Gail Hine at the Helm
Founder of Women’s Sailing Conventions
Supports National Women’s Sailing Association
to Continue Mission
June 7, 2025 - National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) is honored to be supported by Gail Hine to continue a mission of introducing more women to sailing.
Gail Hine designed the women’s sailing convention model copied by a variety of women’s sailing organizations around the country. The model involves women teaching women on a variety of hands-on and on the water sailing skills. This benefited both the instructors – who gained valuable experience and exposure – and the attendees – who learned in a comfortable setting.The full day of classes on and off the water made for a well-rounded educational and networking experience including breakfast, lunch, inspirational speakers and a fundraiser to keep the conference registration fees as low as possible to make the conference accessible.
Hine held her Women’s Sailing Conventions in California for 33 years which grew to accommodate an average of 225 women, bringing the number of women served over the years to over eight thousand women.
Through her donation, Gail Hine seeks to keep the women-led teaching tradition growing so more women are sharing sailing and maritime skills to all audiences. She emphasizes, “Sailing is a lifetime sport to share with family and friends. It teaches self-reliance, leadership and teamwork beyond the water setting. NWSA has proven record of providing an open access to a balanced curriculum that encourages participants to pass on their skills.”
Established in 1990, National Women’s Sailing Association is a program of Women’s Sailing Foundation (WSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. WSF and NWSA President Debby Grimm is proud to announce Gail Hine has awarded the association $5000 to continue the mission of introducing women to sailing and continuing education through the NWSA National Conferences. Grimm notes, “NWSA is flattered to be supported by the founder of women’s sailing conventions. In 2001, NWSA initiated a similar conference primarily on the east coast to serve the other half of the country. Through our conference we are continuing the tradition of women teaching women valuable sailing skills and knowledge while building community and having fun.”
In 2024, NWSA established the Gail Hine NWSA Conference Scholarship to honor Gail Hine, designed for a woman needing financial assistance to attend an NWSA conference. Gail Hine is an Emeritus Member of NWSA, having joined the NWSA board in 2001, retiring after 20 years of service. Visit WomenSailing.org to meet the board members and follow events.
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About National Women’s Sailing Association: Founded in 1990 by National Sailing Hall of Fame sailor Doris Colgate, the National Women’s Sailing Association is a program of the Women’s Sailing Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the U.S. It maintains the mission of providing education, programming and support for women sailors of all ages and backgrounds. The organization seeks to help women find community and mentorship among their peers, as well as create leadership and education opportunities. Through membership, donations and sponsorship, they continue to maintain AdventureSail®, a program designed for girls who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to discover the joys of sailing, the Learn to Sail Youth Sailing Scholarship, the Sue Corl Sailing Scholarship and the BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award. For more information visit https://www.womensailing.org. Follow on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIN.
More: For more about Gail Hine, read the May 2024 NWSA Article announcement of Gail Hine as 2024 Keynote Conference Speaker: https://www.womensailing.org/speaker_announced_for_2024_nws.php