May 09, 2006
Dean Hasl & crew raise nearly $10,000 for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Thomas Jefferson School of Law Dean Rudy Hasl is no lightweight when it comes to raising money for a good cause. On Friday,
May 5, Dean Hasl entered his 40-foot J-120 sailboat, the
"Hasl Free," in the 2006 Leukemia Cup Regatta in north San Diego bay, organized and hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club.
Dean Hasl and his crew of family and friends raised a whopping $10,000 to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which brings hope to the nearly 750,000 people in this country battling leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. In 2005, the Leukemia Cup Regatta events throughout the U.S. raised $3.2 million for the fight against these blood cancers. More than $18 million has been raised since 1993, when the Regatta series began.
The "Hasl Free" proved its seaworthiness and the skill of its crew, including Dean Hasl's grown children and the family dog, by taking first place not only in its class, but also for the entire Leukemia Cup Regatta out of the three classes of boats competing. This isn't the first time Dean Hasl has skippered the "Hasl Free" to victory. The Dean has won a number of major competitive sailing events since he took up competitive sailing in 1991.
While he was dean of Seattle University's law school, Dean Hasl and his crew took 12 straight first place finishes during the last two years in the "J Fest Northwest." For the non-seaman, the J-120 has an enormously big sail (165 square meters) compared to the size and weight of the boat and, as a result, it goes extremely fast.
Dean Hasl also has sailed in the Key West Race Week and raced chartered boats in Alaska and the Caribbean as well. In September, it took him six days and nights of straight sailing about 60 miles off the west coast to bring the Hasl Free from Seattle to its new home in San Diego.
The Leukemia Cup Regatta was actually the kick-off event for the 2006 Yachting Cup, which followed on Saturday and Sunday, May 6–7, and also was dedicated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
For more information about the 2006 Leukemia Cup Regatta and to view photos of the Hasl Free, please visit http://sdyc.org/gallery/LeukemiaCup/06LU2015.