“Future Champion” Sculpture Unveiled at San Diego Yacht Club

Friday, 09 July 2010
Contact: Dale Frost (619) 686-6461

A life-size bronze sculpture of a 10-year-old sailor steering a sailboat now graces the entrance of San Diego Yacht Club in Point Loma.

 Titled “Future Champion,” the $87,000 artwork was unveiled on July 3, 2010.

View images from the sculpture unveiling plus other examples of public art on the tidelands.

 “The sculpture represents every young sailor,” San Diego Yacht Club Commodore Bill Campbell said.

It depicts a youngster seated, or “hiked-out,” on the rail of a Naples Sabot sailboat, with a hand on the tiller while checking the sail trim.

Many young sailors have learned how to sail on this type of small-hull mainsail-only boat.

The artwork was accomplished under the Port of San Diego’s “one percent for art” policy.

The policy calls for tenants undergoing major redevelopment to contribute one percent of the cost of the project for public art. San Diego Yacht Club has nearly completed an $8.7 million redevelopment of its facilities.

Encinitas-based sculptors T.J. Dixon and James Nelson created the sailor portion of the artwork. Brian Thomas, San Diego Yacht Club member and President of Thomas Marine Inc., fabricated the Naples Sabot.

“The artists formed a great team and created perfection,” said Mari Fink, yacht club member and chairman of its public art project.

Ten-year-old junior sailor Jack Reiter served as a model for the sculptors to ensure every detail of the young sailor’s pose was correct.

Hundreds of photographs were taken while Reiter sat on the rail of an old sabot. At the last session, the artists made a clay figure of the pose before the bronze was cast.

“Reiter was enthusiastic about the project and showed the concentration of a champion,” said Nelson.

Thomas designed the boat and sail to accommodate the prevailing winds usually occurring at the corner of Anchorage Lane and Talbot Street, where the sculpture is located.

The sabot is positioned “beating into the wind,” one of the most difficult points of sail.

Thomas is quite familiar with sabots.

As did many Southern California sailors, Thomas began his sailing career in a sabot. He won five national titles in this type of boat during the 1960s and later built them for sailing clubs.

The sabot, which is accurate to scale, is made of silicone bronze. The stainless steel meshed sail allows the breeze to pass through it and represents woven sailcloth.

“I can’t believe how realistic it looks,” yacht club member Dave Vieregg said.

Adding to the realistic look, a grass that sways in the wind, called “Sea Breeze,” (Lomandra longifolia), was planted around the sculpture to create a feeling of moving water.

“The sculpture is really cool,” 14-year-old Storm Brown said as he arrived at the club recently for a day of sailing on San Diego Bay.

The San Diego Yacht Club is a tenant and partner of the Port of San Diego.

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