RCYC/One United C420 Clinic with ‘KJ’ Jones

Katherine 'KJ' Jones enters her third season with the Midshipmen in 2024-25, joining the Navy intercollegiate sailing program as an assistant coach in December 2022.

 

In her first season at Navy, Jones helped the Mids record their fourth-straight season with five-or-more ICSA All-Americans. The 2022-23 Navy squad also used a strong fall that included Gavin McJones finishing 12th at ICSA Men’s Singlehanded Championship to propel themselves in the spring championships, placing 17th in the ICSA Women’s Fleet Race Nationals, earning ninth place at the ICSA Team Race Nationals and finishing 18th in the ICSA Fleet Race Nationals.
 
Jones started her coaching career at SUNY Maritime College in the fall of 2018 after her college graduation. Jones assisted in reframing the culture of the program and coached the team to new levels of success, with the Open team placing 2nd at the War Memorial in 2021 and 2022 and 2nd at the ACT in 2022. In the Spring of 2022, sailors Benton Amthor and Eva Leggett were named to the 2nd All-MAISA Team. Jones also helped restart the women's team at SUNY Maritime during her tenure there, even making an appearance at Women's Fleet Race Nationals in the spring of 2022, the first time the team had competed at Women's Nationals since 1972.
 
Jones was a four-year member of the sailing team at Fordham University. She helped the team gain visibility on the college sailing circuit, with the team ranking as high as sixth in the country after the fall of her sophomore season and individually earning an All-MAISA Crew selection the spring of her junior year. In her time with the Rams, she competed in 49 events and  sailed in each of the three spring national championships multiple times.
 
Originally from Lake Forest, Ill., Jones grew up sailing at a national level in the Club 420 with the Chicago Yacht Club. She has seven years of coaching experience and is the head C420 race team coach for the Nantucket Yacht Club, which competes in the C420 summer and winter circuits.