10th Women’s Sailing Conference Another Success

On June 4, 2011 the Corinthian Yacht Club hosted the 10^th 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."

		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.

 

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.

Doris Colgate

(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