sailing Club.  Recreational sailing was returned to New York Harbor which used to be the sailing capital of our country.  In fact, the first America's Cup Races were held right here in New York Harbor from 1870 to 1929.  I love this city, I love the people, I love the culture, diversity and energy.  And I love to dream.  So as our club approached the 600 member mark and our 20th Anniversary, I began to think about the "what ifs."   As you move forward with the renaissance of New York Harbor, I felt we needed a flagship, a yacht of great character and style.  This is why we focused on the 12-Meter class which embodies the history and tradition of American yachting.  When the opportunity to acquire "America II" (US-46) presented itself, we were ready and the dream came true.  Now we have entered our next phase - stewards of history.  It is a great privilege to steer America II, but we recognize this is not about us, it is about this great yacht.  I hope we are up to the task and can increase this boat's quality and history.  If we can leave behind something better for the next generation, we will have succeeded.

My first sailing experience was in Biscayne Bay, FL on a Pearson Ensign.  I was hooked.  I sailed this boat in and out of the marina without an engine.  I learned quickly on adjusting sails to dock it.  This led to my buying a Pearson 26 that I sailed on LI Sound out of Northport harbor for many years.  Business travel made sailing time very limited, and the boat was sold. My next experiences were bare boat charters in the BVI's - a terrific vacation.  This continued my joy of sailing.  I joined the sailing club last year to get back to sailing.  I will be trying to qualify as a skipper this season...  The proposal to bring America II to NY Harbor was too good for me to pass up.  I am looking forward to participating with this great boat as it takes its place in NY with all of the other harbor developments that are being completed.  It is an exciting time to be involved with the harbor.