A Decade of Serving Veterans Through Valhalla Sailing Project
As Valhalla Sailing Project sails into its second decade, the Annapolis-based nonprofit is scaling up and aims to serve even more veterans. Recently SpinSheet sat down with board members Jeremy Dublon, Bo Darlington, and Amy Pantoja, to learn more about Valhalla’s current offerings, which promote Veteran well-being and address the issues surrounding Veteran suicide. We also talked with volunteer Chris Junge about his experiences racing with Veterans.
Junge, who has been sailing since childhood, says, “When I was a kid, I had high-caliber mentors who helped me at no charge, so giving back means a lot to me. When I saw the Valhalla boats out racing, I thought maybe they could use some help, so I connected with them via a boat slip-neighbor of mine who was already a volunteer. Racing with the Veterans has been really rewarding. The only thing that outdoes what they do on boats is what they did in the service. It’s a really impactful program, and being part of it has immensely increased my enjoyment of sailing.”
This season Valhalla hosted four learn-to-sail clinics, serving 80 participants in total, with several of the new sailors continuing to sail regularly on its boats. Over the years clinic participants have gone on to race, cruise, and do deliveries on the East Coast and beyond.
The organization has three boats in its working fleet: a J/80 and two J/30s. The weeknight racing program consists of practice sails on Monday, competitive racing on Wednesday and Thursday, and non-spinnaker beer can racing for beginners on Friday. Boats also race in weekend events and offshore races.
Pantoja, who never sailed before joining the Valhalla crew, recently started a “ladies night sail.” She also took three boats of 24 women, including 12 Veterans, to the Herrington Harbour Women’s Regatta in July. As this issue hits the docks, she will be with Team Valhalla in New Orleans competing in the J/30 North Americans.
But it’s not all racing. Cruising excursions provide a peaceful platform for meaningful conversations, and Valhalla sees that as a growth area. Their first raftup was a success this summer, and more cruising is planned.
On land, The Home Depot Foundation, which serves Veterans, recently built out Valhalla’s waterfront office space in Eastport, adding trophy cases in the front and work spaces in the back designed for boat maintenance projects.
Valhalla was founded in 2015 by Michael Wood and James McGinnis, both disabled combat veterans and competitive sailors who had experienced first-hand the benefits of competitive sailboat racing in their own transition to civilian life. Team coordination, integrated communication, and reliance on teammates are similar to aspects of active-duty service.
If you are interested in supporting Valhalla, skippers are needed to expand Valhalla’s cruising offerings, and volunteers are needed to help with boat maintenance projects and shore support. Monetary donations are always gratefully accepted. Learn more at valhallasailing.org or email
[email protected].
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