National Women’s Sailing Association Press Room

National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) is a program of Women’s Sailing Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to enrich the lives of women of all ages through education and access to the sport of sailing. We focus on the following four areas: Develop educational programs and venues for women, Act as the informational clearinghouse for women who sail, Enhance the life experiences of women through sailing, and Support individuals and organizations that involve women in sailing.
Press Contact: Claire Wyngaard, Vice President, NWSA WSF@WomenSailing.org.

Paper chart navigation skills are vital to understanding electronic charts, both taught at the 2025 NWSA Conference. Credit: NWSA

Sailing classes teach teamwork and communication. Credit: NewOrleansSailing.com

Students and Instructor take time out for a photo during a class.

NWSA Conference attendees and instructors always meet together for Breakfast and Lunch announcements and presentations.

2025 National Women’s Sailing Association Conference

Presented by American Sailing

to be held June 6 - 8, St. Petersburg, Florida

“Knowledge – Skills – Fun” while Celebrating NWSA’s 35th Anniversary

March 6, 2025 - The National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) is expanding their 2025 National Women’s Sailing Association Conference Presented by American Sailing to three days June 6 - 8 at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. The event welcomes women sailors of all skill levels, ages and backgrounds to workshops including the popular Take the Helm® track — an introduction to sailing for women, plus a view into the marine industry and opportunities to meet accomplished cruisers and racers. The Saturday Morning keynote speaker will be Tracy Edwards, MBE, world racer and Project Manager of The Maiden Factor, where she skippers Maiden, a Global Ambassador for the Empowerment of Girls through Education. The Saturday evening keynote speaker will be Women’s Sailing Foundation Founder and National Sailing Hall of Famer Doris Colgate.

Friday welcomes the first morning classes followed by lunch and tours of two prominent industry leader facilities: Mastry Engine Center and Island Packet Yachts Factory. Women Who Sail - Tampa Bay are hosting their 10th anniversary party and welcoming NWSA attendees who are also celebrting their 35th anniversary this weekend for a happy hour.

Saturday programming includes a full day of classroom, dockside and on-the-water workshops taught by experienced female instructors and Captains from across the nation. Women can fine tune their spinnaker setting, sail trim, navigation, boat systems knowledge, learn how to recover a crew overboard and more.  There will be more than 30 different classes at different levels to choose from. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as a post-event fundraising raffle and silent auction for girls scholarships & NWSA AdventureSail Program with a cocktail social hour.

During the luncheon, NWSA will announce and introduce the 2025 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award recipient, co-sponsored by NWSA and BoatUS since 1999. This award recognizes an individual with a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.

Conference classes continue Sunday morning at St. Petersburg Yacht Club followed by an optional brunch with “Gaining Speed on Racing” speakers and Mustang sailing gear fashion show.

NWSA is thankful to sponsors that make the conference possible. We are proud to announce our 2025 Conference sponsors: Title: American Sailing, Captain: BoatUS, Skipper: Aqua Map, Mustang Survival, Sail Technologies, Crew: GirlsSailing.com, and Deck: Flying Scot, Live The Sail Life and The Yacht Rigger.

Early Bird Saturday and Sunday package registrations start at $225 March 1 to 15 for NWSA members. Friday events and Sunday brunch are available separately. Open registration starts March 16 to April 14, followed by regular registration rate April 15 to June 4. Sign up for the NWSA eNewsletter or join.  Details will be announced on the conference website: www.womensailing.org/national_womens_sailing_assoc.php  Direct questions about conference registration or sponsorship opportunities to conference@womensailing.org or 985-247-8919.

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About National Women’s Sailing Association: Founded in 1990 by National Sailing Hall of Fame sailor Doris Colgate, the National Women’s Sailing Association is a program of the Women’s Sailing Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the U.S. It maintains the mission of providing education, programming and support for women sailors of all ages and backgrounds. The organization seeks to help women find community and mentorship among their peers, as well as create leadership and education opportunities. Through membership, donations and sponsorship, they continue to maintain AdventureSail®, a program designed for girls who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to discover the joys of sailing, the Learn to Sail Youth Sailing Scholarship, the Sue Corl Sailing Scholarship and the BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award. For more information visit https://www.womensailing.org. Follow on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIN.

Capt. Debbie Huntsman, 2024 NWSA Vice President (left) presents Jerelyn Biehl with the 2024 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women's Sailing Award. 

