As we ring in the New Year, let's take a moment to recap our most memorable moments from 2025 to celebrate our students, members, and sailing community.
2024 Member Awards
In February, we announced 19 sailors into our Commodore’s Club ( celebrating our most frequent charterers of 2024).
We also announced the winners of our 2024 Club Awards:
Lucy Pon - Top Charterer
Richard Lyons– Top Student
Arkadiy Goltser - Top Racer
Terence Carey - Ambassador Award
2024 Newest Club Sail Skippers
In March we welcomed five active club members who completed our Modern Sailing Club Sail Clinic to guide our social sails - one of our favorite membership benefits of the club.
Jack Zorman
Paul Duckett
Beri Bener
Jeff Wilfong
John Perry
Stay tuned for the announcements of our 2025 Member Awards in January. If you have completed at least 6 Gold or Platinum Fleet charters (at least 3 must be Platinum) let us know if you're interested in becoming a Club Sail Skipper in 2026!
Top Racing Achievements
2025 was the year our Race Program introduced our Team Format starting with our Level 1 Introduction Race Teams. Unlike our previous drop-in races, our beginner racers experienced every crew position during the series. The club expanded its J/105 fleet and its presence with multiple levels competing in the same races, sometimes even crossing the finish line 1-2-3 mere seconds behind one another.
Team Chao Pescao’s Journey: Paolo Juvara and his crew (all graduates of Modern Sailing's Racing Program) completed a three-year journey. They tackled the Rolex Big Boat Series with a new tactical mindset, proving that the MSC pipeline from student to elite racer is stronger than ever.
Chili Midwinter Podium: Our Level 2 Development Race Team Chao Pescao secured a podium finish in the SYC Chili Midwinters, while Team Mymble (J/99) showed remarkable growth during the Berkeley Midwinters. Our Level 1 Intro Team Chinook took 2nd place in the SYC Spring Series for their division - an incredible feat.
We ended the year with a Race Program Celebration at the Modern Sailing Berkeley clubhouse with Guest Speaker and racing legend Andy Schwenk, presentation of the incredible achievements from our racers and race coaches with awards, feasting, and socializing.
Honorees in attendance included veteran race coaches Mark Jordan and Carmen Maio, as well as veteran racer Jon Shapiro. Additional honorees included rookie race coach Jeff Fairchild and rookie racer Jessica Wilbur.
The evening wrapped with enthusiastic applause for Andy, the race program, and the exciting developments ahead for 2026.
Global Destinations & Flotillas
We didn't just stay in the Bay; we took the Modern Sailing sense of adventure to remote destinations and a return to one of our favorites.
The Seychelles Dream: In September, our Global Destinations skippers and crew explored the remote Indian Ocean - a groundbreaking trip for Modern Sailing. Ten days of white-sand beaches, crystal-clear water, and giant tortoises made this a "bucket list" achievement for many members and skippers.
West Indies Odyssey: Our Spring flotilla sailed from the British history of St. Lucia to the culinary delights of French Martinique.
2026 Destinations Announced: Thailand and the Andaman Seas and the Society Islands of French Polynesia and Tahiti adventure (there is still time to join the waitlist).
Community & Partnerships
2025 was about bringing our members more social and docking privileges than ever before with Yacht Club Reciprocity at Corinthian Yacht Club (CYC) and the Sausalito Yacht Club (SYC). Our members celebrated with Cruise-In Club Sails where we enjoyed using our guest passes to enjoy the CYC and SYC clubhouse dining and views.
We also solidified an opportunity with the St. Francis Yacht Club, offering their members ASA certifications and expansion of their adult sailing education program for custom courses right from the StFYC docks. Members of SYC, CYC and StFYC also have an invitation to take courses and clinics at Modern Sailing at a preferred rate.
New Courses & Member Perks
We introduced two new ASA certifications to our educational suite in 2025:
Modern Sailing's Dinghy & Outboard Rental Program - The ASA 116 certification grants our members access to our new charter add-ons to rent inflatable dinghies and outboard engines. The 116 course is an excellent Global Destinations prep to familiarize students with outboard maintenance and dinghy handling for vacation chartering.
Events
April - We celebrated our incredible fleet crew during April 21 - 25: International Marine Service Technician Week. They are the backbone of our operation keeping our sailboats under constant inspection and maintenance for our charter club and sailing schools. This year we upgraded our Catalina 320s with new bluetooth stereos and cockpit speakers in Sausalito.
Coho II (Spencer 1330) our offshore bluewater cruiser got a complete makeover to take students on six coastal and offshore sailing adventures: ASA 105-106, ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising, ASA 108 Offshore Passagemaking, as well as our coastal expeditions to Half Moon Bay, the Farallones, and the Coho II Delivery Experience back up the coast from Marina del Rey.
The April 27, 2025 Opening Day on the Bay Member Mixer celebration at our Sausalito location welcomed the new Premier Tier vessels from NAOS Yachts: Firefly (Beneteau Oceanis 40.1) and Bora Bora (Beneteau Oceanis 30.1). Members enjoyed Club Sails aboard Survivor (Sausalito's Beneteau 38') and Moon Dance (Berkeley's Bavaria 42). We feasted on delicious Black Star Pirate BBQ and enjoyed live music by The Cruz Boys that got us onto our feet. Beautiful weather made it a fun day celebrating the launch of sailing season.
