On Watch

An internationally recognized expert on maritime training and education under sail, Captain Jonathan Kabak is the Chief Executive Officer of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island and Master of the Ocean State’s Tall Ship, Oliver Hazard Perry. “I like to tell people that I was born and grew up on an island on the mid-Atlantic coast only thirteen miles long and two miles wide, only I had to share Manhattan with about 1.5 million other people,” Jonathan chuckles….

A resident of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Robyn Earley is a former pro sailor, an enthusiastic racer, and Commodore of The Twenty Hundred Club. “I was born in Boston, but moved to Sarasota, Florida when I was six.” says Robyn, “I lived in Florida until I left for graduate school in San Diego. We had a Bristol 29, Irish Mist, and according to my parents I was sailing before I could walk! My Dad, Robert Earley, also raced…

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…