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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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
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.
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!)
Space is limited to 150 attendees. To find out more or to register, visit:
