Dawn Riley
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Dawn Riley (born July 21, 1964) is an American
sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
, and a pioneer in the sport of sailboat racing. She is in the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the international America's Cup Hall of Fame and the State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. The only person to do this. She sailed in four America's Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races. She was the watch captain on ''Maiden'', the first all-women's entry in the Whitbread race, and was the team captain of the first all-women's team in the America's Cup. She later established the America True Foundation to encourage youth participation in sailing. Since 2010 she has run Oakcliff Sailing dedicated to ''Building American Leaders Through Sailing''


Early life

Born in 1964, Dawn Riley grew up in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. Her parents were Chuck and Prudence Riley, and she was the eldest of three children. She began racing sailboats at age 13, and became Commodore of the Sea Scout program at the North Star Sail Club on Lake St. Clair. She also participated in track and field and is the Discus record holder at L’Anse Creuse High School.


Sailing career

In 1989-90, Riley joined the crew of
Maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
, skippered by Tracy Edwards, which was the first all-women's boat to participate in the Whitbread Round the World sailboat race (now known as The Ocean Race). Riley was the watch captain, diver and engineer. They sailed a very competitive race, and gained significant media exposure, raising the visibility of women in the sport. Riley then raced in the America’s Cup on the ''America'' team in
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
. She was the pit man in the Defender Series, becoming the first woman to have an active racing role aboard an America's Cup contender. Bill Koch was the skipper and patron of the team, which then went on to win the 1992 America's Cup. The following year, Riley was the skipper of ''Heineken'', an all-women's entry in the 1993-94 Whitbread race, the only all women's boat in the race. Riley flew in to Uruguay to take on the skipper duties after Nance Frank stepped down, following a dispute among the team members on the first leg of the race. She later wrote a book about the experience, entitled ''Taking the Helm''. For the
1995 America's Cup The 29th America's Cup was contested between the winner of the 1995 Citizen Cup, Stars & Stripes (America's Cup syndicate), Team Stars & Stripes, which switched to the yacht Young America (1994 yacht), ''Young America'' (USA 36) for the competit ...
, Riley was the Team Captain for the all-women's team sailing on '' Mighty Mary'', in the Defender Series. ''Mighty Mary,'' part of the ''America'' Syndicate, was sponsored by Bill Koch. Leading by a significant margin going into the last leg, Riley and the ''Mighty Mary'' team lost their wind, and
Dennis Conner Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September ...
on ''Stars and Stripes'' was able to overtake them for the win in the final of the 1995 Citizen's Cup. In 2000 Riley created and led America True, a coed team with a very modest budget that surprised all experts by outracing many of the top teams in individual races of the round robin and Semifinal competitions, including New York Yacht Club's entry and
Dennis Conner Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September ...
's ''Stars & Stripes''. The America True team had one of the 1st fully active foundations as a part of the campaign. The America True Foundation worked as a public foundation making sailing accessible with programs across the United States getting at-risk-kids out on the water. In 2021 it was folded into Oakcliff sailing and established a large scholarship fund specifically for graduates of the many community sailing programs that America True helped to create. Riley served on the board of the
Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffee ...
from 1999 to 2006 , and as the President for 2003 and 2004. She is also politically active in the Democratic Party. She is a motivational speaker, and has traveled widely, speaking about leadership and team building. In 2007 Riley continued to work in the America's Cup, as the General Manager of the French Team for the America's Cup, Areva Challenge. In 2010, Riley became the executive director of Oakcliff Sailing. Oakcliff's mission is to improve the sport of sailing in the United States, and it operates out of Oyster Bay, New York with a fleet of over 100 racing boats, including the largest collection of Match 40s in the world.


Awards

* BMW Foundation Young Leader * World Champion – 2003 One Ton Cup * World Champion – Women's World Cup 1992 * US Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year 1999 * Michigan State University – Alumni of the year * Michigander of the Year – 1999 * Inducted into the
Michigan Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director, Biggie Munn, pres ...
– 2023


References


External links

*
America True
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Dawn 1964 births Living people American female sailors (sport) Michigan State Spartans sailors US Sailor of the Year Volvo Ocean Race sailors 1992 America's Cup sailors 1995 America's Cup sailors 2000 America's Cup sailors Women's Sports Foundation executives 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen