The Shields Class Foundation owns or have made arrangements with owners of one or more competitive Shields boats and will make available these boats to promising young sailors for an entire sailing season. The Loaner Program provides young sailors, students, or those just beginning their working careers an opportunity to race a Shields and is designed to help young sailors who can’t afford to buy and campaign a competitive Shields. The selected YES teams are provided with a competitive boat, good sails, and a mentor to help get the team started. Shields Class Foundation will provide money to cover general liability insurance. Regatta entry fees will be waived for selected YES teams. Teams will compete against some of the best racers in the United States.
Five energetic Shields Class members got together to start the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called the Shields Class Foundation. With donations pouring in we are able to get boats, equipment and sails to help promote Shields One-Design racing across the United States. If you know someone that would like donate to our program, send them to ShieldsClassFoundation.org.
The active Shields fleets can be contacted via information on the Class website. Active Shields fleets include Larchmont, New York; Greenwich, Connecticut; Chicago, Illinois; Monterey, California; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; Marion, Massachusetts; Holland, Michigan; Mystic, Connecticut; and Oxford, Maryland.
Just grab your team 29 years of age and under and let us know your interest. Your team should consist of 4 to 5 people. You should be motivated to try to take on the challenge of competing in one of the most competitive one-design classes in the United States. The Shields Class Foundation is open to creative financial proposals or options that will advance the goals of the Class and applicant.
Many of the top one-design sailors in the U.S. have a lot of Shields experience... Learn from the faster boats, sail trim and rig tuning, spinnakers, shifting gears, longer courses, more tactical and strategic decision-making are all part of Shields racing. Just a small adjustment will teach you a lot. You also get to meet a new sphere of sailors who might be able to help you in a broad range of ways after high school or college.
Complete the application form. You also may be asked to submit a sailing resume, team description and letters of reference.
