Nevin Sayre completed his Island-wide sail Friday afternoon, traversing the perimeter of the Vineyard on a wing foil. The 55-mile trip took under five hours and raised over $45,000 for Community Services.
Nevin Sayre completed his Island-wide sail Friday afternoon, traversing the perimeter of the Vineyard on a wing foil.
This is his second consecutive sail around the Island to help raise money and awareness for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS). The 55-mile trip took under five hours and raised over $45,000 for MVCS.
Overall, conditions on Friday were great for sailing, Mr. Sayre said.
Trip took about five hours.
Trip took about five hours.
“The only surprising snafu was off of Gay Head, there was very light wind,” he said. “I hit some seaweed, I came down off the foil and I didn’t have enough wind to get going again. For 17 minutes, I was basically sitting on my board trying to get going. That was surprising given how much wind there was throughout the day in other parts of the Island.”
A resident of Vineyard Haven, Mr. Sayre was inducted into the Windsurfing Hall of Fame last year, and for over 20 years organized the MV Windsurfing Challenge, where sailors from around the world would race in Vineyard waters. But sailing on a wing foil creates its own unique obstacles.
“Mentally, it’s way more challenging on a wing foil because you’re balancing on this little hydra foil this whole time,” Mr. Sayre said. “You really have to be more focused so that you don’t fall off. That is draining. I didn’t realize what a factor that was going into this.”
Mr. Sayre has family roots with Community Services. His mother Harriet Hart Sayre was a long-time volunteer and former president of the board.
Mr. Sayre and his wing foil is a frequent sight on the Vineyard Haven harbor.
Mr. Sayre and his wing foil is a frequent sight on the Vineyard Haven harbor.
He said he was surprised and delighted at the number of donors who pledged money for the fundraiser.
“People are stepping up in a big way and we have over 150 different donors and that’s a big number,” he said. “What is great [is that] a lot of these people may have had no connection to Community Services, and for some reason, this is intriguing for them. Just a wacky idea, maybe.”
Mr. Sayre said he is grateful for the opportunity to continue doing what he loves for a good cause.
“I’m just so fortunate to be able to still do this at 65 years old,” he said. “The first time I went around the Island on a windsurfer was 37 years ago. To be able to do this after all these years for Community Services, I feel so grateful that my body allows that.”
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