TAMPA, Fla. — Edward Racker has decided to step down from racing after an impressive three decades of dominating the competition at the club and he leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

“Boating is an activity,” he said. “Sailing is a way of life.”

Racker admits to starting his sailing lifestyle later in life, but has reaped the benefits.

Over the course of three decades, he’s won dozens of awards for his sailing accomplishments.

“I don’t keep track of them anymore. The house is full of dishes and plates that I’ve been awarded. ‘Boat of the Year’ is probably my favorite,” Racker said.

Racker said it was by chance that he was exposed to the sport of sailing. A former coworker and boater invited him on a three-day tour.

That experience inspired him to purchase his own boat which he named, ‘Sloop Deville’.

“It was awesome, never having owned a boat before this one. I had a lot to learn,” he said.

Regattas are sailboat competitions that he began participating in after joining the Davis Island Yacht Club in 1991.

“Racing was enjoyable because it was a learning process,” Racker said. “I met a lot of experienced world class sailors that sailed on this boat with me. It was a lot of fun, especially when we won.”

While navigating the bay, Racker always shared his experiences and his love for sailing with his community by giving free boat rides.

“There is nothing I don’t enjoy about sailing - mostly the serenity on a day like this with this much breeze,” he said.

The trailblazer is credited with exposing Black Tampanians to the sport and he says he wishes he could do more.

According to a participation survey by the United States Coast Guard, 34.0% of African Americans said they had “no interest” in boating while 31.7% reported not knowing anyone who owned a boat as the basis for not boating. 24.1% of Hispanics or Latinos cited “never having boated” as their reason for not boating compared with 9.2% of non-Latinos.

The 2018 boating census also revealed that 59.1% of boat operators were White, while only 16.2% of boat operators were non-White.

Racker said there is an overwhelming concern about water safety within minority communities.

Whenever Racker would ask to take them boating, he recalls being told, ‘I don’t know how to swim.’

Racker said he could sense a noticeable feeling of discomfort.

“I said, ‘I’m not asking you to go swimming, I’m asking you to go sailing.’ They have a fear,” he said.

The 81-year-old is lowering his sails on racing, but not cruising.

Racker is closing his chapter with the Davis Island Yacht Club, though his departure isn’t the typical cruise he anticipated.

“The mast got hit by lightning,” he mentioned that his boat’s departure is only possible with a tow.

 “The other night, there was a storm that came through. I was home and the boat was in distress. Four or so members (sailors) came to port and tied off the sail so it would not be damaged anymore,” Racker said.

His fellow sailors from the club are assisting him again. This time with his most recent voyage to Shell Point Marina.

“Once you’re a sailor and you know what you are doing with your boat, you are kind of accepted into a club. Everybody treats everybody the same,” he said.

Racker said the support of the boating community has been instrumental in making his voyages meaningful and worthwhile.

Racker is committed to upholding his tradition of warmly embracing a younger and diverse generation of the sailing community.

He plans to launch a youth boating program at Shell Point Marina.