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This is the LWSA pre-2017 ARCHIVE site. For 2017 and later see the current LWSA site.

Yearly Reports

2015Report
2014Report
2013Report
2012Report
2011Report
2010Report
2009Report

2015 Our Second Year at the Sailing Center

I am happy to report that our second year living in our new "digs" at 25 Davis Road was even better than last year! The children had smiles on their faces throughout the entire summer as they sailed most of the season because of great weather all summer.

The staff worked hard to ensure that all of the children enjoyed their experience. Some of the fun activities that the youths learned were chart reading, took videos and watched themselves back in the classroom to improve, sailed to some islands, sailed to the Weirs for some ice cream, and much more!

We continue to expand our adaptive sailing program as our staff and volunteers worked with students with social, emotional, and physical disabilities during the summer. Without the dedicated staff and volunteers, these individuals would never have been able to get out on the lake.

And when our staff was not working in the youth or adaptive areas, they were teaching adults during our Learn to Sail course as well as privates. They even offered a level two adult sailing program. One area we're hoping to explore next year is after completing one of our Learn to Sail courses, you'd be eligible to sail on your own using one of our boats for a small cost during the week.

As we continue to grow, we are in need of volunteers to operate this sailing program. Our hope is to expand beyond youth and adult sailing so that's why we're asking for you to help. We will take anyone that can offer talents in the areas of publicity, technology, work around the house, marketing to sell boats, or anything else. If these match your talents, please email the Board of Directors at .

If you have not had the pleasure yet, please visit and 'like' our Facebook page to see hundreds of fun pictures and videos of this year and year's past.

Thank you to everyone who has come through this program; parents, grandparents, and volunteers. We could not have been as successful as we have been for the past 28 years without your help! Thank you to our organizational friends such as Fay's Boat Yard, Dave's Motorboat Shoppe, the The Canvas Guys, and the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club. And most of all, thank you to the LWSA crew of instructors and junior instructors. They did a fantastic job and none of this would have been possible without them.

Please visit www.lwsa.org on April 1st to sign up for classes. Have a wonderful fall and winter. See you in a few months!

Anthony Sperazzo, Director

2014 Year-End Summary - First year in the sailing center!

Ahoy Sailors, Parents, and Friends! On behalf of the LWSA crew, I would like to thank you all for another fantastic season of sailing and fun! For the 6th year in a row we have seen a record number of students come through the program; both in our youth and adult sailing programs. We have also strived to connect with our friends in the community, such as touring the Marine Patrol Headquarters, working with our Special Olympics friends, and of course holding the Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta at the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club.

Our biggest news this year was the purchase of our new Sailing Center on Davis Road. We now have a true home where we can continue to expand our programs and assets to make the LWSA everything that it can be! The kids get almost two more hours of sailing every day because of how efficient the Sailing Center is. We are so grateful to all of you who helped us get to where we are now. THANK YOU!!

If you have not had the pleasure yet, please visit 'like' our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LWSA.School to see hundreds of fun pictures and videos of this year and years past. All the smiling faces are sure to brighten your day, as they do for me every single day.

Thank you to everyone who has come through this program; parents, grandparents, and volunteers. Thank you to our organizational friends such as Fay's Boat Yard, Dave's Motorboat Shoppe, NH State Marine Patrol, and the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club. And most of all, thank you to the LWSA crew of instructors and junior instructors. You all did a fantastic job this year and none of this would have been possible without you all.

I know we can't wait for next year, so get ready for registration opening on April 1st, 2015. We sold out every week this year, so register early to join in on the fun!!

Anthony Sperazzo, Director RJ Darabant, Operations Director

By the numbers ...

