THE SECRET WEAPON

The top one-design teams know exactly who to call when the job description entails flawless crew work, unrelenting boatwork, and a commitment to winning.

- DAVE POWLISON

MONICA Morgan has come a long way from working at a Subway in Chicago as a teenager to raise money to join the racing team at the Chicago YC at Belmont Harbor. Now, at age 39, she has become a highly sought-after dinghy and keelboat crew. Her name is on a lengthy and growing list of championships, including four J/24 North American titles, two J/24 National Championships, the J/24 Midwinters, a pair of Lightning Masters Championships, a Lightning North American Championship and the Bacardi Cup in the VX One. And those are only the ones she can remember.

When not racing, you can find her deep in fiberglass work at Morgan Marine, a Florida speed shop she runs with her husband, Chris. On any given day, you might find her recoring a deck, longboarding an Etchells or a Lightning hull, or doing repairs no one else wants to do. And that's when she's not taking care of her 9-year-old son, Oliver, diving to clean boat bottoms, or doing CrossFit workouts.

At an inch or so over 5 feet tall, Morgan's height might not be imposing, but her VX One skipper, Austin Powers, of North Sails, says: "Pound for pound, she's probably the strongest sailor in the world." As an example, he notes how she usually completes their spinnaker hoist well before any of her larger male counterparts. "She's definitely a large part of the reason we won the 2022 Bacardi Cup."

Growing up, Morgan sailed with her father on a Rhodes 19. In a family on a tight budget with seven kids, she didn't have access to much of what typical yacht-club kids enjoy. She and her brother cleaned boat bottoms and usually got a bag of fun-size Snickers as payment. At age 15, she started frostbiting in a Penguin with her friend David Stix.