10th
Women’s Sailing Conference
Another Success
On June 4, 2011 the
Corinthian Yacht Club hosted the
10th annual Women’s
Sailing Conference. The weather
was picture perfect – warm day,
lots of sun and morning strong
breeze died down to provide a
gorgeous afternoon. The women
came from 14 different stats
including California, Florida
and West Virginia to learn,
network and get inspired. They
were not disappointed.
The
conference, whose primary
sponsor is BoatU.S., featured a
full day of classes and
workshops, giving the novice to
expert women sailors a terrific
opportunity to network with
other women while learning new
skills or brushing up on old
one. Some women were timid and
came away fully engaged in the
sport.
"Thank you for the wonderful
first time experience at the
Women's Sailing Conference. The conference was so
organized and professionally
executed. I learned a lot
and met many wonderful women
sailors."
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photo courtesy of BoatU.S. |

Corinthian Yacht
Club’s Commodore, John Velluto,
welcomed the women in the
morning and with this wife,
Flossie, returned for the
evening program. Throughout the
day, women stopped at the very
bountiful silent auction table
and raffle table. All proceeds
went to the Women’s Sailing
Foundation to fund the
AdventureSail® program for young
girls at risk and sailing
scholarships for those girls who
want to enroll in a
learn-to-sail program.
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The guest
speaker was Doris Colgate,
founder of NWASA and CEO and
President of Offshore Sailing
School in Ft. Myers, Florida.
Doris has been providing
educational and sailing
opportunities for women for over
30 years. And she shows no signs
of slowing down. In her address,
Doris encouraged women to share
their knowledge with other women
and to be mentors to your girls
who sorely need positive role
models. |
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Doris Colgate |
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(on the water) "At first I was
nervous, but then with the coaching from the
skipper, I saw I could do it."

The Leadership
in Women’s Sailing Award, a
joint award of NWSA and BoatU.S.,
was presented to Dawn Santamaria,
founder and CEO of Sisters Under
Sail. Dawn came to sailing
through her husband’s dream of
owning a Tall Ship. Little did
Dawn know that she would be
using that vessel for her own
leadership program for teenage
girls and women. That would
become Dawn’s dream and her
passion. Also present at dinner
were her husband, Jay, three of
her four daughters and Patti
Lock, board of trustee member of
Sisters Under Sail and Race
Director for American Sail
Training Association.
Dawn Santamaria and Joan
Thayer
photo courtesy of Sisters Under Sail
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For the leadership in women’s
sailing award please see the
BoatUS women in boating
website. |
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Marcia
Bennet, co-chair; Doris Colgate,
founder of NWSA and Keynote Speaker;
Joan Thayer, co-chair; Dina Murray,
BoatUS Membership Programs Manager |
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Jenn Brett of
Cruising World attended the conference. Jen writes,
"At the 2011 National Women’s Sailing Conference, Jen Brett discovered new skills, new friends, and good times."
Read more in her article,
Girls' Day Out