The Indomitable Molly

by John Bertrand
At 46, Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer is simultaneously:

• Executive Director of the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF)
• Member, US Sailing Board of Directors
• Member, World Sailing Events Committee
• Freshly crowned 2025 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion (with Nicole Breault’s Vela Racing)
• Serves on the C420 board contributing to governance, youth-sailing outreach, and class development
• Mother of two school-age children
• Active volunteer within her children’s school community
• Lead architect of what will soon be one of the most advanced youth high-performance sailing centers in North America

Most mortals would call that portfolio impossible. Molly calls it Tuesday.

I have had the pleasure of working with and truly getting to know Molly since just after the COVID lockdown ended. Molly had posted on Facebook looking for a coach, and I think she may have assumed I was joking when I replied. But Molly invited me down to her office in Redwood City, California and was more than a little surprised when I showed up ready for the interview.

Over the past several months, I have also interviewed Molly at length about her work, her vision, and the future she is building at Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF). – Full report