Sailing is my passion, and teaching others how to capture the wind and feel the magic when their boat glides through the water is one of my life’s great joys. I’ve taught professionally at many different sailing schools, but recently I’ve been volunteering at some local yacht clubs, and in June I traveled to Marblehead, Massachusetts, where I learned to sail as a teenager, to participate in the annual Women’s Sailing Conference. Here is an article from a local newspaper and website in which I was quoted.
Corinthian Yacht Club hosted 17th Annual Women’s Sailing Conference
By Laurie Fullerton
Marblehead, Mass., June 6, 2018 — The 17th annual Women’s Sailing Conference held at the Corinthian Yacht Club this past Saturday not only showcased how far women have come in sailing but also illustrated how confidence building is almost as important as teaching the basics.
As women continue to network for more sailing opportunities and new sailing friends on many levels, the conference is the perfect environment to do so with nearly 50 percent of the attendees attending for the first time.
Co-chairs Joan Thayer and Cheryl Steiner and the committee spend the fall determining the program and getting the volunteer workshop leaders and coaches to bring women together for a day to build confidence in their sailing skills and knowledge. Many return each year to hone skills and share what they learned over the course of the sailing season.
“Women in sailing is something that is still growing and is still not where it should be,” said sailing writer and former editor of Offshore Magazine Betsy Haggerty. “I believe that women still need more opportunities to sail and gain confidence. This whole event is really about confidence building more than teaching and sometimes women just need to be in this supportive environment.”
Haggerty volunteered at the event as a coach for “Take the Helm” which put women at the tiller and out on the water in Sonars or a Colgate 26.
