The College Sailing season is upon us and with it came the end of summer as hot, sticky air was replaced by cool conditions reminding sailors of moments preparing in the boat park, listening to halyards rattle as anxieties heighten. Hopefully you are as excited as I am.

This newest edition of the College Sailing season comes with a new adjusted schedule that begins with three weeks largely consisting of intraconference regattas that, perhaps, will make new feel like old.

Jeff Knowles, who incurred a kite boarding accident on San Francisco Bay which kept him underwater for at least 10 minutes, succumbed to his injuries early on June 7.

Jeff grew up sailing at Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, RI and competed in regattas around the country. He sailed on the St George’s high school team and was named an All-State Sailor before joining the Brown University Sailing Team where he became Team Captain, an honorable mention All-American, and an Academic All-American. He relocated to California to attend UC San Francisco to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience.

“Jeff passed away at far too young an age,” shared Dan Rabin, Brown University Assistant Sailing Coach. “I coached Jeff in sailing at Brown University, where he graduated in 2010. He was an incredibly free spirit both on and off the water. I’ve never seen anyone quite like him.