Women’s sailing conference goes virtual

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the fourth annual Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference has opened registration for its new, virtual event taking place on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Women’s Sailing Conference features speakers and instructors from around the world. The goal of the conference is to energize and empower women to get involved in sailing at all levels. Everyone, women and men, from experienced sailors to those who have never been on the water before are welcome. Conference registration is by household.

Nov. 6: Capt. Dawn Riley

The conference begins on Friday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m., with keynote speaker Captain Dawn Riley, the first woman to manage an America’s Cup sailing team. She has raced on four America’s Cup campaigns and two Whitbread (The Ocean Race) teams. Riley now runs Oakcliff Sailing Center (oakcliffsailing.org), which provides opportunities for participants to build world class sailing skills in local and offshore racing and to learn the business of sailing.

Based in Oyster Bay, Oakcliff Sailing Center hosts sailors from around the world and trains them to work and sail at the highest levels of the sport.

Nov. 7: Tracy Edwards

Tracy Edwards, captain of Maiden, opens the Saturday, Nov, 7 session at 1 p.m. You may recognize Edwards’ name from the recent film Maiden (2019), about the all-women crew who competed in the Whitbread Around the World Race in 1989-1990. Members of the original and current crews will regale us with stories and keep us updated on their efforts to educate girls around the world through their current project The Maiden Factor.

Participants are encouraged to watch the documentary film about the race before attending. Maiden is available for purchase on Amazon Prime or included with STARZ.

Also on the program

The afternoon will continue until 6 p.m. with more amazing women-led presentations including:

· Welcoming sailors from diverse communities;

· The history and mission of the Sloop Clearwater;

· Safety around large vessels;

· Maritime careers;

· Blue water sailing;

· Basic navigation;

· Communications at sea;

· Sail care and repair; and

· Outboard engine troubleshooting.

Afternoon sessions will be available in three sets of three concurrent sessions. All sessions will be recorded, so those participants who want to revisit presentations they did not attend will have access to the recordings after the conference.

The fee for the entire conference is $50 per household. Scholarships are available for participants from low-income and underserved communities. To apply for a scholarship, email Jody Taffet Sterling at jsterling@hrmm.org.

For more information, please visit www.hrmm.org/sailing-conference or email jsterling@hrmm.org.

About the Hudson River Maritime Museum

Located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y., the Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. HRMM opened the Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Sailing & Rowing School in 2017. For more information, visit www.hrmm.org.