Talk up your brand.

Action items and Questions for you - please reply to the POC listed by dates shown

1. Action item: If you need access to the USNA Yard, please send your party names (Last,

First, and MI) and US citizenship status via email by end of day Monday, 18 August to

LT Don Poirier: poirier@usna.edu, who will put you on the access list at Gates 1 and 8.

You will each need a Real ID to enter. This access will include your vehicle.

2. Action item: All FONS going aboard a Navy boat need to sign USNA’s Marine Event

Liability Form, attached to this email. Please email by end of day Wednesday, 20 August

to LT Don Poirier: poirier@usna.edu. If you are unable to do so in advance, you can sign

on Saturday morning. Note that parents must sign for sailors ages 8-18.

3. Do you plan to attend the Finish Line Social on Saturday? If so, please pass your party

headcount by end of day Wednesday, 20 August to: converse@cypressintl.com

4. Do you desire to honor a fallen teammate/FONS that we have lost in the last two years in

our Eight Bells Toast at the Sail Navy Banquet? If so, please pass their name (and

optional photo) by end of day Wednesday, 20 August to: converse@cypressintl.com

5. Are you uncertain about your boat assignment or would like to change it? Please email us

now: converse@cypressintl.com. We have a couple slots left if you have not yet made a

request.

GO Navy – SAIL Navy – Stay NAVY !!

2

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, 22 August

1800-2100: Starting Gun Reception dinner at the Severn Sailing Association, 311 First Street,

Eastport Annapolis

Saturday, 23 August

0900-1000: Navy Sailing Update and pre-sailing briefs, Akerson Theater, Terwilliger Center,

USNA (inside Gate 1, on seaward side of Ricketts Hall)

1100-1500: Sailing & Racing with the Midshipmen aboard Navy 44s, Colgate 26s, 420s, B-50

and XP-44

1600-1700: Finish Line Social on the USNA Robert Crown Sailing Center deck or pier

1800-2100: Sail Navy Banquet with the Navy Sailing Midshipmen and Staff in the N-Star Room

at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

DETAILS

Friday, 22 August

Starting Gun Reception, 1800-2100

 6 to 9 pm at Severn Sailing Association, 311 First Street, Eastport Annapolis MD 21403

 5:30 pm – packet pickup opens: lanyards, nametags, and SWAG; pre-purchased Navy

Sailing burgees

 Buffett dinner, two drink tickets per person, soda and water

 Bar - two drink tickets per person – beer, wine, canned cocktails; cash bar thereafter

 Dress - sailor casual or tropical

 Parking: 60 spots on site, plus spots on and across the street (we expect a full house, so

recommend car pooling or uber/taxi, if feasible)

Saturday, 23 August

Navy Sailing Update and pre-sailing briefs, 0900-1000

 9-10 am: Akerson Theater at Terwilliger Center, USNA (inside Gate 1, on seaward side

of Ricketts Hall - see image below); backup location: Mitscher Hall Auditorium at the

Levy Center (middle of seaward end of Bancroft Hall)

 8:30 am – packet pickup re-opens: lanyards, nametags, and SWAG; pre-purchased Navy

Sailing burgees; turn in signed Liability Forms if not sent via email

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 Briefings include USNA Athletic Director, Director Naval Academy Sailing, and pre-

sailing briefs

 Dress: ready to rig and sail immediately thereafter

 Yard access: if you don’t have Yard access, please submit names to LT Poirier per above

 Parking: for those with Yard access, best parking will likely be by the Robert Crown

Sailing Center. There are two handicap parking spots at the Terwilliger Center entrance.

Sailing & Racing with the Midshipmen, 1100-1500

 11 am: all boats depart from Santee Basin (or earlier if ready)

 11 am - 3 pm: 420 and Colgate 26 racing; Navy 44, B-50 and XP-44 sailing

 3 pm: Boats return to Santee Basin

Finish Line Social, completion of sailing to 1700

 ~4-5 pm: Robert Crown Sailing Center deck (or pier if large crowd)

 Informal social immediately after sailing

 Awards for the 420 and Colgate fleets

 Soda, water and packaged snacks

Sail Navy Banquet, 1800-2100

 6-9 pm: N-Star Banquet Room, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (west side, aka

‘Blue Side’)

 Parking - at Stadium on the Blue Side (see image below)– enter at 506 Taylor Avenue

and drive to left side of the stadium complex – entrance to N-Star Room is in the center

of the complex on the left side

 Dress: casual, shorts fine; the Midshipmen will be in Navy Sailing ‘blue over khaki’

(blue polo over khaki shorts)

 5:30 pm - packet pickup re-opens: lanyards, nametags, and SWAG; pre-purchased Navy

Sailing burgees

 6 pm: cash bar opens (cash or card)

