thelog.com
The Log • January 17 - 30, 2014 • 19 SCYA Women’s Sailing Convention Celebrates Silver Anniversary
Gail Hine to serve as keynote speaker on Feb. 1.
By Shane Scott
NEWPORT BEACH — Come Feb.1, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) will be coated in silver as it hosts the 25th annual Southern California Yachting Association’s (SCYA)Women’s Sailing Convention. This year the con- vention has grown even bigger, offering 31 different workshops for beginners and expert sailors. For the past 25 years, the conven- tion has brought sailors of different boating backgrounds together to share their sailing experience. Directed and founded by Gail Hine, the annual sail- ing convention features courses designed for women that are taught by women. Hine, the first female recipient of
the Peggy Slater Award, initially launched the convention with one goal in mind: give women self confidence in boating. This year, over half of the workshop instructors are licensed coast guard captains, Hine reported. “That’s nothing like it used to be,”
she said. “When I started in 1985, there were no women coast guard captains out there.”
The convention offers guests morn- ing and afternoon workshops – both on and off the water— three meals, happy
hour and the opportunity to hear the convention’s annual speaker. In honor of the convention’s silver anniversary and to share with guests the history of the conference, the organizing committee chose Hine to be the 2014 keynote speaker. The Southern
California sailor will share her personal story of how, when she moved from Minneapolis, Minn., to Redondo Beach, Calif., 39 years ago, she was a novice boater at best, occasion-
Gaining Confidence — At left, Capt. Alison Osinski teaches "Navigation 101" to students during the annual Southern California Yachting Association's Women's Sailing Convention. At right, women sailors practice rigging during an on-the-water class held at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.
ally sailing alongside her husband in local waters. As she settled into her new home in California, things changed. “We left Minnesota in 1969 and got into sailing by the next year,” Hine explained. “We got into racing fairly quickly. There were no other women on the water; I decided to host some small instructional seminars for women.” Hine hosted these seminars for 12
years before moving to Orange County, Calif., in 1988 to care for her ill hus- band and mother. After their passing she refocused, holding the first Women’s Sailing Convention in 1990 at the Gorilla Beach Yacht Club. Three
years later she brought it to BCYC, where it’s been held ever since. This year’s event will include new seminars such as “Mysteries below Deck," taught by Capt. Holly Scott, and “Ten Surprises Cruising Offshore,” pre- sented by Capt. Nancy Erley. Guests select from a list of morning and after- noon sessions that run the gamut from the convention’s core workshop “Suddenly Single-Handed,” to “Going Up the Mast,” and “Nighttime Sailing and Navigation.” Hine’s 24-foot racing sloop,
Hummer, which won her first place in the Marina Del Rey to San Diego Race of 1984, plays a vital and ongoing part
in the convention. Though it remains docked throughout the workshop, Hummer’s sails will be hoisted, Hine said. “It sits at the dock with the shoot up so women can learn how to jibe and tack and see how the sail is affected by the wind in a safe environment,” she explained. “It’s a safe and easy way to get them unafraid of the spinnaker.” The SCYA Women’s Sailing
Convention is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m.- 8:30 p.m., Feb. 1 at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Dr. in Corona del Mar. For more infor- mation, visit
womenssailingconvention.com.
Photos courtesy of Gail Hine
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52