2024 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award

Jerelyn Biehl honored with

2024 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award

Educator Improved Competitive Racing for Girls and Women

New Orleans – June 8, 2024 – The youngest of 3 children, Jerelyn Biehl was born into a sailing family. She learned sailing from her parents and as a teenager learned all things boating at her father’s marine store. She shared sailing with kids during summers in high school and college. After competing for the University of California, Los Angeles Sailing Team, she met her husband on the racecourse. They fostered a love of sailing in their sons, Graham (a two time Olympian) and Cameron (a World Champion) as well.

At the 2024 Annual National Women’s Sailing Conference Presented by Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) and the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) honored Biehl with an annual award recognizing her record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.

Biehl has supported women’s and girls’ sailing for over 40 years at the local, national and international levels. Knowing the influence of role models, she served as a Board member of the California International Sailing Association (CISA), which held an annual advanced racing clinic. She and CISA worked hard to ensure there were female coaches and instructors to encourage and teach high-level skills to girls. 

Biehl worked to create more recognition and support for girls’ racing in the 29er class, and this eventually led to a change in the World Sailing requirements for women’s world championships, which had been too restrictive. Around the same time, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), now World Sailing, was looking for a women’s skiff to complement the men’s skiff in the Olympics. Biehl and a small team worked tirelessly to make this happen.

In 2019, as the second female commodore of the San Diego Yacht Club, Biehl made a concerted effort to promote women’s involvement that year. The majority of Club committees were chaired by women, and she introduced a “Sail with the Commodore” series that helped women who had never raced, or had little racing experience. They were given working roles on boats to build sailing skills. The program also trained and encouraged 130 women to take their boats to Catalina Island for the first women’s cruise at San Diego Yacht Club.

NWSA President Debby Grimm noted that “Jerelyn Biehl has taken on roles that assisted in assuring quality education and fairness in racing, with the goal of attracting more women to the variety of competitive Olympic classes or getting recreational boaters to stretch their comfort zone.”

Biehl has received a variety of awards, including a 2022 induction into the International Snipe Class Hall of Fame, the 2002 US Sailing One Design Leadership Award, the 2023 Peggy Slater Memorial Award of the Southern California Yachting Association, and two San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs awards. She was also involved with the 49erFX Class Association, served as CISA President and Board member, was on the US Sailing Olympic Sailing Committee, and was US Sailing Interim Vice President.

Biehl continues her positions as Vice Commodore of San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs and the SDYC Sailing Foundation Board, President, and CISA Board Member. She resides in San Diego, California. Upon hearing about this award, she said “I can’t express how thankful I am to have had all the volunteers and fellow women sailors with me over these years to make such progress.  We have finally 50/50 representation in sailing in the Olympics!  I’m very grateful for the people who surrounded and supported me including my parents and family, the members of San Diego Yacht Club, and many friends I’ve had the pleasure to race and work with.”

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About National Women’s Sailing Association

Founded in 1990 by Hall of Fame sailor Doris Colgate, the National Women’s Sailing Association is a program of the Women’s Sailing Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the U.S. It maintains the mission of providing education, programming and support for women sailors of all ages. The organization seeks to help women find community and mentorship among their peers, as well as create leadership and education opportunities. Through membership, donations and sponsorship, they continue to maintain AdventureSail®, a program designed for girls who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to discover the joys of sailing, the Learn to Sail Youth Sailing Scholarship, the Sue Corl Sailing Scholarship and the BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award. For more information visit WomenSailing.org

About Boat Owners Association of The United States

BoatUS is the nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group with nearly 800,000 dues-paying members. BoatUS is the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill, fighting for their rights. The TowBoatUS® fleet is available 24/7 to assist our members on the water when boats break down or run aground with some 600 vessels and 300-plus locations across North America, bringing our members safely back to the launch ramp, marina or dock. On the road, we are The Boat Owners Auto Club™, helping ensure roadside trailer and tow vehicle breakdowns won’t slow you down. BoatUS offers GEICO boat insurance policies that give boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and the superior service they need. Award-winning BoatUS Magazine is the largest circulation recreational marine publication in the U.S. with engaging content that speaks to the passion for boat ownership, while our 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers the nation’s only free online boating safety course and many other programs that keep boaters safe and our waters clean. Visit BoatUS.com.