![skipper johnston skipper johnston](https://www.dansnrlcollectables.com/contents/media/l_1987-big-league-20190813-(286).jpg)
“We are very proud of Ned and his crew, and are sincerely grateful for the heart, commitment, and caring Ned brings to his hospice service,” she added. “The sailors of the Northeast Harbor Fleet, the Southwest Harbor Fleet, and the MDI Community Sailing Center are committed to raising awareness and financial support for our organization, and their partnership is vital to the success of our Hospice Regatta,” said Jody Wolford-Tucker, HVHC’s executive director. Getting the word out, so more people understand how hospice can help families, is huge. Supporting such a wonderful organization is “what makes me happiest and proudest,” he adds. “I’ve had some extraordinarily moving experiences, helping people find peace in the last days of their lives,” he declared. I thought, ‘I could do this.’” Now he does.Īs a volunteer, Johnston provides companionship for patients and respite for family caregivers. “I became curious about Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County (HVHC) as I saw names of people I respected on their roster.
![skipper johnston skipper johnston](https://img.rasset.ie/0000cae4-800.jpg)
“I got exposed to hospice through the regatta,” he said. Sailing has been his passion since he started racing on Lake Michigan as a teenager, he added.ĭuring the last decade in Maine, he’s “entered any event I could get into,” and he’s finished first in his fleet in the local Hospice Regatta several times. The Mudheads team led by Dave Nickerson of Mystic, CT, wound up second overall, while Chip Carr’s Annapolis team earned third place.īack home, Johnston competes in a large fleet of Luders 16s, a classic sloop design that’s ideal for harbors filled with lobster pots, he said. “As it turned out, the team that stayed out latest on Saturday night enjoying all that Charleston has to offer won, because there wasn’t enough breeze to get in a decent race ,” College sailing director Kevin Jewett said. While Johnston’s team was leading on Sunday morning, others still had a mathematical chance to win depending on Day 3 results. That didn’t happen. “The boats and sails were identical, and the Principal Race Officer (PRO) made every right call.” Racing in the L16 fleet, Johnston has finished first in several local hospice regattas.Įxplained. “The College of Charleston did a fabulous job with the regatta,” he Coastal Maine’s Northeast Harbor Fleet, Southwest Harbor Fleet and Seal Harbor Yacht Club boast a flourishing fleet of Luders 16s, more than 20 of which are raced regularly. The timing (June) and the host venue (College of Charleston) for this year’s Championship gave him a chance to do both. “I had never set foot on a J/22 before, and I had never been to Charleston,” Johnston said. Representing the Hospice Regatta of Maine, Johnston sailed with hometown rival Bill Smith and Carter Cameron, a College of Charleston sailor with Maine family ties. “I really appreciate the way in which you, in which we, help people improve the quality of the end of their lives,” he added. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life.” “About three years ago,” he said, “I signed up to be a hospice volunteer and took the training. Ned Johnston and his crew earned the title of Hospice Regattas Champion over two days of racing J/22s in Charleston Harbor on June 21-22 2019.īut Johnston first became a Hospice Champion several years earlier, as he recounted during the Awards Ceremony on June 23. The Maine team’s victory was widely praised by other sailors on social media and in a local newspaper. Skipper Ned Johnston (center) holds the Virginia Brown Inspiration Trophy with his crew Carter Cameron (left) and Bill Smith.