Doris Colgate

Before joining the advertising department of Yachting Magazine in 1967, Doris had never been on a sailboat. After taking a course at Offshore Sailing School, she became “hooked” on sailing - and married the school’s founder, Steve Colgate, in 1969.  Doris joined Offshore Sailing School full time as vice president in 1970, became president in 1978 and CEO/President in 2001.

Together, the Colgates have grown Offshore Sailing School from a one-branch, two-instructor, two-boat operation to a widely acclaimed school with multiple branches, more than 40 boats and a staff of instructors unequaled in the industry. The school’s graduates, many of whom came to Offshore having never set foot on a sailboat, now number more than 100,000.

In 1990, Doris founded the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA) to create more awareness of sailing among women and help women build confidence in their sailing skills. The same year she introduced “You Can Sail Escapes” to provide all-women training programs through Offshore Sailing School.

In 1991, Doris launched AdventureSail – a mentoring program for at-risk girls. In 1997, she established the Women’s Sailing Foundation (WSF), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of women and girls through education and access to the sport of sailing.

Doris is listed in Who’s Who of America, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the Southeast, Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in Finance and Who’s Who of the World.  In 1994, she received the Betty Cook Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award from Boating Magazine and International Women in Boating for her work in the marine industry. In 1996, she and Steve were honored with the prestigious SAIL magazine Industry Award for Leadership. In 2003, US SAILING, the national governing body of sailing in the United States, awarded the Colgates the Timothea Larr Trophy in recognition of their outstanding leadership and excellence in sailing education. A year later, Doris received the Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award sponsored by BOAT U.S. and NWSA (falnked by Elaine Dickson – NWSA board member from Boat U.S. on left and NWSA president Val Cook on right).

A member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and former chairman of the Commercial Sailing School Committee for US SAILING, she has been on the BOAT U.S. National Advisory Council since 1997 and served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sail America, the sailing industry association, from 2000-2006.  Currently, she serves on Sail America’s Marketing Committee.

Author of SAILING: A Woman’s Guide, published January 1999 by International Marine/McGraw Hill, Doris received the 2000 Southam Award in the book category for this informative how-to guide for women.  With husband Steve, Doris also co-authored Fast Track to Cruising, published in 2005 by International Marine/McGraw; and Fast Track to Sailing, published in 2009 by International Marine/McGraw-Hill.

Passionate sailors, she and Steve have set sail in some of the best cruising grounds in the world, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, the Pacific Northwest, Maine, French Riviera, the former Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey, Tonga and Tahiti. Racing their own 54’ ocean racer Sleuth and later when Steve co-helmed the 82' maxi-ocean racer Nirvana, the Colgates have competed and sailed in the Caribbean, around Sardinia, in Norway; Palma, Majorca; Bermuda, San Francisco Bay, the Chesapeake and coasts of Florida.

Doris and Steve reside in Ft. Myers, Florida, headquarters of their Offshore Sailing School and Colgate 26 enterprises.

To talk to Doris please call 888-454-7015 or her direct line at 239-985-7511 or just