Lily Katz, 16, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., goes to school in Manhattan, and sails out of Bellport, Long Island, during the summer. Katz and crew Fiona Walsh won the U.S. Youth Championship in the Club 420. Like our other All-Stars, Katz is planning on racing in college and has been looking at several schools in the East. She and Walsh are training with the goal of qualifying for the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in the International 420. Asked what motivates her, she says: “Watching the older, more experienced sailors has always inspired me to push myself harder. Sailing has brought richness into my life that’s hard to find anywhere else. I’ve been able to experience this wonderful sport, have learned a lot about life, and made friends with people from all over the world.”

Olin Paine, 17, lives in San Diego and sails for the Mission Bay YC. He started sailing when he was 6 years old in a Naples Sabot. “I tagged along with my brother to a clinic led by JJ Isler,” he says of one pivotal moment in his career, “and she told me I wasn’t too young to start sailing.” Paine is a member of the Point Loma High School sailing team, which has qualified for the Interscholastic Sailing Association’s national championships every year he’s been on the team. In 2011, Paine won the Laser division at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships. He prefers Lasers and multihulls, which he races with his friend Grant Rickon.

Olin recalls an embarrassing moment on the water. “I was winning the first race of the Cressy [ISSA High School Singlehanded Championship for the Cressy Trophy], and did not read all the sailing instructions,” he says. “I passed on the wrong side of the finish boat and ended up DNF.”

Katja Sertl, 17, sails out of the Rochester (N.Y.) YC in the spring and fall and the Conanicut (R.I.) YC during the summer. She enjoyed an active year in 2011, racing Club 420s and J/22s. In the C420 she races with Ailsa Petrie. “Racing with my best friend against some amazing sailors is a ton of fun,” says Sertle. They competed in events in Ohio and Massachusetts, as well as the Club 420 North American Championship. At the 2011 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Regatta, in Rochester, she placed eighth with a J/22 crew that included teenagers Merritt Moran, Julia Weisner, and Christine Moloney. Sertl credits her mother, Cory Sertl, who won 2011 RIWKC, for giving her pointers about sailing keelboats. Like Henken, Sertle is a competitive ski racer. “Both sports require discipline and mental stability,” says Sertle. “The number one thing I’ve learned from both is to never stop trying.”

Sertle didn’t always enjoy sailing. “When I began sailing the Optimist, I was terrified of even a breath of wind,” she says. “Without my parents’ push and passion for the sport, I don’t know if I’d still be sailing. Now, I absolutely love it, especially in heavy-air conditions.”

Nevin Snow races out of the San Diego YC and is a member of the Cathedral Catholic Sailing Team. He’s a perennial presence in the A Division at high-school regattas. Today he races Lasers, F18 catamarans, and likes match racing. Showing his versatility, Snow placed third in the Laser at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships and third at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship. He also won the Governor’s Cup, an international junior match race regatta. He credits his parents, Chris and Mary Snow, as most influential in building his sailing career. The latter was an All-American sailor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the former is a J/24 class champion and sailmaker with North Sails. Snow gained inspiration reading Fatal Storm, Rob Mundle’s book about the deadly Sydney to Hobart Race in 1998. When not sailing, Nevin likes to surf. “Surfing really helps with my downwind Laser sailing,” he says, “knowing the waves and where to position my boat."

All-Star Honorable Mentions
Ian Barrows, Scott Buckstaff, Alex Curtiss, Pat Floyd, Christine Moloney, Kelly McGlynn, OJ O’Connell, Pearson Potts, Taylor Reiss, Tristan Sess, Scott Sinks, Axel Sly, Elizabeth Tell, Holly Tullo, Callie Tullo, and Nick Valente