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Sail Patrol Members
Following are members of the Sail Patrol.
There are up to 20 Sail Patrol positions available at the club. The Sail
Patrol is listed below in order of seniority:
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Sonya
Mesommonta (since 2009)
Anyone who knows me,
knows that sailing is my passion. For me, sailing can be a competitive
sport as well as a therapeutic past-time. I took the Basic Keel Boat
course at the Manhattan Sailing School and joined the Manhattan Sailing
Club in 2004. I served as Social Chair in 2006-2007, and became a
skipper member in 2008. As a Sail Patrol / Fleet Captain Skipper, I now
see myself as an ambassador for the club; to make new members feel
welcomed, to ensure that we're all responsible sailors and, most
importantly, to have fun. I still actively
participate in many club events and enjoy socializing with my fellow
club members on and off the water. I race every chance I get, not only
on J24s, but on dinghies and big boats, to develop a better perspective
on boat handling and make the boat go faster. I've done charters in
Turkey, the Caribbean, and the San Juan Islands and my most recent
experience (April '09) was delivering a beautiful Alden 52 north via the
Gulfstream. Recreational sailing in
our backyard has given me many opportunities to explore beyond the
Hudson River. Every time I step aboard, I am looking forward to my next
adventure. - SohoBelle
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Craig Kayaian
(since 2009)
I’m a local city kid from Queens, NY who grew up
surrounded by water, but never sailed until taking Basic Keelboat class at the
Manhattan Sailing School. Getting to enjoy a relationship with the water right
here in New York Harbor is a remarkable privilege that I cherish!
I will always be a student of this vast sport,
which brings me closer to nature right in the middle of the city. I followed
Basic Keelboat with Costal Cruising, Live Aboard Cruising and Bareboat
Chartering courses, which really sealed in a core ability on a sailboat for me.
Since, I’ve been active at Manhattan Sailing Club’s regular races, and also
‘event’ races like the International Yacht Club Challenge and Hedge Fund
Regattas. I also volunteer for Race Committee, working on club boats and other
club programs – learning all the while. Becoming an active part of the regional sailing
community – from New York to the Long Island Sound to Newport, RI and beyond –
has given me a global community of solid friends for whom my respect and
admiration is consistently growing! It’s also enabled me to sail on many boats
– large and small – in many different positions, and I enjoy this variation and
growth in my abilities as a sailor. Now I enjoy being able to pass on some of the
understanding I’ve developed, and sharing the sport with others. I’m very happy
to work with people in navigating the sport of sailing, and the waters in which
we sail, toward safe and enjoyable experiences, and I look forward to sailing
with each new crew I meet.
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Patty Bryan
(since 2010)
I learned to swim not much after I learned to walk and have been drawn
to water ever since. I sailed many years ago on in Texas, crewing for a
bunch of crazy med school students who raced out of Galveston. It was
lots of fun but I didn't really learn to sail. I also taught a sailing
course at a college where I worked but admittedly I barely knew enough
to keep ahead of my students. I had always wanted to get back to
sailing and really learn to sail. In 2005, I took the refresher course
and then joined the club. I became a skipper two years later and now am
on the race committee and a Mentor as well. I try to sail as much as I
can because being out on the water is the best to be in this city.
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Lori Ruderman
(since 2010)
I was fortunate to get my feet wet in sailing at an early age. At
eleven, I went to summer camp and discovered a love for swimming and
boating. I participated in a small boat certification program, in which
I learned, on a Sunfish, the fundamentals of sailing.
Several years passed, but I never lost my love for the water.
Seeing all the sailboats along the Hudson reignited my interest in
sailing. In 2000, I took the Basic Keelboat course with MSC, and
subsequently, I joined the club. I have continued to further my formal
sailing education with Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Chartering, and
Coastal Navigation courses, and I have put my technical sailing know-how
to the test by chartering in the BVIs and earning my Skipper privileges
with MSC. My recent participation in the
Sail Patrol program is a continuation of my growth as a sailor. I truly
enjoy sharing my passion and knowledge of sailing with others, and I
hope to make your sailing experience with me fun, educational and safe!
