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Harry Melges III & Harry Melges IV Win M17 Championship
With five firsts, Harry Melges III & Harry Melges IV Win the M17 Championship in Pewaukee on July 21st, 2013. Five boats from LGYC finished in the Top 10. Click Here for the full results
With five firsts, Harry Melges III & Harry Melges IV Win the M17 Championship in Pewaukee on July 21st, 2013. Five boats from LGYC finished in the Top 10. Click Here for the full results
Congratulations To LGYC’s own Will Huerth and Chapman Petersen for winning the X Inland which took place in Oshkosh Wisconsin July 25th-27th. Please come celebrate our X Boaters and IOD’s Tuesday evening after A Scow racing.
Now that he is coming up on his first full year as the Executive Director at the Geneva Lake Sailing School, Joe Kutschenreuter is reflecting on how exactly he ended up where he is today. Joe manages a staff of fifteen talented sailing instructors, all of whom are U.S. Sailing Certified and up-to-date on CPR and first aid training.
Joe’s passion for sailing actually started as a result of his fishing. When he was eight years old, Kutschenreuter’s father used to bribe him with night crawlers just to get him out on Lake Beulah to try his hand at sailing. It didn’t take long for Joe to become “hooked” on the sport, and he quickly learned to deeply appreciate sailing as a way of life.
“After a couple years at the sailing school I got really into the racing, and the regattas, and the competition was by far what excited me the most.”
Joe went on to do just about all he could to turn that excitement into an undeniably impressive resume of sailing success. He first became a head racing coach on Lake Beulah, and at a young age, he even went on to sail worldwide with his own team that he put together with neighborhood friends.
“My neighbor had a couple of kids my age, and his kids were really into it, and so we started up this sailing team. It was the Midwest Optimist Sailing Team, and we started traveling around the world.”
Kutschenreuter and the Midwest Optimist Sailing Team competed in places like Italy, Spain, Canada, and the Netherlands. These extravagant venues were not even the main headline of Joe’s sailing career, however. He was most proud of his time spent at UW-Madison.
“I went to Madison and joined the sailing team, which was the most fun I’ve ever had sailing. I was elected captain my junior year and helped them recruit their first full-time coach to help coach the team. We were ranked in the top 10 my senior year, which was pretty good for a team without varsity funding.”
The bottom line here? Joe Kutschenreuter has proven to be a prime choice for his position of Executive Director at the GLSS. His undeniable passion for sailing, demonstrated by the mentioned accomplishments, is only out-measured by his love for teaching at the sailing school.
“I have a better time teaching kids than I ever did while sailing. Every kid is different, and I love getting to know each one and finding out what they want to get out of the sport.”
Joe went on to describe how much he values seeing growth in students.
“Once I get to know them, it’s a matter of helping them and seeing their progression from the first day, and after a couple years, you can see how they’ve gone and you get to create a relationship with them.”
Anywhere between 20-50 new kids take lessons at the GLSS per week, with about 350-400 total people taking lessons. The long-standing sailing school frequently receives eager sailors of all skill levels and ages. Kutschenreuter emphasized that although the Lake Geneva Yacht Club and its services are exclusive to members, the Geneva Lake Sailing School will accept anyone with an interest in sailing.
“Absolutely. Anyone, member or not, can come over to the sailing school and take lessons, and get involved with any program that we offer.”
Getting involved with the school is simple. Those interested can go online at GLSS.org, or give Joe a call at the school at 262-275-8489. He is always more than happy to accommodate new students.
The GLSS and LGYC are in the process of fundraising in order to build a collaborative sailing facility called the Buddy Melges Sailing Center, named after sailing legend Harry “Buddy” Melges Jr. The website offers detailed instructions for those looking to contribute to the worthy cause. Kutschenreuter views the project as a huge opportunity.
“After 75 years, the sailing school is still growing every day, and I don’t think it’s going to ever stop growing.”
Kutschenreuter and his team of instructors are ambitious about continuing to build on the GLSS’s proven success, and there is no reason to believe that they will not prevail in doing so.
This year’s Club 420 National Championship Regatta proved once again to the sailing community that there really is nothing quite like getting out on the competitive waters. Despite having a few days that, at times, lacked adequate wind conditions, the regatta wrapped up on Saturday with a pair of thrilling races.
Our very own Mary Claire Kiernan, a GLSS instructor, captured a second-place finish when it was all said and done.
After months of intense anticipation and preparation, sailors from all over the nation traveled to the Lake Geneva Yacht Club last week to compete in one of the largest regattas the Midwest has to offer. Kiernan, who grew up sailing on Lake Beulah, managed to edge out the vast majority of her competition with the help of her Lucy Wilmont crew. Their victory didn’t come without a few challenges provided by our beloved Mother Nature.
A few races throughout the regatta were marred with a lack of adequate wind, and many of the sailors described the wind conditions over Lake Geneva during these particular races as extremely “patchy.” In any sailing competition, reasonably distributed wind is important in ensuring that all those who compete have a fair shot at navigating the waters. Inconsistent wind is simply considered to be a part of the sport, and it can make races all the more competitive. All of the sailing enthusiasts that took part in this year’s 420 National Regatta didn’t let the wind spoil the competition, nor the fun of the event.
The past week was one that was absolutely rich with excitement, and the LGYC would like to thank all those that took part in such an ambitious series of events, members or not! The GLSS Dinghy Fest, combined with the 420 National Championship, made for a major success for all.For a deeper look into what the Club 420 Nationals had to offer, have a look at our gallery.
As always, if you have any additional pictures or videos that you personally took, share them with us on Facebook or Twitter!
Another congratulations goes out to Mary Claire Kiernan and the Lucy Wilmont crew on their second-place finish, and to all competing sailors for contributing to an enormously satisfying spectacle!
Our next national regatta, the M17 National Regatta, will take place in late August.
Congratulations to the Silverhawk crew on their second straight A-Scow National Title! Despite a weekend full of unpredictable weather, the excitement was mounting during this year’s premiere regatta. The proud owner of Silverhawk, Terry Blanchard, was accompanied by a stellar crew including Jim Petersen, Ben Porter, Peter Keck, Molly Forbes, Joe Kutschenreuter, and Andy Burdick.
The sincerest of thanks go out to all of the unyielding supporters that came out to be a part of such a memorable event! To all of the families, friends, members, and associates of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club: you are all what make events like this so special!
Some of the biggest supporters who attended the regatta were also some of the smallest. All of the children that were able to enjoy being involved with the water sport showed their enthusiasm in a variety of ways. Here at the LGYC, we absolutely take pride in hosting prestigious gatherings such as this, but what we value more than anything else is the ability to provide experiences that all families can enjoy together.
Paul Reilly, Andy Burdick and Joe Kutschenreuter took home runnerup honors two weekends ago in the second Melges 20 event of the winter season. The third event is known as Melges Rocks with a big party in Miami March 9.