Yachtswoman of the year from Fort Lauderdale

Erika Reineke, who learned how to sail as a child at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, is now considered the best boater in the U.S. after being named Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year at the end of 2017. Reineke, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, now coaches kids at the Lauderdale Yacht Club. Local sailors Steve Benjamin of Coconut Grove was second and Dave Hughes of Miami placed third in the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year vote. Reineke, 24, is planning to take home the gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. “There is nothing I want more in the world than to bring home a gold medal for my country,” she says on her website www.erikareineke.com.