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Ted Wallace (since 2010)
I started sailing when I was
twelve years old and I remember it clearly. I had gone to Boy Scouts of
America Camp (BSAC) and located the lake where we would be training for
our Swimming Merit Badge. Also on the lake, by the dingy docks, were a
handful of Sunfishes and Lasers. I asked the Scout minding the
docks how to gain access to the boats and he replied that they were
reserved for the Scouts trying to become sailors. By the end of camp, I
was a sailor and have continued these past forty years. In 1968, my
parents moved us to Savannah, GA, where I learned to sail in tides,
river currents and salt water conditions. Tybee Island was good for all
the Hobie Cat sailing I could wish to do. We formed a Cat Surfing
competition by using the tidal return of the back river from behind the
island to get us beyond the breakers. You sink your pontoons in ahead
of the swell, watch carefully as to where the break starts, and then
tack outside for another ride. Smart sailors took few risks; dumb ones
had to remove the debris of their boats off the beach. Local sailing
began when I moved to New York City in 1980. Inside the North Fork of
Long Island was the initial exposure. The area between Riverhead and
Nassau Point, just off New Suffolk and Robbins Island, were the best
waters for the Hobie I had purchased. In the late 80s, I helped start
the New York City Community Sailing Association (NYCCSA), and quickly
outgrew this grass roots organization. I was a charter member of the
Chelsea Sailing Center and, after three years, transferred my membership
to the Manhattan Yacht Club; which I saw as a superior organization and
a step up to the best sailing grounds in the area, the New York Harbor.
Currently, I spend my free time as a single parent of an incredible son,
Martin. I received the Commodore’s Award for distinguished service to
the club. I was head Head of the Mentor Program for three years and then
took over as chair of the Fleet Captain program for Two years, and
currently serve as lead co-coordinator of Sail Patrol. I still do Mentor
training sails and Fleet captain sails, and many sails under Sail
Patrol. I sometimes race in the fundraising regattas which support
Project City Kids and otherwise love cruising the playgrounds between
the Verrazano, Brooklyn, and George Washington Bridges. Let’s Go Sailing
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Paul Lee (since 2011)
It is always a privilege and a honor to have an opportunity to share my
experiences with other sailors. I am glade to be part of MYC's Sail
Patrol Team. When I day dream, I dream about sailing to different oceans
of the world. First introduced to sailing in High School, I fell in love
with the freedom that sailing provides. My greatest
sailing challenge and single longest journey
was crossing the Pacific Ocean to Tahiti. I was lucky enough to
experience sailing in many areas of the world under different
conditions. From North Atlantic 's winter storm and Southern Ocean's
Force 8 plus to mirror like Sea in the middle of the Pacific, I am
always humbled by the power of our Oceans. But through it all, the best
part of sailing is witnessing the stars come out on a clear moonless
night's stage embraced by a peaceful sunset, and heart thumping sunrise
a thousand miles from nowhere. When ever possible, I try to convey the
joy that I have gained from sailing to others. If I was asked to share
one valuable lesson that I have learned from meeting sailors young and
old, and from novice to an "Old Salt", I have learned sometimes a needed
task can be accomplished by more than one means.
Skipper Experience: Vessels of different configurations up to 65'
plus in length and multi-engines .
Certification/Ticket: MCA Yachtmaster Offshore with 200 GT Commercial;
and Sail Endorsements plus other MCA, USCG, ASA, AHA, and
ARC credentials.
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Andrea Radoff
(since 2011)
Originally from CT, I began sailing in my teens on family vacations in
the Caribbean every few years on larger boats (40-45 ft) and became
hooked. I took a week long sailing class in the Caribbean during college
and have since tried to spend as much time on boats as I can. I moved to
NYC in October 2004 and joined the club in 2007-8 after hearing about it
through a friend. I had to learn how to sail with a tiller rather than a
wheel on a much more responsive vessel. I try to get out and sail 2-3
times a week and started racing in 2009 as a sub on foredeck. I became a
skipper in 2010 and joined sail patrol. I enjoy taking club members out
and teaching them something new or helping them improve their skills.
There really is nothing better in the summer in NYC than getting out on
the water and cruising to the GW or Verrazano with a great breeze and a
fun crew!
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