The National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) is expanding their 2025 National Women’s Sailing Association Conference Presented by American Sailing to three days June 6 - 8 at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. The event welcomes women sailors of all skill levels, ages and backgrounds to workshops including the popular Take the Helm® track — an introduction to sailing for women, plus a view into the marine industry and opportunities to meet accomplished cruisers and racers. The Saturday Morning keynote speaker will be Tracy Edwards, MBE, world racer and Project Manager of The Maiden Factor, where she skippers Maiden, a Global Ambassador for the Empowerment of Girls through Education. The Saturday evening keynote speaker will be National Women’s Sailing Association Founder and National Sailing Hall of Famer Doris Colgate.

Friday welcomes the first morning classes followed by lunch and tours of two prominent industry leader facilities: Mastry Engine Center and Island Packet Yachts Factory. Women Who Sail Tampa Bay are hosting their 10th anniversary party and welcoming NWSA attendees who are also celebrating their 35th anniversary this weekend for a happy hour.

Saturday programming includes a full day of classroom, dockside and on-the-water workshops taught by experienced female instructors and Captains from across the nation. Women can fine tune their spinnaker setting, sail trim, navigation, boat systems knowledge, learn how to recover a crew overboard and more. There will be more than 30 differentclasses at different levels to choose from with up to 15 going on concurrently. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as well as a post-event fundraising raffle and silent auction for girls scholarships & NWSA AdventureSail^® Program with a cocktail social hour.

During the luncheon, NWSA will announce and introduce the 2025 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award recipient, co-sponsored by NWSA and BoatUS since 1999. This award recognizes an individual with a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.

Conference classes continue Sunday morning at St. Petersburg Yacht Club followed by an optional brunch with “Gaining Speed on Racing” speakers and Mustang sailing gear fashion show. 

NWSA is thankful to sponsors that make the conference possible. We are proud to announce our 2025 Conference sponsors: Title: American Sailing, Captain: BoatUS, Skipper: Aqua Map, Mustang Survival, Sail Technologies, Crew: GirlsSailing.com, and Deck: Flying Scot, Live The Sail Life and The Yacht Rigger.

Friday and Sunday brunch events are available separately. Sign up for the NWSA eNewsletter or to join. Details will be announced on the conference website: https://www.womensailing.org/national_womens_sailing_assoc.php .Direct questions about conference registration or sponsorship opportunities to [email protected] or 985-247-8919.

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 visithttps://www.womensailing.org. Follow on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIN.