Dave Johnson
Sailor of the Week: Sept. 17-23
Dave Johnson has been sailing competitively since he was 8 years
old. Raised on Gull Lake near Richland, Mich., he grew up racing with
his father on weekends. Sailing in numerous junior events, Dave took to
one-design racing, sailing in his first International 210 National
Championship at age 12 in Gloucester, Mass.
Dave took over the
local Gull Lake Yacht Club sailing program for two years, and took
great pride in teaching and encouraging sailors of all levels, from
learn-to-sail to competitive racing. His two sailing mentors - his
father Dave Johnson, Sr. and Max Doolittle, instilled a work ethic that
put an emphasis on never quitting and always pursuing a passion. Dave
has kept to those lessons in everything he has done in life.
In
college he sailed for Western Michigan University, taking the team to
its first ever ICSA ranking. He also served on the Midwest College
Sailing Association Student Board as race chairman and vice-commodore,
while serving as vice-president and then president of his University
Sports Club Council. He then transferred to St. Mary's College of
Maryland where he continued competing at the highest collegiate level.
Through his college years, he coached at his local club, worked at a
sail loft, and coached at J-World Annapolis while racing on many
one-design boats. His first NOOD Regatta win was sailing on the J-35
Mr. Bill's Wild Ride in the summer of 1998. He has enjoyed racing in
many classes such as the Snipe, Laser, Lightning, and J-Class.
Dave
never forgot about his 210 experiences as a youth and was determined to
return to the class. In 2002 he gathered two friends to compete in the
210 nationals in Falmouth, Mass. After dominating the event with
five-first place finishes, his team took their first National
Championship in the class. After successfully defending their title in
2003 at South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wis., the team went their
separate ways. Dave continued his success in the class, winning the
McKee Trophy, Quincy Yacht Club Challenge Cup and Last Chance Regatta
(twice). He crewed from 2004 to 2008 with friends, winning another
national championship in 2006 with friend, Ryan Staszko.
Moving
away from the east coast, Dave traveled to Texas where he took up match
racing. He finished third in 2007 with Jon Singsen at U.S. Match Racing
Championship. He also raced on the J-105 team Rum At Six based out of
North Carolina in 2007. After winning his second NOOD event, Dave took
a break from sailing to further his career.
Last month, Dave
returned from Texas, newly married to Katharine, both now residing in
Pawtucket, R.I. He also returned to the 210 class, skippering his first
event in three years with Butch Milan and Lenny Walsh from Boston
Harbor Yacht Club in South Boston. The last day of racing had five
boats within seven points of first with two races scheduled. Dave and
crew finished first and third to win the class nationals, giving
Johnson his fourth national championship.
Giving back to the
sport and sharing his knowledge has always been a priority for Dave.
“Whether it is talking about sailing, giving my time to help someone on
their boat, or supporting college sailing, any of these examples are
fun for me,” said Dave.
“This sport has great camaraderie
between competitors,” added Dave. “Not only is it social, it is out in
the biggest playground on Earth: water.”