| History |
| Harris L. Kempner was a man who loved the sport of sailing. He was an active sailor in the Galveston area for over 60 years and had numerous accomplishments. Harris was highly skilled on the race course and attended the trials for the U.S. National Sailing Team in the STAR Class for the 1936 Olympics. He helped establish the Galveston Yacht Club and served as it’s commodore and committee chairman for many years. |
 |
| Mike Janota had crewed for Mr. Kempner during many races and told Harris of his plans to get youth involved in sailing. Harris thought it was a wonderful idea and allowed Mike to use his boat to teach. Once the kids had enough experience, Harris began taking them racing. |
| In 1987 the Harris L. Kempner Sailing School was founded and Mike used borrowed boats to teach the youth of Galveston. In 1990 the club officially became a non-profit/charitable organization, allowing boats to be donated. |
 |
| Slip space was kindly donated by the Landings Marina in Offatts Bayou and the program thrived. However, as the fleet grew and the Landings became more popular, it could no longer be home base for H.L.K. Ron Landry donated deck and mooring space for five boats. The rest became scattered around the Galveston area. In 2003, Texas A&M University granted H.L.K a permanent location on Teichman road. After the funds were raised, the marina was constructed by the members of the club. |
 |
| H.L.Kempner Sailing
8701 Teichman Rd Galveston, TX 77554-9122, US |