Membership in the Salty Sisters
Membership Applications for 2018 are closed!
Applications for the 2019 Salty Sisters Class will open March 1, 2019
GENERAL INFORMATION
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO:
The Salty Sisters of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) was founded in 1951 by a group of ten women interested in sailboat racing. Today the group boasts a membership of over two hundred who continue the tradition. To that end, we annually hold classes for women who would like to become Salty Sisters. Classes include the fundamentals of sailing, racing rules, racing skills and race management. Throughout the year, we continue to improve our skills with regular seminars and classes given by members and guest speakers.
Salty Sisters sail almost every Wednesday morning. We compete with one another in prams, IODs, 420s, Sonars, Ideal 18s and Sunfish. We also compete against other clubs with similar programs. When weather or a club regatta does not permit us to sail, we have an education session. Lunch at the yacht club follows our Wednesday sailing and classes.
In addition to sailing, Salty Sisters participate in other activities both on and off the water. These have included parties, kayak and canoe trips, visits to museums and attractions, and long cruises. We are also very actively involved with the SPYC sponsored sailboat regattas, making up a large portion of the race committee personnel.
WHO MAY APPLY:
Membership in the Salty Sisters is open to wives of members of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and to women who are members on their own. Applications and a General Information letter will be available March 1, 2019 at the front desks of SPYC downtown and Pass-A-Grille. Due to a limited class size, the applications will be considered in the order in which they are received.
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants will be required to pass [A] a Water Survival Test consisting of four parts: 1) staying afloat for five minutes without a life jacket; 2) swimming twenty-five yards; 3) then donning a life jacket while in the water and swimming—all while fully clothed;(4) lastly climbing out of the water into a safety boat; and [B] an On-the-Water Sailing Test given by the Salty Sisters shall include safely leaving and returning to the dock, tacking, gybing and other abilities applicable to sailing a boat. Please feel free to contact Trisha Birkenstock or Els Wiemken, Membership Chair, if you have any questions with regard to any of the testing procedures.
Upon successful completion of the swim & sailing testing as described above, applicants will attend eight weeks of Salty Sister sailing classes. Candidates shall then have to complete ten (10) days of participation prior to the last week of September 2019. To maintain their membership, they must participate in another ten (10) days of participation the following year ending September 2020.
After successful completion of the 8-week session of sailing classes, new members will be welcome to take part in all Salty Sister activities and will be given a handbook and name badge. A formal welcome and charm presentation will take place at the next October Annual Meeting.
Each new member will be required to provide her own U.S Coast Guard Certified Life Vest. Information on life jackets will be available at our first meeting. Every applicant must sign a standard waiver, releasing Salty Sisters and the St. Petersburg Y.C. from liability for any injury suffered during Salty Sister activities.
CONTACT EMAIL: Membership@saltysisters.org
[The Salty Sisters are actively seeking women who are physically able to enjoy the
active sport of sailing. If you would like to join us and are not certain of your abilities
or new to the sport, we suggest taking advantage of one of our local sailing classes –
especially the one offered by our own staff at the St. Pete Sailing Center.]