The North Coast Women’s Sailing Association has empowered over 2,000 women in competitive sailing since 1996, fostering community and competition.

CLEVELAND — For nearly 30 years, one local organization has been steering women into the world of competitive sailing — and onto Lake Erie’s waters — one race at a time.

Since 1996, the North Coast Women’s Sailing Association (NCWSA) has introduced more than 2,000 women to sailboat racing, building a tight-knit community along the way.

“I feel like I’m on vacation every time I come out here,” said Cindy Einhouse, a founding member of the group.

“Even if you’re having the worst day ever, once you’re on the boat, it doesn’t matter,” said Katy Baumbach, the association’s communication chair. “You’re having a good day.”

But the escape isn’t the only draw. For Liz Wilbur, it’s also about competition.

“The competitive side of me comes out here,” Liz Wilbur, an NCWSA member, said. “It’s a hard sport, and I love that no conditions when you’re sailing are ever the same.”

The association recently held the North Coast Invitational, an event that drew 22 boats crewed entirely by women. The regatta opened with a race honoring the women who founded the group three decades ago.

Einhouse said the association was created to bring more women into what was, at the time, a male-dominated sport.

“This was the first group that encouraged women to get involved with racing,” Einhouse said. “It started primarily with men as coaches because they’re the ones who owned the boats. But over time, a lot of women bought their own boats.”

The North Coast Women’s Sailing Association is all volunteers, including the male coaches who are on the boats. During competitions, they can instruct the crew; they cannot help sail.

The organization started with 80 members. It has since grown to 220 members who race aboard 26 boats on Tuesday evenings from May through September at Edgewater Yacht Club. Its learn-to-race program includes a summer race series, along with educational workshops, social events and leadership opportunities throughout the year.

“The boats are a mix of people who have sailed their whole lives, people who have never sailed before,” Baumbach said. “[You also] learn from people who’ve been doing this for a long time and just see the legacy and see all these women doing really great things, especially when women’s sports are having such a great moment.”

To mark the NCWSA’s 30th anniversary, the group launched the Women’s Event Fund, a new scholarship program designed to help members continue advancing in the sport.

“We’re really excited to have this because it helps remove barriers for people who are looking to get into more sailing outside of the North Coast Women’s programming,” Baumbach said.

The scholarship recently helped send Wilbur to a regatta in Detroit.

“The grant helps cover the registration cost and also any travel and possible housing you might need,” Wilbur said. “It’s really helpful for women that might not have the budget to go do these other opportunities in sailing.”

Heading into the Detroit event, Wilbur said her team kept its expectations modest.

“Our only goal was to not be embarrassingly last and have fun and not hurt anything or anybody,” she said.

Her boat exceeded that goal, finishing third — a result Einhouse said reflects the association’s lasting impact.

“Every time we get new people involved with the group and they get excited about what they’re doing, they get confidence, and then they go out and want to buy their own boat,” Einhouse said. “That’s the ultimate.”

As the association looks to the future, members say the group’s founders remain an active part of its identity.

“It’s great to sail with the original founders and that they’re still out here doing it and encouraging women,” Wilbur said. “I look forward to what the future holds for us.”