About

Additional donors are always needed to enable WSF to advance our mission and increase accessibility for anyone who wants to experience the sport of sailing. The Foundation’s mission: “To promote sailing education and support programs that advance competitive and recreational sailing.” The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity.

The Officers and Directors of the Wianno Sailing Foundation are:

  • Anthony Will, President
  • Jeffrey Oakes, Treasurer
  • Lucy Steere, Recording Secretary
  • Samuel Mullin, Secretary & Director
  • Andrew Barrett, Director
  • Frances Barrett, Director
  • Jack Griffin, Director
  • Wendy Lejava Johnson, Director
  • Geoffrey Lenk, Director
  • Michael Benoit, Advisor 
hand on tiller
Photo Credit: Will Oakes
In 2015, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to ensure that a prime location on West Bay in Osterville would be dedicated to sailing education in perpetuity, the Wianno Sailing Foundation (WSF) purchased the land, buildings, and pier at 101 Bridge Street from the Wianno Club. Through a partnership with the Wianno Yacht Club, which leases the property from the WSF, the Foundation maintains the property and oversees a thriving sailing school. This sailing program, open to all children in the community, annually trains approximately 250 junior sailors.
In addition to the WYC sailing school, WSF has supported the sailing teams at Barnstable High School and Cape Cod Academy. The Foundation has made financial grants to community sailing programs such as Buzzard’s Bay Sailing School, Nantucket Community Sailing, Pleasant Bay Community Boating, and Sail Martha’s Vineyard. Finally, Lastly, the Foundation provided sailing scholarships, designed to enable both junior sailors to engage in international competitions and older students to pursue competition at the college level.
Other initiatives, consistent with our mission, include WSF providing a significant portion of the funds necessary for the maintenance and storage of two Wianno Seniors that have been made available for use by sailing students in the region. WSF is committed to offering sailors of all ages the chance to experience the thrill of sailing on these iconic boats, whose history revolves around Wianno and Crosby Yacht Yard. Additionally, WSF installed a weather station at WYC that provides live weather information to our new website (www.wsailing.org), and is a useful reference and teaching tool for our sailing program. Finally, the Foundation sponsors a summer lecture event related to sailing, the maritime environment and local maritime history.