Andy Kostanecki is a well known designer and inventor with many years of service to the sport of sailing.
(He was experimenting with 'glued seams' for sails in 1963.)
He served as a US Sailing officer (treasurer and vice president)
and officer of the United States Olympic Committee, and as representative to and committee chair of the International Sailing Association Federation. Kostanecki was awarded the ISAF’s gold medal in 1996 for outstanding service.
In 2001 he was awarded the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy "for exemplary life-long service to Sailing".