Jazz Up Your Sailing

SAVE THE DATE!

New Orleans, Louisiana will host the 2024 National Women’s Sailing Association Conference June 8. Workshops will be at Southern Yacht Club (SYC) and Community Sailing New Orleans.

Southern Yacht Club, a member of Gulf Yachting Association, was established in 1849. It is the second oldest yacht club in the United States. Southern stands at the New Orleans Harbor entrance to Lake Pontchartrain, part of the largest estuary on the Gulf Coast. SYC and the iconic New Canal Lighthouse face 26 miles of uninterrupted water. Lake Pontchartrain covers 630 square miles.

We are excited to invite women sailors to attend workshops in SYC’s hospitable indoor classrooms, decks and facility grounds. NWSA is delighted to offer on-the-water workshops using Community Sailing New Orleans facilities. The new community sailing center is short walk to the south of SYC. CSNO offers programs for adults, youth and adaptive sailing.

Join us at the conference. Stay an extra day, or two. Explore! Practice your new skills on one of CSNO’s rental sailboats.

Nominate Your Sailing Hero!

Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award

NWSA is seeking nominations for an individual with a long record of supporting our mission — to enrich the lives of women of all ages through education and access to the sport of sailing. The NWSA / BoatUS Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award is presented at our annual conference honoring a person with a record of achievement promoting women’s sailing. Established in 1999, the award is co-sponsored by National Women’s Sailing Association and BoatUS, Boat Owners Association of The United States. Learn more about the award and previous recipients.

Greetings!

I have been impressed with all the women sailing events that have been popping up in my social media feeds; from women-skippered events to women sailing conferences or seminars to women offering charters for all women crew. NWSA would like to help promote any appropriate event, let us know what is happening in your area.

In New Orleans, we recently had two such events. The Pamela Sintes Memorial Regatta had 28 women skippers plus plenty of women crew. Just last week the Coco Seemann Regatta, which is a female one-design keelboat regatta, had six J80s race with four to five women on each boat. In both cases we had some very new beginners to seasoned racers. This mingling of experience gives everyone a chance to learn something new.

Our WOWaZr! event in early November will take this a step further with the intention of passing down racing knowledge and how-to to newer sailors. Come join us at Tumbleweed Sailing in Phoenix, AZ — (Yes there is sailing in the desert.) I’m sure everyone will learn something.

Let’s go Sailing!

Debby Grimm

WSF / NWSA president

Women’s Sailing Event News

Along the Gulf Coast, The Mermaid Regatta, was hosted on August 26, 2023 by the Women’s Sailing Association of the Houston Yacht Club. The regatta had 11 boats competing, all helmed by women with all female crew. This event is a qualifier for The Mermaid Perpetual Trophy and for the 2023 Galveston Bay Women’s Championship Series.

As stated above in the From the Helm, Pamela Sintes Memorial and Coco Seemann Regattas were local New Orleans favorites for women sailors conducted annually.

Along the SoCal Coast, on on August 27, the Long Beach Sailing Foundation invited all women interested to participate in a unique sailing experience . Sea Gals Women’s Sailing (photo above) events are structured to provide sailing opportunities for beginners, novice, intermediate and advanced women sailors onboard a fleet of ten Catalina 37s. Sea Gals offers a safe, non-competitive sailing experience “by women for women.” Safety briefings, sailing and dock parties were all part of the fun!

Up the California Coast, the 31st Women’s Sailing Seminar took place Sept. 8-10. Shoreside workshops were capped off by big boats cruising into the San Francisco Bay and keelboats racing on the Alameda Estuary. Over 100 women were instructed on the water over the weekend.

Ruth Beals Regatta will be October 21 at Lake Pleasant. Arizona Yacht Club invites all women to the annual “Women at the Helm” Ruth Beals Cup. The race is dedicated to honoring Arizona Yacht Club founder, Ruth Beals who started the Club in the desert in 1958. It serves to crown the “Top Woman Sailor in Arizona.”

Tumbleweed Sailing’s WOWazR! — Women on Water Arizona Regatta, November 3-5 at Lake Pleasant outside of Phoenix, AZ is a unique Sonoran Desert venue. WOWazR is an all women sailing event where experienced women instructor coaches encourage participants to sharpen  sailing and racing skills — while having a good time. It is presented in cooperation with NWSA.

This just in! Notice of Race and application for invitation to sail February 16-18, 2024 in the San Diego Yacht Club Women’s Winter Invitation Regatta is now available.

The Midwest Women’s Sailing Conference is in the planning stages of hosting a US Sailing International Safety at Sea seminar Friday, May 17, 2024, prior to their annual conference. Mark your calendars and look for future information. The Midwest Women’s Sailing Conference, scheduled for May 18-19, has been held each May in Milwaukee since 2011. The Conference welcomes women of all sailing abilities and skill levels. MWWSC offers joy, expertise and passion for sharing the sport of sailing with all women who bring a desire to learn and connect.

Save the date for the National Women’s Sailing Association Conference in New Orleans, June 8, 2024!

We want to toot your horn!

Send us your women’s sailing event news!

Save the date.

She Sailor Sea Story “Sailing Magic”
November 17 • 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific   

Apply to be a storyteller

Meet Kris Self, Member of the Month

Kris Self attended NWSA’s 2023 Conference in Newport, RI. As one of the out-of-town attendees, Kris, locals and women from Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana and Washington hung out together to eat, see the sights and talk sailing. We learned Kris is an IT person, a former Apple systems engineer, who has been sailing since the early 1980s. She sail in Florida. Setting up communication and navigation systems for boats (and cars) then training owners to use them effectively is one area of her expertise.

Kris launched Women Who Sail Tampa Bay on Facebook. “Starting that group was one of the most fun things I’ve done in a long time,” Kris says. “We’ve got more than 1,200 members.”

Ahoy Sailing Coaches, Navy Wants You!

The Naval Academy Athletic Association is seeking applications and nominations for the full-time position of Head Coach for the Varsity Offshore (OS) Sailing Program. Let’s help send Navy with highly qualified female applicants, and fill the Head Coach position with a woman sailor. Go Navy!

Host a sail for underserved girls

ADVENTURESAIL® DAY 2024

Complete the online questionnaire regarding your intent to host on AdventureSail Day during 2024. NWSA will help you partner with a local community organization to take underserved girls ages 9 to 14 sailing! Opportunities to host form will be available January 1.