bglesun
Member
Congratulations to Rick Pantall on his election as president of the US Sunfish Class Association Florida Peninsula District.
Rick is a former International Masters champion and a regular competitor in local and regional Sunfish regattas. In an interview with Waterline, a sailing and boating publication in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Pantall said, "I want to do things we used to do and get the class built back up. We’re going to try to get the fleets around the state more active again and participate in regattas."
Pantall puts his money where his mouth is, traveling to compete in and support Sunfish events from Charleston, S.C. to Charlotte Harbor, Fla. He said he would be traveling to spread the word about the benefits of class membership and mutual support among the state's Sunfish fleets.
"“The one thing about the Sunfish group is there’s good camaraderie and it’s a social thing,” Pantall said. “It’s the only class I can go out and sail on any given day and beat or get my butt kicked by a grandmother, a world champion or a little kid, the class is that diverse at all levels of sailing.”
Pantall, an accomplished all-around sailor who has raced in one-design and PHRF regattas for decades, said one of his class-building strategies is to remind sailors who learned to sail on Sunfish as youngsters to go back to their roots, even if only for a few Saturdays a year. The barrier to entry (or re-entry) to the class is so low, due to the number of used boats available, that it makes for a perfect second or even third boat.
Good luck to Rick in his new post and let's all do our best to help him be successful.
Rick is a former International Masters champion and a regular competitor in local and regional Sunfish regattas. In an interview with Waterline, a sailing and boating publication in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Pantall said, "I want to do things we used to do and get the class built back up. We’re going to try to get the fleets around the state more active again and participate in regattas."
Pantall puts his money where his mouth is, traveling to compete in and support Sunfish events from Charleston, S.C. to Charlotte Harbor, Fla. He said he would be traveling to spread the word about the benefits of class membership and mutual support among the state's Sunfish fleets.
"“The one thing about the Sunfish group is there’s good camaraderie and it’s a social thing,” Pantall said. “It’s the only class I can go out and sail on any given day and beat or get my butt kicked by a grandmother, a world champion or a little kid, the class is that diverse at all levels of sailing.”
Pantall, an accomplished all-around sailor who has raced in one-design and PHRF regattas for decades, said one of his class-building strategies is to remind sailors who learned to sail on Sunfish as youngsters to go back to their roots, even if only for a few Saturdays a year. The barrier to entry (or re-entry) to the class is so low, due to the number of used boats available, that it makes for a perfect second or even third boat.
Good luck to Rick in his new post and let's all do our best to help him be successful.
