Volunteers are vital to HRCS, donating their time and skills across the organization. Last year, over 200 volunteers contributed over 3,700 hours, working in youth programs, event committees, operations and more!

Querebim “Q” Santos is one of those volunteers. Growing up in a landlocked city in Brazil, sailing was something Q only saw on television. But the pull of the water was always there. In 2021, he spotted a J/24 with the HRCS logo and took his first Intro lesson.

Determined to take the next step, he attended a member orientation, expecting a simple introduction to sailing. What he found instead was an organization deeply committed to inclusion, equity, and education. “I wasn’t expecting the sailing universe to have a place so strongly guided by inclusivity and equality. That made me join right then and there.”

By 2023, Q had developed his skills and became a J/24 skipper. By the end of 2024, he had logged more sails than any other skipper! He also found deep fulfillment in the Adaptive Sailing program, volunteering to help modify boats for accessibility and guiding participants as they took the helm for the first time. “The joy on the faces of Adaptive participants is truly priceless,” he says. 

HRCS member Dave Rossberg is a volunteer skipper for Soldiers Under Sail, HRCS’s program designed specifically to make sailing accessible for our nation's military veterans. A U.S. Navy veteran himself, Dave was recently honored as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week for his service to the country and New York City. 

"I got a lot of help from veterans who had gotten out before me, guiding me, helping me along the way,” he told NY1. "It's always been important for me to sort of pay that forward and give back."