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Leaving summer sailing astern.

For much of the nation, the sailing season is coming to a bittersweet pause. Boats are being pulled and put away. For lower latitudes, the cooling weather has been anticipated as a welcome change. The end of summer brings a cooling of Gulf waters and tapering of threats from hurricanes and tropical lows. Cruisers cast their dock lines off to head south. NWSA has the folks living in Florida on our minds. It was a very rough summer.

Annually with the winding down of summer comes awards for the sailing and the work to support the sport. NWSA has a lot to celebrate. Planning for a robust 2023 is underway!

Congratulations!

We are so proud of NWSA Founder, Doris Colgate! She will be inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame on November 5, 2022. In 1990 Doris founded the National Women’s Sailing Association/Women’s Sailing Foundation. The following year she launched AdventureSail® a mentoring program for underserved girls and a crowning jewel of NWSA. MORE

Women’s Sailing Foundation Director, Marie Rogers, joined the US Sailing Board as Vice President. Marie’s passion is to foster diversity and build equity and access to sailing. MORE

WELCOME WSF BOARD MEMBERS

Claire Wyngaard

Claire enjoys both dinghy and keelboat sailing — she has fun sailing anything that floats. She grew up on a lake, and has sailed the Atlantic from Delaware to Maine. When she was just 16 years old, Claire got her own boat, a speedy Force 5, a 14-foot boat with 91 square feet of sail area. She enjoys her career at BoatUS in the publications department where she spreads her love for boating. MORE

Jodi Weinbecker

Jodi grew up in Wisconsin and spent much of her youth on the water including a bit of sailing. Since, she has sailed, raced and cruised over 20,000 miles with her family. She is described by her racing crew as, “a fierce competitor with a teacher’s demeanor.” Recently Weinbecker served as the Waterfront Director at the Florida Yacht Club where she built a dynamic multifaceted program. MORE

We will see you at the National Women’s Sailing Conference in Newport, Rhode Island in June 2023. The National Conference will offer an action-packed day of sailing excitement. Choose from a menu of on-the-water and in-the-classroom workshops where you will create a network with other women sailors. The schedule is designed to cater to beginners, women who sail on the family boat, skilled women owner/skippers and DIY fans. Something for every woman sailor!

Newport is a great destination for sailors and for women who aspire to sail away. Add an outing on an America's Cup yacht. Visit the National Sailors' Hall of Fame. Tour an iconic mansion. Enjoy a stunning cliff walk. Have a boat load of sailing fun.

Join NWSA for early bird notices, special pricing and more.

Join NWSA for authentic sea stories from women sailors shoving off to experience life aboard and on the go. During the free event they will share CRUISE adventures chock-full of ambitious sail planning, provisioning, navigating and discovery. 

Jeannie Zortman’s story is a slice of sailing the Northwest Passage. She was on a personal bucket list quest to see ice, before it melts. To encounter a polar bear, before there are none left. To watch the northern lights dance. And Jeannie sailed to experience Inuit culture’s storytelling, sustainable practices and the food of their icy world. 

Rebecca Stirling knew how to release lines from the dock, fire up the engine and back out of the slip. She could motor down the waterway and exit the inlet. She knew how to lower the boat to sea level and return through the locks, pull into the slip and tie the boat off. The details — like getting the mast up — were where her challenges lay.

Register for the CRUISE episode of She Sailor Sea Story to reserve a cozy spot on your couch to vicariously shove off for adventure.

Honor your sailing hero.

The Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award, co-sponsored by NWSA and BoatUS®, the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters, was instituted in 1990. The resulting list of honorees have collectively fostered inclusion through education, innovation and opportunity to improve equity in sailing. The annual award honors individuals with a long record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing. If you know someone who has done impressive work to further women’s sailing, show your admiration. NWSA wants your nominations!

Linda Newland received the 2022 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award at her home club, Island Yacht Club. The award was presented during the 30th annual Northern California Women’s Sailing Seminar in October. Newland laid the foundation for the long standing event.

left to right — Naomi Emmerson, Women’s Sailing Foundation (WSF) secretary; Debbie Huntsman, WSF past president; Linda Newland, 2022 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing honoree; Ros De Vries, Island Yacht Club commodore.

AdventureSail® … across the country. — By Linda Newland

The Women’s Sailing Foundation supported nine AdventureSail events for 170 girls ages nine through 14 this year — so far. The national program is a cooperative sponsorship between WSA and local sailing venues, such as yacht clubs and community sailing centers. The aim is to give young girls, who would not otherwise have an opportunity, a day sailing and learning about the sport.

This year we welcomed two new programs, Bristol Yacht Club in Rhode Island and Channel Islands Women’s Sailing Association in Oxnard, California. They join existing programs at Newport, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Alameda, California; Kingston, New York; Racine, Wisconsin; Women’s Sailing Association — Orange County, California and Mattituck Yacht Club, New York.

Each event is conducted for what works well for the location. Some involve cruising boats, one design boats or dinghies that can accommodate an instructor and a few girls. In all cases, girls experience the joy of sailing in a supportive and safe environment. They touch upon skills that will last a lifetime. The self-confidence and esteem the girls display at the end of the day cannot be understated.

The Foundation and NWSA is grateful for volunteer coordinators’ and crews’ efforts. Their time and expertise make AdventureSail Day special. Join us to continue to expand venues to offer this amazing opportunity to more and more girls each year. Thank you!

Be a member sponsor.

Please consider an NWSA member sponsorship to help us create a successful 2023 National Conference. The annual conference is how we generate a lion’s share of income in order to offer a year’s worth of programming. Members who donate $50 will receive our appreciation gift, an NWSA ball cap. Members who donate $100 or more will receive an appreciation gift of a limited-edition 8x8 signed women’s sailing print — created especially for member sponsors.

The Women’s Sailing Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization. Direct your donation to the Women’s Sailing Foundation, AdventureSail or the Sue Corl Youth Sailing Scholarship fund. Thank you!

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