On April 4, 2023, Rainbow Regatta sailors floated out from the St. Petersburg shore to the race course with wind speeds topping at 4 mph while the Salty Sisters asked the wind gods for more wind. Their pleas did not seem to be answered as sailors paddled back to shore, not being able to finish race 1 within time limits. On April 10, 2024, the winds gods answered their pleas, giving the Luffing Lassies and Rainbow Regatta sailors 18-20 mph winds with heavy gusts as they looked out at Sarasota Bay. The Sunfish sailors tightened their rigging and reefed their sails as wind speeds increased t ..read more

The Sailors at the Broad Reachers Interclub on Friday, 2/23/2024 had quite the exciting day on the water! It's impressive how dedicated and resilient the pram sailors can be, especially when facing challenges like gusts of wind upwards of 20 mph and the thought of capsizing. Keeping an eye on gusts was crucial for navigating safely. If you're looking to find out more about the competitor who capsized, you won’t find out unless you reach out to members of the safety boat crew.   The good news is that all sailors happily and safely made it the after-sail party.  It was fantastic to see ..read more

The Luffing Lassies hosted FWSA sailors for the second Educational Symposium of the 2023-2024 Sailing Season.  The event was chaired and organized by FWSA Education Chairs Lee Parks of the Luffing Lassies and Pam Treloar of the Dinghy Dames. The first Educational Symposium offered in November 2023 and hosted by the Dinghy Dames was so popular that sailors have been looking forward to this second educational symposium.   The event began at 12:30 pm on January 25, 2024, at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Sarasota, Florida. The Sailing Squadron and Lassies offered a delicious lunch of ..read more

The FWSA celebrated its 50th anniversary at The Meadows Country Club in Sarasota, FL, on January 17, 2024. The celebration and general meeting were hosted by the Luffing Lassies and coordinated by Luffing Lassie and party planner extraordinaire Rosemary McMullen. A festive atmosphere of beautiful gold and white 50th-anniversary decorations greeted arriving members. Harpist and Luffing Lassie Joelle Hudson de Tarnowsky played a collection of contemporary and Celtic music while sailors mingled and socialized in their nautically themed attire. There were plenty of blue and white striped shirts a ..read more

For all the photos that Rita took, click here. After wind was a no show in last spring’s Rainbow Regatta in St. Petersburg and the Salty Sisters’ Interclub last December with hope no doubt motivated 33 sailors who launched from the St. Petersburg Sailing Center on Tuesday, December 5th in one and a half knots of wind to compete in the Salty Sisters’ 2023 Holiday Regatta. They were rewarded with a beautiful day, with enough building breeze to race and PRO Gloria Davis was able to get a couple of races in within the allotted time. There were 68 participants including 10 Sunfish sailors, 22 ..read more

On the day before the Dinghy Dames were to put on their Friendsgiving interclub and sailors may be wanting to drop their boats off early anyway, they hosted over 100 FWSA members at the first Education Symposium, orchestrated by Education Chairs Lee Parks, LL, and Pam Treloar, DD. The day began with registration and socializing. The Dinghy Dames' Hospitality Committee members, chaired by Margaret Dufeny, really rolled out the red carpet with both sweet and savory breakfast foods along with the all-important coffee. Once all were registered, the first session was run by Emily Wagner, DD, giving ..read more

Regatta winners (L to R): Carrie Greene, Gail Heausler, Lisa Brown Ehrhart, Amanda Huss, PJ Summerville, and Sherry Swan Sail-a-brate Good Times, Come On! To commemorate FWSA’s 50 Years of Sail-a-brating, the Dinghy Dames hosted the first FWSA Educational Sailing Symposium and the Interclub Friendsgiving Regatta, Nov. 13-14, 2023. On Monday, the FWSA Educational Sailing Symposium was attended by 90 sailors to rave reviews. The symposium covered a range of topics on racing tactics and boat maintenance. Thanks to presenters Carrie Greene, Emily Wagner, Gail Heausler, Linda Schwartz, Lisa Brown ..read more

By Marge Whiteman Photos by Rita Root Sailors representing five different FWSA clubs competed for The Bankston Trophy at the 2023-2024 FWSA Championship Regatta on November 6, 2023. This year, the regatta was hosted by the Windlasses and held at the Dunedin Boat Club, with 420 sailboats being provided by Dunedin Youth Boating. A random boat drawing was held at 8:00 am to determine which boat each team would sail. Brand new sails were provided by the Windlasses. The FWSA Championship Regatta has been held annually since 1976 in either a 3-person or 2-person one-design sailboat. Nine boats compe ..read more

The Venice Women’s Sailing Squadron kicked off the Florida Women’s Sailing Association (FWSA) yearlong celebration of their 50th anniversary by hosting a Fun, Sun, and Sail-a-Brate interclub regatta in late October on Roberts Bay featuring Sunfish sailboats. A picture-perfect day with challenging winds provided excitement for those observing from the spectator boats and work for those manning the safety boats. Competitors from the Sarasota Luffing Lassies, Dunedin Windlasses and Davis Island Dinghy Dames, along with the Venice Bitter Ends, rounded out a field of eleven sailors. During the rigg ..read more

The 51st Annual Commodore Lucas was held at St. Petersburg Yacht Club at Pass-A-Grill, hosted by the Broad Reachers. This year’s event was a great success, with 14 sailors from eight different FWSA Clubs. Broad Reacher Captain Goria Davis, our PRO, along with her Race Committee, successfully ran three of five races. The PAG winds were not cooperative, as usual. There was a total of 35 folks that day, including spectators, Safety Boat drivers, other volunteers, and our very helpful “Boat Handlers.” First place with to Luffing Lassie, Lisa Brown-Ehrhart, Bow Chaser, Cathy McNally took second pla ..read more