Tracy Edwards, Dawn Riley headline women’s conference

The Fourth Annual Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference has opened registration for its new, virtual event taking place on November 6-7, 2020. Featuring keynote presentations from Dawn Riley and Tracy Edwards, the goal of the conference is to energize and empower women to get involved in sailing at all levels.

The conference begins on November 6 at 5:00 pm with 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. Dawn now runs Oakcliff Sailing Center (Oyster Bay, NY) which provides opportunities for participants to build world class sailing skills in local and offshore racing and to learn the business of sailing.

Tracy Edwards, captain of Maiden, opens the November 7 session at 1:00 pm. The recently released film Maiden (2019) showcases Edwards’ all-women crew who competed in the 1989-1990 Whitbread Around the World Race. Members of the original and current crews will share stories and provide updates 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.

The afternoon will continue until 6:00 pm with more 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.

Everyone, women and men, from experienced sailors to those who have never been on the water before are welcome. Conference registration is by household with the fee for the entire conference at $50.00. 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: www.hrmm.org/sailing-conference or jsterling@hrmm.org.

About the Hudson River Maritime Museum:
Located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, NY, 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.