Entertaining and informative is what Sailing’s Olympic Gold Medal winner Bill Allen promises for his readers of a new Blog “Go Sail with Bill”.  You may not necessarily discover Gold Medal racing tips, but readers who are serious sailors or simply appreciate the sailing lifestyle can get a chuckle and learn from a professional who has sailed in all parts of the world for six decades.

Bill began sailing in Minnesota and developed a national reputation for competitive racing as a youngster.  Bill won his first of seven cumulative Class E Inland Lakes Yachting Association Championships in 1967 when he was only 19 years old.  He went on to win the E Scow National Championship six times starting in 1970 at which time he began an Olympic Campaign with Buddy Melges geared for the 1972 Olympic Games in Germany, in which they won Gold in the Soling Class.

People always ask me how I got into sailing. A couple of pictures are worth a thousand words. Me sailing with my Mom and her Maid of Honor in '48 or '49 at Calhoun. Dad's A Scow in '56 with a C (Calhoun) 55 because you needed to live on the lake to belong to the Minnetonka Yacht Club. The Allen's had no choice, just as my children didn't.

I have already received a few questions...

What makes a good sailboat?

I think all sailboats are good, some are just more fun to race and others are more fun to cruise in.  I always say, any boat would be fun to race if there were enough around.  I even once had fun in a tech dingy.  Those things are tippy.

Where is your favorite place to sail?

Pewaukee wi, I just seem to have the right mojo on that lake, always have. For Cruising, the BVI, mostly because I get to be with my kids and my daughter is the captain so I don't have to be.

If you could race on any boat what would it be? - An E scow, there is nothing better... or maybe an ice boat.

Follow me for more sailing stories and please ask me some questions!

Come visit me at the WindRider's owners weekend in Sarasota Oct 17th and 18th.

 

Bill Allen

Bill@windrider.com