PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MIDWEST WOMEN’S SAILING CONFERENCE
The Midwest Women’s Sailing Conference will be held on May 14 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, and welcomes all skill levels to join in the fun! Since its inception in the early 2000s — inspired by and modeled after Gail Hine’s Southern California Yachting Association’s Women’s Sailing Convention — the conference has empowered women in the sport of sailing, offering support, education and community.
“I am truly elated by the response women have to this conference,” says Former Chair Phyllis McDonald. “So many have attended multiple times. We are challenged by them to present new and interesting topics each year while keeping a core of workshops to introduce new women to sailing.”
“We have grown a lot in a short time,” adds MWSC Inaugural Chair Cookie Mueller. “We filled our first conference and had to disappoint our waiting list. We acquired our 501(c3) status and have attracted additional spectacular women to be instructors and keynote speakers. Our sponsors and supporters have shown a lot of faith in us.”
Dana Robb currently serves as the chair of the conference, which is supported by volunteer efforts from the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center and Milwaukee Bay Women’s Sailing Club.
This year marks another exciting in-person return of the annual event, and the $145 entry fee includes breakfast, lunch, the reception and a gift bag. The event is also collecting donations for Code Red (formerly Time of the Month), a nonprofit that distributes menstrual supplies to those facing homelessness. They will be accepting tampons, pads and underwear.
A vaccination record or recent negative COVID test result is required, face masks are optional. To learn more or register, visit mwsc.wildapricot.org/Conference.
