This past weekend, Chicago’s Burnham Park Harbor saw the 34th edition of the Independence Cup. This regatta is America’s longest running regatta for adapted sailors with functional impairments, conditions ranging from spinal cord injuries to vision loss.
The sailors compete in specially designed accessible boats, which are owned by the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program and provided to competitors at no cost. They traveled from 10 states and Canada to compete.
The fleet was divided into three classes: single, double, and triplehanded. Matt Koblenzer of Milwaukee was the singlehanded winner, sailing a 2.4 Metre and taking home the gold for the sixth time in seven years. The doublehanded division came down to the final day, with skipper Gary Pierce of Hebron, Indiana, and crew Zak Kordick of Chicago, taking the victory in an Independence 20. (A hard fought second went to Chris Murphy and Rob Hazen of Charleston, South Carolina.) And in the triplehanded fleet, Bridget Bodo of Chicago along with her son, Sebu, and Brian Pebbles of Cleveland captured first place in an eight-boat fleet, defending her 2025 title.
This year also marked the inaugural Cookie Cup, held the day before the Independence Cup to pair experienced racing sailors with adaptive sailors to provide coaching, strategy, and racing guidance.
The Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program has a longstanding mission of expanding access to sailing on Lake Michigan for people with physical impairments. Justin “Judd” Goldman was 17 when he experienced a bone disease that resulted in significant physical impairments. After realizing there were few sports he could participate in, Judd discovered sailing. After a lifetime of sailing, Judd passed away in 1989 at age 75.
In 1990, his family established the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation as a public/private partnership with the Chicago Park District. Over the next 35 years, the foundation offered a unique, learn-to-sail program to bring the joy and independence of adaptive sailing to thousands of participants. In 2026, a generous gift from the foundation and family helped to establish the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
