Donna Crocker didn’t travel to St. Thomas expecting to take the helm of an IC24 sailboat at race starts. A lifelong sailor from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a member of the Annisquam Yacht Club, Crocker had only a little racing experience. She simply wanted to take part in the Women’s Regatta Camp, held Jan. 25–30, out of the St. Thomas Sailing Center at the St. Thomas Yacht Club, to build skills so she could join local yacht club regattas back home.
Four days into the week-long camp, that plan had shifted. Still on the water late in the afternoon, with warm sun overhead and 15 to 18 knots of steady trade-wind breeze, Crocker paused to text a close friend: “I drove the boat for six of seven starts in the last two days, and we finished first in all but two races.” The clinic, a birthday present to herself, provided the hands-on coaching, instant camaraderie with sailors who were formerly strangers, and the confidence for the New Englander to step into the helm and lead a fleet. That leap — from limited racing experience to driving starts and winning — is exactly what this second annual Women’s Regatta Camp is designed to deliver.
A dozen women from several U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands embarked on this second annual event, run by the STSC in partnership with Sailing World and Team One Newport. The signature format combined coaching by world-class Olympic, one-design World Champion, and Match Racing-winning women sailors with round-the-buoys and round-the-islands racing on converted J/24s called IC24s.
“The women came in hungry to learn,” says Beka Schiff, elite collegiate sailor at the College of Charleston and Match Racing National Champion with extensive J/70 and Melges 24 experience, who is currently based in Florida. “They asked more ‘why’ questions than I’ve ever seen, which pushed the coaching to a high level. It was a firehose of information — starts, maneuvers, teamwork — but balanced with beach breaks, island lunches, and pizza nights. Even on the lay day, everyone wanted more, so we spent three hours just answering questions. What really stood out was watching sailors who had never sailed together, and some brand-new to key roles, quickly come together as a team, get competitive, and get good fast. It was intense, productive, and genuinely fun.
“The five-day Women’s Regatta Camp kicked off with two days of classroom sessions followed by on-the-water practices with on-board coaching, and a video debrief at day’s end. Olympian and St. Thomas native Nikki Barnes stepped away from her 2028 Olympic campaign in the Mixed 470 to serve as Head Coach. Barnes was joined by Schiff and professional sailing trailblazer Martha Parker, who has an Olympic campaign and World and national champion titles to her credit.
“I heard about this camp through a women’s chat group at the Chicago Yacht Club, where I’m a member,” says Jennifer Brand, a camp sailor. “I took a Basic Keelboat course this summer, so this was very much a beginner experience for me. What I liked the best was the education. I learned more than I could absorb in a week. I could take this camp multiple times and learn something new every time. Also, the camaraderie, the location, Bobby Brooks, the Sailing Center director as a host, and the quality of the coaches.”
The mid-week lay day included a morning education session followed by sailing Hobie Waves to the floating pizzeria, Pizza Pi, for lunch. Later, Camp sailors took a ferry to neighboring St. John for dinner.
The week concluded with two exhilarating regatta days featuring buoy and short-distance races, culminating in an Awards Ceremony.
“The biggest benefit for me was learning how to fly the spinnaker,” says Linda Giles, who spends part of the year on St. Thomas and participates in regular IC24 sailing and the remainder in Annapolis, MD, where she sails with the Universal Sailing Club in Baltimore. “Setting the pole used to intimidate me so much that I’d always say no, but the coaching made it manageable and clear. Now I’m confident with the pole, the sheets, and the spinnaker work, and that opens a whole new part of sailing for me. It’s practical, hands-on learning that I’ll be using right away — and it’s exactly why I’d recommend this camp to other women.”
