This past weekend, Baltimore’s Downtown Sailing Center hosted the Ya Gotta Regatta, an annual event which supports the center’s mission to invite everyone into the sport of sailing.
“In the sailing community at large, there is a recognition that there are fewer and fewer boats on start lines,” says Sharon Lacy, Executive Director of the Downtown Sailing Center. “There are fewer people because it is such an expensive sport. I think one of the great things about our organization is that we are this big, wide open door for people to come into the sport.”
“We are purposefully building programing that will allow new folks to develop within the sailing community, who will become future boat owners at some point, who will be our future racers. That’s, I think, an important part of the message of what a community sailing center can be.”
But the organization does more than just lower the price point for getting started. Recognizing that sailing is a fun way to gain life skills like teamwork, grit, and independence, the center also has more than a dozen programs that bring people into the fold, including kids in the foster system and people with disabilities. Their Young Mariner program offers around 15 teens a springboard to working in the marine industry each year. Participants get training, their U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat certification, and exposure to work opportunities.
One such participant was at the helm of a spectator boat during Saturday’s race. “We happened to be giving a ride to state delegate Robbyn Lewis of the 46th district, and it was so cool to see [the Young Mariner] running the boat,” recalls Lacy. “It was just amazing how she comported herself in that company, because she was not just commanding the boat, but also having these conversations, talking about the Downtown Sailing Center and sharing all the things we do.”
For Lacy, who mostly plays a shoreside role in these kids’ learning, it was a powerful opportunity to see the program in action. “This is why we do what we do with these Young Mariners. It’s a venue to develop self-confidence and, you know, a sense of command that will take her through the rest of her life.”
The regatta itself welcomes four different fleets—PHRF, J/22, Sonar 23, and Hansas, with the latter two being adaptive racing fleets. “We have a robust and growing program for adaptive sailors. One of our lead volunteers is a Paralympic Champion, and our [adaptive racers] actually transition into a boat and have the tiller in their hands. They’re not just going for a ride in the boat, they truly are sailors.”
This year, the regatta raised $151,000 for the Downtown Sailing Center, which will go a long way towards scholarships and accessible programs, but it’s just the beginning of their current fundraising goal.
The Downtown Sailing Center sits behind the Baltimore Museum of Industry and shares dock space with other community projects like “Mr Trash Wheel,” a cheerful landmark on the Baltimore waterfront that scoops up to 500 tons of waste out of the water each year. However, the space requires maintenance, and that comes at a cost.
“This is a really big year for us because our docks are at the end of their life. We got them secondhand 20 years ago,” says Lacy. The docks need to be replaced before they become unsafe, she says, and the goal is $2.5 million over the next two years, which will be enough to do the necessary maintenance as well as create an endowment that will help their work continue on for decades to come.
For more on the Downtown Sailing Center and their programing, visit downtownsailing.org.
2025 Ya Gotta Regatta Race Results:
Hansa Adaptive Racers:
1 – Zoltan Pegan
2 – Lionel Rogers
3 – Jun Aggarao
J/22 Fleet
1 – Matt Alisch
2 – Mike Mcnamara
3 – Jenn Millar
PHRF
1 – Bare Bones
2 – Dark Crystal
3 – KoKo Express
Sonar 23 Fleet/Adaptive Sailor participants
1 – Kendall and Bonnie; Anthony Derosa & Ursula Young
2 – Yusuf; Priscilla Henderer & Dan Zink
