⚓️ New Episode Alert: Prepping for the Summer Onslaught with Sailing Icon Kim Hapgood! ⚓️
We sat down on the American Sailor Podcast with Kim Hapgood, the legendary Program Director at Sail Newport, to talk about everything from 30 years of sailing education to major community milestones!
Here is what you missed on this week's episode:
• ⛵ The New J/7 Fleet: Sail Newport just commissioned a...⚓️ New Episode Alert: Prepping for the Summer Onslaught with Sailing Icon Kim Hapgood! ⚓️
We sat down on the American Sailor Podcast with Kim Hapgood, the legendary Program Director at Sail Newport, to talk about everything from 30 years of sailing education to major community milestones!
Here is what you missed on this week's episode:
• ⛵ The New J/7 Fleet: Sail Newport just commissioned a brand-new fleet of J/7s to replace their outgoing J/22s. With a roomier cockpit, boom-end sheeting, and extra stability, these boats are a game-changer for everyone from day renters to local 10-year-olds!
• 🏆 America's Cup "Full Circle" Moment: In a huge historic move, public-access community center Sail Newport has been named the Club of Record for the new American Racing Challenger America's Cup team!
• 🎒 The Pell Program: Celebrating its 8th year, this incredible partnership gets every single local public elementary fourth grader out on the water and into the classroom at Fort Adams State Park. Talk about growing the base of the sport!
• 🎓 Instructor Training & Career Advice: Kim (who has trained an estimated 750–1,000 instructors!) shares her wisdom on Level 1 courses, the benefits of the online/hybrid transition, and how a summer stint as a sailing instructor builds a professional resume that rivals any corporate internship.
What keeps Kim coming back after three decades? "Every day is different... and the rewards of watching staff or students have success in their own way is really big."
👉 Want a podcast sticker? Drop the team an email at AmericanSailor@ussailing.org!
What are your big plans for hitting the water this summer? Let us know in the comments! 👇

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Ep. 23 Interview: Sail Newport's Program...

This week the team sits down with Sail Newport's Program Director Kim Hapgood. Kim has been rocking it at Sail Newport for 30 years this year. John, Whitney and Kim catch up on all the happenings at Sail Newport including the recent J/7 fleet dedication and commissioning, the America's Cup and all things summer sailing.