Hot Competition and High Spirits at Recent Women's Sailing Regatta on Santa Monica Bay

Every year since 1980, women (and men) have participated in the Women on the Water / Women at the Helm Regatta. The WOW portion of the regatta is just that  – an all women crew for two days of racing – and the WAH part is co-ed both days with the requirement that the person at the helm be female. Sailboats of every type participate in either a Performance or Cruising class, and include the popular Martin 242s, Schock 35s, Open 570s, and J-Boats, to name just a few.

WOW/WAH racing is fun, fast, and competitive and sponsored by four MdR sailing organizations: Marina Venice YC, Pacific Mariner's YC, South Bay Yacht Racing Club, and the Women's Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay. The Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Club's current Women's Sailing Coordinator, Mary Stuyvesant, was this year's regatta's chairperson.

It all began in the early 1970s with the "Ladies Got Guts Race" to the Isthmus at Catalina Island. Organized by Stan Lieberman and sponsored by Del Rey Yacht Club, the regatta's purpose was to interest women in learning more about boat handling. Women's growing interest in racing prompted other yacht clubs to sponsor their own "Women Only" events. These regattas came together as a single series in the late 1970s when then California Yacht Club Commodore Robert S. Wilson donated an antique silver loving-cup to be awarded to the top woman sailor in Santa Monica Bay.

Thanks to volunteers and sponsors, the regatta grew in popularity each passing year. In 2002, the Women's Sailing Association (WSA) donated a crystal sailboat perpetual trophy for the winner of the WAH division with the most entries. In 2005, another perpetual trophy was dedicated in memory of Cheryl Rembert, who was an active Santa Monica Bay area sailor. This trophy is awarded to the top placing Martin 242 in the WOW division.

This year's regatta was no exception to previous competitions, with seventeen boats participating and several new skippers at the helm and new sailors as crew. For example, one woman has sailed for many years with her husband on their boat, but has never been skipper during a race. This year she took the plunge and walked away with the trophy for the team with the most first time WOW/WAH sailors on board. During the presentation ceremonies hosted at Marina Venice YC, she emotionally thanked her crew and WOW/WAH for giving her the confidence and support that led to this personal achievement.

Women of every age have participated in WOW/WAH, from adolescents to octogenarians and 2011 was no exception. To encourage young sailors, a couple from CYC graciously loaned their Martin 242 to two high school sailors and two recent college graduates, including Allie Blecher, the college female sailor of the year in 2010, who served as the boat's tactician.

Even though every participant was a winner, the following trophies and awards were handed out:

• Robert S. Wilson Perpetual Trophy - Alice Leahey, skippering her J-109, "Grace O'Malley"
• Cheryl Rembert Perpetual Trophy for the top Martin 242 in WOW - Mary Stuyvesant at the helm of "305,"
• WSA/WAH Perpetual Trophy - Sherri Hunt skippering "Prometheus"
• WAH Performance Class - Jennifer Arrington skippering the Martin 242, "Dean"
• WAH Cruising Class - Karen Mahmalji at the helm of "Transformer"

Volunteer regattas like this take place because of a lot of hard work by the organizers and participants, but it also takes dedicated and generous sponsors, including many local businesses like West Marine, Hinano Cafe, Charlotte Tarantola, the Overland Cafe, Baja Cantina, Tony P's, the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center, The Restaurant at the California Yacht Club, Abbot's Habit, The Golden Lion, Harken, North Sails, the Ship's Store, C&O Trattoria, David Girard Hairstyles, Christine Valmy Spa, Stella-Dot Jewelry, Get Pilates Fit, and Beyond Physical Therapy.

Southern California's yacht clubs and sailing associations actively encourage all genders, races, ages, and skill-levels to come out and enjoy the sport of sailing, whether it be racing or cruising, and the annual WOW/WAH Regatta is an excellent example of that philosophy. The closing ceremonies concluded with the familiar refrain, "Let's do it again next year!"