How long have you been a member of the yacht club, and what initially drew you to join?
I have been a NOYC member for 28 years tracing back to my wife and I moving next door to NOYC member Jerry McElwee in May 1995. I raced lake Pontchartrain with future Commodore Rob Grisoli and Jerry for five years, and then joined Team Zephyr in 2000. My first experience sailing on Lake Pontchartrain was on Blitz with Grisoli.
Can you share some memorable experiences or events you’ve participated in or witnessed during your time at the yacht club?
Team Zephyr crew has represented the New Orleans Yacht Club at 11 J/30 North American Championships, and the overall experience was surreal. During my time with our J/30 program, we won 7 of the 9 North American Championships while representing our club in Chicago, New Orleans and on the East Coast. I have developed some lifelong friends by visiting those venues. My favorite NAs was in 2001, we fouled a J/30 named Smiles (the skipper wasn’t smiling at the time) at the first start after being over the line early. After going back to the line and doing turns, we started dead last. On the final leg we ended up in a debate, Donnie (Brennan) said go left, Benz (Faget) said go right. Only those who were on that boat will know which direction we went. We finished 2nd place in race 1 and ended up winning our first NAs that year. NOYC is hosting the NA’s at West End over Halloween weekend in 2025.
How do you think the culture or atmosphere of the yacht club has evolved since you first became a member?
I like the smaller yacht clubs as it sometimes equates to a smaller amount of politics. I have been asked to join the yacht club up the street and multiple other clubs, but overall at NOYC, we are a “better together” culture, so it feels more like home, and a comfortable place to enjoy each other with less people related stress. When we are all on the same page with the same agenda – we win. One year I was membership chairman for NOYC and signed up 59 new members, most of whom ended up staying in the long term. The secret to long term success is finding the right people who have good chemistry with the other members.
What roles or positions have you held within the yacht club, and how have they contributed to your overall experience?
Legends, Peewee Sheldon and Wallace Paletou, taught me how to run a race committee. I served as a Board Member during NOYC’s Steve Klyce and Richard Sackett Commodoreships, and served as club Race Committee chairman for several years. I like volunteering for NOYC, SYC and GYA regatta events to learn from several perspectives – of course, when I’m not racing.
I also assumed the duties of growing and maintaining NOYC.org from another NOYC legend, Captain Mike Howell back in the late 1990s. You can still read the older posts by visiting http://noyc.info (1998-2007) and the NOYC BLOG http://noyc.club (2008-2022). Clubspot the current website https://noyc.org was implemented by Mark Backus in 2022. The first NOYC message board post was in 2009 and Troy Gilbert who went on to travel the world and write about sailing for BoatU.S., Sailing World, Cruising World, etc remains the best writer our club’s website ever helped produce! Troy and I implemented the same message board system as Sailing Anarchy used back in the day. It has been a wonderful journey being involved with NOYC.org for over the past 27 years. This is amazing since I just turned 29 last year! The best day of my NOYC.org career was when we surpassed 10MM views a few years back. I have one Instagram reel with 122 MM views, so we have successfully leveraged the world of Social Media. We are doing a good job marketing the sport of sailing to potential new members. I see way too many yacht club websites with a “login” to see content, so the target market is never reached. NOYC is an inclusive yacht club and that is what makes us special. It is the Wednesday night sailing experience which builds the sport of sailing in New Orleans – without question.
In your opinion, what sets this yacht club apart from others, and what makes it special to you? Can you share any anecdotes or stories from your time at the yacht club that highlight the camaraderie or unique spirit of the community?
After hurricane Katrina, we were quick to reopen the club. Members rallied and brought ice and the club operated with candlelight before the electricity was restored while surrounded by miles of flooded neighborhoods. Grilling burgers for the National Guard and the 82nd Airborne surged into West End to protect us, I’m thinking what an amazing group of people to come together to spend time with one another in this way. I will always remember those days. I wish we had more candlelight only nights. Also, let’s bring back the Le Mans Regattas!
What advice would you give to newer or younger members looking to get the most out of their experience at the yacht club?
Remember, it is not about what the yacht club can do for you, it is all about what you can do for your yacht club. Without volunteers, we would not have a yacht club. We are blessed in this area. Learn the US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) and get Race Committee certified via US Sailing . This is the best way to learn and honor the rules. Make sure and log your Race Committee volunteer hours into US Sailing’s SOARS system. JOIN THE GYA AND US SAILING!
Can you share some memories from your childhood or early years that have had a significant impact on your life?
