“Sailing women are all mermaids at heart who long for the wind and the waves and feel most at home on the water.” In these words, Tracy Sampson captures the essence of the spirit of the group of women who founded the St. Augustine Sailing Sisters. Collective brainstorming over cocktails often manifests into greatness. Add in a few strong-minded female sailing enthusiasts to the mix, and the St. Augustine Sailing Sisters was born. The “sisters” incorporated passion and philanthropy into a sailing club seated in fiery competition and fun.
The journey from spinning out name ideas at the Kingfish Grill to their first sailing race took only a few months. In August of 2016, the women launched their first Bikini Race with twelve entries. By the time the second annual rolled around, they had incorporated and added fundraising to the agenda. They chose the locally-beloved charity Betty Griffin House as their beneficiary for 2017 and 2018.
At the core of the founding group is six women with dozens of years of collective experience. Tracy Sampson started sailing eight years ago. “From learning at age 49 to making a blue water passage at 52,” she says, “I can say I have come a long way.” Other founders are Kathy Hansen — whose introduction to sailing was racing catamaran’s in the ocean — and Madalin Keeble — who has won many racing events including St. Augustine Race Week and the Lipton Cup this year. “The boats in our group right now are all monohulls,” says Tracy, “and one thing they all have in common is a woman at the helm during races. This year, a boat named Sassy, crewed by an all-woman team over the age of 50 wearing fishnets and mini-skirts, won the Spring Forward Race. It was fabulous.”
The Sailing Sisters host two races each year — the Spring Forward Race in March and the Bikini Race in August. Their next big race is the Third Annual Bikini Race on August 4. In between races, they host events to spread awareness about SASS and their mission.
“The last three years,” Tracy says, “have been very inspiring for us. Women sail differently than men, and many male partners don’t offer the helm. Perhaps one of my fondest race moments was last year during the Spring Forward Race when the winning boat Skybird, crewed by all eighth-grade girls, came in first place. It was fantastic to see these young women driving through wind and waves.”
Learn more about the St. Augustine Sailing Sisters by visiting www.sasailingsisters.com. Photography by David Steele.
