[2] She was born into a sailing family, the youngest of three children of Jane and Tom Fetter; he is a former commodore of San Diego Yacht Club.

An intense competitor, she disliked the fact that girls and boys were viewed differently in sailing.

"[5] At the time, many of the West Coast's leading yacht clubs didn't even have facilities for female sailors.

[7] She was the starting helmsman and tactician for the all-female Mighty Mary USA-34 team for most of the 1995 America's Cup defense trial races, until she was replaced by David Dellenbaugh in a controversial move.

[1] With her then-husband Peter Isler, another champion sailor, she co-wrote the book Sailing for Dummies.