V.I. Sailing Association’s Holds Coaching and Mentoring Course to Get More Women Sailing

A cross-section of women sailors, seven each from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John and one from the British Virgin Islands, who represented a mix of professional sailors, coaches and recreational enthusiasts, participated in the Coaching and Mentoring Women’s Sailing Course, held Oct. 27 to 29, at the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC). The goal? To get more women and girls in the territory out sailing via building a strong network and sharing resources.

The three-day course was led by Rebecca Ellis, an experienced and qualified UK-based World Sailing Coach developer; hosted by the Virgin Islands Sailing Association (VISA), the USVI’s Member National Authority to World Sailing; and funded through an Olympic Solidarity Grant, plus funds from VISA, the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, STYC, and World Sailing, the sport’s global governing body.

“My vision for this event was to connect everyone, to ignite or reignite their enthusiasm for sailing, and to make everyone aware of the many roles available to women in sailing in our community that need to and should be filled,” says Juliet San Martin, VISA president and course organizer. “I’m expecting to see at least a decade of ripple effects from this event, with a great deal more interisland coordination and competition. Not to mention newly formed lifelong friendships all founded on the common bonds of a shared interest in sailing.”

It was the diverse experiences and paths to sailing, careers or recreational, of the course attendees that most caught the attention and interest of Michelle Peterson, an assistant professor of biology at the University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix campus, St Croix Yacht Club member and avid Sunfish sailor.