Stanford Sailing Kicks Off Defense of the Fowle Trophy
Stanford’s sailing program just kicked off its defense of the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy. The Cardinal won the ICSA Open (co-ed) Fleet Race Nationals, Women’s Fleet Race Nationals, and Women’s Team Race Nationals. They finished fourth in the Open Team Racing National Championship.
Stanford’s sailing program has been run by head coach Chris Klevan since 2021. His coaching staff is an impressive array of decorated former college sailors such as 2022 College Sailor of the Year Shawn Harvey, two-time All-American Augie Dale, and 2024 College Sailor of the Year Lachlain McGranahan.
The Cardinal features two-time defending Women’s College Sailor of the Year in senior Vanessa Lahrkamp and 2025 Crew of the Year Alice Schmid, as well as four more first-team All-Americans.
Latitude recently had the opportunity to catch up with Chris Klevan. Here’s what he told us:
On expectations coming into the season:
“We have team standards and practices that we preach. It’s on returners to show the younger people what it means to be a part of our team. As a coach, I give enough space for the natural leaders to do that in their own way. … Nobody graduated [from last year] so it does feel like we’re running it back. That can be good and bad. We sail so much in a college season, by the time Nationals ends it’s often time for a team to turn over a bit. We have six new people that provide good energy, but the leaders and starters are the same.”
On Stanford’s harsh travel schedule, sailing 14 regattas on the East Coast in the fall and spring:
“It’s definitely a challenge. … I need to keep the pulse of the team but I don’t want to be peppered with every minor issue. I ask everyone on the team to assume they are traveling every weekend. … There are times in which somebody might come to me and ask for a weekend off, whether it’s school, or if they’ve identified a portion of the curriculum that is especially rigorous, but everyone realizes if they ask for a weekend off and it’s granted, it’s possible that the lost opportunity won’t be recouped.
“This whole formula is contingent on everyone wanting to travel and compete and train. If that was no longer the case it wouldn’t work. … It’s hard, there’s no doubt about it. Our kids are good at it, but there’s no doubt it’s a challenge and the team embraces that challenge. Every program has natural shared adversity. I sailed at Hobart when I was in college, and there it was the weather. The shared adversity at Coast Guard [where I coached before Stanford] was the harshness of military life. Every team has shared adversity, and for us it’s the balance between school and sailing and travel, and every team has to walk that line. A healthy team picks you up when you falter, and that’s the biggest takeaway from that experience, not the trophies.”
On two-time defending Women’s College Sailor of the Year Vanessa Lahrkamp:
“She’s a winner. I don’t know how many people have won more than her. Being a four-year starter in both co-ed and women’s presents more opportunities, but that’s a credit to her as well. Making either roster is always competitive on our team, and she’s always been an easy start for me. She’s quite literally the bar with [fellow All-American skipper] Tommy [Sitzmann]. … It’s really nice as a coach and as a young sailor to see where you need to be every day, and also to see that excellence and being a champion isn’t being perfect.”
On what sets Stanford apart:
“On top of being incredibly talented, this team is full of hard workers and people who want each other to succeed. The kids find a ton of community and an old-school regatta feel that complements the East Coast competitive feel, and reminds them that this experience is supposed to be fun. I think every sailor except for two on the team [has] logged a race as a crew. I think it’s a telling stat, because the crewing position is far less glamorous, and the fact that everyone has done that role and served the boat selflessly says a lot.”
Good Jibes #210: Harry Anderson on Sailing Seven Continents Solo
This week we’re joined by adventure pilot and sailor Harry Anderson to chat about what’s needed to sail around the world by yourself, and touch all seven continents for extra credit. In 2014, Harry completed solo flights to all seven continents. In January 2025, he completed a solo voyage to all seven continents, becoming the first person in history to both fly and sail solo to all the continents.
Tune in as Harry shares with Good Jibes host John Arndt why pilots make good sailors and vice versa, how to plan your route for a circumnavigation, what to look for in a boat to circumnavigate aboard, his most memorable stops along the way, and how he’s prepping for a solo Northwest Passage trip next year.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- What was the most dangerous leg of Harry’s trip, and why?
