The perfect team —
Seasoned sailors and Hunter sailboat owners...
Celeste Streger, Commodore
Celeste grew up in Queens, New York and moved to Rockville, Maryland in the 1980s. Celeste and her husband Mark have two adult sons and when they were in high school Celeste and Mark decided to take sailing lessons and enjoy the vast water in Maryland. They made it a vacation signing up for a Learn to Sail weekend in Newport, RI with J World. Wanting more they continued their US Sailing certification at J World Annapolis. They decided to join Chesapeake Boating Club giving them access to boats for both day sailing and cruising with their fleet of J Boats and a Benneteau on Back Creek. They made a trip to Charleston, SC twice for Bareboat and Coastal certifications and have chartered in the BVIs and the US Virgin Islands.
Celeste and Mark moved to Annapolis in 2015 to live on the water and sail more often. When COVID hit they decided to buy their own sailboat, so in December 2020 they bought a 2011 Hunter e36 they call Bay Dream and joined HSA1 in 2021. They recently moved up to Blue Heron, a 2013 Marlow Hunter 40.
Ed Oliver, Vice Commodore
Ed is an Ohio transplant who took up sailing with his wife Candy in 2005. After taking a sailing class in Annapolis they dipped their feet into sailing by being members in SailTime where they were introduced to Hunter sailboats. After a couple of years, they decided to expand their horizons by chartering around the bay and in Europe while they lived overseas. Upon returning to the USA they purchased Ruff’N It, a Hunter 41DS in 2015. From 2018-2021 he served as HSA1 Fleet Captain. He enjoy weekends and the occasional long week on the bay with their two Labrador Retrievers, Dexter and Thor, as boat mascots.
David Albert, Treasurer
Born in Philadelphia and lived in Long Island and New Jersey over the years. He and his wife Laurie moved to Reston, VA in 1981. Dave became interested in sailing in his twenties, took an intro to sailing class (and other classes), and he and Laurie went on their first charter in the Grendaines. Two kids later, it led them to buying 1/3 of a Hunter 31, which led to a H38 and now they have a H49. Having sailed all over the Chesapeake Bay, Chartering in the Caribbean & Greece and crewing on boats to the Bahamas, Dave and Laurie are looking forward to many more adventures. A former Treasurer for the Herrington Harbour Sailing Association, Dave is excited to be the Treasurer for HSA-1.
Laurie Underwood, Immediate Past Commodore
Laurie Underwood grew up on Long Island fishing and water skilling, but did not take up sailing until she and her husband, Sean, took lessons in 2014.
After chartering for 2 years, they purchased s/v Bootlegger in 2016. Most weekends you will find Laurie, Sean, their teenager Jack and dog Trixie cruising around the Bay or working on the boat and enjoying the amenities at Herrington Harbour North.
Tom Fox , Fleet Captain
Tom moved to the Washington area in 1993 and shortly thereafter bought a 1968 Sunfish and taught himself how to sail. Since then he’s progressed from sailing on local lakes, to the Potomac River, and then the Chesapeake Bay where he’s owned and sailed three progressively larger keelboats for nearly 20 years. Tom has helped deliver boats up and down most of the East Coast of the US for friends, crewed on return delivery trips after Newport to Bermuda races, and chartered catamarans in the BVIs. He also co-leads a DelMarVA circumnavigation rally each year. Tom and his wife Diana currently sail Pinch Me, a 2015 Marlow Hunter 40, out of Shipwright Harbor in Deale, MD.
Dan Breitenbach, Secretary
Dan learned to sail when the Army made a mistake by sending him to Newport, RI for a ten month school after a tour in Germany. Cathy returned to DC to continue her career and he was a geographical bachelor. There, he took sailing lessons and really enjoyed it. A couple of weeks after completing the sail training, Cathy drove up to visit. They went for a sail with his sailing instructor and caught themselves in 19 knots in a 19’ Rhodes. A quick but exciting sail back to the marina, with waves breaking over the bow, left them soaked. Thinking the experience would sour her on sailing, he found she loved it. In 2004, they bought their current boat, a Hunter 386, named “Zum Wohl” in recognition of their three tours in Germany. “Zum Wohl” is a German toast used with wine. Its literal translation is “To the Fullest.” Dan was the Fleet Captain a few years ago and now returns as Secretary. Dan and Cathy keep their boat at slip F14 Shipwright Harbor Marina in Deale, MD and live in Lorton, VA. Interestingly, there is often a cold bottle of Chardonnay aboard. Zum Wohl!
Mark Streger, Webmaster
Mark retired after 40+ years as an IT manager. When not sailing he can be found working at the boat shows or volunteering for some of the Chesapeake Environmental groups.
Carl Reitz, Newsletter chair
Forty-seven years ago Carl and his wife Sue honeymooned in the Virgin Islands on a Pearson 26 and moved into the Bucks County Pennsylvania house that is still home. They sailed dinghies and chartered “big boats” for 20 years, then bought the first Windrose, a 1987 Hunter 40 and joined HSA-1. Since then they have wintered in the Bahamas five times, three on the first Windrose and more recently on the new Windrose, a 2013 Marlow-Hunter 40 which they keep at Haven Harbour in Rock Hall. Carl was HSA-1 Commodore in 2004 and 2005.
Barb Steele, Membership chair
Barb’s husband Jeff would spend his lunch hour dreaming of sailing and during the summer of 1996 the dream became reality with thier first boat, a 24 ft C&C. They fell in love with sailing not only being a source of entertainment but a “go to” for stress relief. In the fall of 2011, they found their 27 ft Hunter on the Sassafras and have been actively sailing ever since. They bought their present boat, a 35 ft’er named Melanna in 2015.