Riverport Women's Sailing Conference
Hosted by the Sailing School at Hudson River Maritime Museum and Kingston Sailing Club , the Riverport Women's Sailing Conference is held in-person, on land at HRMM in Kingston, New York. This annual gathering of sailors and aspiring sailors welcomes people who have not traditionally been able to learn to sail into the maritime community and offers them the opportunity to build and improve their sailing skills. Each year, the conference includes keynote events on Friday evening, followed by a full Saturday of hands-on workshops and presentations on a range of topics. All presentations are done by expert women sailors. People of all genders are encouraged to attend.
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Pre-Conference Keynote Events
Friday, March 27, 5:00 to 8:00 pm Frank Guido's Little Italy, 14 Thomas St., Kingston, NY 5:00 - 6:00 pm Free Social Hour with a cash bar 6:00 - 6:30 pm Free Keynote Presentation 6:30 - 8:00 Keynote Dinner. Cost is $60 for a delicious three-course family style meal. Please be sure to register for both the Keynote Dinner and the Conference.
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2026 RWSC Keynote Speaker Nancy DeVries began sailing in mid-life and has owned four sailboats in the years since her first purchase of a 19’ sailboat in 1980, She has cruised, raced, and won races with her boats in waters between New York City, Newport and Nantucket. She raced four times in the Marion/Bermuda Race, and during the 4th time, Nancy was the skipper of the only all-female crewed entry. Nancy has a USCG Master 100-ton license, and she has made numerous deliveries as a hired captain between Maine and Florida and points in the Caribbean. Nancy has accumulated close to 70,000 blue water miles including offshore racing to Bermuda, Cuba, and Mexico. She has also sailed three trans-Atlantics, along the coasts of Sweden, Norway, in the Mediterranean, and large sections of the Pacific. For many years, Nancy taught new Beneteau owners and Basic Sailing classes for Great Hudson Sailing Center, Haverstraw, NY, first as an instructor and later as director of sailing. From 2000-2004. She was also a part-time coach for the NY Maritime College offshore sailing team. Nancy is a past Commodore of the Hudson Cove Yacht Club, past Commodore of the Long Island Sound Sabre Association, and a past president of The Women's Networking Forum, TWIN.
Not just a Hudson River Sailor Keynote Presentation by Nancy DeVries
The naysayers suggested that a river was a poor way to begin an extraordinary sailing life. Now almost 70,000 blue water miles later, Captain Nancy DeVries contradicts that, shares how it all began, and inspires us as she sails into her ninth decade.
The naysayers suggested that a river was a poor way to begin an extraordinary sailing life. Now almost 70,000 blue water miles later, Captain Nancy DeVries contradicts that, shares how it all began, and inspires us as she sails into her ninth decade.
2026 Riverport Women's Sailing Conference
Saturday, March 28, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Hudson River Maritime Museum Woodworking School, 86 Rondout Landing, Kingston, NY
• Registration and Light Breakfast
• Morning Workshops Include: Lines & Knots, Sailboat Ownership, Sailboat Racing, Diesel Engines, Maritime Licenses, Your Strength, Navigation, Ms. Regatta, Outboard Engines, Museum Tour
• Catered Lunch and Networking at the Woodworking School
• Afternoon Workshops Include: Women LighthouseKeepers, Navigation, Diesel Engines, Rig Tuning, Safe Navigation Around Large Vessels, Diesel Engines, Sailboat Ownership
• Concluding Panel Discussion: Five Female Maritime Professionals Speak on Working in the Maritime Fields
Saturday, March 28, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Hudson River Maritime Museum Woodworking School, 86 Rondout Landing, Kingston, NY
• Registration and Light Breakfast
• Morning Workshops Include: Lines & Knots, Sailboat Ownership, Sailboat Racing, Diesel Engines, Maritime Licenses, Your Strength, Navigation, Ms. Regatta, Outboard Engines, Museum Tour
• Catered Lunch and Networking at the Woodworking School
• Afternoon Workshops Include: Women LighthouseKeepers, Navigation, Diesel Engines, Rig Tuning, Safe Navigation Around Large Vessels, Diesel Engines, Sailboat Ownership
• Concluding Panel Discussion: Five Female Maritime Professionals Speak on Working in the Maritime Fields
Tuition: $125 public; $110 HRMM members.
Youth sailors (ages 14 - 20), email [email protected] for a 20% discount code.
Please be sure to register for both the Keynote Dinner and the Conference
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Traveling? Special Conference Hotel Rate ($129 per night for up to four people) Best Western Plus Kingston Hotel and Conference Center.
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2025 Conference Photos
2025 Keynote Speaker Dawn Riley
2024 Conference Photos
More than 70 experienced and aspiring sailors joined us for the 7th Riverport Women's Sailing Conference took place on March 22 and 23. It kicked off with a fascinating keynote presented by Captain Nitzan Levy where she shared her part of Revitalizing the Boating Community in the New York Harbor. Then, on Saturday, conference attendees had the opportunity to take hands-on workshops led by 13 accomplished women mariners covering an array of topics including Outboard Engine Troubleshooting, Essential Knots, Sail Care and Repair, Diesel Engine Maintenance, Blue Water Passages, and Terrestrial Navigation. Additional talks and networking events gave conference attendees the chance to meet and learn from some of the most inspiring women sailors in our region.
Photos from Earlier Years
