Thank you to all of the Members who have contributed to the growth and success of the Manhattan Yacht Club.
In our 35+ years, there has been quite a list of exceptional people who have made a difference, first in our efforts to re-introduce recreational sailing to New York Harbor, and then in our continuing efforts to grow and evolve our club into a successful and worthwhile institution which brings joy and happiness to so many people.
By working together, we have changed the face of the harbor and brought inspiring and uplifting recreational opportunities to people who live in and around this great urban metropolis.
Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh
I grew up racing on the Jersey Shore at the Bay Head Yacht Club where I finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th in the E-Scow National Championships. After graduating from Princeton University, I moved to New York City to pursue my dream of reintroducing recreational sailing to the harbor. Manhattan Yacht Club was founded in 1987. At our inaugural ball, the top champagne company in the country came up and asked to sponsor us. During our first winter, we received calls from both Dennis Conner and Prince Albert of Monaco, leading to exciting adventures and long-term relationship. It’s been a non-stop thrill ride since then. There have been ups and down, such as 9/11 and then a few years later when Battery Park City Authority put me and Dennis in charge of North Cove. There was also the move from Manhattan to Jersey City and then COVID. Through it all, we have remained constant, conservative and engaged, and always looking for the next wind shift. Maybe a theme which best sums up this great ride is “If you build it, they will come.” Thank you to all the members of Manhattan Yacht Club as well as all the sponsors, team members and supporters who have helped change our city for the better. It’s been a great experience and there is more to come.
Vice Commodore Scott Curtis
I’m honored to have been appointed a Vice Commodore of the Club. I grew up in Boston, playing football, basketball, and baseball, never thinking that one day I would be sailing. My family rarely went on boats, so it wasn’t even a dream
I have lived in NYC most of my adult life, working in finance, not far from the Club’s original quarters at the South Street Seaport, and then not far from the Club’s next home at the marina at North Cove. Even then, working downtown , surrounded by water to the east and west, there were no expectations of sailing.
Luckily, and by chance, I had the fortune of being gifted Sailing lessons from a very dear friend. That great experience was life changing. After 101 class I became a Club member and had the chance to sail the J24’s, but mostly aboard the 12 Meters, America II US42 and US46, both owned by the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation, and which I manage. Our 12 Meters have competed in various regattas, the 2019 World’s as well as visited many historic Clubs on Long Island Sound, Martha’s Vineyard and Newport.
There have been many great experiences at the Club over the years, but my fondest are participating in the Classic Week, at the Yacht Club de Monaco. Along with a great team of MYC members we’ve chartered the beautiful, 75-foot (Fife of 1926) Halloween in 2017, and then the 12 Meter French Kiss (Briand 1985) in 2019. French Kiss actually raced against US46 in 1986 in Fremantle, and we had the great opportunity to race with Marc Pajot, their original skipper. The racing and social events at YCM are incredible and I look forward to the 2023 Classic.
My hope is to inspire sailors, new and old, to enjoy and learn this great sport of sailing and to ensure that Manhattan Yacht Club is world class. Hope to see you on the water this summer!
Vice Commodore Danielle Gallo
As a child I only sailed once a year on my uncle’s sailboat on Long Island. It wasn’t until I joined Manhattan Yacht Club in 1993 that my world of sailing and racing began. I loved the game, the camaraderie, getting out on the water to race every Tuesday or Wednesday and leaving work behind. I didn’t stop there, if the club was going to Barbados to race, so was I. If it was the Caribbean Regatta in the BVI or Grenadines, I skippered a boat several times. If there were no race boats for my team to sail, we went as the social team having Arabella as our flagship on the dock at the Royal Bermudian Yacht Club, such a treat. Let’s not forget the club’s great relationship with Yacht Club de Monaco where we got to race against their flagship Tuiga or chartering the 12 meter French Kiss and the amazing after-parties meeting different crews from all around the world. The list of fun adventures goes on.
