The Fleet Captain Program is one of the most popular at the Yacht Club. This program helps connect skippers and crew so they can go sailing together in the harbor.
Fleet Captain sails are normally held on Monday, Thursday & Friday evenings as well as Saturday & Sunday mornings, afternoons and evenings. Up to 1/2 fleet or about 6 boats can be set aside for the fleet captain sails. This number depends on the number of volunteer Fleet captains available to go sailing with other members.
Members with crew privileges can sign up for one of the spots and Skipper Members also sign up. Then everyone meets at the docks, hops on boats and goes sailing in the harbor.
When you participate in this program, be sure to exchange contact info with your fellow sailors. The idea is that overtime, you will have your own connections within the club to make sailing plans beyond the Fleet Captain Program.
Skippers and crew make reservations online. The reservation policy ensures the Fleet Captain spots are available to all members on a rotating basis. Crew Members can have only one confirmed Fleet Captain reservation on the books at a time. After the sail, you can log in and make your next reservation. Skipper Members can have multiple Fleet Captain reservations on the books.
This is a Member-Only program. Skippers and crews are not permitted to bring guests sailing in the Fleet Captain Program.
If you are interested in volunteering as a Fleet Captain skipper, please contact the head of the program, Peter Abelman, here.
Cancellation Policy
It is very important to the success of the Fleet Captain Program that both skippers and crew members show up for their sails when they make reservations. A member who does not show up takes an opportunity to sail from another member and inconveniences fellow crew. Cancellations can be made on the reservation site where you signed up.
- Cancellations are required 24 hours in advance of your scheduled sail. Conveniently, the reservation system emails a reminder 24 hours before your reservation.
- Cancellations will not be required if it is actually raining in the three hours before the sail is scheduled, though note that many skippers are willing to sail in rain (provided it is not a thunderstorm) and will still welcome crew.
- A $20.00 donation to the NYHSF will be charged to any member who signs up for a Fleet Captain sail but fails to show up without canceling the reservation.
Becoming a Fleet Captain
A club skipper interested in becoming a Fleet Captain should have logged a minimum of 5 (preferably 10) Fleet Captain sails with any of the active Fleet Captains. After completing the required sails, the candidate is to schedule a Fleet Captain evaluation sail.
The purpose of this process is to evaluate the candidate’s safety consciousness, weather awareness, and ability to direct crew in a responsible manner. The candidate must also understand the goal of the Fleet Captain program: Helping fellow members get out on the water, meet other sailors, and have fun.
Following a successful evaluation sail, the candidate will have an orientation with Peter Abelman, the head of the Fleet Captain program. The orientation with stress the privileges and responsibilities of being a Fleet Captain Skipper.
Our Great Fleet Captain Skippers
Thanks to these great Fleet Captains who are listed in approximate order of the number of Fleet Captain sails they have done this year. These are GREAT members who help others get sailing. Whenever you go on a Fleet Captain sail with one of these great members, please bring them a small gift like some cookies, beers, bottle of wine or something they will like. As you get to know each Fleet Captain, you will learn what makes them happy.
| FLEET CAPTAIN | RUNNING | FINAL | Thru June 5 | ||||
| 2023 | TOTAL | May | June | July | August | September | October |
| Goldstein, Rob | 62 | 18 | 20 | 24 | |||
| Avenhall, Yvette | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | |||
| Mehran, Hooman | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | |||
| Gizzi, Christopher | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | |||
| Saliba, Bertrand | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Sinks, Frank | 21 | 2 | 10 | 9 | |||
| Parekh, Jay | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Crow, Scott | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |||
| Jones, Tre | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Simson, Dave | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |||
| Lofton, Brian | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Farkas, Zoltan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Frisch, Stacey | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Lawson, Toby | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Michelangeli, Fabian | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Sanzone, Donna | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||
| True, Mac | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Abelman, Peter | 13 | 5 | 8 | ||||
| Sinclair, James | 0 | ||||||
| Nash, Jeff | 0 | ||||||
| Tago, Kinya | 0 | ||||||
| Krochmal, Gabriel | 0 | ||||||
| Jones, Simon | 0 | ||||||
| Cumali, Emre | 0 | ||||||
| Leigh, Tuvia | 0 | ||||||
| Sikula, Arthur | 0 | ||||||
| Bryan, Patty | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Burke, Sara | 0 | ||||||
| Laszlo, Joe | 0 | ||||||
| Newman, Edward | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Quinn, Ray | 0 | ||||||
| Raymond, Sarah | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total Fleet Captain Sails | 216 |