Young Woman Sailor of the Year

Mission Statement:

In order to promote and to support the sport of sailing, the (FWSA) wishes to establish the FWSA Young Woman Sailor of the Year Award (YWSA.) First established in 2008 to promote and to support sailing, this trophy is awarded to a female resident of Florida with no age limit. She should be dedicated to training to compete in the world of sailboat racing.

Nomination forms for the trophy are available at the January FWSA meeting to FWSA members. Completed forms are to be returned to the YWSA Chair one month before the FWSA annual May meeting. The YWSA Committee determines the recipient and awards the trophy and a cash contribution at the annual meeting.

2024 YWSYA Award Recipient
DOROTHY MENDELBLATT

Tampa, FL: Florida Women’s Sailing Association on the west coast of Florida has promoted women in
sailing since 1973. One of the most significant ways they promote women in sailing is through their
annual Young Woman Sailor of the Year Award. This prestigious award signifies accomplishment within
the sport of sailing as well as a monetary award that helps the sailor continue their sailing career. This
year’s award is given to Dorothy Mendelblatt of St Petersburg, FL, for her impressive abilities on the water.
Dorothy grew up in the St Petersburg sailing community. She first sailed an Opti as a Pre-kindergartener.
As her sailing skills advanced, Dorothy moved from the Opti to a Laser and then to the Nacra 15. She has
sailed all over the country and the world.

Dorothy grew up in a sailing family, and her father, uncle, and grandfather are all accomplished competitive
sailors. She has distinguished herself in the competitive sport of sailing. Beginning in 2018, Dorothy has
competed in Volvo British Nationals 2018, the Magic Marine Easter Regatta in the Netherlands 2018,
IODA North American Championship 2019, USODA National Team 2019-2020, ILCA 4 National
Championship 2021 7th Place, ILCA 6 Cressy Qualifier 2021 6th place, Nacra 15 US Sailing Youth
Championship 2021 3 3rd place, Nacra 15 US Open 2022 1 1st place, Nacra 15 Youth Worlds 2022, 9th place,
ILCA 6 Cressy Qualifiers 2023 2nd place, 2023 ILCA 6 Cressy Nationals 7th place. Dorothy has also been
Captain of the St Petersburg High School sailing team for the past 2 years.

Dorothy is a graduating senior at St Petersburg High School in the International Baccalaureate Program
with a 4.5 GPA. According to her mother, Amy, Dorothy is “driven and will always take the challenging
route over the easy one.” Her parents support her sailing dreams, but it has always been Dorothy’s choice
to compete at National and International levels. Dorothy volunteered at the St Petersburg Sailing Center
until she was 16, when she became a US Certified Sailing Coach. She has helped kids in the SPYC
sailing classes each summer. Dorothy states that winning this award will encourage her to do more
impressive sailing in the future, such as winning the College National Sailing Championships. Her
ultimate goal is to become an All-American Skipper. Dorothy will be attending Yale University in the fall
and sailing on their team.

About FWSA: Founded in 1973 to promote and encourage the growth of women's sailing groups along
the West coast of Florida, the FWSA functions to:

Encourage the sport of women's interclub yacht racing.
Foster and encourage social fellowships pertaining to all things nautical between member clubs and
similar associations.
Improve communication between clubs.
Forward and advance sailing in all its phases through education and sailing clinics.
Promote and coordinate interclub, match team racing, and other sailing events for and between its
members under uniform rules.

Currently, there are eleven member clubs with more than four hundred women racing once a week in their
respective sailing clubs on both Florida’s West and East Coasts. Membership is open, and FWSA
welcomes additional sailing clubs. www.fwsa.net