Rosie Simpson honored by FWSA

The Florida Women’s Sailing Association on the west coast of Florida has promoted women in sailing since 1973, and one of the most significant ways they promote women in sailing is through their annual Young Woman Sailor of the Year Award. This year’s award is given to Rosie Simpson of St Petersburg, FL for her impressive abilities on the water.

Sailing has been Rosie’s passion for the past ten years, taking her through a wide range of sailing classes beginning with the Optimist and progressing to the ILCA 4, Club 420, J/70, and the Nacra 15.

Rosie has twice represented Team USA, once in France where she finished 3rd overall girl and once in Spain. She has also qualified for the US Sailing Team and will continue her sailing career at the collegiate level this fall at Old Dominion University.

Rosie has been traveling every weekend this past year, from St Petersburg FL to Ft Lauderdale FL, training with the Lauderdale Yacht Club Nacra 15 Sailing Team. She is now skippering a Nacra 15 FCS (Flight Control System), the foiling version of the Nacra 15 which is a pathway to the Olympic Nacra 17. Rosie is the only female skipper on the Ft Lauderdale Team.

This July, she will be competing in the Nacra 15 World Championships in La Rochelle, France. After this competition, she hopes to spend the rest of her summer at Oakcliff Sailing helping other young sailors master the Nacra 15 and maybe experience foiling for the first time.

Sailing has taught Rosie how to lead, fail forward, be brave, and grow. She believes in the power of the sport to transform lives and is committed to helping more girls see what is possible on and off the water.

This award recognizes both her accomplishment within the sport and provides funding to help continue her sailing career.

Florida Women’s Sailing Association:
• Encourage the sport of women’s interclub yacht racing.
• Foster and encourage social fellowships pertaining to all things nautical between member clubs and similar associations.
• Improve communication between clubs.
• Forward and advance sailing in all its phases through education and sailing clinics.
• Promote and coordinate interclub, match team racing and other sailing events for and between its members under uniform rules.

Currently there are eleven member clubs with more than four hundred women racing once a week in their respective sailing clubs on both Florida’s West and East Coasts. Membership is open and FWSA welcomes additional sailing clubs. www.fwsa.net

Source: FWSA