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16 November 2024 - In Singapore the ORC Nominating Committee led by Peter Tjalma (NED) recommended a two-term ORC Congress member join the ORC Management Committee to replace the retiring Pepe Frers (ARG). Their choice was an experienced sailor, race organizer and tireless volunteer for the sport based in Chicago: Matt Gallagher (USA).
After finishing his undergraduate education at Notre Dame and law school at DePaul (he currently has a practice in real estate law), Matt also sought and received a certificate in meteorology from Penn State, a pre-eminent school in this field, and acquired a credential he would put to future use in his offshore sailing.
Matt admits his background in sailing is not life-long, and has been primarily on fresh water: he started sailing in his early 20s on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin (home to the legendary Melges clan) on a friend’s trailerable sloop called a Catalina 22. This interest in sailing grew in his mid-30s, first as a cruiser with his wife Emily (also a sailor) and then with Emmy and their kids on their Oceanis 37 Endeavor. This general interest then turned towards racing on his J/70 Surprise with his son Charlie.
Matt’s prowess in racing he admits falls short of what he’s really good at: race organization. As a member of Chicago Yacht Club, Matt has not only been chairman of that club’s largest, most well-known and complex event, the annual Race to Mackinac, but also the Farr 40 World Championship in 2017 (this when another ORC Management Committee member - Wolfgang Schaefer - won the World title on his Struntje Light), and served as Rear Commodore. He has also served as a Board member of the Chicago YC Foundation.
As a New York Yacht Club’s Sailing Committee member, Matt was Chairman of this year’s successful 2024 ORC Worlds - the first in the US since 2000. At the Storm Trysail Club he is the Chair of the Membership Committee.
At US Sailing Matt has been a member of the Safety at Sea Committee, he was the Chairman of the Offshore Committee, and is now on the Board of Directors as Secretary of this organization.
“My passion is not just sailing but bringing the sport to within reach of those who want to enjoy it any any level they can,” Matt said. “It’s exciting to be with ORC because it has the same values applied both here and around the world: that is, to use our technical tools and best-practices to enable a wide variety of boat types to enjoy fair racing.”
