One high school sailor from Savannah, Georgia, was honored with the 18th annual Robert H. Demere Scholarship at the Savannah Yacht Club (SYC) in May 2024. The recipient, Holden Haenel, is an early graduate of Savannah Early College and will attend the University of Georgia in the fall. The scholarship, established in 2005, supports young sailors in advancing their skills at a summer camp.
According to the Savannah Yacht Club, which oversees the Demere Scholarship application process, Haenel was chosen because he embodies the scholarship's spirit.
PHOTO (l-r): Vernon Buchman. Toby Moreau, Holden Haenel, Charlie Usher, Gary Oetgen. Members of the board not shown Bill Baker, Bill Fuqua, and Bob Hallock
Besides school and sailing, Holden was the vice chairman of the Chatham County Youth Commission and actively participates in community service, volunteering with organizations such as Old Savannah City Mission and Parent University.
"Being vice chairman has been a great opportunity. It allows me to be involved in projects I'm passionate about outside school activities, including sailing and community service. I've managed my time well, ensuring I stay committed to my leadership role and passion for sailing," stated Haenal.
Holden believes receiving the scholarship will help him improve his sailing skills and allow him to pursue his passion for sailing through college and beyond. Holden moved to Savannah five years ago from Los Angeles. He used to sail an optimist sailboat (dingy) at the California Yacht Club but stopped sailing when they moved. However, Holden recently started sailing again in Savannah. A family member gave him a laser sailboat from the 1980s that he has been using.
When asked by the Prep Sports Report about the boat given to him, Holden said, "A big reason for that is my cousin has a farm in Kentucky, and in their back barn, they had a Laser sailboat that had been sitting there for about 20 years. We went up, got it, and restored it. Now I've been sailing that boat. The Laser is one step above the optimist, so it's been a great experience to advance my skills."
He has participated in weekend races at the Savannah Yacht Club, where he sails the Laser and a Sunfish boat. He also had the opportunity to participate in a regatta last year and feels it has motivated him to return to the sport.
"I fell out of sailing for a while, but in the past year, I've met some great sailors at the Savannah Yacht Club. I've had a chance to get back into it, do more sailing, and really have grown to love it again."
The scholarship winner, Holden, will attend the Ocean Sailing Academy in Charleston in July for sailing and power boating courses by winning the DeMere Sailing Scholarship. After a week of learning, participants will receive a keelboat certification and a power boater's license, which can be used nationwide and in international waters. Haenal feels it will allow him to sail and learn how to use other boats.
"I'm hoping it'll give me a good opportunity to get into keelboats and learn how to sail them since I've traditionally just been a dinghy sailor," stated Holden. " It'll be a lot of fun to learn a new type of boat and hopefully start sailing keelboats more often. Additionally, I plan to join the sailing club at Georgia, which will allow me to continue pursuing sailing while in college."
The scholarship is in memory of Robert Demere, a well-known Savannah philanthropist and enthusiastic sailor. Every year, the SYC chooses local high school sailor(s) based on their commitment and potential in the sport to receive this scholarship opportunity.
PHOTO CREDIT: SYC
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