A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

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The aphorism "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats" was first popularized by John F. Kennedy in a speech 1963 and is usually applied to economics.

However, let's imagine applications for the concept of a rising tide lifting all boats, or  people, in the maritime universe. If we welcome more boats into our  racing fleet, doesn’t that improve the level of competition? If we invite more people from different backgrounds to come sailing with us, doesn’t that suggest the probability that we'll have a wider range of talents and gifts among sailors on the boat?

If we welcome sailors from previously underrepresented communities into sailing, might we discover previously untapped talent? Might all participants grow by learning about diverse cultures? Might we begin to heal the divisions that exist in our society today?

This concept is the motivation behind our work with the Women on the Water sailing program, AdventureSail, sailing program scholarships and other initiatives. 

The concept also underlies our sixth annual Riverport Women's Sailing Conference, which is a joint program with The Sailing School at HRMM and Kingston Sailing Club. We pivoted to virtual events in 2020 and 2021, but we are excited to return to an in-person format for the sixth annual conference on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Please mark your calendars!

All presenters will be expert women mariners, and the thrust of the conference is to introduce women to sailing, build people's sailing skills, and boost sailors' confidence in a woman-centric environment. All women are encouraged to attend, and we are open to male participants joining us as well.  

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​In this image, a Women on the Water crew enjoys sailing together on the Hudson. 

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Let’s inspire each other.  Let’s work together to solve problems, bridge gaps and learn from each other.  We hope you  will join us on March 25, 2023. 

For more information, please go to https://www.hrmm.org/riverport-womens-sailing-conference.html.