Meet the 2010 WSC Board of Directors
Commodore Dave Sexton
Joined PSU sailing team and learned to sail in fall 1989
Joined WSC 1991
WSC Fleet Captain 1995 and 1998
WSC Vice Commodore 2009
WSC Commodore 2010
Dave started out racing an old Snipe that was as old as he was. Then he started racing Lasers and started sailing almost everyday in 1992 (during a divorce). He had Autumn, his first daughter and won his first racing series in 1994, racing White fleet in the winter. Later he won his first Laser series in 1997. Dave won a smattering of Winter Laser series and Fall series over the next several years. Dave was the WSC Club Champion in 2000 racing CFJs. Dave finally won his first traveling regatta, the WSC Al Morris regatta and 4 series of Laser races at WSC in 2007. Dave was elected WSC Vice Commodore for 2009, and WSC Commodore for 2010.
Dave was a carpenter/cabinet maker when he left PSU before getting a degree. He bounced around making just enough to survive until he meet his wife Mia Mahedy in 1995. They met at Willamette Sailing Club. She also raced Lasers. Mia got Dave his first good paying job in commercial construction in that year. They married in 1996. In 1998 Sierra, his younger daughter, was born. In that same year Dave started Northwest One Design as a Thistle builder with Dane Winchester. Dave became a Laser dealer in 2001 and quickly grew to be the 12th largest dealer by 2004. Northwest One Design was sold to George Youluis in June 2005.
Today Dave is a full time Real Estate Investor and Developer. Dave looks forward to racing Lasers and Thistles at WSC.
Rear Commodore Stephanie Winchester
Stephanie officially became a WSC club member in 1999 when she married Dane Winchester. Her sailing history started when joined the University of Oregon Sailing Team as a non-sailor. Dane and others on the team taught her how to sail and eventually race. She was lucky enough to travel all over the place sailing and it was a fabulous experience. In college she became a US Sailing instructor and taught at our own Willamette Sailing School. Lucky for her, during college Dane also needed crew on his Thistle, so she has been sailing Thistles since about 1993 and absolutely love them. Her best finish at Thistle Nationals is 8th, but believes a top 5 finish is within reach. She also steers the Thistle a bit and has won the Women's Thistle Nationals Championship a couple of times. She has represented WSC at the Adam's Cup (US Sailing Women's Championship) twice, finishing mid-fleet both times. She and Dane own a couple of Lasers and a couple of Thistles (only one Thistle is sailable so far). She loves sailing with both fleets. Stephanie served as WSC Vice Commadore in 2008 and WSC Commodore for 2009.
Vice Commodore Bill Hughes
Bill Hughes was born and raised in the Portland area. In 1974 he finished his veterinary medicine degree at WSU, and began practicing in Beaverton. He also began racing Thistles, joining WSC in 1977. In 1989 he took a hiatus, and then rejoined the Thistle Fleet in 2003. He currently owns and continues to practice at Canyon Pet Hospital in Beaverton. When not sailing he can be found skiing, or clamming in Oceanside.
Treasurer Doug Seeman
Writing about one's self is always difficult so instead Doug has submitted the following Sailing Biography penned by a fellow club member who Doug insists "described me much better than I ever could."
Doug joined WSC in May 2008. Since joining Doug has been pursuing Laser sailing with a devotion seldom seen. Besides sailing every day since, traveling as far south as San Diego, and as far East as FlatHead Lake Montana just to go sailing, Doug is a regular participant in monday night Laser racing, and many local regattas. Doug is very fitness conscious, he can be seen riding his bike to and fro the sailing club getting valuable excercise while avoiding the short trip by car. It was observed one day as he peddled onto the club grounds that he carried a very sharp pencil. Minutes later he was summoned to fill the role of Club Treasurer.
Secretary Steve Salas
Steve's first boat as a teenager was a Topper dinghy that he sailed in light winds at Fern Ridge Reservoir several days each summer. By the time he entered college, Steve had upgraded to a Laser II but he still did not go sailing nearly as much as he needed to. Racing was limited to the Whiskeytown Regatta every Memorial Day as crew on his uncle's Lido 14 - the "Plucky Duck" (many stories there...). With a degree in Geography in hand from OSU, he landed in Portland. After seeing Willamette Sailing Club in action from the bike path, Steve scraped up some funds and upgraded to a brand new Laser with enough left over to join WSC. At that time, over 15 Lasers on a Monday night was considered a good turnout for the Laser fleet called "Liars, Cheats, and Wholesome Women" (Steve wishes he still had that t-shirt!). A Lido 14 was added to the Salas fleet in 1997 - just another way to accomplish his sailing-related goals: 1.) get out on the water frequently. 2.) travel to other locations with friends, to make new friends, and see new places. 3.) race, but not at the expense of fun. 4.) pointy-end going forward with the shiny side down - he is still working on that in the Laser. Personal highlights so far include participating in two Lido 14 Nationals, sailing Lasers and Tasars in the Gorge, winning a Laser race at WSC (honest - really happened!), cruising Yale Lake with wife Breah, and surfing the Lido towards the leeward mark at a breezy High Sierra Regatta (okay, the spouse might disagree about that last one being fun...).
Fleet Captain Tim Mills
I'm excited to serve as Fleet Captain this year. My goal is to support fun and well run fleet racing, regattas, and provide opportunities to share and grow your sailing skill with race clinics and team racing. I plan to achieve this through work, organization and communication facilitating the best of the great work, experience, and talent of WSC volunteers.
I started sailing at the age of seven when my family joined the Coos Bay Yacht Club. I've sailed Geary 18s for the past twenty years with my family and friends. It's great but my closest competitors in the Geary fleet are my parents, sisters, and good friends. After joining WSC in 2006 I bought a Thistle in 2006.
In recent news:
- My beautiful wife Ilana and I will celebrate our 1st anniversary in February.
- We traveled to Costa Rica for a kiteboarding / site seeing vacation.
- I'm refinishing my wooden thistle.
- My dad and I co-skippered San Juan western nationals this past summer (we beat Oscar on the last mark rounding by inches to win, I was driving).
- I crewed for Oscar Barney (new member) at the US Champs of Champs.
- I'll crew for Chris Gedrose in San Diego at the Thistle mid-winters.