12 Mar Acorn Harry Prager Back For Winter Break
Harry Prager first heard about Oakcliff while sailing Optis in Oyster Bay. He overheard some of his friends talking about it so he reached out and scheduled a tour. He left that tour thinking, “This is awesome!” He didn’t hesitate to sign up for the Offshore Acorn Program later that year (2017).
“I’ve always dreamed of sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race but didn’t have any opportunities to actually sail offshore. Oakcliff changed that for me,” said Harry. “I got to do the Marblehead to Halifax Race after a delivery to Newport. I knew sailing offshore would be tiring but, after experiencing it, I realized that you push your body to new levels.”
Harry is currently attending the Ross School which offers a winter M-Term where students get a break from classes to travel or pursue learning opportunities. Harry chose the latter. He was knocking at Oakcliff’s door the first day of his M-Term and spent the whole time learning what it takes to maintain professional race boat.
“It was a ton of work but it’s definitely fun,” said Harry. “I had no idea the amount of work that goes into even simple repairs. Just getting it able to sail is a lot of work but making it competitive and looking good is a whole other challenge. I really learned a whole new side of sailing that I’d never known before.”
This summer Harry plans to work at the Breakwater Yacht Club as a sailing instructor but he will be back at Oakcliff to do a few races with the team.