YearRegular sessionMighty minisAdultsGrand total
2008100--100
2009130--130
20101858(16)10203
201119612.5(25)-capacity22230.5
20122059(18)13225
20132146(12)38258
20142235.5(11)56284.5

2013 Year-End Summary - Thanks for another great year on the water!

Dear Sailors, Parents, and LWSA Supporters,

I was over at the sailing program this weekend standing on the water where all the magic happens and I had a few moments to reflect on how thankful I am for all of you. We have had a fantastic summer this year and you are the ones who made it all possible. From parents faithfully bringing children to our youth programs, to adults signing up for their own fun on the big boats, to the volunteers representing us at various events such as the Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta held at the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club or the crew at Fay's Boatyard that has supported us for 26 years—our summer would not have been nearly as fun if we didn't get to share it with all the members of the community. I would also like to thank our fabulous staff for making important things happen each day down here at the waterfront.

We are excited about having out 5th consecutive record breaking enrollment season! 214 student weeks were sold to our young sailors, along with nine Learn-to-Sail classes in our adult program and 29 private-adult lessons in Meredith Bay! We shattered last year's record of 205. Thanks to all of you for signing up for our program. We hope you enjoyed our newly enhanced, live updates on Facebook as well as the opportunity for young students to learn how to sail in our newly purchased Sonar keelboat.

Thanks for the feedback you offered us when we asked you to complete the end of season form. Some good suggestions came from those and we are hoping to answer your call. Two immediate results from that survey that we are hoping to put into action are posting the proposed schedule in October for those that prepare their vacation plans. And we are also in the initial stages of planning a program for our 16-18 year olds on keelboats. We want to continue to challenge students as they grow out of our program but prepare them for sailing their entire lives.

Adult sailing still is occurring in Meredith Bay until the end of September, so contact us to schedule a private lesson while taking advantage of the beautiful foliage.

Registration begins on April 1st, 2014. Thanks again for another great season, and we look forward to seeing you in 2014 for our 27th year!

Anthony Sperazzo, Sailing School Director

2012 Sailing School Report

Thank you for your continuation of support and assistance in the growth of our program! For the 4th year in a row, the Lake Winnipesaukee Sailing School sold out every week, with over 200 regular session students! Along with our regular sessions, the mighty minis were a tremendous success, having a few seven-year old's return for the second session to get more time on the water!

Our adult instructor, Dan Egan, filmed some of the racing portion of sailing over at the Olympics and brought knowledge and excitement back to our program. Along with the regularly scheduled adult lessons, Dan was able to teach some private lessons to families from all over New England. Sailing is a life long sport and we are thrilled to have families sharing that experience with us.

The racing program continues to take off. We had a consistent number of racers attend every Tuesday night session to learn from RJ Darabant, Head Sailing Instructor at LWSA. Their practice resulted in first place finishes again at the "Rig It Up" regatta at Sunapee, and the Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta.

We were also able to give out several scholarships this year, which provided opportunities for children to join who might have never sailed.

As you can tell, our enrollments have gone up dramatically once again. Registration opens April 1, 2013 so make sure to visit our website early at www.lwsa.org. For more information, please call 603-589-1177 or contact us.

From all of us at the Sailing School, we wish you and your child a safe and productive year at school. We'll see you when the waters turn warm again.

Anthony Sperazzo, Sailing School Director

Jillian Egan, Operations Director

2011 Year-End Summary - Thanks for our biggest season yet!

Dear Sailing School Parents, Families, and Friends:

You continue to help us grow! For the 3rd year in a row, we're excited to report that the Lake Winnipesaukee Sailing School set a new enrollment record! We had 238 student-weeks attended!! Last year we had 200. Thanks for your support of this now not-so-secret program.

There were smiles on the young sailors' faces with lots of sun, lots of wind, and few rain clouds. Smiles were seen all the way from Camp Island, to Sanders Bay, to Welch Island, Forties, and back to Fay's in Smith Cove. Those were just some of the places we visited this summer.

The newly added six and seven year-old's half-day program continues to be a huge hit. We completely filled all four sessions. We also added morning sessions for the adult program which filled up fast too. We were able to work with 17 adults on the water compared to 10 last year.

