Listen to John's audio report on sailing Great American II from Sydney to Hong Kong.

Born in Boston in 1950 and growing up in the area John Kiley has enjoyed sports since boyhood. When the ponds weren't frozen for skating he'd play football or baseball or sail in the summer. The mix of athletics, education, family and opportunities to travel offered him a wealth of experience. Early on, sailing was a passion. The motion and speed of a small boat through the water was fascinating to him. Sailing a Beetle Cat or a Sunfish when it was windy, Kiley would race and cruise on these little boats in the bays on the south side of Cape Cod.

As a teenager he had the opportunity to crew for his father and friends who taught him how to handle larger boats. The trips and races were wonderful ways to visit other places and to meet new people. As a representative in local and national level sailboat races as crew or skipper Kiley enjoyed the competition, team work, and travel.

In college he was a member of the sailing team and the hockey team. During one summer, sailing took on new dimensions for him when he crewed on a race across the Atlantic to Cork, Ireland. He learned to take the wind and water with respect and doses of humility. From that experience he put together with help from his family a sailing trip that eventually led him around the World.

Setting off from Cape Cod in 1972 in the wake of many cruising heroes he made his way down to the Panama Canal on the thirty foot Tahiti Ketch named Josepha. With stops in some great ports and in company with reliable crew, Kiley made this his mobile home traveling southwestward to New Zealand. This experience was so good that he determined to learn more about how to design boats and some day share the experience through the architecture. As a youth he spent hours drafting and emulating published designs of the masters. On the trip back by way of the Suez Canal he focused on a more careful study of the art and science.

Arriving back to Cape Cod safe and sound in 1977 Kiley then began working for a well known design firm that was versatile in sail and motor boat designs. The small pocket cruisers made by O'Day and the endearing Boston Whalers were among the legacy of names. A wide variety of projects large and small came through the doors at Hunt Associates. The opportunity to learn and be a part of the process was rewarding.

Drawing the plans to build production and custom boats led to some interesting ideas based on what already worked well in "the field". After helping to develop a brand of rigid bottom inflatable boats Kiley came up with some ideas to meld the shapes of narrow V-hulls into twin-hulled power catamarans. The stability and control of the asymmetric, planing hull catamaran offered promising gains in performance and accommodations. Over the past ten years he has worked under his own name with companies and individuals as consultant /designer specializing in motorized multi hull design.

His current interests are keeping up with two teenagers (who love to sail), racquet sports, and a growing appreciation for the game of golf. His contact with the water is renewed in the summertime weekends sailing in Nantucket Sound from the Wianno Yacht Club.

Rich Wilson (left) and John Kiley (right) have been friends since going to school together from the 2nd through 7th grade. Here they are at the start of a relay race! Friendships formed in school often last a lifetime!