As the youngest Race Chairman in the history of the Newport Bermuda Race, 34-year-old Alton J. Evans has the helm of the 50th “Thrash to the Onion Patch,” which starts Friday, June 17, 2016.

Having sailed across the Atlantic five times and delivered countless boats, expert navigator Carole Heller is a self-described sailing addict.

As the Education Director at Sailors for the Sea in Newport, Rhode Island, Shelley Brown, Ph.D. has turned a lifelong affinity for sailing and ocean conservation into a rewarding vocation.

A talented writer and keen amateur sailor, Joe Berkeley penned the excellent Team Comanche story on page 53 of this issue, as well as some terrific Volvo Ocean Race stories in recent issues of Newport This Week.

© Jenny Villone Photography/jennyvillone.com

The 20th running of the Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race is this month, and among the competitors is the event’s Marketing Chair and Trustee, Ray Cullum of Marion, Massachusetts.

With his love of sailing, keen eye and passion for photography, Matthew Cohen of Newport, Rhode Island is establishing himself as one of the top shooters in the very competitive world of yachting photography.

You won’t find a stronger advocate in women’s sailing than Joan Thayer, a passionate one-design racer from Marblehead, Massachusetts.

“I grew up in Marblehead and started sailing in the fourth grade,” says Joan. “My father, Dick Thayer, was a competitive sailor. He had a boat called a Brutal Beast and an International One-Design, and my mother Elli, my two sisters and I crewed for him.

Joan Thayer (left) pictured with an enthusiastic AdventureSail® skipper

With a very large number of paintings, drawings, ship models, sculpture and scrimshaw on display, the J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, located at 1899 Bronson Road in Fairfield, CT, is the nation’s foremost gallery of fine marine and sporting art. While the inventory is indeed spectacular, it’s the knowledge and enthusiasm of the affable owner, America’s leading authority on contemporary marine art, that makes this gallery a truly amazing place.

As the Head Varsity Sailing Coach at Yale University, Zachary Leonard has led the Bulldogs to several Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association national championships. A champion in team racing and several one-design classes, himself, Zack has coached numerous Olympians and contenders and was US Sailing’s National Coach of the Year in 2007.

As a co-founder of a successful women’s sailing program, a varsity sailing coach at an all-girls’ school and a regatta chair, Carolyn Russell of Greenwich, CT is an accomplished sailor who relishes creating opportunities for women of all ages and abilities to enjoy the sport.

“I grew up in Rye, NY and started sailing as a kid by cruising with my parents, Lynn Leech and Miller Longbotham,” says Carolyn. “My great uncle, George Gibbons, was a typical salty old sailor who taught me that

© Molly Boskey

sailing is about working hard and having a good time, no matter your age or ability. He lives on with me when I’m on the water. My first boat was an Optimist and I went through JAYC [Junior American Yacht Club], the junior program at American Yacht Club. It’s a great program with great instructors. I loved sailing as a kid and sailed recreationally on an Etchells in high school, but did not sail in college. It didn’t click until my 20s, and I was lucky to have the JAYC foundation.”