Byline: The Log Staff
NEWPORT BEACH — The Southern California Yachting Association will hold its 24th annual Women’s Sailing Convention Feb. 2 at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.
The convention, which has been directed and organized by Southern California sailor Gail Hine since 1989, brings sailors of different generations and backgrounds together to share their boating knowledge and skills.
Attendees of all experience levels — including new sailors — can select from a combination of on-the-water and off-the-water educational workshops, including Welcome Aboard (for beginners), Diesels, Going Up the Mast, Introduction to Racing, Tactics, Docking, Overboard Procedures, Suddenly Singlehanded Interactive, Weather, Sail Trim, Basic Navigation, Safety, Nighttime Sailing and Navigation, Hassle-Free Heads, Spinnaker Rigging, Offshore Cruising and Introduction to Sailing. The event’s multi-workshop format allows participants to select a combination of workshops in areas that best fit their interest and ability. To top off the event in the evening, world-class sailor Katie Pettibone — a veteran of two America’s Cups and two Volvo Ocean Races — will be the featured speaker after dinner.
Recently, Pettibone was among an international crew on Farr 30s sailing through the Straits of Hormuz. She spent 14 days in June on the Arabian peninsula, where the Oman government was promoting the Sail Arabia race to begin training local crews (including women) to participate in world sailing events.
The once-a-year Women’s Sailing Convention “gives women an opportunity to meet many other women sailors, find out about existing women’s sailing organizations in their area, instructional programs available and many other areas of interest for those who would like to do more — including racing, cruising and day sailing,” Hine said.
“We have something meaningful for everyone,” Hine added. “For those who are already involved but desire more, we will offer some new areas of inspiration and instruction, along with excellent networking opportunities.”
This year, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club Melanie Patterson Memorial Race will be held in conjunction with the Women’s Sailing Convention Race Workshop in Harbor 20s.
All 30 of the workshops are presented by top women sailors from all over Southern California, many of whom are Coast Guard-licensed captains.
Seminars that will be offered in morning and afternoon sessions. Sailors can choose two land-based seminars or one water-based seminar for each session.
Space is limited to around 250 participants, so boaters are encouraged to make reservations online at womenssailingconvention.com or through email at [email protected].
The convention fee of $185 includes workshops, breakfast, lunch, dinner, souvenirs and handouts. The event is open to all women interested in sailing, from beginners to experts.
LAND-BASED MORNING WORKSHOPS:
Welcome Aboard: Presented by Monique Vigeant and Vicki Sweet
This introductory workshop provides plenty of basic information for the new or inexperienced sailor — including basic terminology, a knot or two, protocol, safety and much more.
Basic Nav Rules & Bowlines: Presented by Capt. Kathie Ohmer
As a follow up to the Welcome Aboard workshop, learn the Basic Rules before you go sailing with anyone. This workshop covers right of way rules, day and night signals for all size boats and ships, and tricks to help you remember them. Learn to tie a basic bowline three different ways — used for everything on a boat from saving a person overboard to securing a line to a sail or a cleat.
Going Up the Mast: Presented by Capt. Nancy Erley
Techniques for going aloft, including using the bosun’s chair with block and tackle rigging at dock side. Learn safety first, terminology, assisting crew protocol, selecting the right deck shoes and sailing gloves. Space is limited.
Pirates and the Cruising Sailor: Presented by Capt. Nancy Erley
Nancy Erley, captain of two world circumnavigations, has sailed in the Gulf of Aden and the Caribbean, where pirates are currently active. She will share the facts about piracy and how to find the global “hot spots,” along with how to assess your personal posture toward risk and strategies to de-escalate a pirate encounter. Erley’s friends aboard Asylum were attacked while anchored with three boats off the coast of Colombia, and she will share their story, lessons learned and advice to other cruisers.