I think of myself as growing up sailing at MYC. When I first got to the club there was only one woman race skipper, so I took ASA classes at the club and started an all women’s team. In addition, I raced on coed teams. I had the privilege of sailing with the Commodore’s team for several years where I learned some great sail fast techniques I use today. Concurrently, I branched out and raced in various types of boats in regattas all around.
In 2007 I acquired my USCG 100 Masters License so I could help run the Dennis Connor’s Stars and Stripes Formula One program. Those were very fun boats, and an honor to be asked by Michael and Dennis to learn the stories and carry on the tradition. Around the same time our first 12 meter arrived, then later the club obtained another, and it has been my privilege to skipper them from time to time. In 2008 the Commodore invited his team to go to Monaco and match race. This experience showed me a whole different level of sailing which led me to start an all women’s match racing team currently ranked 6th in the US in Women’s, 35th in the World in Women’s. Here I am years later still loving the game and the people I meet. Whether cruising in the Caribbean or competing in high profile regattas, sailing has taken me around the world, forged many of my friendships and exposed me to opportunities and adventures that I had only dreamt about.
As part of my give back I organize teams and events, as well as encourage others in sailing and racing while striving to improve my own skills and experience. In 2019 MYC hosted the Lady Liberty Regatta inviting top women sailors to compete. I was the Regatta Chair and with the help of several club volunteers we put together a successful event. I have and will continue to motivate and train women of all ages and levels to get involved in sailing, from just starting out to high level competition. My goal for the club is to keep that ball rolling forward and see even more participation in the sport at all levels.
Rear Commodore Peter Abelman
I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island. I taught my self to sail on a Sunfish, crashing around Sea Cliff harbor. Then moved on to sailing a Laser. A good friend and I had a Catalina 27 that we sailed all over Long Island Sound for about 25 years. I moved into New York City in 1985, and joined the Manhattan Yacht Club around 1990. I became a skipper and joined the Fleet Captain Program, I am still active in this program and have become Chairman. I was a racing skipper and raced on Wednesday evenings for over ten years. I am now head of the Race Committee on Wednesdays. I am one of the Certifiers for members becoming MYC Skippers. Last year, the Commodore asked me to become involved in the “Big Boat” program, that is sailing the J 105 Gratitude. We have cleaned up Gratitude and are training skippers and crew to participate in this program sailing this wonderful boat.
In 1991 I was delivering my dear friends 95 foot two masted schooner, from Sheepshead’s Bay to Bermuda. We got caught inn the “Perfect Storm”, too long a story to tell here.
The Commodore has asked me to become Rear Commodore. I am honored to accept the position. I have been involved in the Fleet Captain program for many years, this program introduces the new members to sailing in the Manhattan Yacht Club and New York Harbor. It is important to keep the new members active in the club. We need more of the MYC skippers to become active in the program, even if you can do this once a month. I would like to expand the participation in the Race Committee, again this is a great way for new members to participate in the club. We would like to continue to build the “Big Boat” program so skippers and crew can join and sail the J/105. I hope to see you on the water.
Rear Commodore Deiane Abajos
I grew up in the Basque country in Northern Spain and started sailing on a lake close to home. Eventually I started racing with my grandfather on an X40 in Bilbao and competed in races all along the north and west coasts of Spain. When I moved to New York in 2014, I wanted to continue sailing. When I learned about the MYC, I joined immediately. This helped me meet so many friends, continue enjoying the sport of sailing, and see the city from a different perspective.
I joined a MYC J/24 racing team in 2015 and by 2018 was racing two nights a week and doing match racing on the weekends. By 2020 I decided to get my own Sunfish and continue the excitement and competition through the cold winter months. In 2021, thanks to the help of our Mentors, I became a skipper so that I could take new member out and have my own racing team. Every year, the summer goes by with Full Moon Parties on the Willy Wall; watching the 12 Meter races from Arabella; doing the Arabella summer trips up the East Coast, competing in our J/24 series, etc. The winter and spring goes by with trips to the BVIs; club ski trips, helping build the new 12 Meter deck; organizing Paella parties at the club, attending the Annual Dinner, the Sailor’s Ball… Any excuse to see friends and share stories! Before you realize, the boats are back in the water and the whole fun starts again. Throughout the years, I have had the pleasure of racing and sailing with incredible sailors who have taught me a lot. I can’t be thankful enough. I would say that up to date, the most memorable experience for me was being part of the organization of the Lady Liberty Regatta in 2019, and even better, being part of the crew that actually took the 1st place!
