Sail Pensacola is a non-profit focused on making Pensacola the North American center for high-performance sailing events, boat engineering, sail engineering, and technology development related to high-performance sailing.
They recently presented their goals to First Place Partners:
MAKE SAILORS
GOAL: Deliver a fully equipped, staffed, state-of-the-art community sailing center to Pensacolians by Spring 2026.
- Pre-sailors and proto-sailors need access to sailing experiences that enlighten, entertain, and inspire. Sail Pensacola will enhance these opportunities by assisting with marketing existing sail-aligned businesses to ensure their discovery.
- Once sailing interest exists, access to boats and the water is essential to continue a sailor’s development. Pensacola has plentiful waterfront but precious little access for sailing. Hence, Sail Pensacola has prioritized the development of a community sailing center that will involve property redevelopment using a combination of private capital and the fundraising non-profit leverage of Sail Pensacola.
MAKE RACES
GOAL: Sail Pensacola will develop and operate a professional race management team to deliver world-class sailing events off-loading these burdens from PYC.
- American Magic has endorsed Pensacola Bay as a prime year-round sailing venue for high-performance boats! Future Olympic sailors and class racers will inquire about bringing their event, and Pensacola will need additional professional race management capacity to reward their interest.
MAKE SAIL-CENTRIC JOBS
GOAL: Catalyze the development of the North American high-performance sailing center of industry, technology, fabrication, design, and sailing recreation by 2040.
- The advent of hydrofoils, alternative-fuel propulsion systems, and complex electronic control systems in the past eight years creates an opportunity for Pensacola to develop a high-performance sailing center that includes engineering, fabrication, sailor development, and marine technology hub. Creating a coalescence of the professionals at the heart of these innovations is the long-term vision of Sail Pensacola. Beyond recruiting these innovators, Sail Pensacola will continually reassess the sailing business ecosystem in Pensacola to identify new opportunities for enhancement that achieve new jobs perfectly aligned with our sailing history and natural assets.
Sail Pensacola Board of Directors:
Timothy Ryschon – President
Tom Pace – Vice President
Ellis Bullock III
Timothy Burr
Terry Hutchinson
David Johnson
Collier Merrill
DC Reeves
Bobby Switzer
CONTACT INFO
WEB: https://SAILPENSACOLA.ORG
PHONE: 850.462.3545
EMAIL: VMG@SAILPENSACOLA.ORG
SOCIAL:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sailpensacola
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sailpensacola/
X (Twitter):
https://twitter.com/sail_pensacola
Youtube:
https://youtube.com/@sailpensacolainc
PODCAST:
SAILPENSACOLA!
On Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeartradio
