Setting the standard
Most of us excel at either: longterm vision (choosing a route that will best get us around next week’s low pressure system, say); or diving into the details (like getting our hands dirty to fix everything those damn sailors broke today). Dawn Riley – professional sailor, inspirational speaker, designated grocery shopper – somehow manages to thrive and inspire at both ends of this spectrum. And though her no-BS manner has often got her into trouble she’s finally landed in a place where she can use her entire toolbag of skills to create an easier path forward for anyone wishing to follow in her footsteps. That place, of course, is Oakcliff Sailing.
54 SEAHORSE
For the past 11 years Dawn has put her larger-than-life drive and focus into build- ing a world-renowned training academy. When I pin her down between meetings and other commitments for an interview I ask her to explain Oakcliff’s stated vision: ‘to build American leaders through sailing’. ‘We train people to be professionals in
the sport,’ Dawn elaborates. ‘To be in the America’s Cup, go around the world, be boat captains.’ In addition to sailing skills Oakcliff also
teaches the future unsung heroes so critical to sailing programmes: the boat mechanics and onboard reporters who will help their more visible teammates win both sailboat races and sponsorship deals. Like Dawn, Oakcliff grads know how to get their hands dirty. Running a sailing academy on Long
Island might seem like a strange job for someone so well-connected and respected, but Dawn’s history reminds me of the say- ing ‘We don’t change as we get older, we just get more and more like ourselves.’ Here’s a look back at how this woman
grew into herself – which helps explain why Oakcliff Sailing is actually the perfect place for her unique spectrum of expertise.
Hooked on sailing Just as Dawn entered her teens the Riley family took off for the Caribbean on a wooden sailboat. A year later she returned to Detroit hooked on the sport and talked her way onto as many Maxi boats as she could, earning a reputation as a strong and smart crew. There was no high school sailing in
those days – and she was too big for dinghies anyway – so she learned her skills from the (mostly) men around her. After two years at the local community
college she transferred to Michigan State. The University of Michigan had a better sailing team, but in her opinion Michigan State offered a better advertising degree. ‘I called up the coach and lectured him
that just because I was a female I was not going to be relegated to a crew. And that his team was not as good, but I was coming for my education. He was just like, “Oh great, we have somebody who sails!”‘ She laughs. ‘They just wanted warm
bodies.’ She became captain of her college team, and she also ‘worked for three dif- ferent sailmakers, and at a boatyard. Basic rigging, installing electronics, winterising engines, all of that.’
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
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