- What did Harry cook at sea?
- What usually happens in the Northwest Passage?
- How to plan an efficient route to hit all seven continents
- Harry’s favorite places and remote anchorages
Learn more about Harry and his upcoming book Sailing 7 Continents Solo at Phywave.com.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Set Sail This Fall With Cruising Yachts
Deadline for DeWitt Painting Auction to Support Jocelyn Nash Film
Two of the Bay Area’s revered, recently deceased sailing legends, Jim DeWitt and Jocelyn Nash, are being brought together in an auction to support the Oleg Harencar film Sailing Set Her Free — a documentary on Jocelyn Nash’s life. The two are being reunited through the DeWitt family’s donation of a Jim DeWitt painting being auctioned on eBay.
Jocelyn Nash passed away on April 8, 2020 at the age of 91 after a successful and pioneering life in sailing. The connection between Jim and Jocelyn has many highlights, including when Jocelyn raced with Jim DeWitt and Jake van Heeckeren in 1963 to win US Sailing’s Mallory Cup, which at the time was the national men’s sailing championship. She continued on with Jim, working with him at DeWitt Sails, then worked at the same loft at Sobstad Sails and finally Quantum.
The original Jim DeWitt painting above is being auctioned off on eBay. The starting bid is $6,000 and the painting has a market value of $16,995. Oleg’s film series, Life on the Water, has featured many of the Bay Area’s great sailors, including Hank Easom, Ron Holland, Ron MacAnnan and Warwick “Commodore” Tompkins. We’re looking forward to seeing the next film in the series documenting the extraordinary sailing life of Jocelyn Nash.
The the auction opened September 22 and closes next Wednesday, October 1. Bid on the Jim DeWitt original here!
Five Weeks of Summer Camp and Sails Aboard Tall Ships
After hosting a successful camp last year, Call of the Sea kicked off the 2025 summer camp season in early June. Local youth between the ages of 8 and13 had a unique opportunity to explore the Liberty Ship Marina in Sausalito, both on land and on the water aboard the schooner Seaward and brigantine Matthew Turner. Both ships were crewed by Call of the Sea’s liveaboard crew.
Tuesday morning’s sailing was followed with a visit to the Bay Model. Army Corps of Engineers staff shared their knowledge and encouraged the campers to explore the layout of the Bay through a scavenger hunt, and also locate the positions of their homes and the Bay Model itself. The rest of the day was then spent making flags and tie-dye shirts that they could wear during the remainder of the week. Their flags were proudly raised aboard Seaward on Friday afternoon to honor their week of nautical adventure.
On Wednesday morning, the young sailors participated in dockside rotations where they explored the Matthew Turner, rode in and even drove the small boat in the water around Liberty Ship Marina, and also examined biofouling on the dock. The kids found crabs, shrimp, and other small sea animals in the process. They were also able to fish off the side of the dock. Some campers caught small fish, which they then released.
Wednesdays were also for sailing the Bay aboard Matthew Turner (every other day they explored with Seaward). Onboard activities revolved around a series of exploratory stations with BayQuest [a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of marine wildlife and endangered habitats in San Francisco Bay and near-coastal waters], and another summer camp hosted by Shakespeare on the Water. The young sailors also became crew and were given hands-on opportunities to raise the sails and steer the ship.
Of course no Bay sail is complete without a visit to Angel Island, and on Fridays the campers did just that. The kids were ferried ashore in Seaward’s dinghy, four at a time, and spent a couple of hours exploring the area around the Immigration Station, or playing on the beach under the watchful eyes of a crew member and a camp counselor.
At the close of camp on Friday, the youths’ parents joined in for the “Ice Cream Social” where the counselors handed out ice cream to the campers and their parents. While the kids shared stories of the week’s adventures with their parents, the camp counselors filled in the gaps, breaking down the week’s activities.
Call of the Sea says this year’s five weeks of summer camp were a great success, and they hope to return next year with bigger and better plans for their campers.
Be Prepared at Sea With Maritime Medical Guides
Training, telehealth, prescriptions, custom kits, and first aid supplies designed for cruisers.