2017- 2018 Winter Workshops Series For Women Sailors
February 27 – Sailing Terms, Boat Parts and Q/A. Leader: Christina Pandapas, Rhodes 19 racing sailor
March 21 – Points of Sail, Sail Trim, Upwind/Downwind Basic Strategies. Leader: Karen Peake, PHRF racer
April 11 – Tide, Current and Waves Leader: Susannah Winder
May 2 – Sailing Checklist for a good day on the water (before boarding, on board and leaving the boat) Leader: Susannah Winder
2016 – 2017 Winter Workshops Series For Women Sailors
Rounding the Mark With a Full House
We experienced a full house at Basics of Race Tactics and Strategies Workshop on March 2, 2017. Workshop leader Berit Solstad lead the 6th Women’s Winter Workshop Series, exploring topics that included Notice of Races, Code Flags, and rounding the marks.
Among the women attending, some had race experience, but all were delighted to learn more about the intricate details of racing, crew roles and responsibilities. Solstad used resources found in the US Sailing Rule Book and further elaborated on goals for the starting line, identifying the “favored” end of the line, upwind tactics, identifying winds shifts and crew communication. Special attention was paid to the new racing rules. The workshop racing crew was reminded that, at the end of the day, for many in our organization, sailing is a hobby and sailboat racing is a game. The take home message? Have fun!
Want to have more fun? Join us for the next Women’s Winter Sailing Workshop, Spinnaker: Up, Down, Let It Fly on April 11th. Look for the registration form here in early April. For more information contact Jocelyn Cook at [email protected].
NWSA Winter Sailing Workshop for Women #4: Cruising with Kids
How do you cruise with kids? This was the question on everyone’s mind at our fourth Winter Sailing Workshop for Women on February 8, 2017 in Marblehead, MA.
Through her vast experience cruising with her own husband and children, workshop speaker Kristen Pollard of Marblehead was well equipped with “show and tell” items including books, snacks, medications and plenty of first-hand experience. She and her husband cruised with their own children, who were 4- and 6-years old on departure, for a year.
The workshop focused primarily on safety, provisioning and activities that keep kids engaged during cruising. Kristen shared what worked and what didn’t work from her own experiences and attendees eagerly shared their own additional suggestions and comments with the group. After the round-table discussions of the evening, the group’s main take-home message was prioritizing safety and determining what is best for each sailing family’s comfort zone. Attendees, whose own children were all under age 13, departed with lists of resources and an excitement for sailing with their own families. Join NWSA for the next Winter Sailing Workshop for Women to expand your sailing skills and knowledge.
Enthusiasm Continues for Winter Workshop for Women Sailors
Rules of the Road: Workshop #3
For 90 minutes, 12 women worked in pairs to explore various potential collision situations and determine resolutions to the dangers. Workshop attendees paired with a crew mate to “sail” their 8” wooden model boats through various courses marked on the “sea,” a large table marked with wind arrows. The model boats, complete with moveable tillers and booms, allowed attendees to visualize points of sail, tacks and right of way rules in action.
The hugely successful NWSA Winter Sailing Workshop, held January 11, 2017, was led by Sue LaVoie with assistance from Pat Dieselman. Both women are experienced sailors, past commodores of the Blue Water Sailing Club, and veteran workshop leaders at the annual NWSA Women’s Sailing Conference in June.
November 2, 2016 – Hoist the Sails and Get Underway
The 2nd workshop of the series was filled to capacity – 12 women. Experienced sailor and racer, Debbie Noble, of Marblehead, led the workshop. We reviewed some sailing terms, parts of the boat and then launched into the process for hoisting the sails and getting off the mooring. Regardless of the size of boat, the procedure is pretty much the same. We had a mainsail and jib available for demonstration. We got out the lines to review the figure eight, the stopper knot and touched upon the bowline. The Question and Answer period went by quickly. We all left hyped up and ready to go sailing. The hand outs were made available on the facebook page
First NWSA Winter Workshop – Basic Sailing Terminology, Safety and Knot Tying
The National Women’s Sailing Association’s held its first Winter Workshop for Women in Marblehead on Thursday, October 6th. Berit Solstad, a successful skipper of her Town Class in Marblehead, traveled down from Stowe, VT., to be with us. There were many hands-on materials including magazines, board games, halyards, shrouds, life jackets, to keep the group moving and engaged over the 90 minutes at the home of event chair, Jocelyn Cook. There was a lively 30-minute meet-and- greet period over shared appetizers and beverages before the 7:30 p.m. workshop started. During the evening, Berit covered basic sailing terminology, parts of the boat, wind, a couple of basic knots and life jacket(pfd) options. Women moved from the dining room table to the living room to the den area as the topic changed. Before we knew it the evening was over. We’re looking forward to putting on the November 2nd workshop, which focuses on rigging a boat. For information contact Jocelyn at [email protected].
There is a Facebook page called Women on the Water – Marblehead, which is an extension of the group to post workshop-related material and also to connect with other women sailors of all skill sets in the Marblehead area.