Jamaica at Laser Sailing Youth Worlds 2024

Dear Friends,

My name is Jonathon Reece Schwartz and I am a competitive sailor who has a passion for youth sailing around the world and specifically in Jamaica. I currently compete in the USA and was the 2022 International Laser Class Association ILCA 4 Youth National Champion. This year I compete in the ILCA 6 class and am highly ranked amongst US sailors.

It always surprises me that the youth of Jamaica do not have an active sailing program where all can learn about the beauty of sailing and the love of the ocean. Many of the other islands in the Caribbean (Cayman, Antigua, Bahamas, etc.) have these programs and compete in the US and around the Caribbean. As a Jamaican citizen, I hope that one day we can have a competitive program too.

I have been given the honor by the Jamaican Yachting association (JYA) and the Jamaican Olympic Association (JOA) to represent Jamaica at the ILCA 6 Youth Worlds in Italy this Summer. This is a prestigious regatta where one representative from over 145 countries compete, with the Olympics as the next step. Jamaica has not had a representative at Youth Worlds for over 40 Years.

My goal is to represent Jamaica strongly and to bring back excitement to Youth Sailing on the island. A big thank you to the JOA and JYA for their contribution, but I still have a shortfall of $15,000. Your contribution will help me to raise money for expenses (travel, accommodations, coaching) for the event. Any extra proceeds will go to the JYA so that they can continue to promote youth sailing with the intent of making it more accessible for young Jamaicans.

Please enjoy the pictures of me being coached through the robust training program put in place by Agustin Vidal from Argentina who is a world class sailor and coach. I will be providing updates and an Instagram link shortly.

Thank you for your support.

Reece