June - We celebrated summer sailing with a Member Mixer at Modern Sailing Berkeley for Summer Sailstice on June 21. We enjoyed delicious BBQ and live music by the group Shabang! with the steel drum sounds of St. Lucia. Our Intro Sails and Club Sails
Whales are sometimes spotted during Farallones Day Trips, Half Moon Bay and Drakes Bay Trips, and ASA 106/Advanced Coastal Cruising courses. Capt. Andrea describes her wildlife experiences as among her favorite parts of going out on the ocean in How to Experience the Farallones Islands: Wildlife, Sailing Adventures & the San Francisco Bay.
July - We teamed up with experts from the West Coast's largest Beneteau dealer, NAOS Yachts and CPA Nick Tarlson for our first Charter Placement Seminar with boat tours and a presentation on the many benefits of placing a yacht in charter. We welcomed three new boats into our Fleet this year, creating a Premier Tier class. Firefly, a 40.1 Beneteau Oceanis and Bora Bora, a 30.1 Beneteau Oceanis from NAOS Yachts. We ended the year with a new Silver Fleet Beneteau Oceanis 30.1, Polaris - joining the Berkeley fleet.
Our members love boats like Firefly, Bora Bora and Polaris, so we are looking to recruit more of them! Placing your boat our charter fleet is a great way to enjoy the benefits of ownership while we take care of your boat's care and berthing. If 2026 is your year for boat ownership, reach out for more information: contact us.
September - The 3rd Annual Sausalito Boat Show took place at Clipper Yacht Harbor from Sept. 19 - 21. This year saw several cancellations in the marine industry boat shows, so it was refreshing to get out of the office and meet wonderful new friends and fellow experienced sailors. We had warm days and breezy conditions, perfect to check out new boats and introduce our ASA course and charter club offerings.
October - Fleet Week was under threat of not having it's airshow when the Blue Angels were grounded as the headliners the week of October 8th. Our neighbors to the north stepped up and gave us a spectacular show. We watched the world-renowned Canadian Snowbirds (431 Air Demonstration Squadron), the Patriots Jets Team, and the United Airlines 777 Demo overhead. A highlight was seeing The Colombian Navy's tall ship, the ARC Gloria arriving on October 9th docking at Pier 15/17 in time for the week-long tours and festivities.
December - It's no surprise Firefly won second place in this year's 38th Annual Winterfest Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade. The fireworks show was missed but our spectators and parade boats were full of cheer and great spirits, enjoying holiday snacks and beverages while enjoying the parade. A big thanks goes out to Club Skippers Geoff Love and Jett Angeles, who skippered the decorated catamarans, and Mark Bowers and Richard Beckman (pictured with his daughter Kayla), who skippered the spectator boats!
Our team ended our season with a Holiday lunch at the Trident restaurant overlooking the Bay in Sausalito. It's rare to get our entire team in one zip code, so it was a special way to celebrate a dynamic 2025 year for the Modern Sailing staff.
Modern Sailor Achievements in 2025
Some of our former community members completed incredible feats on the water in 2025.
On March 4, 2025 our former GM of MSC Sausalito, Cyril Derreumaux, completed his solo kayak expedition across the Atlantic aboard his kayak Valentine in 71 days, 14 hours, and 57 min.
On May 13, 2025 Captain Andrea Geisinger completed her Passage from O'ahu, Hawaii to the Marquesas
Carli & Mark McKinney completed their incredible trip: From Bay Cruisers to World Voyagers - Mexico, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Indonesia with their family of five.
We followed S/V Sir Edmund in this year's legendary TransPac race (2,225 nautical mile journey from Los Angeles to O'ahu). Owner Andy Schwenk and his crew started their adventure on July 1st and crossed the finish line on July 12th coming in 2nd place in their division and 13th overall for monohulls. The crew included two Modern Sailing members: Cyril Kollock and Modern Sailing Race Coach and Instructor Capt. Mark Jordan.
Member Resources Articles Published in 2025
Our public library of articles to inform, educate, and inspire you grew quite a lot this year!
Sailor Spotlight Articles
- Terence Carey's Bucket List Challenge
- Sailor Spotlight: Julie Kim's Path to Competitive Bay Racing
- Meet Our Newest Club Skippers
- Jason Keel's Journey to Confident BVI Skipper with Modern Sailing
- Coho II Delivery Experiences: Crew Stories from Brandon Green
Are you or do you know a Modern sailor who recently bought a boat, crossed an ocean, or participated in an epic race? We love to read and share the stories of our students and members (past and present) who have taken a leap towards making their biggest sailing dreams come true. Please connect us by sending an email to news@modernsailing.com.
Sailing & Charter Tips Articles
- A Look at Our Fleet's Dodger-Equipped Vessels
- Boats with Swim Platforms in the Modern Sailing Fleet
- Tying the Knot: Expert Tips from Modern Sailing Instructors
- San Francisco Bay: Where Love Sets Sail
- Women's Sailing Organizations Making a Difference in the World
- Maximize Your San Francisco Bay Sailing with Charter Resources
- Docking a Dual Rudder Sailboat
