ST. THOMAS — A cross-section of women sailors — seven each from St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, and one from the British Virgin Islands — representing a mix of professional sailors, coaches, and recreational enthusiasts, participated in the Coaching and Mentoring Women’s Sailing Course, held Oct. 27-29 at the St. Thomas Yacht Club.
The goal? To get more women and girls in the territory out sailing via building a strong network and sharing resources.
“My vision for this event was to connect everyone, to ignite or reignite their enthusiasm for sailing, and to make everyone aware of the many roles available to women in sailing in our community that need to and should be filled,” said Juliet San Martin, V.I. Sailing Association president and course organizer.
“I’m expecting to see at least a decade of ripple effects from this event, with a great deal more interisland coordination and competition. Not to mention newly formed lifelong friendships all founded on the common bonds of a shared interest in sailing.”
It was the diverse experiences and paths to sailing, careers or recreational, of the course attendees that caught the attention and interest of Michelle Peterson, an assistant professor of biology at the University of the Virgin Islands’ St. Croix campus.
“What could be better than to be around other women who are passionate about sailing, be part of that community, and of course get out on the water each day,” said Peterson, a member of the St. Croix Yacht Club and an avid Sunfish sailor.
“I think we all have a better understanding of ways to get more women sailing by supporting competitive racing or working on the organizational side of events. It’s all about how to support and build on the foothold we have now going forward. How to hold onto the past yet build on and improve.”
For St. Thomas’ Marguerite Burke, who holds a Master 100-ton Captain’s License from the U.S. Coast Guard, it was a new experience.
“This was my first time sailing an IC-24 (sailboat),” Burke said. “I’m a big boat sailor, so a small boat was intimidating at first. We had excellent and professional instruction. Now, it’s opened a whole other world of racing for me.”
Maya Craig and Felicia Renaud were among the St. John attendees who instruct and coach youth sailors as part of the community-oriented Kids and the Sea Program in Coral Bay.
“The opportunity to build a community as a resource and to be able to tap into it in the future is what I enjoyed most,” said Craig, the watershed coordinator for the Coral Bay Community Council, who teaches 8- to 12-year-old Optimist sailors as part of the Kids and the Sea Program.
Renaud, a professional artist and Kids and the Sea instructor for a decade, found it inspiring to learn the many facets of women in sailing in the Virgin Islands.
“I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with others at KATS,” Renaud said.
The three-day course was led by Rebecca Ellis, an experienced and qualified United Kingdom-based World Sailing coach developer; and hosted by the V.I. Sailing Association, the territory’s member national authority to World Sailing.
The event was funded through an Olympic Solidarity Grant, plus funds from the V.I. Sailing Association, the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, the St. Thomas Yacht Club and World Sailing.
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