May Photo of the Month Winners: First Time Sailors & Skippers

This month we were inspired by Gabriele Grant’s story and she is our January 2024 Sailor of the Month. Gabriele is one of our younger American Sailing certified sailors — but has quite a story to tell already. At age 18 she has already been sailing for 7 years, and has a cohort of peers who share much of her journey. It’s exciting to see the next generation of sailors enjoying the sport and taking their education and skill development seriously while developing life-long relationships from their shared memories on the water. Gabriele’s favorite place to sail is New York Harbor, from her base at the Manhattan Yacht Club in Liberty Landing Marina, where she has studied with Manhattan Sailing School.

This month we were inspired by Elizabeth Henderson’s story and she is our October Sailor of the Month. She hails from San Francisco, CA, and in only fifteen months, she has taken ASA certifications 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 114, 118, 107, and 108 with Puget Sound Sailing School and Modern Sailing in Sausalito, CA. Truly her spirit has been captured by the call of the sea. It might be said that Elizabeth’s story is what every sailor dreams of encountering each time we cast off the lines. She tells it all here in the latest episode of American Sailing’s Sailor of the Month.

This month we were inspired by Howard Clayman’s story and he is our December 2023 Sailor of the Month. This story takes us to Herzliya, Israel, where Howard runs the Blue Wave-Tashoot Sailing Academy. It’s a unique Sailor of the Month story — we take a look at how current events have impacted the day-to-day, as well as, of course, talking sailing stories from weathering harrowing storms to racing in the Cowes Week regatta. We’ve spoken with Howard before, and we’re excited to catch back up with him and see that his sails are still full and new sailors are cruising the beautiful Mediterranean waters under his leadership every day.

This month we were inspired by Keith Allman’s story and he is our November Sailor of the Month. Keith resides in New York and his home port is Liberty Harbor, New Jersey. Keith has been sailing for over 25 years, and most recently he has spent the past few years chartering with friends and credits his education from American Sailing with the confidence and knowledge to go out and make beautiful memories in idyllic destinations. We love seeing how sailing can add so much vibrance to a vacation with people you enjoy.