Top Women's Contender at BoatU.S

Boat/US Magazine, Nov, 2001

Five days of fierce competition among all-women crews narrowed a fleet of 61 J-22 sailboats down to the final winners in the prestigious 2001 Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship held in Annapolis in September. Among them was Margaret Bonds Podlich, director of environmental programs for the BoatU.S. Foundation, who steered to a fifth place finish on her boat, Harold's Little Sister. This biennial event drew top-ranked women racers -- including several Olympic medallists and Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year -- from 15 U.S. states and five foreign countries.

"We have been working on breaking into the top 10 of this international event for eight years, and we finally made it," Podlich said. "This was a huge team effort, and I'm grateful to a top-notch crew, including Jill Sander Bennett, Kim Couranz and Lisa Foulke Pline."

This year's finalists were: (1) Cory Sertl, Rochester, NY, (2001 BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup champion); (2) Carol Cronin, Jamestown, RI; (3) Paula Lewin, Bermuda; (4) Nancy Haberland, Annapolis, MD.