Gary Jobson is a sailor, television commentator and author based in Annapolis, Maryland. He is a Vice President of the
International Sailing Federation
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
. Gary has authored 19 sailing books and is Editor at Large of ''Sailing World'' and ''Cruising World'' magazines. He is President of the
National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating ...
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
. He won an A.C.E. (Award for Cable Excellence) for the
1987 America's Cup
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup.
The American challenger '' Stars & Stripes 87'', sailed by Dennis Conner, beat the Australian defender '' Kookaburra III'', sailed by Iain Murray, in a four-race swe ...
on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. In 1988 Jobson won an Emmy for his production of sailing at the Olympic Games in South Korea, and won an Emmy for the 2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...
. His newest book is Chasing Roosters A Century of Sailing on Barnegat Bay. In 2013 Jobson was presented a Telly Award (Recognizes distinction in creative work in broadcast/non-broadcast video productions) for Unfurling the World The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson.
He has won many championships in one design classes, the America's Cup with
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he ...
, the famous
Fastnet Race
The Fastnet Race is a biennial offshore yacht race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom with the assistance of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the City of Cherbourg in France.
The race is named after the Fast ...
and many of the world's ocean races.
Gary is also an active cruising sailor. He has led ambitious expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctica and Cape Horn.
He was tactician for Ted Turner on Courageous during the 1977 America's Cup and also during the 1980 defender trials. In 1983, he was founder and tactician of the Courageous/Defender syndicate.
Jobson was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame (2011) and the America's Cup Hall of Fame (2003) by the Herreshoff Marine Museum. In 1999 Jobson won the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, US SAILING's most prestigious award.
Gary has been the National Chairman of The Leukemia Cup Regatta program since 1994. These events have raised over $50 million to date. In 2012 the
University of Maryland Medical School
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medi ...
established The Gary Jobson Professorship in Medical Oncology. Jobson was awarded a Doctor of Letters from the State University of New York Maritime College in 2005 and a Doctor of Human Letters from Lakeland College in 2013.
Over the past 40 years Gary has given over 2500 lectures throughout the world. He started his career as a sailing coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a Past President of US Sailing (2009-2012).
In 2021, Gary served as NBC's official commentator for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Sailing events.
Gary and his wife, Janice, have three grown daughters, Kristi, Ashleigh and Brooke and two grandsons, Declan and Franklin.
Awards
Jobson won the All America Intercollegiate Sailing Team from 1971 to 1973. In 1972 and 1973, he was awarded Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year. He was the America's Cup Winning Tactician in 1977 sailing on ''Courageous''. He was elected to the Sailing World Hall of Fame in 1982 and won the Cable Ace Awards for the
1987 America's Cup
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup.
The American challenger '' Stars & Stripes 87'', sailed by Dennis Conner, beat the Australian defender '' Kookaburra III'', sailed by Iain Murray, in a four-race swe ...
. He was awarded an Emmy in 1988 for his coverage of 1988 Olympic Games - Yachting.
Jobson's next award came in 1999, the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Award from US Sailing. This was followed by the Best Sports Book Award of 2002, awarded him in 2003 by the Independent Publisher Book Awards in America for his book ''Fighting Finish''. In the same year, Jobson was inducted into the Herreshoff Museum
America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...
. In 2004, he received the Spiral of Life Award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and in 2011 Jobson received the Charles M. Leighton Award for Outstanding Service. In 2013, Mr. Jobson was selected for the Hope Funds for Cancer Research Awards of Excellence in the area of Advocacy for both his work in creating th Leukemia Cup and his courage, resilience and advocacy as a lymphoma patient himself.
Board of directors
Jobson either serves on or has served on the boards of Operation Sail,
US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing) is the national governing body for sailing in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers t ...
,
Olympic Sailing Committee
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
Annapolis Yacht Club
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
, and the
National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating ...
. Currently serving as Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Trust Board of Directors.