Leading Ladies Seize the Day

[Kim Kaminski]

	The author (center), the owner (the lone male), and the crew of Applejack celebrate their win in the Race for the Roses.

If it’s late July in Pensacola, it’s time for the Race for the Roses, where all-women crews take to the waters to prove who has the competitive stuff in Florida’s panhandle region.  Based out of the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, this popular event not only attracts over 200 female sailors of all ages, but is hailed as one of the only all-female sailing competitions in the southeastern US. 

This year, crews traveled from various clubs along the Gulf Coast and southern Florida for this Gulf Yachting Association-sanctioned event.  Established in 1987 as a way to encourage more women sailors into the local sailboat contests, the Race for the Roses has grown into a highly competitive experience.