On Watch

The Managing Director of Sailing & Operations at the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) in Stonington, Connecticut, Mark Zagol is a National and North American champion with great enthusiasm for both the sport and teaching others. “I grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts and my first official sailing lesson was at age 8,” says Mark, who lives in Pawcatuck, Connecticut with wife Heather and daughters Mason, Ainslie and Callan. “My first sailing experience was on a…

The Executive Director of The Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, Ashley Householder loves her work. “I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, that bastion of sailing!” Ashley chuckles. “That said, I was lucky in childhood to have a best friend whose father was incredibly passionate about sailing. He was a neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt University Hospital and I think sailing provided a catharsis from the gravity of his work. He was a founding member of the Harbor Island…

The Director of Institutional Sales at Zim Sailing in Bristol, Rhode Island, Bob Adam is an enthusiastic one-design racer who relishes sailing with his family…and an all-around great guy. “I grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, which is pretty landlocked,” says Bob, who lives in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. “Our family were members of the Quannapowitt Yacht Club in Wakefield, Mass, where I began sailing at an age too young to remember. There are photos of me steering…

The affable Rear Commodore of one of the friendliest yacht clubs in the Northeast, Dave Knecht is an enthusiastic dinghy and keelboat sailor who enjoys both racing and cruising. “My father was my main mentor,” says Dave. “He learned to sail on his own and then taught me over the years. We both began racing at North Shore Yacht Club and learned in parallel, but mostly he taught me the joys of sailing.” “My first boat was…

An enthusiastic member of Cedar Point Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club and Cruising Club of America, Deanna Polizzo has logged over 25,000 nautical miles. “I grew up in Milford, Connecticut but didn’t start sailing until my late 30s,” says Deanna, who lives in Fairfield. “I was invited for a daysail on the boat of a client and good friend on a sunny Sunday afternoon on Long Island Sound. When he asked if I wanted to take the…

The holder of a 50-ton Captains license and an American Red Cross waterfront lifeguard with First Aid, CPR and AED certification, Liz Sistare is the newly minted Watercraft Operations Supervisor at Mystic Seaport Museum (MSM) in Mystic, Connecticut. “I grew up in southeastern Connecticut and went to East Lyme High School,” says Liz, “but didn’t grow up sailing or boating. I started sailing at 19 at college. UConn – Avery Point has a 1-credit Learn to Sail…

Editor’s note: We had insufficient space in our October print edition for our entire conversation with Dave Reed. Citing freedom as the best thing about growing up in Newport, Dave has returned to his sailing roots.   An affable Newport, Rhode Island native and the editor of Sailing World for nigh on two decades, Dave Reed loves his work.   “As one of seven children growing up at the south end of Aquidneck Island, what’s known as…

A talented media professional, enthusiastic Mudhead, dedicated member of Team Patriot, tireless volunteer, chair of the River Jam Festival and a dyed-in-the-wool rock & roller, our friend Courtney Moore is one of the coolest people we know. “I split my time growing up between Mystic, Connecticut and Upper Arlington, Ohio,” says Courtney, who resides in Mystic. “I started in the junior sailing program at Mason’s Island Yacht Club when I was 7 or 8 years old, crewing…

An enthusiastic member of Essex Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America, Phil Dickey, MD is a congenial Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association racer who never has trouble finding crew. “I grew up in Western North Carolina and went to college and medical school at UNC Chapel Hill. I came to Yale for neurosurgical residency, loved Connecticut and stayed,” says Phil, who lives in Guilford. “I started sailing in the late eighties while still…

An offshore and inshore sailboat captain and professional sailor with dreams of being the first American woman to race solo around the world, Cole Brauer made history last month as the first female sailor to take line honors in the singlehanded first leg of the Bermuda One-Two Yacht Race.   “I grew up in a small town called Springs, which is a hamlet of East Hampton on eastern Long Island, New York,” says Cole. “My first boat…