TFE LIVE: Friday's guest – Charlie Welsh (USA) live via Skype from Newport Beach, CA announcing
UPDATE: Charlie Welsh was an interesting and lively young guest to have on Friday's TFE LIVE, and thanks to Roger Lockhart (USA) and John Sangmeister (USA, Gladstone's Long Beach) for their $1,000 contributions made during the show to Charlie's Red Star Sailing 2019 Transpac entry. Friday's show included an AC update, reactions from viewers to Gerardo Seeliger's "eloquent and elegant" guest spot on Tuesday's show, new female commodore's of major USA yacht clubs, and a preview of the San Diego YC's 8th Annual Club Championship being held this weekend. Watch a replay on our SI Facebook page here.
SAN FRANCISCO (#1164) – Charlie Welsh (USA) is a top youth match racer and veteran of the Balboa Yacht Club's Governor's Cup, where your Ed. first met him a few years back. Now he has launched a campaign for an all under-25, mixed-gender crew to compete in the 50th Transpacific Yacht Race aboard a turbo’d Columbia Yachts built Carbon 32.
The "Red Star Sailing Team" has been working through the winter with Columbia Yachts to refit the yacht. Starting this spring, crew members will train extensively along the California Coast in preparation for the Transpac.
"Our overall goal, besides winning our class and the Corinthian trophy, Red Star aims to provide sailing opportunities for young adults who often lack the financial means to participate at a high level.
"By working with industry professionals, team members advance their knowledge of all aspects of racing from the boatyard to the finish line. Red Star sailing team members aim to be well rounded and valuable members of the sailing community," Charlie told me by phone this morning. He is Red Star's co-founder, team manager, and skipper.
Charlie grew up racing dinghies in the Newport Beach area, out of Newport Harbor Yacht Club. He moved into keelboat sailing skippering a youth team aboard the J/124 MARISOL and then began a serious match racing campaign that has taken his Red Star team all over the globe. Charlie is currently the number 10 ranked match race skipper in the U.S.
As always, our Coordinating Producer Julia Wedekind will be monitoring the livestream for your questions (post them as comments on the live Facebook feed), or submit them to us in advance via email – sailingillustrated@gmail.com.
Join us for TFE LIVE on Tuesday, 2019-01-11, as usual on our Sailing Illustrated Facebook page, or watch a replay there afterwards.