Celebrating the success of Steering the Course, one month on

Steering the Course, our first ever global women’s sailing festival, was enjoyed by women and girls all over the world in the Northern Hemisphere-based first edition between 21 – 30 May 2021.

Find out more about Steering the Course

Over the course of the 10 days, sailing clubs from 20 different countries ran events which focused on encouraging female participation in the sport.
 
Several online discussions were held and centred around participation, diversity and inclusion in sailing, such as the discussion panel on that very subject by the World Sailing Trust live on YouTube, and EUROSAF’s Inspiring Women panel. Clubs and classes also held their own online events, with the opportunity to allow people to meet virtually key to increasing involvement.

Additionally, Virtual Regatta put on a special Steering the Course eSailing challenge, which attracted thousands of players and also awarded a place in the 2021 eSailing World Championship PlayOffs to the highest-ranked female eSailor. Any new players will have found a welcoming and friendly online community in Virtual Regatta and we hope everyone enjoyed taking part in the challenge.
 
On social media, we could see hundreds of uses of the #SteeringTheCourse hashtag across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and it was great to elevate some of the great work being done to encourage female participation all over the world on our own channels.

A full and detailed report from the festival, plus case studies showcasing some of the stand-out clubs and programmes involving women in sailing, will soon be made available to those who participated. The report and case studies will be available to download on sailing.org, but please feel free to contact training@sailing.org to obtain a virtual copy directly.

The Southern Hemisphere edition of Steering the Course is planned for 1-10 October 2021.
 

Here are five examples of the amazing events and initiatives held worldwide during Steering the Course:

Hebe Haven Yacht Club (HKG)
Hebe Haven held an incredible 10 days of sailing activities, including regattas, taster sessions, quiz nights and fitness activities.
The drew in local sponsors and radio and press attention, featuring on a host of national channels and print media.

Antigua and Barbuda Sailing Association
80 women and girls took part in the Try Sailing day on Sunday 30th May. Because the response was so overwhelming, they planned a second day on Sunday 6th June and scheduled weekly women’s sailing classes starting Sunday 13th June.
 
Guam Sailing Federation
The Marianas Yacht Club hosted a Spring Sailing Class focused on female participation (but open to all), held each Saturday from 17 April to 29 May. It was timed to finish during the festival so the students could graduate and culminate their class with a race. A taster event was then held on 30 May.
As a result of these activities, the yacht club now has a dedicated and enthusiastic crew of new youth sailors, made up mostly of girls, and four new female members of the club who are keen to set up a programme of women’s sailing classes.
 
Royal Yachting Association (GBR)
The RYA embarked on a substantial 10-day programme of social media activation across their main and regional channels. Stories from participants, coaches, instructors, officials and sailors alike were highlighted.
Opportunities to find out more about becoming an instructor, coach and officials were also available with special information sessions.

Dansk Sejlunion (DEN)
Hosted an online conference to present the central findings from their own survey of women in boating.
In addition, they discussed two themes during the evening: gender-discriminatory behaviour in sailing sports, as well as men and women’s perception of boating and voluntary life. They also heard from a club that has succeeded especially well in creating a thriving life for the women in the club.
During the festival, clubs were also encouraged to host open activities and forums.