news release

YSF Community Sailing hosted Florida East Coast Series Regatta #2 on Sunday, October 12, 2025.  Sailed under beautiful blue skies with a steady 10-knot easterly breeze, forty sailors had a blast competing in 420 and Opti racing dinghies.   YSF welcomed sailors from the Melbourne Yacht Club and Palm Beach Sailing Club to their spectacular sailing venue on the Indian River Lagoon. 

The highlight of the afternoon was YSF’s clean sweep of the very competitive 420 class.  A crewed (2-person) 14-foot dinghy, the 420 is the standard interscholastic and intercollegiate class sailed nationwide.   The boat requires skilled coordination between skipper and crew.  A lightweight racing machine, the 420 demands finally tuned sail trim and rudder control.  Weight and balance by the crew is critical to keep the boat on an even keel.  Lose focus and you are swimming rather than sailing.

After six grueling mile long races, YSF’s Edee Steinkamp and Mikey Ladd took home first place among the twelve competing boats.  The brother and sister crew of Liam and Sara Powell raced to a 2nd place finish, with Ocean Free and Aarian Shah completing the clean sweep with a 3rd place finish.

Zoey Delisle sailed to first place finish in the Opti Silver class.   The Opti is an eight-foot blunt nosed dinghy with a single gaff-rigged sail that is universally used as a starting trainer for eight-year-olds and up.  Over three hundred thousand are in commission worldwide.   Zoey hung-tough sailing seven races around the triangle course to win her first regatta.

Sailing and succeeding in a regatta is the culmination of hours of training and dedication to honing one’s skills.  YSF uses sailing as a medium to teach life skills. Lessons learned on the water – resilience, perseverance, and focus – are brought ashore to help children achieve their full potential.  Sailing is challenging.  With success, confidence soars.  Children from across the socioeconomic spectrum leave their screens and anxieties on the beach as they concentrate on learning the sail.

Sailing is impactful and can be transformative in a young person’s life.

A huge team of YSF volunteers served as the race committee, safety boat, and shoreside support.  YSF and visiting team parents helped their children launch and recover the sailboats and cheered them on while enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the waterfront.

Youth Sailing Foundation (YSF) of Indian River County, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that eliminates cultural and financial barriers to sailing. YSF was founded in 2009 to use sailing as a medium to help children achieve their full potential.  We operate under the banner “YSF Community Sailing” to reflect that we now serve the entire community.  We make it easy and affordable for children, adults, and families to enjoy the thrill of sailing.  For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit:  www.ysfirc.org  Contact: Email info@ysfirc.org  Phone 772 492-3243