Sports
A team of Naval Aviation officers and civilian sailors brings the Knost Perpetual Trophy back to Pensacola for the first time since 1973, further tying the city’s sailing revival to its growing status as an America’s Cup and SailGP hub.
PYC’s women’s sailing team has captured the 89th annual Gulf Yachting Association Knost Ladies Championship, held Aug. 8-9 in Pass Christian, Mississippi, returning the Knost Perpetual Trophy to Pensacola for the first time since the club won three consecutive titles in 1971, 1972 and 1973.
The winning roster:
- Katy Morgan (team captain) and Mallory Edwards
- Celia Houston, U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate and student pilot
- Aubin Hattendorf, U.S. Naval Academy graduate and student Naval Flight Officer
- Linnea Forsberg, U.S. Naval Academy graduate and student Naval Flight Officer
The team was coached by Mike Levert, a national-level Melges-15 sailor, and Hamrick Morgan, a Naval Academy graduate and Naval aviator based at NAS Pensacola and husband of team captain Katy Morgan.
Nearly Nine Decades in the Making
The Knost Championship dates to 1938, when an invitational all-women’s regatta was established in Pass Christian before growing into a full Gulf Yachting Association championship. PYC’s name first appeared on the Knost Perpetual Trophy in 1971, followed by wins in 1972 and 1973. Then came the drought.
“This is one of those accomplishments that connects generations of sailors. There are women who sailed for Pensacola Yacht Club more than 50 years ago whose names are still part of this championship’s history. Now our current team has added another chapter.” — Susan Domagala, PYC Vice Commodore
A Navy Connection Runs Through the Team
Three of this year’s champions—Hattendorf, Forsberg and Houston—are service academy graduates now stationed in the Pensacola area pursuing military aviation careers. Their tie to PYC runs through Friends of Navy Sailing (FONS), an organization founded by retired Navy Capt. Mark “Stick” Converse. FONS supports service academy sailors during and after their academic careers.
“FONS is extremely pleased to partner with Pensacola Yacht Club in a mutually supportive relationship. PYC is our primary pathfinder for the expansion of our global FONS Network.” — Capt. Mark “Stick” Converse (Ret.)
PYC’s U.S. Service Academy Membership Program gives temporary memberships to service academy graduates in flight training locally, a program FONS honored last year for helping the services retain young officers by keeping them connected to sailing.
Why it matters: Pensacola is home to NAS Pensacola, the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” and the Blue Angels’ headquarters. The Knost win underscores a long-standing bond between the city’s sailing community and its Naval Aviation pipeline, which PYC has formalized through FONS and its academy membership program.
“Fifty-three years is a long time. We are incredibly proud that this group of women gets to be the team that finally brings the Knost championship back to Pensacola.” — Susan Domagala
PYC is a charter member of the Gulf Yachting Association and a member of US Sailing. The 2026 Knost win links a team of military aviators and civilian sailors to a club legacy that began with three straight titles more than half a century ago — and carries it forward.
- I found the 1971 team, which the News Journal’s Dot Brown described as “skipprettes.” Donna Pittman, Carol Troendle and Toni Stitt won the 34th Annual Knost Sailing Regatta, facing representatives from six Gulf Coast women’s sailing clubs.