Meet the Salty Sisters

Founded in the fall of 1951, the Salty Sisters is believed to be the first organized group of sailing women in the country. The original 10 members were wives of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) members. In 1956, membership was expanded to include any female member of SPYC who is 21 or older. Today, our membership is over 100 women.

The Salty Sisters meet nearly every Wednesday morning for sailing at the nearby St. Petersburg Sailing Center on Demen’s Landing. The morning’s sailing is followed by lunch at the SPYC. Members sail primarily International Optimist Class Dinghies (IODs) and Ideal 18s, but the fleet also includes Sonars, 420s, and the newest addition, J70s. In addition to serious racing, each season also includes some no-rules fun pram races, such as our annual holiday Candy Cane Regatta.

We believe in continuing education, both on and off the water, to further our skills. Classes cover subjects such as racing rules, protests, tactics, sail rigging, starting line strategy and nautical signal flags. All members also receive training in race management.

In addition to competing with each other, the Salty Sisters compete in interclub regattas with other member clubs of the Florida Women’s Sailing Association (FWSA).  We also compete in the two major FWSA-sponsored regattas: the fall Championship Regatta, for keel boats sailed with crew, and the Rainbow Regatta in the spring for IODs, Clearwater Prams and Sunfish.

Being a Salty Sister is not all about competition, however. On the social side, there are many events, such as the Welcome Back Party in September, and the Halloween and Christmas parties. We celebrate virtually all holidays with social events. The Cruise Chairman organizes “cruise events” throughout the year. These may be outdoor activities, such as kayaking; educational events, such as museum visits; or even a cruise on Tampa Bay on a tall sailing ship.

We lend our support as volunteers for many SPYC-level events. Salty Sisters frequently serve on Race Committee for SPYC regattas. Each year, the Salty Sisters sponsor a large Christmas Boutique at SPYC to raise funds for junior sailing at the SPSC, including scholarships for summer sailing camps. Another passion is support for Warrior Sailing and other events for disabled sailors. We also contribute to multiple local charities through our holiday donation program.

The Salty Sisters continue to be a group of diversely talented women whose purpose is to promote sailing and to assist our members in becoming proficient in the science of sailing.