Bay Person
by Juliana Capuco
Connie Ranney of Rock Hall YC
C
onnie Ranney, director of the sailing school at Rock Hall YC (RHYC) started out sailing just like many of her students, at a sailing camp. Connie grew up in New Hope, PA, with parents who had never boated even though they had a beach house in Stone Harbor, NJ. It was there that her passion for boating blossomed. When her parents signed her up for sailing camp one summer when she was 10 years old, Connie developed an “instant love” for boating. A few years ago, Connie was offered an early retirement package after 25 years as a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin; it coincided with RHYC needing someone to run the sailing program (following the death of its founder Chuck Parry) as well as a local yacht broker needing help. “I have always been deeply into sailing
##Kylie.
40 February 2015 SpinSheet
and the outdoors,” says Connie. “I’m so much happier now — not that I didn’t like my job before. I’m truly more an outside person.” In addition to acting as volunteer director for the RHYC sailing school, Connie is a U.S. Sailing-certified sailing instructor and member of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA) junior division committee. She also works as a yacht broker for Salt Yacht Brokerage in Rock Hall. On the rare occasion that Connie is not out on the water, you can usually find her doing volunteer work for RHYC or web design in the winter months. Connie is particularly proud of the outreach programs at RHYC Sailing School (a 501(c)(3)). In partnership with Camp Dayspring, the Horizons Program, and the Dragonfly Heart Camp, RHYC’s programs
strive to get underprivileged children out on the water. They focus on water safety with rowing and stand up paddleboarding, and if the wind is not too strong, they go out sailing. “Our outreach programs set us apart from the other schools in the area,” she says. “We had about 90 kids from different camps come to sail last season. It’s a super accelerated program. Being able to impart sailing to these kids in such a short time and seeing them ‘get it’ in a matter of (four) hours is amazing. The kids’ enthusiasm to do something new is so contagious. We have volunteers during the camp visits, and everyone leaves all pumped up after a day like that ... We’re hoping to expand the program into a broader community reach this upcoming summer.” The success of Connie’s students makes her love her job. “My favorite part of my job is seeing a smile and sense of accomplishment when one of our students sails an Opti solo for the first time.” Connie lives in Rock Hall with her husband Scott, college-aged daughters Kate and Sarah, two cats, and a frog. Her favorite boating partner is her “crazy rescue dog” Kylie, who loves the water and accompanies her when sailing, powerboating, kayaking, and stand up paddleboarding. Kylie and Connie spend as much time on the water together as possible on all of their boats. Today, Connie continues her love of sailing in both Sunfish and Lasers. She now owns a 22-foot Mako, a kayak, and stand up paddleboards. Living on the water allows Connie to experience all aspects of boating in her day-to-day life. Her favorite part about life along the Chesapeake Bay is that it “aligns with her passion” allowing her to “experience the water in different ways.” While Connie may not have been born into a sailing family, she has definitely created one. Her entire family enjoys spending time out on the water, as do the many people she has introduced to the boating life. ~edited by Molly Winans
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