The conference, sponsored by BoatU.S., is one of three regional events held for women sailors, with others held annually in Marblehead, Mass. and Marina del Rey, Calif. The all-day sailing workshops specifically for women are organized by the National Women's Sailing Association.

Topics for the daylong Port Townsend event include docking and mooring techniques, spinnakers, suddenly single-handed, heavy weather sailing, GPS charting, taking the helm, as well as recovering crew overboard, tacking and gybing and more.

The conference includes continental breakfast, lunch with guest speaker Nancy Erley, handouts and raffle prizes. Erley, a world-class navigator, will speak on "Women Sailing Around the World" and share her experiences from her two circumnavigations aboard her 38-foot sailboat, Tethys.

A delivery captain and founder of Tethys Offshore Sailing, Erley teaches the skills to take a small boat across oceans and is an instructor for the International Sail and Power Association. She also holds a USCG 50-ton Master of Oceans license and is the 2006 honoree of the Leadership in Women's Sailing Award.

The cost is $100 for NWSA members and $130 for non-members. The event is limited to 50 people. For information or to register go to http://www.WomenSailing.org or call Linda Newland at (360) 379-1582.

Reprinted with permission from Trade Only Today.