News Archives

Dee Caffari & Aviva Challenge - Caffari triumphs as first woman to complete solo non-stop round-the-world voyage against prevailing winds and currents.
Dee Caffari onboard Aviva crossed the official finish line at 17:55:42 (BST) on 18 May 2006

Yachtswoman Dee Caffari, 33, has triumphed over extreme isolation, lethal icebergs, mountainous waves, vicious storms and hurricane force winds to set a new world record as the first woman to sail round the world solo, non-stop against the prevailing winds and currents.

Caffari's record-breaking 29,100 mile voyage lasted 178 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes and 15 seconds*. She crossed the official finish line in sight of the observer from the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC)** off Lizard Point, UK, and completed a passage which ensures her a place in maritime history.
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Former Arkansan takes honors in first bass competition
Former Fort Smith resident Sharon Rushton is certainly no novice when it comes to fishing. She is, however, a neophyte in bass tournament competition.

So she entered her first competition, a national tournament, and won it. She's ready for more now.

Rushton now lives at Kimberling City, Mo., just across the border from Arkansas and on fish-rich Table Rock Lake.

She entered the first Women's Bassmaster Tour event of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) as a co-angler, mainly because she didn't have confidence in her boat-handling abilities. This tournament was on Lewisville Lake in northern Texas, and Rushton came in first among the co-anglers.

Now the Women's Bassmaster Tour is headed for its second competition, this one on Neely Henry Lake in Alabama, east of Birmingham and site of past Bassmaster Classic competition. Click Here to Read More...

For more information on theWomen's Bassmaster Tour Click Here

Cory Sertl Awarded Leadership In Women's Sailing Honors

Cory Sertl with Commodore Fred Karshick, Rochester Yacht Club -Photo by Mrs. Karshick

January 2006 - Cory Sertl, a world-class sailor and youth coach, was presented with the Leadership in Women's Sailing Award for 2005 for her outstanding contributions to the sport.   Sponsored by the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) and the National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA), the award honors a male or female who has leveraged their name, skills, or position in the sailing world to reach out and enrich women's lives through sailing .

“Not only has Cory Sertl competed and won at the highest levels of the sport, she's donated countless hours and travel time to represent the U.S. in the world sailing forum,” said Elaine Dickinson of BoatUS, who presented the award in December. “She's not just a role model, but an instructor and mentor to many young women interested in sailing.”

Among Sertl's many accomplishments: 

• Member of US SAILING's delegation to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF)

• Coaches high school sailing at Rochester Yacht Club, Rochester, NY

• Skipper of the team that won the 2004 U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship.

• Two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, a former Olympian, and a winner of the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship.

• Winner with Jody Swanson of the Women's Open Doublehanded Championship in 1990 and the U.S. Women's Championship for the Adams Cup in 1992.

• Served on US SAILING's Women's Sailing Committee

Cory Sertl joins a distinguished list of past awardees who have also contributed in unique ways including Bernadette Bernon, Betsy Alison, Gail Hine, Dawn Riley and Doris Colgate.

For more information on NWSA, go to http://www.WomenSailing.org

Look Out Now, Mama's Run Off To Sea! Meet five women and the sailboats they captain
by Alice Snively
What do you mean Mama's run off to sea?

Just that. And she's only one of a growing number of women who are taking up the sea as a profession. Don’t conjure up images of a dining room server on a giant cruise ship. These women are not the marine equivalent of airline stewardess. Women captains on Chesapeake Bay in the 21st century are an intrepid group of sailors.

Captain Mary Ann Albright proved the stuff that sisterhood is made of when, on her maiden voyage, she sailed up the Atlantic coast into a storm. "I was stuck in that 50-knot gale for 12 hours, and my radar was knocked out."

Was she scared? "No," she said. "It was tense, but I wasn’t scared. I've never really been scared."
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Women's Sailing Conference A Sellout
With picture-perfect weather and a capacity crowd, the fourth annual Women's Sailing Conference sponsored by BoatUS filled the Corinthian Yacht Club in scenic Marblehead, MA, with a lively day-long series of classes and workshops. The conference organized by the National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA) gives women sailors, from novices to experts, an opportunity to network with other women while learning new skills or brushing up on old ones.
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Barkow Wins U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship And 8th Major Championship Title in 2005
Fort Worth, TX (November 21, 2005) - Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) has done it again: she has won another major Championship title, one of eight she has earned this year.   This time, it's US SAILING's U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship, which she sailed with crew Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), Anna Tunnicliffe (Norfolk, Va.) and Lee Icyda (Newport, R.I.). Hosted by Fort Worth Boat Club, the event was raced in J/22s.

