Elizabeth "Betsy" Alison

Elizabeth "Betsy" Gelentis Alison (born March 25, 1960) is an American sailor who has been voted Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year five times. She was inducted into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011

Sailing history Alison started sailing sunfish as a child at the behest of her father and, while she did not initially enjoy it, she rapidly enjoyed being with her friends on Barnegat Bay. Starting in 1977, Alison sailed on Upper Mystic Lake while a college student at Tufts University, and there she learned the technical aspects of racing from her teammates. In 1981 she was received honorable mention for college All-American sailor. In 1998 Alison won Women's Match Racing event at the ISAF Sailing World Championships held in Dubai, UAE and was honored with her first ISAF World Sailor of the Year award. Sailing with Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech,

in 1998 Alison began coaching the US team for the World Disabled Sailing Championship and is the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Paralympic coach.

Awards In 1990 and 1991 she won the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy. In 2009, Alison received the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy for her work with adaptive sailing and sailors with disabilities. In 2011 Alison was in the first group of sailors, and the only woman, elected into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame.