---
title: Interview with Emily Augello, Program Director of the East Bay Sailing Foundation
description: Discover how Emily Augello and the East Bay Sailing Foundation empower women in sailing through dedicated programs and community building.
---

[News | Narragansett Bay Yachting Association (NBYA)](https://nbya.org/news)

# [Interview with Emily Augello, Program Director of the East Bay Sailing Foundation](https://nbya.org/news/interview-with-emily-augello-program-director-of-the-east-bay-sailing-foundation)

 Written by [NBYA](https://nbya.org/news/author/nbya) | Nov 14, 2026, 6:26:22 PM

Photo: Richard W. Dionne Jr., East Bay RI

### Bristol Yacht Club's Susan Grandpierre sat down with EBSF Director Emily Augello to discuss her success at getting women's sailing off the ground at Bristol. They started with a Women's Learn-to-Race Clinic and have expanded since.

### *Augello was the recipient of US Sailing’s Outstanding Program Director Award in 2025.*

**Susan:** The EBSF Women’s sailing program got its start in 2024 when we received a  
$100,000 grant from Diana Kryston and Cynthia Simmons to reach out to current and  
potential women sailors and give them more opportunities to improve their skills and to  
enjoy the sport of sailing. We had little idea then what interests women had in sailing beyond what they were already doing or the coed youth and adult courses we offered.

 

When asked Bristol Yacht Club women if they were interested in programs specifically for women, the response was so enthusiastic that a group of them started a winter program for women on sailing topics—now in its third year. That enthusiasm plus the support and encouragement from Bristol YC’s leadership convinced us to offer women-only sailing classes in 2025. The club had some excellent women sailors who enjoyed team racing, but two efforts to hold women’s team race regattas were unsuccessful. Emily, what happened then?

 

**Emily:** We realized that not enough women in our community were willing to sail up to a starting line so we decided to build the sailors with lessons in our first Women’s Learn-to-Race Clinic.

**Susan:** What were the challenges to starting up women-only classes?

 

**Emily:** The challenge was finding enough women instructors. I was really committed and  
still am to having women’s sailing at EBSF be 100% female led. It is completely different  
environment from our co-ed lessons. Women feel comfortable taking ownership on the boat. They ask questions and encourage each other. They love to share their experiences, good and bad, so that others can learn from them. They see their female instructors leading the way, and they can see themselves doing the same.

**Susan:** What helped the program succeed?

**Emily:** Listening to what students want. We started off with the basics: Learning to sail,  
learning the lingo, getting time on the tiller, understanding how the boat works, how to  
navigate the harbor. Trying mooring landings and communication within the boat. How to  
sail in a big wind and almost none.

 

**Susan:** What impact has the program had on women students?

 

**Emily:** It gave women an entry point into the sport. It can be an intimidating sport. If you  
have never sailed before it can seem hard to break in.

 

I often see that women are looking for community. They come to our sailing classes to  
meet other women they can learn and sail with. Many of our students have gone off and  
sailed with people that they have met in class. They are sailing on their own through  
Tiller Time and looking for more ways to get out on the water: joining Wednesday night  
racing, cruising, etc. We have a group of women chartering a boat for the season and  
racing in our club series.

**Susan:** Why are women–specific sailing programs important?

**Emily:** The goal isn't to keep women in women–only programs forever. The goal is to  
give them the skills and confidence to go wherever they want to go in sailing. Women  
should be racing, cruising, teaching, owning boats, sailing offshore, running yacht clubs,  
and leading sailing organizations. A women's program can be a pathway to getting there.

 

**Susan:** What impact has the program had on EBSF?

 

**Emily:** Women's sailing has had a huge impact on EBSF. Our first year we offered one  
night of women’s sailing a week; this year we opened a second section. It is clear there  
was a need in the community we are now filling. It has expanded the EBSF community to  
new students who might not have otherwise participated.

 

Plus women who joined are showing up for EBSF’s volunteer days. They're helping us  
organize our fundraising gala. That they're really all in on the community and joining us  
is fantastic, but I think it's also helped us create a culture where we are more intentional  
about asking – we are looking at who else isn't here and how can we better include them  
and make sailing more accessible to everyone.

**Susan:** What’s necessary to start up a successful women's program?

**Emily:** First you need interest and a reason to show up. Start building the community and  
connecting the women. Finding how many women in your community are looking for an  
outlet or a way into sailing is helpful; then understand what they want. Do they want to  
race? Do they want to cruise or pleasure sail? Are they looking for instruction? What does  
your community need?

You can do land–based learning, lectures, socials and clinics to build the community and  
open the door for women to learn. Sailing socials can connect women to boat owners.  
You can bring in boats for a one-off clinic off-season or even in season, or do chalk talks,  
or have a speaker series. Bristol Yacht Club has a Commodore’s Cup race that exposes  
kids and adult students to big boats. The biggest thing is building that community so  
people can connect. They'll find a way to get out in the water.

**Susan:** WOWRI got started because we thought other women in Narragansett Bay might  
have similar unmet sailing interests. What advice do you have for WOWRI to reach these  
women?

**Emily:** There’s already a great deal of women sailing across the bay in different forms.  
WOWRI is a way to connect all of us and grow the community.

Just shining a light on them and connecting people so that they know what's happening is  
important. I'm not a Rhode Island native and being a part of a program like EBSF and  
junior NBYA, I learned all the different clubs in the area. But if you're not in my position,  
it could be hard to figure out where to start.

WOWRI can present all the available opportunities right now. WOWRI can create a  
network for women so they don't feel like they are figuring it all out alone. If WOWRI  
can make it easier for women to find a boat, find a crew, find a mentor or a group to sail  
with, that's incredibly valuable.

**Susan:** Thanks Emily for sharing your experience with us. Final comments or advice for  
women sailors?

**Emily:** There are 100s of ways in the bay to get on the water with the larger sailing  
community. Put yourself on crew boards, show up for the weekly series as crew on the  
dock, come to a clinic at EBSF for lessons. There are a lot of ways to get out there.  
Don’t underestimate yourself. If you want to learn, sign up for a class. If you want to  
race, sail up to the line. If you want to own a boat, buy one. Sure there will be mistakes  
along the way, but the only way to become a sailor is to go sailing.

What I love about sailing is that there is room for everyone. There are so many ways to  
participate and we are all still learning. I will spend my entire life learning how to sail.

 

*Emily Augello, Program Director of the East Bay Sailing Foundation’s (EBSF) instructional program since 2024, has years of experience teaching youngsters and adults to sail. She was the recipient of US Sailing’s 2025 Outstanding Program Director Award. In the sailing season, she and her partner, Micum McIntire, live in Bristol Harbor aboard Après, their 57 foot cutter.*

 

 

[View full post](https://nbya.org/news/interview-with-emily-augello-program-director-of-the-east-bay-sailing-foundation)

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