Another magnificent event for the annual Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing at Centerport Yacht Club. SailAhead, a project of the Duclay family on the north shore of Long Island. With beautiful conditions, this event on August 6 attracted over 50 boats and 180 veterans and guests bringing them together for a day of sailing, healing and friendship.
This year, Sean Duclay lead the message to spread awareness of suicide among our veterans, 220 every 10 days due to PTSD. The 219 on the flag represents Our Mates, veterans or active duty soldiers who took their lives on home soil. SailAhead honors these soldiers by taking their nametags with them wherever they go. Each name tag has on it the name of a veteran who took his or her own life. They carry 219 tags, instead of 220, because the one missing represents the one life that SailAhead’s efforts may save.
Meanwhile on the west coast, Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing Day was hosted by partners at the Tacoma Yacht Club in Washington. The day of sailing and fellowship honored SPC Ryan James Day, an Army Ranger from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, who took his life in 2014 due to PTSD. They have been taking Army Rangers from the 2nd Battalion sailing aboard s/v Wild Thing with skipper Ed Jacobs. Also sailing with them is Victor Sassoon, 2013 Warrior Sailing graduate.
Their programming doesn’t stop with these events. They are training a racing team, offering basic keelboat certifications and visits on Tallships. Watch for the great results from this program supported by the USMMA Sailing Foundation.
