(Black PR Wire) Newport, R.I. – The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) announced today eleven sailors comprising its 11th class of inductees. The Class of 2021 includes:

• The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2021 is Captain William D. “Bill” Pinkney, the first African American to solo-circumnavigate the world via the Capes. 

• Alexander “Red” Bryan and Cortlandt “Bud” Heyniger – founders of Alcort, Inc. and designers and producers of the iconic Sunfish.
• William “Carl” Buchan – championship sailor, Olympic gold medal winner and 1988 defender of the America’s Cup.
• Agustin “Augie” Diaz – Rolex Yachtsman of the Year; Star, Snipe and Laser World Champion; and 505 North American Champion.
• Gilbert T. Gray – Olympic gold medalist in the Star Class debut Olympiad, race official and chief measurer.
• Lynne Jewell Shore – one of the first women to win an Olympic gold medal in sailing, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and former Executive Director of Sail Newport.
• Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce – the founder of the U.S. Naval War College (1884) and leading educator on seamanship and training for the Navy.
• Jane Wiswell Pegel – a three-time Martini & Rossi (now Rolex) Yachtswoman of the Year and winner of several National and North American Championships in sailing and iceboating.
• Dawn Riley – the first woman ever to manage an America’s Cup syndicate and the first American to sail in three America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World (now The Ocean Race) races.
• Richard “Dick” Rose – a thirty-year member of World Sailing’s Racing Rules of Sailing Committee, he is considered “the” international authority on the Racing Rules of Sailing. 

“The remarkable achievements of this year’s class exemplify excellence and an unwavering dedication to our sport,” said Gus Carlson, president of the National Sailing Hall of Fame. “We are proud to honor the accomplishments of these extraordinary people and confident they will inspire future generations of sailors, innovators and contributors.”

The members of the Class of 2021 join 90 current Hall of Famers, all of whom will be featured in the Legends of Sailing exhibition at The Sailing Museum, which is scheduled to open in May of 2022. 2021 marks the eleventh year of annual induction to the National Sailing Hall of Fame. For more on the inductees, please visit: nshof.org/hall-of-fame.

The Class of 2021 will be formally celebrated on Saturday, October 16, 2021 with an Induction Ceremony in Newport, RI. The event will be held in the newly renovated Armory Building, former site of the international press corps during the 12 Metre America’s Cup era in Newport and future home of The Sailing Museum. The Induction Weekend has become notable as a reunion of sailing’s Who’s Who as previous inductees join the celebrations to welcome their peers into the Hall of Fame. 

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About National Sailing Hall of Fame:

The National Sailing Hall of Fame was founded in 2004 as a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving the history of sailing and its impact on American culture; honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport; demonstrating its value as a hands-on tool for scholastic and life skills learning; and inspiring and encouraging sailing development and participation. The members of the National Sailing Hall of Fame will be celebrated in The Sailing Museum, scheduled to open in May 2022 in Newport, RI. For more information, please visit: nshof.org.