The Foundation

SENT ON BEHALF OF THE MAGNUS OLSSON FOUNDATION

Paul Cayard, among the most accomplished and respected figures in international sailing, has been awarded the 2026 Magnus Olsson Prize.

With a career spanning more than four decades at the highest level of the sport, Cayard represents the best of international sailing, as an athlete and leader, as well as a highly-regarded mentor and developer of the sport.

Born in San Francisco, Cayard rose through the ranks of competitive sailing to become a two-time Olympian (1984, 2004), and eight-time world champion.

This includes two world titles in the Star class, an achievement that is both extraordinary and improbable, with the wins coming 37 years apart, showcasing a talent, dedication and longevity at the very top of the game that is second to none. Cayard was recognised as the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in 2025, in large part due to this victory, which was widely celebrated throughout the sailing world.

Cayard is also renowned for his achievements in offshore racing. In 1997-98, he skippered ‘EF Language’ to victory in the Whitbread Round the World Race, becoming the first American skipper to win the event. He later finished second in the 2005–06 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, and has countless titles in the Maxi class, Superyachts and the offshore classics.

He has competed in multiple editions of the America’s Cup, notably skippering the Italian challenger ‘Il Moro di Venezia’ to victory in the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup.

Beyond his racing success on the water, Cayard has made a significant contribution to the development and governance of sailing, holding leadership roles across teams, events, and international class associations, as well as leading the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team.

With his competitive achievements and his impact on the sport of sailing, Cayard’s career on and off the water reflects the values of excellence, leadership and sportsmanship celebrated by the Magnus Olsson Prize.

“I was fortunate enough to meet Magnus and to race with him and against him during our time in the Whitbread and Volvo races in the 90s and 2000s,” Cayard said. “The Magnus Olsson I knew was like a giant bottle of ‘Positive Attitude’ that you could pour on anything to make it shine.

“His personality and enthusiasm were magnetic. Magnus was the center of gravity of every boat, every meeting, every project. Whether he was with Heads of State at a formal dinner or with children sailing Optimists, Magnus could hang with them all. I think he is the only person I have ever known who everyone liked, who everyone would say, ‘he made my day better’.

“With that in mind, it’s truly an honour to accept the 2026 Magnus Olsson Prize. Thank you, Mange. We are all smiling thinking of you!”

The Prize Ceremony will be held on 9th June at 17:30 at Nya Djurgårdsvarvet, Stockholm Sweden.

With our annual Auction fundraising event just weeks away, we’re excited to announce that we have an exciting early auction item up for bid NOW!

Bidding closes at noon on March 13th; due to the timing of this auction item bidding has been opened early – don’t miss this special opportunity!

SailGP Sailing Base Tour

Win an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the SailGP base for six (6) guests at 10:30AM, Saturday, March 22nd, the first morning of the upcoming SailGP event in San Francisco.

Welcome to the heart of the action at SailGP in San Francisco! This exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the SailGP technical site offers a rare opportunity to witness firsthand how the world’s fastest sailing teams prepare for race day. As you explore the base, you’ll get an up-close look at the cutting-edge F50 catamarans – hydrofoiling race boats capable of reaching speeds of nearly 100 km/h.

Winners of this special Auction item will have the chance to see the shore teams in action as they fine-tune these high-performance machines, ensuring they are race-ready for the thrilling competition ahead on San Francisco Bay. Your guide will provide insights into the advanced technology, team strategies, and logistics that go into making SailGP one of the most exciting racing leagues in the world. Winners of this item will also get to see the team tents, the operations hub, and other key areas that make up the SailGP technical site.

Click here to learn more and start to bid.

Discover many more incredible items for bid at the 19th Annual St. Francis Sailing Foundation on March 25, 2025!

The following letter has been sent to our Olympic athletes. We are publishing it here as it may be of interest to the wider sailing community.

The St. Francis Sailing Foundation has a long, proud tradition of leading the development and funding of Olympic sailors in the United States, and we take that commitment very seriously. We understand that the journey to an Olympics can’t be realized alone; it truly takes a village. Especially in light of the recent events at US Sailing, we want to reassure you that we remain a key part of that village for all of you.

Whether through our grants program, or enabling you to tap into our network of past Olympians and high-performance coaches for advice, guidance and mentorship, the St. Francis Sailing Foundation provides the support and resources necessary for elite American sailors such as yourselves to pursue excellence at the Games. We understand that the journey to the Olympics requires many different kinds of support, and we as an organization stand ready to assist you – financially, developmentally and emotionally.