The racing program has taken off. As many as 14 racers attended the Tuesday night sessions to learn from James Unsworth, Head Sailing Instructor at LWSA and Head Coach at Middlebury College. Their practice resulted in first place finishes at the "Rig It Up" regatta at Sunapee and the Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta.

We were also able to give out several scholarships this year which provided opportunities for children to join who might have never sailed.

Next year we're looking to add a level 3 non-racing class for our more advanced young sailors. With all of the positive feedback from our adult program being run in Meredith Bay, we're thinking about expanded and offering a level 2 class.

As you can tell, our enrollments have gone up dramatically once again. Registration opens April 1, 2012 so make sure to visit our website early at www.lwsa.org. For more information, please call 603-589-1177 or contact us.

From all of us at the Sailing School, we wish your child a safe and productive learning year at school. We'll see you when the waters turn warm again.

Anthony Sperazzo, Sailing School Director

Thanks for a Great 2010 Season!

The Lake Winnipesaukee Youth Sailing Program had a record setting summer! With only 3 hours of rain falling during camp hours, the sailors were out on the water all the time. It seemed like it was 90 degrees all summer with plenty of wind. And smiles were seen everywhere!

The LWSA crew made miraculous strides after being together for their 2nd summer. James, Owen, RJ, Carson, and Alex have about 31 years associated with the LWSA program either as a camper, junior instructor, or instructor and they made it clear in June that they wanted to make this the best summer ever! And they definitely came through breaking all of our wildest expectations. Here are some of the highlights you may have seen or would enjoy learning about.

  • Sailing in many of the BIG WIND days
  • WAR Regatta
  • Olympics week Go Chad!
  • James sailing in the opti
  • Ice cream parties
  • Ice cream sail to the Weirs
  • Trips to Camp Island and the Forties
  • Sail to Bear Island in J80s
  • 1st place finisher in the Opti & Bug class at the Dead Fish Regatta
  • 1st place finisher in the Opti class at the Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta
  • Claimed 3 out of the 4 1st place finishes at the Rig It Up Regatta at Lake Sunapee

As you know we expanded to a six and seven year-old's half-day program. We had lots of interest with this new program and two of the four sessions sold out. We also worked with adults which allowed us to teach 10 adults on the water. And the biggest news is the enrollment of our 8-16 year old program. We had 182 students weeks sold. Last year we had 130 and in 2008 there were 100. As you can see, the staff is putting smiles on the kids. faces! Combine the regular day program, six and seven year olds, and adults, and we sold 200 student weeks!!!!! That's incredible! A new enrollment record!

Our Tuesday night Racing Club that James ran, averaged about 10 sailors per week with one week hitting 14. These kids learned about starts on a race course, tactics, and other pertinent race information. They also had several races during those nights. The racing program is growing fast. The Winnipesaukee Annual Regatta was held this past July at the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club. UNH Sailing Program, LWSA, Meredith Bay Sailing Association, and Northern Lake George Yacht Club attended. We had about 20 boats on the starting line and all racers were treated to a cookout and awards at the end. And next year, we're hosting a two-day regatta. This will bring in more sailors and be an awesome event! So mark your calendars for July 27 and 28 as we will be looking for host families.

We were also able to give out several scholarships this year which provided opportunities for children to join who might have never sailed.

New Hampshire Chronicle got wind of this program and came out to do a feature on us. It was great seeing the program on Chronicle.

Next year's possibilities:

  • Adventure Sail Night
  • Level 3 non-racing
  • Level 2 adult lessons
  • More adult classes

As you can tell, our enrollments have gone up dramatically. 16 out of the 26 classes offered were sold out. We hope to fill most classes next summer. So make sure to visit our website early at www.lwsa.org for registration which will begin April 1st, 2011. For more information please contact us.

From all of us at the Sailing School, we wish your child a safe and productive learning year at school. We'll see you out on the water after the ice thaws!

