National Sailing Hall of Fame announces class of 2014

By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki

July 31, 2014 at 10:58 am Detroit

Naval architect Francis Herreshoff, famous for his classic sailboat designs, is among the 2014 National Sailing Hall of Fame inductees. Hall of Boats photo from Herreshoff Marine Museum.

The National Sailing Hall of Fame just announced the inductees for 2014. The honorees will be recognized Sept. 27 and 28 here in Detroit.

The two day induction ceremony include a Hall of Fame panel for junior sailors, followed by a sail with Hall of Fame members and a dinner at Bayview Yacht Club on Saturday. The induction will be held Sunday at the Detroit Yacht Club.

The 2014 inductees include:

-Yachtsman, historian and senior statesman of the sport, Henry H. “Harrh” Anderson, Jr. (Mystic, Conn.)

-Mathematician and navigator Nathaniel Bowditch (Salem, Mass.)

-Boat builder and U.S. Olympic Sailing Team boatwright Carl Eichenlaub (San Diego, Calif.);

-Brothers Olaf Harken and Peter Harken (both Pewaukee, Wisc.), respectively, boat builder and sailing hardware designer;

-Naval architect and prolific writer L. Francis Herreshoff (Bristol, R.I./Marblehead, Mass.)

-1960 5.5 Metre Olympic Gold Medalist and boat builder George O’Day (Brookline, Mass./Dover, Mass.).

-Grand Prix yachtsman John B. “Jim” Kilroy (Marina del Rey, Calif.), the recipient of the NSHOF’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.

“When the National Sailing Hall of Fame was formed in 2005, a central piece of its mission was to focus attention on Americans who had made outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing,” said Gary Jobson, President of the NSHOF. “The eight members of the class of 2014 are joining 34 previously-recognized individuals whose achievements – whether on-the-water, at a drafting table or in the administration of the sport – have impacted recreational boaters and competitive sailors alike.”

“By recognizing them and sharing their stories, the NSHOF is preserving the history of the sport and its impact on American culture while inspiring the next generation of sailors,” Jobson said.

See more at nshof.org. Harken.com