Military Veterans Set Sail at Figawi By Maeghan Beahm, Development Manager of Corporation & Foundation Relations at America’s Warrior Partnership
The annual Figawi Sailboat Regatta is an iconic tradition with more than 200 boats competing in a 25-mile race off the coast of Nantucket. Taking place over Memorial Day weekend, the race serves as the unofficial start of the summer season for New England. This year’s event saw several military veteran-crewed ships compete, and I was proud to participate with one of those teams on board a ship called “Defiance.” While competition is always fun, the race itself was not the most important part of the event – for Defiance, it was about the experience of working together and raising support for programs dedicated to serving veterans, their families and caregivers. The Defiance crew included the ship’s captain, Martha Kristian; her husband, U.S. Army veteran Chris Kristian; and a team of veterans sporting gear with the America’s Warrior Partnership logo to help raise awareness of our organization’s mission: empowering communities to empower veterans. The experience of sailing with the Defiance crew truly captured the spirit of this mission. The focus of the race was not on winning or losing, but on providing veterans with an opportunity to participate in a hands-on event that offered some rigorous fun and good oldfashioned camaraderie. We also had the honor of sailing alongside other vessels crewed by veterans, including “The Valkyrie,” which was captained by Jack Keating, and the “Summer Wind,” which was captained by Bob Solomon. Jack has crewed his ship with veterans for several years, including many who served with his son John.
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HomelandMagazine.com / JULY 2019