Sailing Event in Northport Harbor Looks to End Veteran Suicide

About 140 veterans and family members from Long Island will attend a “Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing” event this weekend in Northport Harbor.

SailAhead’s second annual event hosted by the Centerport Yacht Club will feature special guest George Eshleman, director of Unified Warrior Foundation. Eshleman, who served in the military for several years, hiked the Appalachian Trail last year, following the tragic loss of a friend, while carrying the name tags of 218 veterans who ended their lives.

• Photo of George Eshelman

SailAhead looks to honor the memory of those 218 veterans by inviting Eshelman and the tags on the fleet’s flagship. SailAhead has duplicated the tags and will keep them on one of SailAhead’s boats at all times.

Both Eshleman and SailAhead are focused on spreading PTSD awareness to help veterans heal and lower the number of veteran suicides, which is up to at least 22 a day.

The flotilla will sail together on the Long Island Sound for three hours.

SailAhead is a nonprofit that is dedicated to helping wounded veterans by using sailing as a form of therapy. SailAhead will have taken over 1,000 veterans sailing by the end of 2016.

For more information, go to www.sailahead.org.

Images via SailAhead (Photo 3 of George Eshelman)