Before moving to New Orleans, I grew up at Fort Worth Boat Club and sailed the waters of Laguna Madre near South Padre Island, TX since I was very young. My best friend Hank Dorris and I would take over sailing when our dads took a nap below. We would attempt to heel the boat to get water running over the windows. That was a great experience learning how to sail in strong winds.
What were some of your fondest hobbies or pastimes when you were younger, and do you still engage in them today?
I still play the guitar and piano as time permits. We have music relatives on both the Erwin and Atkins sides of the family. On the North side of Fort Worth in the 1980s, I was a groupie and followed a blue grass band called the Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks). My mom was connected to some prestigious RCA Victor artists back in the day. In the 1970s, We would pick up artists at the airport and go see musicians like Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Paul Yandell and Steve Wariner. This is when I learned how to hook up sound systems including XLR cables, mixers etc. Many would say I have always been a friend of musicians. I have been blessed to have 2 NBC The Voice (Terry McDermott / Adam Pearce) and one American Idol artist (Faith Becnel) sail on Zephyr over the years. The Band Lotus Crush (including Candlebox cofounder Peter Klett) and Beat Root with Ben Jones and Andrea Magee (X Factor) have also sailed on Zephyr. I often keep a carbon fiber guitar on the boat, so one day artist, Natalie Kulka walked up asking if we had room for another crew member. We said yes of course, she found my guitar and played her own songs. We were blown away listening to her talent each Wednesday before racing. She is now a recording artist living in Saint Petersburg, FL. The amazing and very talented Justin Molaison has sailed on Zephyr and helped with the Race Committee too. This guy is NOYC’s favorite. I recommend following him and the band Paperchase. Justin Armstrong who has won three Grammys, often does sound for the yacht club after racing. He is Dave Matthews’ producer! I am super happy to recruit some of my music friends including Fred LeBlanc to NOYC to perform after racing. It is my opinion that NOYC has the best music of any yacht club in the world.
Looking back on your life, what are you most proud of, and is there anything you would have done differently?
Winning all of our North American Championships, Challenge Cups, BOTY and supporting the GYA Women’s Championship teams are my proudest moments. Remember this sport isn’t about YOU. It is about a team who work together toward a common goal.
I think Zephyr has raced more Challenge Cups than any other boat. I wish a GYA Historian could confirm this possible fact.
One year, Scottie and I put together a J/30 team combined with 4 sailors from Wisconsin known as Team Rafiki named after the Lion King character in the movie. We finished the first race in Annapolis, MD with a bullet. This was absolutely the best sailing experience in my lifetime. Check out the story Team Rafiki featured in SpinSheet via j30.us/blog/?p=1212. Today those girls Whitney Kent works for US Sailing, Alison “Gator” Kent works for Harken in France while Kate and Elizabeth Hayes are sailing their first TransPac Race, from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The race covers over 2200 miles and will take between 12 and 16 days to finish. Their team Andreas started the race on July 1st.
By the way, we have become best friends with the Wisconsin girls and parents since that experience sailing together. For those who haven’t read the book Saving Sailing by Nicholas Hayes (one of the parents), I highly recommend this reading.
Those that know me well, I have a few well-known set of rules on Zephyr: (1) the crew must always be a balance of 50% women with 50% men (2) the guys make drinks for the girls (3) girls participate as much as or more as the men (4) if you are going to yell something, yell something nice! (5) Limit the beverages to one, maybe two. I believe in #GirlPower.
I am super proud of raising over $750,000 supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ($500K+ Leukemia Cup Regatta and $250K+ Light The Night). Last year, I won the local Executive Challenge raising the most $$$ across many in the leadership groups in New Orleans last year. In 2025, I am splitting my fund-raising time between Leukemia Society and Community Sailing New Orleans. If you are in a position to donate $$$ for a good cause, please connect with me via Dave@noyc.org.
Is there anything you would like to add. Such as good news you would like to share about what you’ve been up to?
I am super proud of my family’s accomplishments. My wife Kirstin is my rock! All three kids attended LSU and graduated from college. My oldest son Mitchell is running his own business. Daughter McKenzie was a TOPS student at LSU, just finished a Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the University of Texas Austin. She is now working at MD Anderson in Houston pursuing a third degree, Masters of Health Administration. My youngest son, Matthew after graduating from LSU (TOPS) is attending AI/ML school at UT Austin expecting to finish in May 2026. As you know I am a Texas Aggie with two kids wearing Longhorn gear. Life is good!
SOCIAL MEDIA
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See you on the water,
Top Fundraising Team in the Nation with ESPN’s Gary Jobson
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