Nine years ago, Charles Kenahan sailed to victory at the IRC East Coast Championship with his boat, Mahalo. He and his crew earned notable achievements after earning podium finishes in six of the 2015 IRC East Coast Championships’ nine races. Kenahan is a seasoned business consultant, financial advisor, and managing director from New England.
Kenahan and his crew faced stiff competition from 12 other Swan 42’s Looking back, he recalls how the variety of Swan 42 Teams representing some of the premier Yacht Clubs from around the globe at the event was among its most memorable successes.
The Swan 42 Nationals and IRC East Coast Championship began in 2007, promptly becoming a staple of Newport’s summer schedule. Championship winner Kenahan is a proud, long-time Newport resident. The seaside city, famed for its rich sailing history, is in Narragansett Bay, roughly 75 miles south of Boston and 180 miles northeast of New York City.
Favorable Conditions for Victory
Despite taking place almost a decade ago, Charles Kenahan recalls the 2015 Swan 42 Nationals and IRC East Coast Championship as if it were yesterday. The Newport-based business consultant recalls the third day of the regatta being a highlight, with 15-16 knots of southwesterly breeze. Both the wind and the water, he says, were in his and his crew’s favor.
Their win followed three years of hard work for Mahalo and her crew, with the managing director and financial advisor purchasing the boat in 2012. Fast-forward to July 2015, and having recently finished in second-last place in the Sail Newport Regatta, they continued on to victory at the IRC East Coast Championship.
Kenahan remarked that he had not had his core crew together since 2014’s Rolex Swan Cup in the Mediterranean. Reuniting barely a week before the Swan 42 Nationals and IRC East Coast Championship, their victory remains a testament to their camaraderie, a joint pursuit of excellence, and countless hours of tireless hard work.
Yacht Racing Team Owner Charles Kenahan
Mahalo Yacht Racing Team owner Charles Kenahan boasts over 35 years of experience on Wall Street, including assisting corporations and individuals with balance sheet management, risk assessment, and developing and implementing their most pivotal strategic goals. That’s while simultaneously leading several highly effective teams and overseeing critical business development efforts for his companies and their clients.
The business consultant, managing director, and financial advisor is a 1984 graduate of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. The university is Rhode Island’s flagship public research institution. Kenahan holds his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Rhode Island.
The New England native would go on to lead one of the largest wealth management teams in the region before enjoying further continued success as a self-employed consultant to startup companies and venture capital funds. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Mahalo Yacht Racing Team owner Kenahan remains settled there today, where he lives in the picturesque seaside resort city of Newport with his wife, Carla.