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D’Amy Steward sat tiller in hand at the helm of an IC24. The Washington, D.C. resident and her team were sailing in one of several round-the-islands races at the first annual St. Thomas Women’s Clinic + Regatta in Paradise, held March 10-14 at the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC), U.S. Virgin Islands.

When Steward rolled over the boat beside her, onboard coach, Nikki Barnes, Team USA’s Women’s 470 skipper in the 2020 Summer Olympics, turned to Steward and asked, ‘Want some butter with that roll?’ In that instant, Steward, who hadn’t sailed in four years nor raced since her high school laser days, said, “That was my wow moment when I rediscovered that spark, that excitement, and love for sailing all over again.”

Women from all corners of the U.S. embarked on the inaugural Clinic + Regatta, run by the St. Thomas Sailing Center (STSC) in partnership with Sailing World and Team One Newport. The signature format combined instruction by world-class Olympic, one-design World Champion, and Match Race women coaches, with round-the-buoys and round-the-islands racing on converted J/24s called IC24s, and a ‘fun in the sun’ itinerary that included swimming, snorkeling, lunch from a boat-based pizzeria, and evening rum tasting on neighboring St. John.

“There are more qualified women racers out there than you can imagine,” says Sarah Renz, the Chicago, IL-based Director – Sailing World/Regatta Series/Firecrown Media. “Providing a clinic and regatta experience, in a race week format, in a community of women, with champion women sailors as coaches, has long been overdue. Especially in such an ideal sailing destination. It was incredible to see everyone work together as a team, rotate teams and coaches for greater learning throughout the week, and see the huge growth spurt in teams and the women individually by the end of the week.”

Women on the Water

The St. Thomas Women’s Clinic + Regatta in Paradise started with a Welcome Party and Beach BBQ, where participants met the coaches. In addition to Renz and Miami, FL-based Barnes, the coaching roster included Martha Parker, founder and owner of Team One Newport, with two World Titles and multiple North American Championships to her credit, and Allie Blecher, a three-time U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion, living in Marina del Rey, CA.

“Sailing with Team Convergence deepened my interest in women’s sailing,” says Ava Wilson, from Chicago, IL, who helmed the J/70 in the class World Championship last year. “When I heard about this event from Sarah and Martha and the stellar coaching lineup, it sounded like a fantastic opportunity. I wanted to learn new positions onboard, sail a boat I hadn’t sailed before, and improve on everything.”