WELCOME STATEMENT

Doris Colgate founded the National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA) in 1990.  The mission of the organization was to provide opportunities for women to learn and enhance their sailing skills and have fun and meet others at the same time.  The mission has not changed.  Since 1990, programs, like Take The Helm, You Can Sail! Escape, British Virgin Islands Women's Week diesel engine and navigation hands-on workshops and the Women’s Sailing Conferences, have provided the opportunity for thousands of women to do just that.  National membership is at steady and has representation in all areas of the country. NWSA has now grown into the Women's Sailing Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

 

OUR MISSION

To enrich the lives of women and girls
 through education and access to the sport of sailing

·        developing educational programs and venues for women;

·        acting as the informational clearinghouse for women who sail’

·        enhancing the life experiences of women through sailing; and

·        supporting individuals and organizations that involve women in sailing

 

ADVENTURESAIL®

In 1996, AdventureSail®, a mentoring program for at-risk girls, was introduced and has been a resounding success.  You can tell by the smiles on their faces at the day’s conclusion..  Nearly 3,000 girls have participated with their mentors since then, with many long-term mentoring relationships formed.  Life skills such as leadership, responsibility, teamwork, environmental stewardship, respect for authority and the importance of education are stressed to help these girls grow to successful adults.  Our goal is to continue to reach out to new areas of the country to bring AdventureSail® into their lives.  We offer Scholarships to sailing and would like to expand that to marine biology and local youth programs as part of this rewarding program.  Click here for a listing of AdventureSail® locations.

FUNDING FOR OUR PROGRAMS & THE ASSOCIATION

All of our programs are made possible by local and event sponsorship and enthusiastic volunteers.  Corporate donations and individual membership are our only source of regular income.  For corporate support, please visit our Sponsorship Page and choose the level of support you would like to give.  A list of benefits for your company is shown for each level.  Contributions to the Women’s Sailing Foundation are tax deductible.  For individual membership, please click on the Membership Application for your membership level.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and welcoming you into our organization.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(click on the names of each board member for more info)

ADVISORY COUNCIL