Just two months ago, Barkow won the Women's World Match Racing Championship title and climbed to third place in the International Sailing Federation's Women's World Match Race Rankings. The impressive list of Championships Barkow has won this year also includes the Yngling Women's World Championship, US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship, Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères, and US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR. A member of the 2005 US Sailing Team, Barkow is campaigning for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team - Sailing in the Yngling class.

To view the complete results and photos of the event, go to http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc.

Women’s Match Racing Regatta On, Despite Wilma World Champion Leroy Defends No. 1 Ranking
St. Petersburg, FL (Oct. 25, 2005) – Though St. Petersburg, Fla. has had to deal with the effects of the Hurricane Wilma, organizers of the Rolex Osprey Cup confirmed today that the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 1 women’s match racing regatta will go on as scheduled, October 27-30. The St. Petersburg Yacht Club, host to the regatta, has not sustained damage to its clubhouse or sailing center where the club’s fleet of Sonar class keelboats, slated for service in the Rolex Osprey Cup, are located.

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British Sailing Icons Bring Gipsy Moth IV H
Three women sailors of modern fame had a chance to skipper the record-setting wooden ketch Gipsy Moth IV on her first trip out of an English shipyard. The honorary skippers included ‘round the world champion Dame Ellen McArthur, double Olympic Gold medallist Shirley Robertson and Ginnie Chichester, daughter-in law of Sir Francis Chichester. The three women sailed the famous yacht up the Thames River in London prior to her departure for another world cruise.

The 53-foot Gipsy Moth IV captivated world attention when skipper Francis Chichester set an around-the-world solo record in 1966-67. Knighted by the Queen, Sir Francis died in 1972 at age 71, two months after abandoning a transatlantic race in Gipsy Moth IV . The storied boat has been on display in Greenwich for decades, but fell into disrepair. Now that the sailboat has just enjoyed a $550,000 restoration, she set sail Sept. 25 on a second world cruise, the Blue Water Rally. Gipsy Moth IV is scheduled to return to Plymouth, England, on May 28, 2006, 40 years to the day Chichester completed his feat at age 65.

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship
Day 5: Day of Waiting, Not Racing Brings Regatta to Conclusion
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (Sept. 23, 2005) - After a day of waiting on the Chesapeake Bay for wind that never materialized, the Annapolis Yacht Club Race Committee concluded the 11th biennial Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship shortly before 2:00pm. Upon the completion of racing yesterday, it was determined that Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) did not need to sail the 11th and final race today as she had a low enough total score in to win the regatta. Racing took place Sept. 19-23 in Annapolis, Md. At the gala Rolex Awards ceremony held this evening at the Annapolis Yacht Club, Barkow and her crew of Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Annie Lush (Poole, England) were presented with US SAILING's Bengt Julin Trophy and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Stainless Steel & 18k gold Ladies Datejust.

Click Here to read more

First Woman Sailor Among Hall of Fame Inductees
June 24, 2005 Courtesy Soundings Trade Only Today

Sailing World magazine has named the newest inductees into its Hall of Fame, including the first-ever woman to be added to the roster.

In its July/August issue, the magazine names JJ Isler as the first woman to be included in its list of the sport's best racing sailors, designers and innovators. Other inductees are Carl Eichenlaub, Torban Grael, and Valentin Mankin.

Isler, 41, raced at Yale University, making the All-America team at a time when it was a rarity for women. She has sailed in Olympic and America's Cup regattas and is a four-time winner of the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. With her husband, Peter, she co-wrote a book, "Sailing for Dummies."

Eichenlaub, 75, was known as an outstanding racer in his day and a boatbuilder who helped the U.S. sailing team as its shipwright at Pan Am and Olympic Games since 1979.

Five-time Olympic medalist Grael, 44, is perhaps best known as the tactician of the winning Louis Vuitton Cup America's Cup boat in 2000, Luna Rossa.  Mankin, 67, was born in the Ukraine and raced full-time for the Soviet Union from 1955 until 1988. An Olympic medalist, Mankin emigrated to Italy in 1988, where he remains active in the sport as an Olympic-class coach.

Sweden's Marie Bjorling Wins 2005 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

Swedish skipper Marie Bjorling was declared champion of the 15th annual BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women's match racing regatta, hosted by Eastport Yacht Club, after dying winds on Saturday forced the cancellation of both the semifinals and final races. The final results of the Grade 1 event sailing in Annapolis, MD, June 1-4 were based on the best records compiled during the double round-robin series of the regatta with each team racing 18 races over three days. Click here to read more.