The Club welcomed me when I was new in this country and as Rear Commodore I want to give back and continue supporting all the new members to get involved in all the activities and welcome them to the sport and to our community. In the end, I want to help make the club accessible and welcoming, which makes it unique. Feel free to come up to say hi and if we don’t know each other already, introduce yourself! Looking forward to continue growing our community.
Rear Commodore Gabriel Krochmal
I moved to New York in 2018 from Munich, Germany and joined the Manhattan Yacht Club the same year. I originally started sailing at the age of 10 inshore on lakes in Germany and later advanced to sailing offshore in the Mediterranean. During my first season with MYC, I focused on reinforcing the required skipper skills and passing the test. In 2019 and 2020, I was regularly doing Fleet Captain Sails and enjoyed passing sailing knowledge and responsibility to interested crew members on our J/24 fleet. In 2021, we restarted with other members the Mentor Program and I was very happy in supporting members working hard to gain the required skills to pass the skipper test near-term.
I enjoy spending time at our clubhouse, the Willy Wall, which I consider to be the best bar in NYC! A unique place where we all should meet more often. Next to that, it is a very remarkable experience going on a cruise with Arabella and supporting the captain in steering and navigating such a huge vessel – an once-in-a-lifetime experience I would like to suggest to all club members.
As Rear Commodore, I would like to continue dedicating time to support crew members in learning all the required skills, knowledge and experience in passing the Skipper Test. Next to that, I would like to support our new Big Boat Sailing Program with our J/105 Gratitude by training interested members in docking, sail handling, steering and managing this ocean-going vessel. Feel welcome to say “hello” when you see me at the club and do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions.
Board of Directors
Manhattan Yacht Club is a corporation which is governed by a Board of Directors. The directors are:
Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh
Mike Duran
Michael became the financial advisor of Manhattan Yacht Club in 2002 as part of a post-9/11 grant program organized by the Civic Capital Corporation. He helped navigate the rebuild after 9/11, negotiate our management of North Cove in 2005, adapt to the changes of the financial crisis in 2008 & 2009, plan the acquisition of Arabella in 2012 and then make the transition to our new home at Liberty Harbor Marina in 2015. More recently, he helped advise the club through COVID, which ended up being the biggest economic dislocation of our history. Mike is an avid sailor and racer; originally from Seattle and recently lived and raced in the San Francisco Bay Area. In California, he was active with BAADS, Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors. He is now back in New York, where his corporate team twice won the MYC Hedge Fund Regatta. Mike also a member of the New York Yacht Club, Breakwater Yacht Club (Sag Harbor, NY) and Devon Yacht Club (Amagansett, NY). Michael runs Laser Capital, providing financial advice to young companies.
Sarah Raymond
Born and educated in France, Sarah arrived in New York in 1987 to study Design with an already strong sense of style and “savoir faire”. After 4 years of design apprenticeships at the F.I.T., she started working for Tom Lee Limited, a small high-end hospitality firm. From then on, she moved on to Beyer Blinder Belle, a large architectural firm and then to Brennan Beer Gorman Monk, where she worked on the renovation of Caesar’s in Atlantic City. She then, proceeded to McMillen, a high end residential design firm. By 2001, she was ready to go on her own to co-found SO2 Inc. and in 2008 created her own firm, Studio 808. Sarah grew up sailing with her father in the south of France. When she moved to New York City, she discovered Manhattan Yacht Club and has been assisting in the development of the business and design of our clubhouses since then. As a business owner and a member of the BNI networking group, Sarah brings a helpful and insightful point of view to the board of directors.