Imagine being asked to join 11th Hour Racing as an intern? To be given the opportunity to learn from the best in the business working towards the dream of being a professional sailor? Cullen Zelenka did just that when he joined @11thhourteam for 8 weeks as an intern from @oakcliffsail.
Says “11th Hour Racing, “Our team is committed to creating pathways for aspiring young adults to launch their careers into professional sailing through our partnership with Oakcliff Sailing. Together we have formed an internship program that allows graduates of the Oakfcliff Sapling Program to get real world experience working with professional sailing teams.
While the Team was in Newport, RI for our fall training session we were lucky enough to have Cullen Zelenka join the team for 8 weeks.
Watch the video in the link below to see which jobs (both fun and nasty) he was given, and what he gained from the experience.
With stalwarts like Rob Greenhalgh on the sailing team, Cullen found having an understanding of the sailing team’s needs was a high priority.
What is Oakcliff Sailing?
Oakcliff is a training center for sailors who have progressed beyond traditional coaching methods and want to take the next step in their career.
Founded in 2010 by Hunt and Betsy Lawrence in order to raise the caliber of sailing in the United States, Oakcliff Sailing has grown by leaps and bounds each year from offshore racing to high performance as well as inshore racing. Based in the North Shore of Long Island in Oyster Bay, Oakcliff hosts sailors from around the world.
America may have made the greatest comeback in sports history in the fall of 2013 when Oracle Team USA came from behind to beat Emirates Team New Zealand with eight consecutive wins to successfully defend the America’s Cup. But the United States had just one sailor onboard for that victory. And in the London 2012 Olympic Games, sailors from the United States brought home the fewest Olympic medals since 1936. In 2016 we managed to win one, but we still have a way to go. Recognising that sailing in the US is ‘in trouble’, Oakcliff has set up programmes to guide interested sailors into a career in sailing.
Achievements to date
While Oakcliff Sailing is only in its first decade, it already boasts some remarkable success stories.
- Oakcliff Sailing is an official training center of the US Sailing Team
- Boasts the world’s largest collection of Olympic class Nacra 17s, 49ers, and 49er FXs
- Hosts more match racing events than anywhere else in the country
- Has organised and hosted 19 regattas including the Nacra 17/49er/49erFX US National Championship and the Oakcliff International
- Celebrates multiple podium finishes for Oakcliff Sailing Offshore Teams
- Sends competitors to grand prix events including the Mini Transat, Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, World Match Race Tour, Farr 40 Worlds, Caribbean 600 and many many more.
- Oakcliff also has sent teams to support The Ocean Race and the America’s Cup World Tour.
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