USMMA SAILING FOUNDATION INC

The USMMA Sailing Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to support the United States Merchant Marine Academy and other non-profit organizations as well as conduct maritime education and training. What began as a support organization of the USMMA Waterfront was transformed in 2000 to be an independent organization. USMMA Sailing Foundation actively solicits donations of vessels to be used in various maritime education and training programs. Several strategic partners use the donated vessels to meet the programming mission of the Foundation. After three years of service the vessels are then put up for sale through the foundation’s brokerage. The revolving non-profit model allows the proceeds from the sale to be invested back into the foundation to continue developing unique opportunities, strategic partnerships, and supporting world-class programs; such as The Coral Resortation Foundation, the New York City Harbor School and the Mystic Seaport to name a few.

The Warrior Sailing Program is an official program of the USMMA Sailing Foundation, providing the financial and staffing support. The mission of Warrior Sailing is to provide maritime opportunities for wounded, ill and injured service members. We do so by facilitating opportunities, communicating experiences and building partnerships between the military and marine communities. The program consists of training and certification courses held throughout the United States to teach wounded, ill and injured members of the armed forces, both active and retired, the skill of sailing. The core values of the program are to:
Engage participants in the sport of sailing, maritime and safety training, and competition within the context of maritime recreation,
Encourage participants toward social and job skill development in the spirit of recreational sport including leadership, teamwork, and self-reliance,
Educate participants the resources needed to partake in therapeutic maritime activities with the opportunity to advance into competitive sport, and
Empower participants with the knowledge needed to leverage the “Train the Trainer” technique used within the military community.
The Warrior Sailing Program would not be sustainable with out the support of the Sailing Foundation.

Ralf Steitz is the director of the USMMA Sailing Foundation. Over the past 2 decades, Ralf has committed his life to providing opportunities for youth sailors to experience the world of sailing. Ralf has been instrumental in the development of youth sailors at the United Merchant Marine Academy, as well as youth sailing throughout the United States. The expansion of the Sailing Foundation is opening the doors to numerous groups of individuals that may not have had an opportunity to experience leadership on the water, including a large population of active and retired military personnel. His dedication to supporting the Warrior Sailing Program has resulted in over 700 new sailors being introduced to sailing since it’s original Basic Training Camp in November 2013. The future is bright for the Sailing Foundation and Warrior Sailing.