FWSA Awards Rosie Simpson ‘25 Young Woman Sailor of the Year

Florida Women’s Sailing Association on the west coast of Florida has promoted women in sailing since 1973. One of the most significant ways they promote women in sailing is through their annual Young Woman Sailor of the Year Award. This prestigious award signifies both accomplishment within the sport of sailing as well as a monetary award that helps the sailor continue their sailing career. This year’s award was given to Outstanding Sailor Rosie Simpson ‘25 for her impressive abilities on the water. 

Sailing has been Rosie’s passion for the past ten years, taking her through a wide range of sailing classes beginning with the Optimist and progressing to the ILCA4, Club 420, J70 and currently the high-performance Nacra 15.  

Rosie has represented Team USA twice, once in France where she finished 3rd overall girl and once in Spain. She has also qualified for the US Sailing Team and will continue her sailing career at the collegiate level at Old Dominion University in Virginia this fall.

Rosie has been traveling to Ft Lauderdale every weekend this past year to train with the Lauderdale Yacht Club Nacra 15 Sailing Team. She is now skippering a Nacra 15 FCS (Flight Control System), the foiling version of the Nacra 15 which is a pathway to the Olympic Nacra 17. Rosie is the only female skipper on the Ft. Lauderdale Team.  

In January 2025, Rosie earned a spot on the 2025 US Sailing Junior National Team in the Nacra 15. This July, she will be competing in the Nacra 15 World Championships in La Rochelle, France. After this competition, she hopes to spend the rest of her summer at Oakcliff Sailing helping other young sailors master the Nacra 15 and maybe experience foiling for the first time. 

Sailing has taught Rosie how to lead, fail forward, be brave and grow. She believes in the power of the sport to transform lives and is committed to helping more girls see what is possible on and off the water.