Women on the Water

This month we chat with an up-and-coming sailor with a bright future in the sport. I spoke with Newport native Orlaith (pronounced Or-la) Neylon at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, right after she’d come ashore from sailing on Christopher Dragon in the Safe Harbor Marinas Race Weekend. Full disclosure: I have known Orla since she was born.   Coop: Giday, kiddo. Thanks for coming over. I know a lot of your history generally, but give me your take…

Professional sailor Sara Stone has a goal of competing in The Ocean Race and the Paris 2024 Olympics. With experience from 49ers to TP52s, she was selected as a mentee of The Magenta Project in 2018. Last month, she and Cat Hunt sailed the Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Alchemist to first place in class and fleet in the inaugural Bermuda Short-Handed Return Race. I spoke with Sara at Cru Café in Newport not long after the prize giving….

If you have read press releases from Edgartown Race Weekend, the Ida Lewis Distance Race or the Newport Car Museum, amongst others, you have read Barby MacGowan wordsmithing. Barby is the founder and President of Media Pro International, a Newport-based press and public relations company specializing in luxury brands and lifestyle sports. Coop: Barby, thanks for coming over. Great to see you. Barby: Good morning (flashes that 1500-watt smile). Coop: Where are you from, and was sailing…

Women on the water need not be elite sailors in Newport. We even have polar expedition leaders in town. Coop: Kit, thanks for coming out. Where did you grow up, and was sailing a ‘thing’ in your family? Kit: (Laughs) You have an hour? I was born in New York City. My dad was in the banking business, and we moved to Japan when I was young – my brother was born there. Then to the UK,…

Interview by Joe Cooper Allie Gray grew up in Florida and through sailing has made her way to Newport, Rhode Island and into the thick of the sailing scene. I spoke with her during her lunch break at Sailor & Seam in Newport, where she is a sailmaker. Coop: Allie, thanks for mixing lunch and sailing talk. Allie Gray: Thanks for having me, Coop. Coop: Where were you born? AG: I was born and raised in Clearwater,…

Interview by Joe Cooper   Hayley Fraser is the General Manager of Dutch Harbor Boat Yard, a full service boatyard in Jamestown, RI that boasts a spectacular – and exceptionally well-organized – mooring field. Coop: Hayley, thanks for making time for me today. Just give me a quick overview of your background. You were born in Rhode Island, correct? Hayley Fraser: No worries, thanks for the opportunity. Yes, I grew up in North Kingstown, Bissel Cove, near…

As the Composites Technology Program Manager at the IYRS School of Technology & Trades in Newport, Rhode Island, Kelsey Britton has a passion for designing and building with some of the lightest, strongest materials on earth. Coop: Hi Kelsey. Where are you from, and was sailing a “thing” in your family? Kelsey Britton: Hi Coop. Oh, yes. I was born and raised in North Kingston. My father just retired from the marine business last year. He’s a mechanic…