VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 10

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New Sailing School Administrator and Program Development Team

We are delighted to announce that Meghan O’Rourke has joined the leadership team at Sheridan Shore Sailing School (SSSS) as an Administrator. Meghan is onboard throughout the year and will be active in all areas of communication and administration as well as focusing on new program development. She brings a wealth of experience gained through years of sailing, fleet development, and management. She’s been a long-time volunteer at Corinthian Yacht Club in Chicago and is well known among the sail racing community.

Stay tuned for new and exciting developments coming next season!

Meghan can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Now Offering October Opti / Pram Classes

We are very excited to host our Fall Opti/ Pram classes!

This class will run for the next three Sundays in October (10/4, 10/11, 10/18) from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. This is a perfect class for kids ages 9 –12. Only can make one Sunday? No Worries! You are able to sign up for one, two, or all three classes.

For more information please contact Meghan O'Rourke at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Varsity Clinic #1 Review

Our first racing clinic was a huge success!  With guest coach Preston Anderson, a current sailor at nationally-ranked Bowdoin College, we ran a high-intensity two-day event focused on boat handling fundamentals.

The format of the clinic allowed coaches to give individualized feedback and tweak techniques to maximize performance on the water.

We would like to thank Preston, Noah Barton, and our sailors for making this weekend a success, and we look forward to running more clinics in the future!

Varsity Clinic #2 Review

Coaches Noah Barton and Zachary Hernandez were joined this weekend by alumni guest coaches Preston Anderson ‘18, Chris Lynch ‘11, John Kinzel ‘10, and Tommy Holmberg ‘09.

The sailors navigated big breeze and wavy conditions on Saturday as one group completed a series of drills and races out on the lake and another honed their boat handling in the harbor. Through a cold rain and several capsizes, the sailors showed mental toughness and excelled in these challenging conditions.

After a tough first day, we were greeted with an ideal fall day of sailing on Sunday. Sunny conditions and a crisp medium breeze were perfect for tactical drills and plenty of one-on-one coaching. Sailors started the day squaring off in a series of match race starts, followed by a boat speed and mark rounding drill with some rudderless sailing thrown in on the side.

The alumni were very impressed with the team on and off the water as they handle this strange season with poise. They are good and getting better as sailors, and they remain a kind, thoughtful and collaborative group of young people (thanks in no small part to Zac’s influence).

And we’d also like to recognize that the team now has far more women in the skipper position than is unfortunately typical on a high school sailing team, and even within our program. Great job, ladies!

Sheridan Shore Sailing School High School Coaches

Varsity Practice

Junior Varsity Practice

Floating Dock

 A Note from the Board

This year has been a year of learning and development. Zac and his staff did an exemplary job of implementing the jointly developed safety protocols to keep all our students safe and healthy. The year started out particularly challenging with addressing an unknown situation. 

The new dock the Wilmette Harbor crew built for us was wonderfully timed as the old dock disintegrated with record-high water levels. Hearty thank you to Hyde Perce, Mike Brown, and the staff engineering and creating the dock from scratch for the Sailing School. The dock has allowed us too substantially shorten launch & recovery times to increase time on the water for our sailors.

Thank you for generously supporting the school with donations to keep it afloat during the risk period. With your help, we are able to confidently move forward. Your support makes all the difference in the operation of the program.

We have initiated a strategic review of operations and are focusing on opportunities for the development of the program. We initially expect to add more adult sailing and expanded opportunities for middle school and others. We are interested in your feedback to add to the process. Please contact me with any feedback or suggestions in confidence at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are planning for increased safety and educational training classes as well as expanding the Siebel Sailing program in the coming season. Look for more information in the coming issues of the Mainsail.

John O’Malley President
Sheridan Shore Sailing School

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Sheridan Shore Sailing School is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ALL donations are tax-deductible.

Sheridan Shore Sailing School provides our sailors with leadership training, high-performance coaching, and respect for our natural environment. Developing safe practices in and around the water is our highest priority. Please visit our website to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your support and efforts!

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