Dick Tillman, a highly accomplished sailor in a wide variety of boats, holds National, North American and World titles in the Snipe, Finn, Laser, Sunfish and Windsurfing classes. He was a member of the US Sailing Team at the 1976 Summer Olympics as an alternate, and was named US Sailor of the Year (now called Rolex Yachtsman of the Year) in 1965.

Small Boat Achievements

• USNA National Intercollegiate Sailing Championship (1956, 1957)
• National Snipe Champion (1959)
• Pan Am Games Snipe Bronze Medalist (1959)
• National Finn Champion (1965)
• NA Finn Champion (1965)
• French Finn Champion (1966)
• Finn Midwinter Champion (1970)
• Laser NA Champion (1971,1972, 1973)
• Member of U.S. Olympic Team (1976)
• Laser NA Masters Champion (1981, 1982)
• Mistral NA Masters Champion (1994)
• Windsurfing Worlds Masters – 3rd place, 1st American (1994)
• Mistral NA Masters/ Seniors Champion (1995)
• Sunfish International Masters Champion (1996)
• Nike World Masters – Silver Medalist (Windsurfing) (1998)
• Nike World Masters – Bronze Medalist (Laser) (1998)
• Sunfish Midwinters – Top Master (1999)
• Laser World Masters – 2nd place, 1st American (2000)
• Sunfish Worlds – Top Master (2000)
• US Windsurfing NA Masters – Top Master 50+ (2002)
• Laser World Masters – Great Grand Master Champion (2002)
• Sunfish International Masters Champion (2002)
• Laser World Masters – Great Grand Master Champion (2002)
• MC Scow Midwinter Championships – Top Grand Master (2004)
• Sunfish US Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2006)
• Sunfish Worlds – Top Master (2006)
• Windsurfing NA Masters – Runner up (2007)
• Sunfish International Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2008)
• Kona National Championship – First 65-74 (2009)
• US Windsurfing NA Masters – First 65-74 (2009)
• Sunfish International Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2009)
• Sunfish International Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2010)
• Sunfish International Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2011)
• E-Scow Blue Chip Invitee (2011)
• E-Scow Blue Chip Invitee (2013)
• Snipe Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2011)
• Laser US Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2011)
• Sunfish International Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2012)
• Sunfish US Masters – Top Great Grand Master (2016)
• Sunfish US Masters – First Senior (2019)

Big Boat Achievements:

• Winner Bermuda Race Week- J/24
• Crew, 1980 Olympic Trials, Soling, Lowell North/Vincent Brun
• Tactician J/24 Worlds: Rod Johnstone 1984, Bob Johnstone 1985
• Skipper J/24 Worlds 1981, 1986, 1990
• Guest celebrity, Formula 40 Pro Circuit, Tom Blackaller, 1989
• Crew SORC, Peter Conrad, J/40
• Helmsman, SORC, Rod Johnstone, J/36
• Helmsman SORC, Bob Lynds, Soverall 40
• International Master Championship (St. Francis Yacht Club): J/105 – 3rd Place (2005)
• International Master Championship (St. Francis Yacht Club): J/105 – 2nd Place (2006)

Coaching/Training

• Steve Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School
• Rick White’s Racing Clinics

Honors:

• ICSA (Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association) Hall of Fame (1970)
• Rolex Yachtsman of the Year (1965) (formerly US Sailor of the Year)
• International Laser Class Association (ILCA) Hall of Fame

Organizational Activities:

• Chair of National Single-handed Championship Committee, 7 years
• Commodore Snipe Class International Racing Association, 1971
• US Olympic Yachting Committee (late 70’s; Rod Glover (from Ohio) was chair)
• US SAILING representative to USOC Athletes Advisory Council, 1976-1980
• Executive Director International J/24 Class Association, 1981-1991
• President US Windsurfing Association, 1999-2002
• President International Sunfish Class Association, 2002-2006
• Director, US SAILING, 1999-2002

 Writing

• Authored 4 books on Laser Racing

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Tillman’s obituary, published on the ILCA website on October 19, 2020, via Scuttlebutt Sailing News:

“It is with sorrow that ILCA records the passing of Dick Tillman, a U.S. sailor who made an extraordinary impact on the Laser class and the sport of sailing.

Richard Lloyd “Dick” Tillman, 83, of Syracuse, IN and Merritt Island, FL passed away at 6:47 am on October 15, 2020 at his home in Syracuse. He was born on November 27, 1936 in Elkhart, IN to Lloyd E. and Josephine (Butler) Tillman. He graduated in 1954 from Elkhart High School, was a Class of 1958 graduate from the United States Naval Academy, and received a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University. He was married on July 29, 1961 in Elkhart, IN to Linda J. Lowe who preceded him after 55 years of marriage on February 28, 2017.

Dick retired in 1979 from the United States Air Force after 21 years of service and opened a boat business. In 1981, he was appointed the Executive Director of the International J/24 Class Association. He and his wife, Linda, worked together in this capacity for 10 years before stepping into full retirement.

While in the Air Force, Dick was Commodore of the International Snipe Class Association and Director of the National Governing Body of Sailing. After retirement, Dick was President of the International Sunfish Class Association and later, President of the Windsurfing Class Association.

Dick actively raced sailboats; he was selected for three US Pan American Teams, and was on the 1976 US Olympic Team. He was a National Champion of the Snipe Class, a National and North American Champion of the Finn Class and Windsurfing Class, and a World Masters Champion of the Laser Class and the Sunfish Class.

He patented a sailing instrument (Tillman Teller Wind Indicator) and authored four sailing books, the latest of which, The Complete Book of Laser Sailing, is currently in print. He was elected to the USNA Sailing Hall of Fame, named US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year (1965), elected to the International Laser Class Association Hall of Fame, and nominated for the National Sailing Hall of Fame. He also played golf, tennis, and pickle ball, and loved bicycling. ”

See more on Dick’s contributions to sailing.

Newspaper clipping with details on contributions to the sport, submitted by Bob Johnstone Feb. 2023