Anthony Sperazzo,

Check us out on Facebook at Lake Winnipesaukee Sailing Association and tell your friends! Or check our blog out at http://lakewinnisailing.blogspot.com.

2009 Report: Sailing program really takes off

The Lake Winnipesaukee Youth Sailing Program had an outstanding summer this past season. Although the sun wasn't always shining, there was plenty of wind to be had. The cold, damp start of summer did not keep the young sailors off the water as they were still out learning skills every day; heavy rain or blue skies.

The LWSA hired a brand new staff for the 2009 summer season with Gilford Middle Schools Physical Education teacher, Anthony Sperazzo, as the director. James Unsworth, four year member of the Roger Williams sailing team was chosen as the Head Sailing Instructor. There were also three sailing instructors: RJ Darabant, senior at Lexington High School, Carson Quigley, junior at Gilford High School, and Alex Stowe, a junior at Brewster Academy. The entire group dedicated themselves to helping create memories that will stay with the children for many years to come.

The LWSA Youth Program offers an eight week summer sailing program to students ages 8-16 at Fay's Boatyard in Gilford, NH. 8-10 year olds sign up for one week sessions while 11-16 year olds can opt for a two week session. Both groups meet in Fay's classroom for the first half hour each morning to review skills and then they launch the 21 boats owned by LWSA. Lessons are offered to students in Optimist dinghies (120 lbs or lighter) or Vanguard 420s (120 lbs or more).

LWSA made tremendous strides with the new staff. The program increased its enrollment from 99 student weeks the previous year to 130 student weeks. One addition made to the program this summer was Fun Fridays. Each Friday, the young sailors took an adventure to a local hot spot on Lake Winnipesaukee. Some of the trips were sailing to Camp Island for a barbeque, races around the islands, visiting Fish and Pop Islands, rafting over in Saunders Bay, and setting sail to grab an ice cream at the Weirs. "The trip to get ice cream in the Weirs was awesome! We sailed all the way across the Lake. It was a lot of fun" said Anthony Yopp, sailor from Meredith.

Another addition made to the program featured a youth racing night. Each Wednesday, experienced sailors practiced their skills to become better at sailing in races. These nights featured races among all of the participants led by Unsworth. Unsworth said, "It's similar to the J80 races on Thursday nights for the adults only our program allows youngsters to take part in their own racing series." The ultimate goal is to get the young sailors racing on J80s when they get older.

LWSA brought back their own annual regatta called WAR-Wicked Awesome Regatta! This featured sailors from all around the Lakes region launching their boats from the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club. The day featured sailors meeting one another in the morning during a pancake breakfast, then racing all day and having lunch out on the water. It was capped off with an awards ceremony and cookout to recognize the sailors. Cassidy Bartlett, sixth grade student at Gilford Middle School said it best, "This was my first regatta and it was so much fun. I was nervous at first but once I got sailing, you just focus on which direction the wind is coming from." Next year LWSA hopes to have several more clubs join in on the regatta excitement.

The staff is already looking forward to the summer of 2010 and how to make the program even better! They'll be expanding the program to six and seven year olds in a half day program. LWSA instructor, Carson Quigley thinks it’s a great opportunity to provide the basics to young children and get them feeling more comfortable on the water. This program will be offered for two weeks during the eight week session and will teach the very basics of sailing to these students over a three hour period.

Due to many inquiries, adult sailing lessons is next on the list to be offered at LWSA. "We’re looking into boat options for next summer but we remain hopeful that adult lessons will be offered" says Sperazzo.

Any child who has sailed before or may be interested in learning how to sail can visit our website at lwsa.org. Registration for the 2010 summer season starts April 1, 2010. Spots are expected to fill up early due to the increase in enrollments from the previous year so sign up early. For more information, please contact us. See you on the Lake!

Anthony Sperazzo, Sailing School Director