 6:50 pm: Call to seats (30 tables of ten: eight FONS and two Midshipmen on every table

 7 pm: Opening remarks and Eight Bells Toast by Fales Committee Chair, followed by

seated dinner

 7:35 pm: Speaker program begins - Keynote Speaker: CAPT(s) Justin Smith; Guest of

Honor: Gary Bodie, former USNA Intercollegiate Sailing Coach 1985-1995

 ~8:35 pm: Speaker program ends; photos of Midshipmen and Staff

 9 pm: departure

4

Location of Navy Sailing Update and pre-sailing briefs - 9 am on Saturday, 23 August:

Akerson Theater, Terwilliger Center, USNA- the building entrance faces the water below

at the green dot in the image below

Location of the Sail Navy Banquet - 6 pm on Saturday, 23 August: the N-Star Banquet

Room, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (west side, aka ‘Blue Side’) - enter at 506

Taylor Avenue (green dot in the image below) - drive to left side of the stadium complex

and park in the area of the blue P shown below– entrance to N-Star Room is on the ground

floor at the center of the complex on that side

5

The Gouge (i.e. stuff you need to know)

 Lifejackets: (USCG approved Type III) must be worn by all hands on all Navy

boats; recommend bringing your own if you prefer to wear your favorite. USNA

will supply otherwise



What

to

wear and bring on the boats: Wear sneakers or boat shoes and dress for hot weather;

recommend hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottle, snacks if desired, sailing gloves if so

inclined. No alcohol is allowed on US Navy boats. A small soft bag per person is fine,

e.g. string bag, day pack.

 Water: The high temp on Saturday will likely be in the 80s deg F, so feel free to bring a

water bottle onto the boats. Note however that the heads on the Navy boats are not

operational

 All registration items/tickets will be provided on-site at your first event; no materials will

be sent in advance.

 FONS Merchandise: link is posted at SailNavy.org

 Navy Sailing burgees: for sale at our annual FONS events, in person only; we are sold

out for FONS 2025

 Video primer: to learn more about the Navy Sailing Program in advance of FONS

Weekend, view the ten-minute “This is Navy Sailing” on YouTube: "This is Navy

Sailing" 10-min intro

 Join global FONS Network: if you not already done so, please consider joining our no-

cost, global FONS Network to stay informed: https://www.sailnavy.org/signup

Value of joining the global FONS Network

1. Stay connected to Navy Sailing – SailNavy.org website is your single source

2. Join the FONS Network (on SailNavy.org) as a pathway to donate your time and

talent to Navy Sailing, no matter where you live in the country

3. Strengthen the bonds amongst the FONS Network of Navy Sailing alumni, parents,

sponsors, volunteers, donors and friends (currently over 800 members)

Strategic Objectives of FONS

GO Navy – SAIL Navy – Stay NAVY !

1. The Midshipmen. Provide direct exemplars to Navy Sailing Midshipmen that 1)

demonstrate that Navy Sailing produces competent, confident and competitive

mariners who become outstanding Navy and USMC officers, 2) teach them a margin

of sailing and professional excellence, and 3) demonstrate that Navy Sailing has a

global FONS network that supports them now and after graduation, including via

FONS Site Leads at the key USN and USMC locations around the globw

2. The Future. Secure future success of Navy Sailing by formally establishing and

expanding the national FONS Network with a website, database and recurring

6

communications to encourage folks to 1) support Navy Sailing by donating their time,

talent and/or treasure to provide a margin of excellence, 2) expand national

recognition of the top-tier Navy Sailing brand that sustains the highest quality staff,

recruits, volunteers and donors, and 3) support evolution of the engineering and

technology aspects of Navy Sailing to further enhance its relevance to emerging

Navy/Marine Corps mission areas, seamanship, warfighting tools and tactics in the

information age.

3. The Bonds. Strengthen the bonds of mutual respect, mutual support and camaraderie

amongst the FONS Network of Navy Sailing alumni, parents, sponsors, volunteers,

donors and friends.

FONS Weekend POC’s

Mark ‘Stick’ Converse

FONS Lead, Fales Committee

Cell: 240-925-6534

converse@cypressintl.com

Alec Cutler

Fales Committee Chair

Cell: 441-296-3000

a.cutler@orbis.com

Les Spanheimer

Executive Director, Naval Academy Sailing Foundation

Cell: 443-758-4698

les@navalacademysailingfoundation.org

Gavin and Holly O’Hare

Starting Gun Reception Lead

Cell: 443-926-6808

gavin@obyc.com

Paul Hankins

Sail Navy Banquet Lead

Cell: 908- 477-0930

pfhankins@gmail.com

Gavin O’Hare

FONS Colgate Fleet Captain

Cell: 443-926-6808

gavin@obyc.com