Marine Navigation 101: Presented by Capt. Alison Osinski
Learn basics of coastal piloting: how to read a chart, use plotting tools and reference publications to find your way on the water. Learn how to use landmarks, soundings and navigational aids in addition to electronic devices (GPS and chartplotters), find your position, measure distances, determine course to steer to arrive at intended destination, keep track of where you are and where you are heading, and estimate time of arrival. Most important, this workshop will help you learn to avoid common marine navigational errors. Includes hands-on charting practice and a workbook to help continue skills learned after the convention is over.
Marine Navigation 201: Presented by Capt. Alison Osinski
After being exposed to the basics (Marine Navigation 101), put that information to practical use. Learn to obtain a three-line-of-position fix to make sure your anchor is set (and you’re not dragging through the night), estimate distance from an object using a running fix, create waypoints and routes, and plan a cruise. Learn to determine Speed Made Good and Course Made Good, determine the course needed to steer to compensate for a known set (direction of current) and drift (speed of the current), and use radar and AIS to identify ships and avoid collisions. Includes hands-on charting practice and a workbook to continue skills learned after the convention.
Weather Wisdom: Presented by Capt. Patty Cook
Cruisers, racers or day sailors will all benefit from this workshop, taught by a sailor who has years of coastal experience. Get a practical introduction to “marine weather” and learn to recognize, interpret, evaluate and forecast the weather from various information sources, such as marine radio and weatherfax.
Winch Wizardry: Presented by Capt. Holly Scott
Know what do if your winches won’t turn. This workshop will cover how to get into the innards of those most valuable of deck hands, grease up the gears and put them back together again. Amaze your significant other with your new skills.
Hassel-Free Heads: Presented by Capt. Holly Scott
Stay “ahead” of the game and learn how-to keep your marine head trouble-free. Clogs, odors, hoses, lubricants, Y-valves, chemicals, vent lines, common problems and how
to correct them will all be discussed and flushed out.
Galley Diva: Presented by Toni Baiunco
Learn what you need to know about the galley if you are going sailing for the day, going on an overnight race, having a three-night stay on the back side of Catalina, a enjoying a week on anchor in the Channel Islands. Learn short cuts in cooking, packing the ice chest, do-ahead lists and shopping lists — and demonstrate a quick recipe. Handouts will be provided.
Introduction to Racing: Presented by Sandy Mills
Get into racing and become a better sailor. In this workshop, participants will learn about entry forms, starting signals, where your boat should be at the start, protests and how to absolve a foul on the water. Follow this up in the afternoon with a race around the harbor. Intermediate II-level experience is required.
Basic Rules and Tactics: Presented by Sandy Mills
After the Introduction to Racing workshop, participants can get the fundamental rules of racing here. Know what you can and can’t do, learn some basic tactics you’ll want on the race course and get prepared for the afternoon race.
ON-THE-WATER MORNING WORKSHOPS:
Anchoring
This all-morning on-the-water workshop provides practice in necessary communication skills between the helm the foredeck, information about types of ground tackle and where to drop the anchor. Learn how to set the anchor and keep it set, when and how to keep anchor watch and how to retrieve the anchor.
Docking Your Sailboat
This all-morning class teaches you how to judge your boat’s speed, maneuvering in and out of a slip, and the correct way to tie up to the dock and set a spring line.
Overboard Procedures
Proper methods of overboard recovery will be demonstrated and practiced on a vessel. The coaches have many miles and instructional experience to make this all-morning workshop a must for every boat owner.
LAND-BASED AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS:
Beyond Band-Aids: Much More: Presented by Vicki Sweet, RN
Most sailors know that there are many potentially serious injuries that can occur on a boat. An experienced emergency nurse takes you beyond Band-Aids and helps you learn how to manage more serious injuries until help arrives. Also included: How to deal with mal de mer (seasickness) and hypothermia, and recommendations for what to carry in your first-aid kit.
Maintenance Mania: Presented by Judy Fusco
This workshop will cover all the maintenance items that should be done on a sailboat, starting with the basic tool kit, and different products available for specific purposes. It will cover everything from shaking the fire extinguishers to testing the ball valves on the through-hull. A workshop every boat owner needs.
