Crewed Boat Challenge

On September 14, 1976, John M. Bankston executed a Deed of Gift and Trust Agreement providing a perpetual trophy known as the Bankston Trophy. It was to perpetuate an annual Championship Regatta for FWSA Member Clubs in a three-person, one-design yacht to promote women's sailing. It was challenging to find suitable one-design boats for a few years, resulting in a cancellation of the regatta. FWSA amended the Amendment to the Deed of Gift and Trust and was executed on January 27, 1993, providing that: "Should it become impractical to hold an event in a three-person boat, any suitable one-design class of sailboat may be used."

In the recent past, Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker teams have competed. The Bankston Trophy has been awarded to the team in the Spinnaker division. In 2005, the Board of Directors voted to add a new trophy donated by the FWSA to the Non-Spinnaker division's winning team.

The Bankston Spinnaker Trophy

The Non-Spinnaker Trophy

2023 Non-Spinnaker Winners Hosted by the Windlasses

First place winners of the Bankson Trophy were Luffing Lassies Lorrie Kaighin and Kimberly

First Place - Luffing Lassies, Lori Kaighin & Kimberly Duplissy

Second place winners were Bitter Ends Ann Carroll and Marge Whiteman with Windlass Captain

Second Place - Bitter Ends, Ann Carroll & Marge Whiteman

Third place winners were Luffing Lassies

Third Place - Luffing Lassies, Jennifer Means & Barbara Sylvester

Windlass Rookies Joy Sheets and Suzy Ballantyne show off their hiking skills for photograp

Sailors meet the night before the regatta for dinner at the Clear Sky Draught House in Dun

At the start for Race 1

Windlass Rookies Joy Sheets and Suzy Ballantyne show off their hiking skills for photograp

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FWSA CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA

By Marge Whiteman

Photos by Rita Root

Sailors representing five different FWSA clubs competed for The Bankston Trophy at the 2023-2024 FWSA Championship Regatta on November 6, 2023. This year, the regatta was hosted by the Windlasses and held at the Dunedin Boat Club with 420 sailboats being provided by Dunedin Youth Boating. A random boat drawing was held at 8:00 am to determine which boat each team would sail. Brand new sails were provided by the Windlasses. The FWSA Championship Regatta has been held annually since 1976 in either a 3 person or 2 person one design sailboat.

Nine boats competed for the trophy representing the FWSA clubs of the Bitter Ends, Dinghy Dames, Luffing Lassies, Salty Sisters and Windlasses. Several veteran teams represented their clubs along with newer teams and one rookie team with Captain Joy Sheets and Crew Suzy Ballantine representing the Windlasses. The PRO was past FWSA president and Windlass Margo Curry who declared herself as “unbiased and representing the FWSA” sporting her FWSA shirt. A ROWDY spectator boat loaded with Luffing Lassies and Windlasses had a grand time loudly cheering the teams at the leeward mark.

All boats were rigged and ready to sail prior to the Competitors Meeting at 9:30 am. Unfortunately, winds remained calm after the meeting but sailors were optimistic that the wind gods would provide a breeze soon. PRO Margo Curry and her crew headed out towards the course, hoisted the postponement flag and started measuring wind speed. Around 10:00 a.m. a slight breeze started to develop and the sailors on shore were getting restless. Slowly sailors pushed their boats away from the shallow shore and started floating towards the course. After seven of the nine boats had decided to launch the winds began to increase and the remaining two boats left shore to quickly join the rest. We had a regatta!!

The course to be sailed was a Windward/Offset with a Leeward gate twice around with a three minute start. On Race 1, the Bitter Ends team with Captain Ann Carroll and Crew Marge Whiteman had decided that the right side of the course was favored. However, after the start they could not tack due to the Dinghy Dames team of Captain Beth Owens and Crew Del Palmer being close behind on their starboard side. By the time they were able to tack, the winds had shifted which gave them a lift to the Windward mark where they developed and kept a substantial lead over the rest of the boats. Other teams bunched up around the Windward offset but two Luffing Lassies teams of Captain Penny Durham and Crew Brenda Scanlon and Captain Lorrie Kaighin and Crew Kimberly Duplissey were able to separate from the group finishing 2nd and 3rd while the Salty Sisters team with Captain Marti Cochran and Jennifer Anderson finished 4th.

At the start of Race 2, there was a collision between two of the Luffing Lassies boats and the one Bitter Ends boat near the Race Committee Boat. Luffing Lassie Captain Lorrie Kaighin called foul as the Leeward boat. The Bitter Ends boat and the Luffing Lassies boat of Durham/Scanlon both did penalty turns resulting in late starts. This gave the Luffing Lassie Team of Captain Jennifer Means and Crew Barbara Sylvester a nice start up the left side of the course as Kaighin/Duplissey sailed the right side of the course with Carroll/Whiteman attempting to catch up from behind. Finishing 1st were the Luffing Lassies team of Kaighin/Duplissey, 2nd place went to the Luffing Lassies team of Means/Sylvester, 3rd to the Bitter Ends team of Carroll/Whiteman and 4th place to the Salty Sisters team of Cochran/Anderson.

The winds continued to increase for Race 3 with numerous wind shifts. The Luffing Lassie team of Means/Sylvester were the first to round the Windward mark followed closely by the Luffing Lassie team of Kaighin/Duplissey, the Bitter Ends team of Carroll/Whiteman and the Luffing Lassie Team of Durham/Scanlon jockeying for position. The race ended with the Luffing Lassie team of Means/Sylvester in 1st place, Luffing Lassie Team of Kaighin/Duplissey in 2nd place, Bitter Ends Team of Carroll/Whiteman in 3rd place and Luffing Lassie Team of Durham/Scanlon in 4th place. The Regatta was called and teams returned to shore to clean up, de-rig and head to lunch and awards.

The Windlasses provided a fabulous lunch catered by Lonnie’s of Dunedin as sailors relaxed and shared stories. Awards followed with the Luffing Lassie team of Kaighin/Duplissey winning 1st place with 6 points and receiving the Bankston Trophy. The Bitter Ends team of Carroll/Whiteman finished in 2nd place with 7 points and the Luffing Lassie Team of Means/Sylvester finished in 3rd place with 11 points. Sailors with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes received a prize of an FWSA commemorative beach towel to take home. The Luffing Lassie Team of Durham/Scanlon were 4th with 12 points and the Rookie Windlass Team of Sheets/Ballantyne had 21 points.

A Big Thank You to the Windlasses for hosting this event, supplying many members as land crew to help pull, rig, launch, recover, de-rig and wash the boats and as party crew to provide a fun night before party at Clear Sky Draught House in Dunedin, breakfast, lunch and decorations.

The Florida Women’s Sailing Association was founded in 1973 and has 10 clubs competing in Prams, Optis, Sunfish, 420s and Ideal 18s once a week in their respective club. Information about the FWSA can be found at www.fwsa.net.

Annual Results