by kAtE HAnzAlik

Every Wednesday night during the summer, Cazenovia Lake is teeming with colorful sunfish. It’s been this way since 1991 and it’s somewhat of a phenomenon, in that the sunfish are boats navigated by phenomenal women with penchants for sailing, self-reliance, and community. They are the Women of Willowbank, or the WOWs, the largest fleet at Willow Bank Yacht Club.

“I remember [Andrea Moreau] going from table to table one evening [at WBYC] recruiting for WOW,” said fleet co-captain Beecher Graham, one of the first WOWs. “Her enthusiasm was contagious. I had not sailed, but immediately said yes.” Sicne then Graham said the WOWs have been sailing, facing all kinds of weather and water conditions.

“We’ve sailed in all types of weather: days where you could sit in the hull, feet on the deck and control the boat with your fingers on the tiller and hand on the mainsheet,” Graham said. “And other days with the boat heeled over in howling gusty winds revealing the underside of the boat.”

Paula Stanton is a rtetired Spanish teacher.

“I joined WOW because Beecher Graham was unrelenting in her invitation to experience sailing Sunfish with wonderful women on Cazenovia Lake,” she said. Today, Stanton can’t imagine her future without the fleet.

“I love remembering times with our longtime sailors of 75 to 85 years – priceless! And, I want to be here when I’m that age,” Stanton said. Many WOWs see the fleet as an opportunity for themselves.

Susan Anthony reflected on joining the group in the early 1990s.

“At that time some of us were breaking free of full-time child care and were moving on to the life that we had left behind as we raised our families,” Staton said. “We decided that WOW would be a chance for us to improve our skills as sailors, build community with other likeminded women and to have fun and share our lives. Today we have accomplished all of that and continue to share our experiences with other Women of Willowbank.”

Sharon Jasek is a retired family nurse practitioner. “I loved sailing but put it on hold to spend all of my time with family,” she said. “When they grew up, I knew I wanted to get back into it. I forgot a lot and didn’t know where to begin. I finally found Willow Bank (after 10 years of looking) and immediately