Who We Sponsor
Meet Our Sailors
Chris Poole
RipeTideRacing
Chris Poole for the past four years has been the #1 Match racer in the world and is CEO & Skipper of Riptide Racing. He sails for Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club around the world and primarily competes on the World Match Race Tour. In 2023 Chris and Riptide Racing made history at the U.S. Congressional Cup becoming the first team in yacht racing to go undefeated through a full double round robin Grade 1 WMRT event with a perfect 24-0 record. In 2024 the team won Congressional Cup for a second time, then they made history again by becoming the first American team to conquer Match Cup Sweden, the founding event of the World Match Race Tour. Riptide Racing won the WMRT Overall Points Championship in 2024 and is currently leading the overall championship in 2025.
Recently Chris and Riptide Racing in partnership with Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club announced they would attempt for challenge for the 38th America's Cup in Naples, 2027. 
@ripetide_8209
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Cole Brauer
Cole Brauer Ocean RacingCole Brauer is a trailblazing professional offshore sailor and the first American woman to race solo nonstop around the world. She was awarded the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and holds the record for the fastest person in a 40ft sailboat to sail around the world. Known for her grit, precision, and storytelling from the high seas, she has become a magnetic voice in modern ocean racing. Inspiring millions online, Cole continues to push boundaries and is currently the co-skipper on the prestigious German Ocean Race team: Team Malizia. The upcoming campaign is for an American based IMOCA 60 team for the Ocean Race circuit in 2029 as the lead up to the Vendee Globe, the solo nonstop race around the globe in 2032.
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Erica Lush
Project HopeFrom Rhode Island, USA, Erica Lush pursues offshore sailing with determination. Family trips in her childhood sparked her love for life at sea, teaching her early on about the magic and adventure of leaving shore behind. Those memories continue to fuel her dreams of ocean racing.
A haven for young sailors, Rhode Island provided excellent opportunities for dinghy racing development. But after university, that track disappeared. Lacking a clear professional pathway, and facing many false starts and obstacles, Erica forged her own career without a road map—finding “lucky breaks” in programs designed to advance women in sailing. She first joined an affirmative action initiative The Maiden Factor, then later benefited from a structured mentorship with Sharon Ferris-Choat through The Magenta Project. She continues to carry those lessons in her own offshore solo and shorthanded campaign, giving back to the sport she loves. Today Erica has sailed over 75,000 nautical miles offshore. That’s equivalent to more than two laps of the planet. Her highlights include racing through the Southern Ocean, rounding Cape Horn, completing a circumnavigation, crossing the Atlantic in IMOCA 60s, and competing in double-handed races in Class 40s and Figaro 3s. In 2019 Erica first heard about a grueling series of solo races on the Atlantic coasts of Europe: La Solitaire du Figaro. This single-handed marathon is regarded as one of the world’s most demanding training grounds for elite offshore racing. The idea hooked her, but the event is decidedly French—and being American, she didn’t think she’d be able to enter. Undeterred, she formed a plan to begin racing double-handed back in the US and then internationally. After six years of development in short-handed racing, re-locating to France and learning a new language, fundraising relentlessly, training in the French system and completing her first solo races, this year all the hard work is coming to fruition in the biggest challenge of her career. In 2025 with the support of the American Sailboat Racing Foundation, she became the third American ever to compete in the Solitaire. She is currently seeking funds to enter a second time, aiming for a record US result in the race. |
Catherine Chimney
From the day she got her first optimist dinghy the ‘Sailing Kitty’ she wanted to sail around the world. She plotted her first course on an atlas to grandma’s house from Long Island, New York to Mentor Harbor, Ohio. She set off with her cheerios to put a letter in the mailbox for granny. Catherine was a frequent vision on the water since she was a child. In 2006 she moved to New Zealand to follow her passion for sailing and engineering. She graduated with a BE (honors) in Chemical and Materials Engineering, Racing heavily on the Radial Olympic Class Circuit and then moving on to offshore sailing. Her project management style and experience in composite materials in one of her greatest strengths. Since then she has been nominated for twice for Rolex Yachts Woman of the year. She gets things done.
"The American Sailboat Racing Foundation Board is impressed with Catherine’s, determination, and sailing skills. In addition, we believe she in particular is an inspiration to women sailors, and the American Sailboat Racing Foundation seeks to encourage all sailors who can compete in the national and international arena." - ASRF Board
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Sara Stone
Sara Stone is a multi-disciplinary sailor competing at the highest levels of the sport. She is the 2025 Rolex TP52 Super Series World Champion, and the only woman to win the world championship title as a navigator. She is also the 2024 and 2025 overall season winner in the TP52 Super Series with team American Magic Quantum Racing. In 2025, Sara competed with Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club to win the historic 4v4 team racing event, the British-American Cup. In 2024, Sara was the skipper of the New York Yacht Club American Magic Women's Team in the inaugural Women's America's Cup. She also currently competes in the RC44 class with Team Aqua, and the Ocean50 Trimaran class with team Upwind by MerConcept. Sara is a past member of the US Sailing Team in the Nacra17, the US Sail GP team, and was a finalist for the 2022 US Rolex Yachtswoman of the year. Sara spends time giving talks, coaching and mentoring younger sailors and is particularly passionate about helping younger girls and women succeed in the sport. Outside of sailing, Sara previously worked as an epidemiologist and risk manager, and competed as a Division 1 rower.
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