This week, hosts John Pearce and Whitney Kent recap the latest in sailing and are joined by a special guest — the US Sailing Team High Performance Director, Marcus Lynch! ⛵️

Later on, Janel Zarkowsky Martin and Whitney Kent sit down with Matthew Thompson and Sam Peirson as they dive into the latest insights in community sailing!

🎧 Tune in now on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

Time Stamps:

-------------------

-Intros - 0:00

-LA 2028 with Marcus Lynch - 4:45 

-High performance sailing news - 18:20 

-Offshore racing news - 26:40 

-Other news - 37:20 

-Community Sailing w/ Matt and Sam - 42:05

In this exclusive audio-only episode, host Janel Martin sits down with legendary sailing expert, coach, and author Dave Perry. They dive into the latest 2025 racing rule changes, share memorable life stories, and explore what’s on the horizon for the future of sailing.

Whether you're a seasoned sailor or new to the sport, this conversation is packed with insight, inspiration, and a few laughs along the way!

🎙️ The second episode of American Sailor is live on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!

This week is a “Notice Board” episode, going over all the latest news in sailing – which is a LOT! Join us in dissecting the June mayhem, including:

🪽U.S. Wingfoil Champs

⛵️The Great Lakes sailing scene

🏅Olympic sailing venue selection

And more! Plus, listen to Lexi, John, and Whitney attempt to figure out who’s who at the Charles River Open team race.

Show Notes 

Great Lakes Mac Races - Whitney is almost an Old Goat! 

Women’s Sailing corner 

• All women’s chi-mac team - santa cruz 52 madcap , Bounder also an all-womens crew – 8 women’s skippers in QC, 3 on podium in sections 

• All women’s A2N team 

• https://www.sail-world.com/news/287184/First-all-women-crew-finish-Annapolis-Newport-Race 

• Mixed Plus J70 Worlds - https://www.j70.it/en/j-70-cup-2025-mixedplus/ 

• Thayer Trophy  - won by Newport Harbor YC https://thayertrophy.com/?page_id=381  

• Ida Lewis- https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2025-u-s-junior-womens-doublehanded-championship/  

JO Shout Out – Marine Debris Clean Ups in Chicago (107 lbs of trash), Ohio (298 lbs of trash in Ohio), and Hawaii!  

June 20-22 regatta mayhem:  

• US Singlehanded National Championship (Waszp)  https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2025-u-s-singlehanded-championship/  

• US Wingfoil National Championship- https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/u-s-wingfoil-championship/  

SCHEDULING drops:  

• Sail GP 2026 Schedule –  https://sailgp.com/news/25/2026-season-dates-further-venues-confirmed  

• US Sailing NSPS 2027 and Regional 2026 events - https://www.ussailing.org/news/us-sailing-announces-dates-and-location-for-2027-national-sailing-programs-symposium-nsps/  

• Next National Sailing Programs Symposium (NSPS) will take place January 20–23, 2027, at the Luminary Hotel & Co., Autograph Collection, in Fort Myers, Florida. 

• Regional Symposiums in 2026, coming to a location near you! Don’t miss it 

• LA28 Olympic Venues- Confirmed https://la28.org/en/newsroom/la28-los-angeles-and-long-beach-announce-final-sailing-venue-plan.html  

• Long Beach for Formula Kite and iQFOiL 

• San Pedro for ILCA 6/7, 470, 49er/49erFX, and Nacra17 

MENTIONS 

• ORC North Americans & BI Race Week - https://stormtrysail.org/regattas/blockislandraceweek/  

• Claggett Adaptive regatta - https://clagettsailing.org/Information  

• Rose Cup US Youth Match Racing National Championships - https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2025-u-s-youth-match-racing-championship/  

• Balboa Yacht Club – home of the Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Race. Great livestream available on Youtube and Facebook 

• US Sailing Youth National Team 420, ILCA, and 29er Camps - https://www.ussailing.org/teams/youthteam/  

• Opti Worlds – https://2025worlds.optiworld.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall  

• Transpac Starts July 1, 3, 5 – follow it! https://transpacyc.com/race-info/2025-race-info  

• Good luck to US Sailing’s Charlie Enright and Blaine Pedlow  

• A Scow National Championship in Madison, WI – https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative/50235 

• Marion Bermuda Race – https://marionbermuda.com/  

• Long Beach Race Week - https://www.lbrw.org/  

• Charles River Open team race Lexi 

  
  

  Photo credits to Hannah Lee Knoll for Whitney's headshot!

In Episode 1, hosts John Pearce, Lexi Pline and Whitney Kent dive into College Nationals and Women's Match Racing and the origin of where the name, "American Sailor" comes from. Also, DJ Khaled’s SailGP appearance and a sit down with US Sailing's new CEO, Charlie Enright and SVP of Development, Blaine Pedlow.

About the hosts:

John Pearce is US Sailing’s Youth Racing Director, focused on regattas, clinics, and the new US Sailing Youth National Team. Originally from Ithaca, NY, he grew up sailing on the Finger Lakes and attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), where he was an All-American. After finishing 5th in the 2008 Olympic Trials, he went on to coach at HWS, Stanford, Dartmouth, and George Washington University. He joined the US Sailing staff in 2016.

Lexi Pline is a photographer and sailor from Annapolis, MD who started her sailing journey is Snipes. She was an Honorable Mention All American crew at Boston University, and now mostly sails Snipes and match races. She is the Media & Communications Coordinator at US Sailing where she manages the association’s outward facing communications and content creation.

Whitney Kent is the Youth Programs Associate at US Sailing. She supports Community Sailing Accreditation and Resources, Instructor Recertifications, Reach (US Sailing's STEM Program), and other youth program initiatives and resources. Whitney enjoys sailing with her family on the Great Lakes, primarily racing dinghies and keelboats on Lake Michigan. After college at the University of Wisconsin, she was Program Director at the Sheboygan Youth Sailing Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin for nearly 10 years before moving to Annapolis, Maryland in 2024.

In this teaser episode, hosts John Pearce, Lexi Pline, and Whitney Kent take us through old American Sailor magazine covers and vintage photos, offering a glimpse into the rich history of the sport and offer a preview of what’s to come on the podcast. Stay tuned for more!