Since 1985, the St. Francis Sailing Foundation has made it our mission to support young sailors just beginning their sailing careers, competitive sailors as they advance, and world-class sailors seeking world-class competition. We are incredibly thankful for the donors and partners who believe in the power of sport and have come together to also be important parts of your villages.

Most importantly, please remember that we’re here to support you and do what we can to help. We want to keep the channels of communications always open between you and the Foundation.

Sincerely,

Your friends at the St. Francis Sailing Foundation

World Champion Kite Foiler Tests Twin Tip Racing For First Time

Daniela Moroz receives support from the St Francis Sailing Foundation.

With the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the horizon, 15-year old Daniela Moroz changed gears this past week, switching out foiling gear for a twin tip and inflatable kite to compete in her first twin tip racing event – IKA TT:R Kitesurf European Championships, held in Gizzeria in southern Italy.

The Formula Kite World Champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year had just a couple of sessions on a twin tip and inflatable kite on her home turf, San Francisco Bay, before heading to Italy, so she was stoked with her result: 2^nd overall in Girls Under 19 class.

“I’ve never twin tip raced before, and other than those practice sessions, the last time I used a twin tip was when I learned to kite about four years ago!” Daniela said, with her signature grin. “Honestly, I did not expect to do very well at all just considering I hadn’t been on a twin tip in years and was really unfamiliar with the whole format. My goal was just to practice, and, also see how good the European girls are. I did not race against any of the girls that I foil with.”

Moroz performed solidly the first three days of the event, leading the Girls competition. Her goal was to stay as consistent as possible and win every heat but the format posed some challenges, as she explained.

“The challenging part about this elimination format is that you could have one wipeout in one heat, but it could put you out for the rest of that round if you didn’t finish in the top 4 in that heat. When the obstacles were introduced I had some trouble because I’m not at all used to jumping a twin tip, while all the other girls are freestylers that jump (and do tricks) all the time. Throughout the entire week I wiped out twice, but because those wipeouts were in the heats that qualified you to the final heat, they cost me first place and about 20 points.”

On the race course, twin tip racing is done slalom style, while foiling is regular course racing, like sailing. Moroz has a few thoughts about foiling versus riding twin tips acknowledging that transitioning from a twin tip to a foil is extremely challenging. But, she says, going from a foil to a twin tip just feels like going backwards…given there is much less speed and maneuverability involved.

Kiteboarding has been accepted into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a demonstration/exhibition event and the discipline will be kite foiling, much to Moroz’ delight, with the format and equipment (kind of foils/kites) yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, Moroz plans to continue TT racing with an eye on the 2018 Youth Olympics; the qualifying event for North America will be in January.

Traveling the world and competing at high profile events has plenty of perks including the opportunity to check out world class kiting spots most kiters only get to dream about.

“The event venue was an amazing kiting spot, probably one of my favorites I’ve ever been to,” Moroz enthused. “The wind was super consistent, flat water, and both the outside air and water temperature were really warm. The food (and coffee!) was amazing. After the event, mom and I flew to Rome and were tourists for a day. It was a really fun trip, and I hope I can go back there next year!”

Through an initiative by the US Sailing Match Racing to promote match racing among women, the San Francisco Bay Women’s Match Race Clinic and Grade 5 Regatta on July 7 to 9 attracted 36 female sailors from the Bay Area, Southern California, the East Coast, and even St. Petersburg, Russia. The St Francis Foundation provided a grant for the event; in addition, ten J/22s owned by the Foundation and operated by the St Francis Yacht Club were used in the clinic. Foundation recipient Nicole Breault ran the clinic and was assisted by another Foundation recipient, Molly Carapiet.

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Erika Heineken has the distinctive honor of holding two World Champion Formula Kiteboarding Championship titles, two North American Championship titles as well as four Canadian National Championship titles. Heineken, 30, grew up in Larkspur and attended high school at Marin Academy, and she and younger brother Johnny are fixtures in the local sailing and kiteboarding scene. An engineer with the City of San Francisco Department of Public Works, Heineken lives in Corte Madera with husband John Tilney, their new baby Cody Heineken Tilney, and chocolate lab Belle.

