Cat Chimney

Hometown: Lloyd Harbor, NY

People always thought I was born in a life jacket but really the Adventures of the Sailing Kitty started when I was 9 years old. Sitting at home after school, I took down my dad’s atlas and decided I was going to sail around the world; But first I was going to visit grandma in Lake Erie. I filled my optimist side tanks up with cheerios’ and granola bars, plotted my course, and hooked the boat up to my bike. Finally, I put a letter in the mailbox to tell grandma I was coming to see her on my way around the world. I was stubborn enough that when my grandma received my letter 3 days later she immediately phoned my dad and dad had to check I was, in fact, still in school. 

Since then I have managed to get around the world- I have competed in four dinghy world championships and been to every continent except South American and Antarctica. I was fortunate enough to have moved to New Zealand where high performance dinghies and yachts were the norm. 

The new Mixed Double-Handed Distance Race format for the 2024 Olympics has sparked my adventurous spirit.  The mixed teams do not just encourage female participation in the sport but rather it encourages collective success which is a more sustainable way to progress sports. My short-term goal is to do the Fastnet Race in 2019 and complete in the 2020 Offshore World Championships. Then put another letter in the mail to grandma.