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SYC Women’s Group’s - Women’s Boating Skills Weekend

The 7th Annual Women’s Boating Skills Weekend is scheduled to take place at the Portage Bay Mainstation April 4– 6, 2025. This weekend-long educational and social event is one you won’t want to miss! Registration opens on February 1, 2025, online: SYC WBSW 2025.

150 ATTENDEES | 3 KEYNOTES | 50 WORKSHOPS

Register early to signup for your preferred workshops!

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HIGHLIGHTS

Amazing keynotes, a wide variety of educational workshops, dedicated volunteers, a vendor marketplace and dock crawl Friday evening, a jam-packed Saturday beginning with breakfast and continuing until a plated dinner, a Sunday afternoon cruising couples event where you can bring your partner, and so much more. This event is appropriate for new and experienced boaters, and both power and sailboaters. Here's what you can expect.

Friday Evening

On Friday evening, we will start check in, and have a Vendor Marketplace. Buy fun items for your boat, art, books on boating and provisioning and more! We will have a reception including appetizers and no-host bar, then join us in a dock crawl aboard some participants' boats.

Workshops

Boating for Life, Marine Sanitation, Knots and Lines, Marine Electrical, Yacht Financing, Redecorating, Hiring a Captain, VHF Radios, All about Sails

On the Docks

Boat Systems Familiarization, Anchoring, Docking Boats and Dinghies, Crew Overboard, Boat Cleaning and Detailing, Care & Feeding of your Diesel Engine, Fishing & Crabbing

Enjoy SYC Catered Meals

We will provide appetizers Friday night, breakfast Saturday and Sunday, a sandwich and salad bar Saturday afternoon and a plated dinner Saturday evening.

Sunday Afternoon - Partners Invited

Cruising Club of America will teach Safety for Cruising Couples. You are strongly encouraged to invite your partner to this event. Limit 40 people, charge of $15 for supplies. *Skipper and Crew Partnership *Controlling the Boat and Knowing Your Position *Getting Help *Dealing With Emergencies

Keynote Speakers

Capt. Tuuli Messer-Bookman

Capt. Tuuli Messer-Bookman spent her childhood (from 0-18) aboard wooden sailboats in Sausalito, California. In 1986, Tuuli graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy. After several years as a ship’s officer, she earned her Unlimited Tonnage Oceans Master’s license. She has over 300,000 miles at sea. She then earned her law degree at the University of San Francisco, School of Law and is a member of the California State Bar. She then spent 23 years as a professor at California Maritime Academy, where she taught all aspects of navigation, USCG license preparation, and was a certified assessor for shipboard watchstanding before retiring in 2018.

Wendy Hinman

Wendy Hinman grew up sailing, learning to sail as a child with her family in the Hawaiian Islands, and discovered a love of exploring places by boat that has taken her aboard boats around the globe, both racing and cruising. Her hit book Tightwads on the Loose shares some of her adventures afloat and in this session she’ll share what she’s learned about developing confidence as a boater with her signature humor, examples, and insight.

Sandy Lam

In the past 11 years, Sandy has raced with some of the top large and small boats around the Pacific Northwest, crewing on tall ships locally and abroad, all while shifting a career from corporate communications to community development for maritime nonprofits. Her most recent journey took her 7,000 nautical miles transiting the Northwest Passage on S/V Dogbark, an Open 60 in 2024 from Sitka, AK to St. John's, Newfoundland.

2025 Schedule of Events


Friday, April 4th, 2025  

3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Registration & Vendor Marketplace 

4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Reception (Appetizers & No-Host Bar) 

6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Dock Crawl


Saturday, April 5th, 2025  

7:30 am - 8:00 am Registration Continued

8:00 am - 8:30 am Breakfast

8:30 am - 9:30 am Welcome & Morning Program Keynote: Captain Tuuli Messer-Bookman 

9:45 am - 12:00 pm Workshops 1 & 2 (Identical)

Docking 201 - Pam Lowry 

Anchoring Skills - Joe Peterson 

Learning about the Systems on your Boat - Lynne Thompson 

Boating for Life - Beth Featherstone 

VHF Basics - Capt. Tuuli Messer-Bookman 

Go Pump Yourself - Katie Wixom

Safety Equipment 101 - Jenna Miller 

No Impact Docking - Ace Spragg 


12:00 pm - 1:45 pm Lunch & Afternoon Program Keynote: Wendy Hinman 

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm Workshops 3, 4, & 5 

Workshops 3

Docking Practice in a Dinghy - Peter Keckemet  

Docking 201 - Pam Lowry 

Crossing US/Canadian borders on a boat  - Jenna Miller 

Hands On Rope Splicing  - Dee Bayley 

Care & Feeding of your Diesel Engine - Meredith Anderson 

Why Should I Hire a Captain? - Mary De Friel 

Provisioning and Entertaining Onboard like a Pro - Diane Lander 

Marine Electrical - Sarah Scott 


Workshops 4

Docking Practice in a Dinghy - Peter Keckemet  

Crossing US/Canadian borders on a boat  - Jenna Miller 

Care & Feeding of your Diesel Engine - Meredith Anderson 

Why Should I Hire a Captain? - Mary De Friel 

Provisioning and Entertaining Onboard like a Pro - Diane Lander 

Marine Electrical - Sarah Scott 


Workshops 5

Docking Practice in a Dinghy - Peter Keckemet 

Trial by Fire – A Test at the Helm - Schelleen Rathkopf 

All About Sails - Jenna Miller 

Under Water Construction: Tales from a Commercial Diver - Leah Fiecke 

Hands On Rope Maintenance - Dee Bayley 


5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Celebration, Group Photo & Champagne Toast

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Dinner


 Sunday, April 6th, 2025  

8:00 am - 8:30 am Breakfast

8:30 am - 9:45 am Morning Program Keynote: Sandy Lam 

9:45 am - 12:00 pm Workshops  6 & 7 (Identical)

Sailing Without Owning a Boat - Elise Sivilay 

Seattle Police Harbor Patrol - Lieutenant Garth Green, Marc 

In It for the Long Haul: Planning your Boat's Future - Andy Stewart, Zach Simonson-Bond, Alex Jones 

Glossy, Shiny, Happy Boats: Professional Exterior Boat Maintenance Tips - Natalie Yuse 

Intro to Sailboat Racing and How to Get Started - Shauna Walgren and Urvashi Chowdhari

Interior Boat Refresh - Carla Hubbard 

Person Overboard Prevention and Response - Alden Rohrer (Salish Rescue) 

Crabbing & Fishing - Monica Dodd 


12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Optional Pizza Lunch

1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Cruising Club of America Partners Workshop: Safety at Sea (We strongly encourage partner participation!)

baseball hat 2025 SYC WBSW SWAG

Order amazing custom SWAG for 2025 SYC WBSW by clicking this link: https://stores.inksoft.com/anchors_away/shop/home

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