Consistent with our mission to grow high-performance sailing by attracting diverse athletes and removing economic barriers, we have a scholarship program that gives qualified teams fully funded F18’s for the season. In addition – we are looking for individual athletes looking to helm and crew on funded boats. We are especially eager to attract women athletes.
Scholarships are open to sailors with a strong sailing background and passion for the sport. The venue for NAASA F18 League racing is Newport, RI – so applicants must be able to get themselves to Sail Newport for all league events. Full teams or individual athletes over 18 are welcome to apply and sailors are selected based on their sailing resume, athletic accomplishment, character, and ability to be an ambassador for the sport.
In 2022, NAASA awarded two boats to four sailors who took part in the full season. Now in 2023, the two boats are once again available. The F18 League scores boats and allows for sailor substitutions. Scholarship boats are expected to sail all F18 League races and in recognition that sailors have schedule conflicts, NAASA is encouraging teams of 3 or 4 to apply for a scholarship with substitutions in mind. Partial teams and individuals are also encouraged to apply and NAASA will work to connect applicants with potential teams.
Scholarship team Marina Barzaghi and Kaleigh Morgan teamed up in both 2021 and 2022
Scholarship team KP Knapp and Parker Colantuono in 2022. More about them
We are taking applications for helms, crews, and full teams. You can apply as an individual or a team of 2 or 3. We know that sometimes it is hard for a sailor to make it to every event so we encourage teams to apply with subs or a rotation in mind.
Note – Crew: 1 skipper and 1 crew with minimum combined weight: 115 kg (253 lbs). For Regattas – Teams weighing less than 150 kg (330 lbs) combined shall carry extra weight equal to half the difference between their actual weight and 150 kg (330 lbs).
Scholarship team KP Knapp and Parker Colantuono in 2022 found sponsorship as well with Ronstan to cover further costs