Susan McCann

Sharing Her Deep Love of Sailing

A person who really loves something simply
must share it. Susan McCann was hooked on sailing from
the very first time she got into a neighbor's boat at the age
of nine and felt the wind coming over her shoulder. She couldn't
wait to do it again. Now, years later, she has shared her
sport with many young would-be sailors, won countless
races and awards, and is a long-time member of the
Yacht Club of Hilton Head Island.

Pink: You are almost a "local" are you not? How long have you lived here?
McCann: I AM a local. I moved here in the mid 80's simply to be near
the water. I was living in upstate N.Y. and windsurfing, but only able to be on the water two months a year. I had vacationed here a couple of times and loved it. With the optimism of youth, I thought I could make a living and now, more than 20 years later, I am still in love with this Island. How could you not?

P: Talk a bit about how you came to be such a well-known sailor?
M: I started sailing when I was very young. I was lucky enough to have a friend with a little boat and we practically taught ourselves how to sail. We went out every day and neither one of us knew what we were doing. If the wind died we swam or paddled the boat home. If it got too windy, we would head to shore and literally drag the boat home. We just figured things out, I guess. I was instantly hooked and sailed from the first time on, as often as possible.

P: So, you never looked back after that first childhood experience?
M: No, never. I pestered my parents enough that they bought me my own little Sunfish sailing boat. College summers were spent running, swimming, boating, and as a resident Girl Scout leader. I was Red Cross certified as a sailing, boating and swimming instructor all before the US Sailing Organization with training programs were even formed.

P: How did you start racing?
M: I was introduced to racing on that same little lake I first sailed as a kid. They had regattas where the sailors would stand next to their boats and push until they could jump in and take off. We raced around a few water ski buoys and had a great time. When I was on Hilton Head Island in my twenties, I saved enough money to buy my first "big boat". I had a lot to learn, let me tell you. Around here there are tides, sandbars, currents, bottom paint, outboard motors and things I never imagined. Wanting to learn from other boaters, I joined the Yacht Club of Hilton Head Island. I was the youngest member! I now race with a crew of between four and six people, usually including Carol Jordon and Laurie Etchells, and we have
been very successful.

P: Susan, you've won at least once in your class in every major race in the area and have twice won the Coolidge Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sailing. How do you share your love and passion of sailing?
M: I was with Dick and DeeAnn Wagner when they ran the yard at Palmetto
Bay Marina, and I helped with instruction and competitions for young people from the very early days. It always amazes me how quickly beginning sailors take to the sport if they have a feeling for it. We also raced in the local JY15 and PHRF fleets and expanded our racing horizons even to the Southeast JY15 circuit. Over the years, I think I have introduced dozens of young people to the sport of Yacht Racing. I teach that it is a positive experience, safety must come first, and of course,
it is a lot of fun to win!

P: All of this sounds wonderful-how do you support it all?
M: I have a second love and that is photography. I love to photograph boats, portraits, weddings, aerial work and architectural structures. I love to shoot on the beach, of course-not a bad office, huh?

No, Susan-not a bad office at all, and you have truly enhanced
Island life with your love of the water and the sharing of that
love!