Bryce Huntoon
February 20, 2025
On April 19th, Kaneohe Yacht Club (KYC) will be hosting a fundraiser aimed at providing money for the junior sailing program. The money raised will go towards upgrading the coach boats and buying a new fleet of Toppers. During the fundraiser, there will be dinner, drinks, entertainment, a raffle, a silent auction, and other activities for the whole family. Headlining the evening is a talk from former KYC junior sailor Mark Towill, who knows just how impactful the KYC junior sailing program can be.
Throughout his youth, Mark competed in local Hawaii Youth Sailing Association (HYSA) events and regattas before being selected for the crew of Morning Light, who had a documentary made about their campaign for the 2007 Transpacific Yacht Race. Mark earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University while competing on the college circuit. After college, he began sailing professionally on different circuits and in offshore races. Mark completed two Volvo Ocean Races before eventually winning the race in 2023 as CEO of 11th Hour Racing. Recently, I sat down with Mark to talk about HYSA sailing, his professional racing, and the April fundraiser. Below are our paraphrased conversations from the questions I posed.
How did Mark get into sailing?
When he was young, both of Mark’s parents worked full time, so when school breaks came, they had to find something to do with young Mark. When he was in fourth grade, his parents stuck him in a spring break camp at Hawaii Yacht Club (where he would eventually meet his wife.) At the end of the camp, there was a small regatta where Mark would single-hand (no small feat for a green sailor) and place third, immediately getting hooked on the racing side of sailing. As he began to gain experience, he noticed that all the kids from KYC would “roll in and kick everybody’s butt.” Because of this, and because he lived on the windward side of the island, he would hop across the island and begin sailing for Coach Jesse at KYC.
What was sailing at KYC and in HYSAs like for Mark? What is his proudest achievement as a HYSA sailor?
After toddling around in Toppers for a bit, Mark would make the jump to sailing El Toros. He mentioned that he believes that the “pretty foundational” El Toro taught him the “principles of sailing and racing.” With El Toros, he would travel across the island, racing in venues such as Hickam Harbor, Rainbow Bay, Waikiki, and KYC. Mark remembers that he took El Toro racing extremely seriously, circling every event on his calendar and even quitting soccer for it. His time in the El Toro was rewarded in the summer of 2003 when KYC hosted both the Pram Championships and the El Toro North Americans. Mark says that placing third in the Pram Championships and winning the junior division in the El Toro North Americans were the crowning achievements of his HYSA career. After he outgrew El Toros, Mark switched to 420s and 29ers, sailing for Punahou while also contesting regattas on the mainland.
What was Morning Light like for Mark? How did the skills he learned in HYSA regattas and at KYC transfer?
Morning Light was a life-changing opportunity for Mark. Andy Johnson got him involved with the program because Mark was one of the best junior sailors on the island. During the training cycle, Mark, a high school senior, would move out of his parents’ house and into a house off the Diamond Head buoy with the rest of the Morning Light crew. He told me that the entire program was incredible as they had many “world-class coaches and sailors” at their disposal, many of whom would prove to be invaluable connections further down the line. While sailing 420s in HYSA regattas, Mark had always crewed—developing skills such as trimming and kite work. These skills transferred directly to the TP52 as he was a trimmer onboard Morning Light.
What was the jump like to college sailing? How did Mark go from college sailing to professional sailing?
Mark told me that college sailing was similar to high school sailing, but way more frequent and competitive. He said that the one thing he wishes is that he had done more team racing in high school to better prepare for college sailing. While he was college sailing, he was also competing amateurly on big boat circuits. At first, he was invited to sail Farr 40 worlds in Maimi through a connection from Morning Light, where he met Paul Cayard, who then asked him to sail Pacific Cup. After this, he was invited to sail on the RC44, Melges 32, and Farr 40 circuits. He was up and running. Straight out of college, Mark and the later skipper of 11th Hour Racing, Charlie Enright, were asked to put together an American youth ocean racing team. They were given a 65-foot boat and little money. Through tenacity and wits, they secured sponsors, put together a team, and launched a training program. The team ended up doing the Transatlantic race and placing third overall in the Fastnet Race. Because they had hired an onboard reporter who sent all media collected to the Volvo Ocean Race, Mark and Charlie were invited to watch the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, and quickly befriended the CEO, who mentored Mark into getting on the start line for the next three editions.
What was Mark’s favorite moment both sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race and competing as the CEO of 11th Hour Racing in 2023 (other than winning)?
Mark said that his favorite moment came from his first race: He was steering a Volvo 65 as he and his team were sending it downwind, hitting speeds of over twenty-five knots while jibing back and forth near the ice limit in the Southern Ocean. Mark’s favorite moment as a CEO came when 11th Hour Racing launched their boat for the 2022-2023 Ocean Race. The boat, an IMOCA 60 named Mālama, was launched in August of 2021. Mark described the process as a “massive challenge with many headaches.”
Why should people care about the fundraiser on April 19th?
Mark says that people should care because KYC is raising money for junior sailing. He began sailing through the junior sailing program, and he says that the sport “changed his life to a course he wouldn’t have been on before.” He has learned life skills through sailing, and the sport has taken him to places he never would have imagined. He says that people should feel as though they “have a responsibility” to support the junior sailing program so that more kids like him can be exposed to the blessings of sailing.
Purchase Tickets: KYC Jr. Sailing Fundraiser with Mark Towill
Donate to the Silent Auction: Kaneohe Yacht Club Jr. Sailing Fundraiser - Donation Form
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