"Unlocking the Future of Education: Highlights from FWSA's January Symposium with the Luffing Lassies"

The Luffing Lassies hosted FWSA sailors for the second Educational Symposium of the 2023-2024 Sailing Season. 

The event was chaired and organized by FWSA Education Chairs Lee Parks of the Luffing Lassies and Pam Treloar of the Dinghy Dames. The first Educational Symposium offered in November 2023 and hosted by the Dinghy Dames was so popular that sailors have been looking forward to this second educational symposium.

The event began at 12:30 pm on January 25, 2024, at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Sarasota, Florida. The Sailing Squadron and Lassies offered a delicious lunch of chicken pot pie accompanied by various salads, desserts, and beverages. Sailors socialized over lunch with the educational program beginning promptly at 1:15 pm. Mary Ellen Brown of the Luffing Lassies started off the afternoon with a 20-minute program on How to Read Tell Tales.  Mary Ellen offered plenty of insight on how to get those telltales flowing and how a sailor could get where she wanted to go in the most efficient manner.  Sailors now have some great information, and all that is needed is practice, practice, practice, and to develop a routine to constantly stay in check of how the boat is sailing.

Following this presentation, a short synopsis of the remaining nine courses was offered, along with their location within the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Sailors could choose which courses to attend from the following list.  Each course would last 45 minutes with a 15-minute break.

·         Pre-race Checks & Starting Tactics by Mike Ingham

·         Running Races: Race Committee Basics by Linda Tiffan

·         Wind, Weather and More by Emily Wagner

·         Mark Rounding’s: Windward, Leeward, Gates, and More by Mary Ellen Brown

·         How to Rig a Sunfish Including Gust Adjust Jens Rig by Linda Schwartz

·         Pram/Opti Sailing: Rigging and Getting Boats To Go Fast by Carrie Greene

·         Upwind, Speed and Tactics by Lisa Brown Ehrhart

·         How to Maintain Your Sunfish, Including Hardware Replacements

by Linda Schwartz

·         Racing Rules 101 by Carrie Greene

At 5:00 pm, sailors gathered for the final program on Sailing Terminology offered by Gail Heausler.  The Symposium was concluded, and sailors said goodbye to new and old friends as they headed home.  This was another great Educational Day offered by the FWSA.  This sailor is looking forward to more of FWSA’s educational programs in the 2024-2025 sailing season!

Marge Whiteman, Bitter Ends

Author and photographer

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