New women's event a sellout - Boat US Reports

Boat/US Magazine, Sept, 2002

Women sailors from all along the East Coast and Canada soaked up expert instruction, camaraderie and sun during the first Women's Sailing Conference held on the East Coast June 8 in picturesque Marblehead, MA, on the grounds of the historic Corinthian Yacht Club overlooking Marblehead Harbor.

Women sailors ranging in age from their 20s to grandmothers brushed up or learned new skills in on-the-water sessions in sail trim, spinnakers, crew-overboard drills and life raft deployment. Local sailboat owners donated the use of their vessels for the classes and the conditions were near perfect for sailing along the coast just outside the harbor. Instructors included nationally ranked women match racers.

Throughout the day-long conference, sponsored by BoatU.S. and organized by the National Women's Sailing Association, a nearly all-women team of experts led classes on navigation, sail trim, crew overboard, marine electronics, GPS, diesel engines and introduction to racing and weather.

"It was surprising to see how many of the women are really intermediate sailors, not novices," said Elaine Dickinson, managing editor of BoatU.S. Magazine who is on the board of directors of NWSA. "They really have a hunger to increase their level of knowledge and fine tune their sailing skills."

While the majority of those attending came from Massachusetts, one young woman drove six hours from the New York Finger Lakes to be there and was planning to pitch a tent for her Saturday night stayover. (Conference volunteers arranged for her to stay in a private home nearby.)

The day's instruction ended with a everyone swapping their sailing stories at a lively cocktail party on the decks of the 1885 yacht club followed by a banquet dinner, raffle prizes and a guest speaker. Katherine O'Connell of Charleston, MA,. captivated the audience with a slide show of her sail on nearly all the legs of the 2000-2001 BT Global Challenge. It's a race around the world the "wrong way" against prevailing winds and currents.

Dozens of prizes, including two Magellan GPS receivers provided by BoatUS. were raffled and the proceeds brought in hundreds of dollars for the nonprofit Adventure Sail program of NWSA. It provides a day of fun and instruction to at-risk and underprivileged girls in communities throughout the U.S. Plans are already being formed for a second Women's Sailing Conference on the East Coast June 7,2003.

In February 2003, the long-running West Coast Women's Sailing Convention, which was the inspiration for the Marblehead event, is again set for Corona del Mar, CA. Check BoatUS.com/women for new dates and other special women's events.