Dinghy Dos & Don’ts: Presented by Capt. Holly Scott
Do you feel trapped on board because you aren’t comfortable driving the dinghy? This is a hands-on class, in a dinghy. Participants will learn safe boarding, docking, how to come alongside a sailboat, outboard operation, what to keep in the dinghy just in case, lots of tricks, how to tie up and how to keep it from being stolen.
Dabble in Diesels: Presented by Capt. Holly Scott
Learn how to keep that diesel engine “happy.” How to check the oil, clean the raw water strainer, trace a fuel line, check the transmission, and locate and understand the basic parts of the engine.
Knot Know-How: Presented by Monique Vigeant
Learn basic knots, their uses, parts of a line and how to tie the bowline, clove hitch, cleat hitch, belaying and coiling. You’ll receive your own piece of line to practice.
How to Heave a Line: Presented by Capt. Nancy Erley
This hands-on class provides practice in traditional sailor skills of snagging a cleat, “tossing” (throwing) and “making up” (coiling or flaking) a line. Learn techniques for distance and accuracy, including target practice.
Suddenly Singlehanded: Presented by Capt. Patty Cook
This interactive workshop will use real-life boating situations to teach participants how to cope with an emergency situation and determine what needs to be done — and the order to do it. Here, you will evaluate your skills and those of your classmates, decide if you can cope or will need outside assistance, practice using the radio, and learn about handling your boat short-handed and getting to safe harbor.
Sail Trim Basics (Dockside): Presented by Cindy Wynne
Dockside demonstrations of sail trim techniques — fairlead position, halyard tension, sheet trim for genoa shape and speed — and how the outhaul, vang, backstay and traveler affect the main. An important step in understanding how sails work.
Rigging Spinnakers: Presented by Cindy Wynne
This is a dockside workshop on spinnaker rigging on boats smaller than 32 feet in length that gybe the pole end-for-end. Learn set-up, function and purpose of sheets, afterguys, topping lift, foreguy and halyards. Packing the chute is an important skill you’ll find very valuable, too. Intermediate II-level experience is required.
Nighttime Sailing and Navigation: Presented by Capt. Nancy Erley
Expand the scope of your sailing abilities. This workshop covers night vision, plus steering by compass, navigation aids and lights on shore, and three bearing fixes at night. In addition, it will cover identifying ships, collision avoidance at night, nighttime deck safety protocols, watch scheduling and crew overboard protocol.
DIY Canvas Basics: Presented by Judy Fusco
Here’s how to make some simple basic canvas projects using a basic sewing machine. It covers purchasing supplies (canvas, thread, snaps, etc), making a pattern, sewing the pieces, adding snaps and fasteners. This workshop could be a real money-saver for a handy boat owner.
ON-THE-WATER AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS:
Introduction to Sailing
In this all-afternoon class, you’ll learn the basics of sailing, trim the main, steer the boat, learn how to tack, get the basic principles of wind direction and sail trim. Sailing gloves are recommended. Designed for those who have no — or very limited — sailing experience.
Intermediate Sailing
Put the knowledge gained in your early sailing experiences toward more a in-depth learning experience, sailing through Newport Harbor or onto the open ocean, if wind and time permit. All points of sail trim will be reinforced. Learn to sail for the wind and desired destination. Includes practice helming and calling the tacks.
Offshore Cruising
Workshop will cover safety checks, VHF radio, radar, GPS, single sideband (SSB) radio, EPIRBs, jacklines, rescue drills, reefing and heaving to. Go beyond the breakwater for an afternoon of offshore sailing. Bring a personal PFD, sailing shoes and sailing gloves. Limited class availability. Intermediate II-level experience is required; no novices.
WSC and Melanie Patterson Memorial Race
Participants can take what they learned in the Morning Sessions, and put that into action on the water. Instructors will help with this afternoon race, aboard fun Harbor 20s. Get a good start, race up the harbor and engage in tacking duels. Trophy awards will be presented at dinner. Tiller experience and Intermediate II level knowledge are required, and no novices will be entered. Spaces are limited.