1. Where did you develop a passion for water sports?

My dad started windsurfing in the late 1970s and when my brother and I got to the age where we could learn to windsurf he immediately threw us on a board. Dad has also been a long time member of the St. Francis Yacht Club so we got on the water when we were very young. There are photos of me sailing on my parents’ boat in the Delta when I was a month old. Johnny and I learned to sail dinghies in the Richmond Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program when we were very young. I also coached sailing at the San Francisco Yacht Club for many years, and was on the University of Vermont sailing team.

2. How did you get into kiteboarding?

Once Johnny converted over to kiting, I saw how much progress he made in a short time and was convinced I had to switch as well. I learned on a trip to Costa Rica one winter when I was in college — what started as a surf trip turned into a kiting trip. I ended up changing my ticket to stay for a month to learn to kite and became pretty competent. I returned home, bought kites and the rest is history.

3. Do you think other sports you played helped you develop as a kiter?

I have played volleyball really competitively since fourth grade and through two years of college at the D3 level. I don’t know how much transferred over to kiting but definitely the competitive spirit did. I am quite competitive when it comes to the top level!

4. What have been your biggest accomplishments in kiteboarding?

I won the World Championships (2012 in Cagliari, Italy, and 2013 in Boao, China), on the Formula Race Board, and I won a tour on the hydrofoil at a time when that form of kiting was very new.

5. What was the most well-earned award?

The first World Championship I won was in Sardinia, Italy, in 2012. It had just been announced that kiting would replace windsurfing in the Olympics so not only was there way more attention all of a sudden internationally at this regatta but it was also the year Johnny and I won the world titles together.

6. How often do you get to hang out with brother Johnny?

We see each other more in the summer when it’s kiting season, and during the winter we try to make time to take our dogs, brown labs who are sisters, for hikes and throw a Frisbee for them.

7. How do you stay in shape and specifically for kiting?

When I’m sailing I try to exercise outside — hike, bike and kite. I’m at the top of my game in the summer when I’m kiting as I’m getting all the exercise I need. We sometimes ride our bikes home from work in the city and I love that. In the winter I try to squeak by with just sailing on weekends and going to the gym but that’s more for my mental health.

8. How do you juggle a career while competing as an elite athlete?

It’s not easy. For about four years I was very focused on kiting and used all of my free time to compete internationally. Now I’m re-evaluating that decision after not kiting for the past nine months and considering how intensely I want to go back. Luckily my work has been flexible enough to allow me to take extra time off.

9. What is your philosophy now that you have a baby; will you stay active in the sport?

We’re not going to try to change our lives too much. Cody will be in tow with us wherever we go (laughs)! Whether he likes it, we’ll have to wait to find out. He’ll go to daycare when I go back to work but on the way home, the beach is between work and home and his grandparents are just down the street so luckily we have a lot of help so I think we’ll still manage to get back into our kiting routine a few days a week.

10. What’s your advice and encouragement for women wanting to learn how to kite?

Being comfortable in the water is No. 1 and skills from other board sports will really accelerate the process but isn’t required. It also pays to learn to fly a small trainer kite before taking a lesson.

St. Francis Sailing Foundation recognized as primary supporter of TISC’s signature programs

At the 2017 US Sailing National Symposium in Austin, Texas, US Sailing awarded the Jim Kilroy Outstanding Outreach and Inclusion Award to Treasure Island Sailing Center (TISC) for creating public access to sailing for thousands of San Francisco Bay Area individuals. Behind much of that access was the St. Francis Sailing Foundation, which provided meaningful grants to several of TISC’s signature programs.

“The St. Francis Sailing Foundation is proud to have played a significant role in bringing thousands of Bay Area schoolchildren to the San Francisco Bay as primary supporter of the Set Sail Learn program,” said Bill Kreysler, Foundation president. Set Sail Learn is a one-day exploration trip for San Francisco fourth graders that incorporates sailing into a hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) curriculum, fostering learning and a love for San Francisco Bay. “There is no more creative way to teach science, technology, engineering and math than through the life-changing experience of being on the water,” said Kreysler.

The Foundation was also the primary support of EAST, the high school racing team for Oakland’s Envision Academy, in partnership with OCSC Sailing School. Anthony Sandberg, founder of OCSC Sailing said, “Bringing sailing to inner city youth is one of my proudest accomplishments. There is a great future for sailing if we make it accessible and inclusive.”

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The 2017 St. Francis Sailing Foundation will be on March 21, 2017 at 4pm at the St. Francis Yacht Club.  For more details, see here.