About Me
At an age where most people are slowing down, I’m still racing and finding just as much joy in the wind, waves, and salt as I did when I was seven.
That’s why I started The Starboard Tack. You can read more about my love for sailing—and how it started—below!
Welcome aboard! I’m Mary Lou.
I took my first sailing lesson when I was seven. After watching my 13-year-old brother crew for family friends and then skipper his own boat, I was eager for my own adventures on the Great South Bay. Growing up on the south shore of Long Island, NY, my summers became defined by full sails and clothes soaked in salt water. From June to September, if you opened the oven at our house, you were more likely to find sneakers drying out for the second day of weekend regattas than dinner cooking.
When I went to college in Florida to pursue theatre, sailing took a back seat. I got married, returned to the Northeast, and ended up settling in New York City. Although I was just a train ride away from the south shore, I was more focused on the stage than the sea. My sailing friends had moved away for the most part. Then, after a 30-year hiatus from sailing, my boss won an American Sailing Association 101 beginner class on the New York Harbor for me. My first day on the boat, it felt like I had never left. On day two, the instructor asked me to help teach the class.
The ASA Certification reminded me of my love for sailing, and I knew I had to find a way to return to the water. I started researching charters in the Caribbean online and came across a Pro-Am race week at the Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands. I didn't know anybody there, I just signed up and went by myself in 2012—which turned into annual tradition until the Yacht Club was damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In 2016, I retired to Charleston, South Carolina, where I can sail year-round and serve on Race Committees for the local regattas. At an age where most people are slowing down, I’m still racing and finding just as much joy in the wind, waves, and salt as I did when I was seven.
While I’ve sailed along the East Coast with many different crews, I’ve never owned my own boat. That’s why you’ll find me talking about everything but the boat here on The Starboard Tack: from bringing dogs onboard to mentoring younger sailors to staying safe on the water.
Ahoy!