Elizabeth Kratzig Wins Rolex Women's Match, an ISAF Grade 4 Women's Event
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. (April 12, 2005) - Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami Beach, Fla./Corpus Christi, Texas) won the Rolex Women's Match, hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) from April 7-10 on Tampa Bay. Sailing with Kratzig in the International Sailing Federation Grade 4 match racing event were 2004 Olympic Silver Medallist Lenka Smidova (Czech Republic), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Liz Hall (Bristol, R.I). Ten teams completed 79 matches in two and one half days of round robin racing in Sonar keelboats, which was preceded by a two-day skills and rules clinic with match racing expert Henry Menin (St. Thomas, USVI). Kratzig and second-place finisher Chafee Emory (Newport, R.I.) gain automatic invitations to the Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 match racing event scheduled for October 27 - November 1, 2005. Click here to read more

Ellen MacArthur Smashes Solo 'Round the World Record

Twenty-eight-year-old Briton Ellen MacArthur smashed the solo non-stop round-the-world sailing record on Feb. 7, crossing the finish line near Falmouth, England, after 71 days at sea, plus 14:18:33, smashing the previous world non-stop record of 72 days, 22:54:22 set by Francis Joyon in February 2004. MacArthur endured savage seas, huge waves, 65 mph winds and a close encounter with a whale aboard her 75-foot trimaran B&Q during the race. She also had some close shaves with a broken sail, burns and bruises, sleeping only four hours a day at 1/2-hour intervals throughout the grueling 26,000-mile race. "It's been an absolutely unbelievable journey both physically and mentally," she said on her Web site. She was greeted with champagne at the finish line along with congratulations from Prince Charles and sailing great Robin Knox-Johnston, as well as her Falmouth-based control team. For more, go to http://www.teamellen.com/ellen.asp?artid=2411

Swanson Named 2004 Rolex Yachtswoman Of The Year

News Courtesy of U.S. Sailing

Jody Swanson, of Buffalo, N.Y., was named 2004 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, selected from nine nominees. This is her second time achieving the award. She was the winner of the 1995 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup. Click here to read more

Read about the 2004 nominees by clicking here.

Openings for Sarasota and Islamorada, FL Seminars

"Ladies Let's Go Fishing!" invites you to become an angler in just one weekend! Even if you've never fished before, LLGF offers training and real hands-on experience to learn how to fish, and a chance to go fishing on the water! For the Intermediate/ Advanced anglers, we also provide classes geared to their instructional level . Also, check out our special events, where the emphasis is on the fishing! CLICK HERE FOR SEMINAR INFORMATION, or go to www.BoatUS.com/women/fishing.asp.

BoatUS/Genmar Women's Survey Finds Astute Shoppers
Nearly one-third of women buying a boat did so on their own without their spouse or significant other, according to the final results of a year-long Web survey by BoatUS and Genmar, a major boat manufacturer. Women boat-buyers also did their homework prior to purchasing a boat by visiting boat shows, reading boating magazines and company literature and interviewing friends who own boats. Click here to read more

Bermuda leads fight to change Olympic format

News courtesy of The Royal Gazette October 22, 2004

Bermuda is spearheading a campaign to have women's keelboat sailing changed from fleet to match racing in the Olympics.

Should this succeed, it could have far-reaching implications for the sport's growth among women.

The primary reason for such a move, explained president of Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) Tim Patton, is that it would significantly reduce participant expenses thereby opening up competitive sailing to women in many more countries. To read more, click here www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041022/SPORT/110220094

Olympic Sailing Wrap-Up: 

Meltemi Anyone? U.S. Sailors Take Home Two Medals
News courtesy of US Sailing

ATHENS, GREECE (August 31, 2004) -Meltemi or no Meltemi? That was the question asked each day before racing at the Agios Kosmas Sailing Center where the 2004 Olympic Regatta took place. What sounds like an exotic drink is the Greek word for local winds—sometimes raging—coming from a northeasterly direction. Its antithesis is the seabreeze, from the opposite direction, which is predictable and preferred, but for this event it did not come often enough. Click here to read more

UNDERDOG BARKOW WINS BoatUS 2004 ISAF
WOMEN'S MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, USA --- In a stunning upset, American Sally Barkow took first place this Saturday at the BoatUS 2004 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship. Sailing with Barkow were the other two members of her Yngling team, Long Islander Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe from Detroit, along with Briton Annie Lush; this team also had won last year's Rolex International Keelboat Championship. Click here to read more

SAVE YOUR SKIN ALL YEAR LONG

Interested in saving your skin? Who isn’t, especially women who love the outdoors? Whether it’s summer boating season, time to head south for winter or get ready for winter sports like skiing, the harsh rays of the sun are taking their toll on our largest organ, our skin. Click here to read more

U.S. SAILING ELECTS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT
St. Louis, MO – U.S. SAILING, national governing body of the sport, has elected its first woman president: Janet C. Baxter of Chicago, IL. Immediate past president Dave Rosekrans passed the helm to Baxter at the organization’s annual general meeting in St. Louis Oct. 19. Click here to read more