The New York Yacht Club has added another facet to its diverse support of high-performance sailing with the unveiling of the Club’s Performance Sailing Fund, which has announced its first six grants.
“We are so proud of the six Club members who will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics,” says L. Jay Cross, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. “We can’t think of a more appropriate way to kick off this fund than by granting each athlete $25,000 to support the final push toward a medal.”
The six athletes are Maggie Shea and Stephanie Roble (above, left to right) in the 49erFX, Stuart McNay and Lara Dallman-Weiss in the Mixed 470 and Sarah Douglas and Erika Reineke in the ILCA 6. Douglas sails for Team Canada, while the other five athletes are members of the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team.
“This means the world to me and will make a huge difference in the final prep to the Olympics,” says Douglas (at left), who finished sixth in the ILCA 6 class at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Performance Sailing Fund builds upon the Club’s enduring support of the entire U.S. Sailing Team through its Golden Spinnaker Gala, which generated over $1.25 million across the 2020 and 2024 Olympic cycles.
The Performance Sailing Fund will enable the New York Yacht Club to provide its sailors with the resources necessary to succeed in this modern era of sailing, where cutting-edge technology is a major component of many top classes. The Club aims to develop the next generation of Olympic, non-Olympic foiling, AC40, and shorthanded offshore sailors along with competitors in other top sailing disciplines. Through a fiscal partnership with the Sailing Foundation of New York, which enables tax-deductible contributions, the New York Yacht Club is committed to supporting its member athletes so that the sailors can focus on what it takes to win.
“Thank you to Commodore Cross for leading the charge on this initiative,” says Shea. “We’re setting up our boat in Marseille and can’t wait to hit the water soon. This infusion of support will help us make some good decisions in this final stretch.”
