A message from West Coast Sailing owner and founder George Yioulos, long time sponsor of D24 and ILCA sailing in North America.
Two Decades of Fun at West Coast Sailing
On June 13, 2025, West Coast Sailing marks its 20th anniversary. Two solid decades of fun. It’s been a wild ride since we started in ‘05. To summarize it all would be impossible. There have been so many memories, regattas, events, and emotions of all kinds!
For our 20th year, I want to attempt to convey what has kept us going all these years. From boom times to recessions, through manufacturers being bought and sold, to changes in leadership at our sport and more, West Coast Sailing has always been there. The same ownership. The same leadership. The same mission. So, what has been our secret sauce? Our recipe for success after all these years?
It’s actually really easy. It’s YOU.
Without you, our customer, our racer, our weekend warrior, our regular, our occasional, our known and unknown… Without each of you SAILORS — we would not still be here.
To the customers who value their quiet time on the water. To those racing near and far. To the weekend warriors passing on the passion to friends and family alike. To the volunteers at the sailing clubs, community programs and regattas. To those that know the beauty of being on the water in a sailboat.
You are why West Coast Sailing is here and thriving, two decades on.
Timeline
We started on June 13th, 2005. It was the day after I graduated from the University of Oregon. My friend Tyler worked that summer, but, for that first year, it was just me. I had to ask customers to help me move boats and lift stuff when they came in. We rented out the space to all sorts of tenants. It was a crazy time.
Kyle joined in 2007, Chris in 2010, Phil in 2011, then came Gavin and a lot of the crew we have today including Jeanette, Liz, Ali, Chris W, Langdon, Matt, Lena, Angie, and Abby. In 2021, West Coast Sailing merged with Zim Sailing and became part of this larger family of sailing businesses. Still, we remain sailors serving sailors. The scale is just a little bit bigger now.
Memories and Lessons
There are too many to mention, but a lot of firsts. The first truck delivery of boats — I had no idea boats came from Rhode Island to Portland in a semi truck trailer! Same for our RS containers. I had no idea boats travelled all the way from England on a cargo ship!
And then both our first web order (2005 — an Aquata ILCA Blade Bag), and our first international web order (2007 — I still remember the customer's name). Wild. Both would kick off the main thrust of our business, so many years ago now.
Aside from business milestones, there are countless memories of events we’ve raced in, supported, chartered at, and cheered for. From Laser Radial Worlds in 2006, all the seasons of CGRA racing in the Gorge. Weeknight racing, plus coaching High School Sailing at our home club of Willamette Sailing Club. Traveling to California, Seattle, and all over the West Coast.
I also remember the kindness of sailors. All the people we’ve met in every corner of the World. All the volunteers and local sailors who came to the shop — thank you. All the floors we have slept on over long weekends at regattas. The hospitality and kindness of sailors has always impressed me.
Our team. I work with friends. It’s one of the joys of this business. I work with people I know, I like and I respect. Even the parts of our team that are not still here, all played a part in who we are as a company today. Also, Stephanie… we still miss you.
What Really Matters: Passion, Team, and Customers
We always said, if we take care of our team, our team will take care of our customers, and our customers will take care of the business. And that has been absolutely the case.
But it starts with passion. Being fully committed — passionate about the business and dedicated to serving sailors. That passion for the sport and the people in it, and serving them better than anyone else. With that and a great team — you can have a real impact.
Finally...
I told myself two things when I started West Coast Sailing in 2005:
1) The worst that will happen is I will go broke and learn a lot.
2) I will do this for 3 years.
20 years on, here we are. I’m still doing the same thing, with a lot of the same people.
And each of YOU are as much a part of this as we are. We never expect your business, even from our best customers. We only expect to have to put in the work to earn our customers, day in and day out.
Thank you all, endlessly.
And here we are. Twenty years later, with the same mission — helping you Own The Water. Thank you for your trust, patience, service, and grace throughout our two decades together.
George Yioulos
Owner and Founder
West Coast Sailing
June 13th, 2025
