An endowment to ensure the future of the Harbor Island Sail Camp
About the HIYC Sail Camp
For more than 40 years, Harbor Island Yacht Club has operated a youth Sail Camp on Old Hickory Lake in Nashville, introducing more than a thousand campers, ages 7 – 14, to sailing dinghies, including Optis, Lasers, RS Fevas, and Zests. As they progress, campers learn how to sail a boat effectively on the water, build confidence, and gain independence. A hallmark of the program is its focus on leadership development. Instructors, age 16 and older, are often former campers who return to give back, learning to teach sailing fundamentals – like port and starboard – while also gaining experience mentoring younger sailors and managing groups. The Camp operates on a break-even basis, with camper fees covering instructor wages and essential daily expenses. Ongoing investment in the fleet of boats has been made possible through the continued generosity of families, alumni, and supporters of the Camp.
The Nashville Youth Sailing Fund
Concerned about the long-term sustainability of relying on frequent small donations from friends and families, a group of dedicated HIYC Sail Camp volunteers has established an endowment – the Nashville Youth Sailing Fund – to provide a more stable financial foundation. While grassroots support has been essential to the program’s growth, it is inherently unpredictable and places a recurring burden on the same community of supporters. The Fund creates a dependable source of income for boat purchases and fleet upkeep over the next 40 years. Based on the past 15 years of expenditures, dinghies require consistent investment to remain safe and effective for instruction. By delivering steady annual returns, the endowment will help even out major capital costs and reduce reliance on reactive fundraising. To fully realize this vision, the Fund must be sufficiently capitalized. Additional investment today will strengthen long-term stability – ensuring high-quality fleets without increasing costs for families – while preserving transformative sailing experiences for generations to come.
Praises from Near and Far
Hear from past and present campers and counselors
Lars Lindstrom​​
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Lars started at HIYC Sail Camp when he was seven years old. He now owns and captains his own charter sailboat, a 46-foot catamaran in the Caribbean.
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“I want to say how grateful I am for that experience, as a kid and as a young adult – getting into it – to help set me on the path that I’m on now.”
Hear what Lars has to say about his experience at HIYC Sail Camp.
Mary Schmid​​
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Mary started sailing when she was five at HIYC Sail Camp. More than 30 years later, she’s still at it. Now a veterinarian in Seattle, she competes at the highest level of the sport, finishing second in her fleet in the J24 Worlds Championship Regatta.
“When I think about what Sail Camp has given me, as a child and as an adult, I can tell you that it has touched every part of my life.”
See what Mary has to say about being one of the inaugural campers at HIYC Sail Camp.
NYSF Board of Directors
Fred Crumbo
Fred, a Nashville native, dedicated 12 years to the Harbor Island Yacht Club Sail Camp, progressing from a camper to a counselor. He currently works as an optical engineer at Huntington Ingalls Industries: Dark Sea Labs, where he develops laser technology for defense applications. Fred completed the Young Leaders Council program in 2024 and subsequently served as a board intern for the Adventure Science Center before joining their Board of Trustees in 2025.
Jim Doran
Jim is an attorney who has practiced law for over 50 years. He has served as President of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association and of his Homeowners Association and on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Defense Lawyers and The Defense Research Institute (DRI). He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers where he served as Tennessee State Chair. He served the Tennessee Supreme Court as Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. Jim is an avid sailor and active racer. He served twice as Commodore of Percy Priest Yacht Club and is a member of Harbor Island Yacht Club. Before his retirement from the firm of Holland & Knight he chaired the firm’s Pro Bono efforts and was twice recognized as pro bono lawyer of the year by the Legal Aid Society and led the firm to be recognized as Pro Bono Hero law firm of the year.
Marc Fortune
Marc is a former business owner (Century II) and an active community volunteer. He’s served on a number of corporate boards (including CIS, Fortune Industries, Gobbel Hayes Associates, Lochmueller Group, Virsys 12) numerous nonprofit and trade association Boards (including the Red Cross, United Way, Private Directors Association, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, The Contributor, Nashville Capital Network, Family & Children’s Service and the Vanderbilt Owen Alumni Association) chairing several; been Commodore of the two local Yacht Clubs; and founder of the Nashville Sailing Foundation, that operates the Harbor Island Yacht Club Sail Camp.
Nick Hayes
Nick advocates for sailing as a rich source of joy, friendship, leadership, and resilience. He has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Yacht Club, YMCA Camping Services, Rooted, and the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center. He has written for Sailing and Spinsheet Magazines and authored the book "Saving Sailing" (Crickhollow, 2009) and contributed to the book "Sailing - Philosophy for Everyone" (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.) As Milwaukee Community Sailing Center's Program Director, he advances curriculum for sailors of all ages and levels and has taught thousands of sailors.
Bill Killebrew
Bill, a Nashville native and former small business owner is an accomplished artist whose work is in public and private collections throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a successful competitive sailor, a former Harbor Island Yacht Club Commodore and has been instrumental in the operation of the Club’s Sail Camp for many years.
Doug Small
Doug is a fourth-generation Nashville native and retired CEO of Blue Dog Merch, the promotional products and creative branding firm he founded in 1998. A graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, he earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. Doug began his career at his family’s company, Horace Small Apparel, where he helped take the business public on the London Stock Exchange in 1990 before launching a consulting and investment practice serving privately held and family-owned enterprises. Deeply committed to community service, Doug has held leadership roles with The Temple, the National Conference of Christians and Jews (Community Nashville), the Metropolitan Nashville Planning Commission, and numerous nonprofit organizations. He currently serves as Chairman of the Ascension Saint Thomas Foundation, as well as a board member of Leadership Nashville and The Temple. His previous board service includes the YMCA of Middle Tennessee Foundation and FiftyForward. Doug is also an Angel Flight pilot, flying patients and their families to access critical medical care.
Jim Ward
Jim has over twenty years of experience as an investor, investment banker, and financial consultant, most recently serving as Managing Director at Graham Healthcare Capital where he was responsible for healthcare investments in the lower middle market. Jim also founded Southeast Acquisition Capital, a company designed to facilitate employee ownership for companies in the Southeast. He is currently Treasurer of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) Tennessee Chapter. Jim is from Nashville and was both part of the original camper group at HIYC's sailing camp and also part of the first non-parent counselor group. He grew up sailing Lightnings and Lasers, sailed in college at Princeton, and he and his wife have two children who attend the HIYC camp every year.
Officers and Committees
Officers
Marc Fortune, Chair
Jim Doran, Secretary
Jim Ward, Treasurer
Investment Committee
Jim Doran
Doug Small
Jim Ward
Allocations Committee
Fred Crumbo
Nick Hayes
Bill Killebrew
Service Providers
Legal Counsel
Holland & Knight
Fund Manager
Wells Fargo Investment Managers
Insurance Advisors
Lockton Companies
Accounting Support
LBMC
Communications
Calfo Design