Jul 12, 2022
2022 Ms. Race Honors Eileen Campbell
By Lori Draz
From left: Diane Kropfl, Eileen Campbell and Emily Smith
On Saturday, Aug. 20, the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club will host the 2022 Ms. Race, this year named the Eileen Campbell Memorial Race in honor of Co-Chair Eileen Campbell, who recently lost her battle with cancer.
The annual event benefits 180 Turning Lives Around, the Monmouth County-based private nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault in the community.
Campbell participated in every Ms. Race since its founding in 2005 and was co-chair of the race for the last five years. When her niece was entering her teen years, Campbell eloquently said, “You must stay the course. Challenges will line your path, but stay strong and focused.” The phrase has and continues to be the inspiration for the Ms. Race.
Campbell believed in the greater good saying, “Despite heartbreaking stories of loss and suffering, there are people who give us hope by doing amazing things to help their communities.”
Diane Kropfl writes of her friend and Ms. Race co-chair, “Eileen was an amazing woman who put her heart and soul into the Ms. Race and 180 Turning Lives Around. Eileen’s passion was sailing her prized C&C 33, CODA. Her tireless promotion of the Ms. Race resulted in record-breaking participation and fundraising.”
Eileen Campbell and crew on her beloved C&C 33 CODA
This year’s Ms. Race Co-Chair Emily Smith added, “Eileen did the hard work to make things happen, and though she volunteered for many projects, she always had time for her beloved family. She will be missed.”
To date, the Ms. Race has recently surpassed more than $200,000 in donations for 180 since the race’s inception.
The Ms. Race is a female-only event. The skippers and crews of racing and cruising vessels ranging from 24 to 45 feet in length are hoping to raise more than $20,000 for the charity. The organizers of Ms. Race invite all women sailors, with their boats and crews, to join in the fun and help this wonderful cause.
This year’s race will be a Pursuit Race where slow and typically smaller boats start the race first followed by fast and normally larger boats, and the first boat crossing the finish line wins the race. There will be two divisions with both Non-Spinnaker and Spinnaker boats invited to participate.
Additionally, the Ms. Race committee is partnering the Atlantic Highlands Sailing Education Program to further promote participation of young women in sailing.
For more information and registration information, email ahyc.ms.race@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/MsRaceAHYC.
The NYJRA New Jersey Yacht Racing Association recognizes the Ms. Race as the best all-women’s race in New Jersey and awards their woman’s racing trophy to the winner of the Ms. Race.
