Damon Sandberg showed an amazing knack for timing when he decided to take up a lifelong dream and start sailing lessons in the spring of 2003. The father of five, Damon finally found the time and signed up at Tradewinds Sailing Center in Point Richmond, CA, one of the ASA sailing schools in Northern California. He'd just started classes in May of '03 and was heading out for more practice on June 21st, Summer Sailstice, when the team at Tradewinds Sailing Center suggested he participate and sign up on the Summer Sailstice website.
Damon took their advice signed up and found it was his lucky day when he later found his name had been drawn to win the Grand Prize - a new, 10' Hunter Liberty sailing dinghy donated by Hunter Marine. So Damon found he was not only a new sailor but quickly became owner of his first boat! The Liberty is a perfect sailing/rowing dinghy and will surely be fun on the Petaluma River near his home in Pengrove, CA. As a new sailor, Damon was especially pleased to find the Hunter Liberty is also practically unsinkable!
Modern life being what it is it took a couple of months before boat, dealer and winner could be in the same place at the same time to pick up the prize. Ruth Scott of Nelson Yachts, the Northern California dealer for Hunter trailerables, took care of all the paperwork and was there to show Damon the ropes.
Like many sailors, Damon was eyeing the larger boats around Nelson Yachts just to see what foredeck or davits the new Hunter Liberty might fit aboard for the years, in the not to distant future, when he might own a cruising boat to take him South. This is not an idle pipe dream as his brother somehow managed to beat him to the punch and is already out enjoying the cruising life on a multihull off the coast of Central America.
Damon plans to keep up his sailing education through on going classes with Tradewinds Sailing Center including their flotilla charter to Greece in summer '04. Meanwhile the Hunter Liberty will give him some small boat experience and perhaps join him as a tender when he finally takes to the high seas.
It's not every day a you can win a free sailboat just for sailing and celebrating but Summer Sailstice is one day where it's a possibility. Don't forget to sign up for Summer Sailstice 2004 - no matter where you sail in the Northern Hemisphere, you might win a prize and you simple can't lose by going out and enjoying a sail with the rest of the world!
Thanks again to Hunter Marine for supplying a fantastic prize for 2003 and helping us all celebrate sailing on the 'Sailstice'.