Steering the Course 2022 to shine the spotlight on the opportunities for women in sailing

Preparations for the biggest ever Steering the Course global women’s sailing festival are almost complete as 23 national sailing associations, Member National Authorities (MNAs), Yacht Clubs and sailing teams put the finishing touches to nine days of events designed to highlight the opportunities for women and girls in sailing and encourage pathways into coaching and race management.

In just over a week, hundreds of sailors across the world will take to the water for female-led sailing sessions and taster courses. From Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom in Europe, to China and Japan in Asia, South Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Grenada, St. Kitts, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in North America and the Caribbean, this promises to be a truly global event.

“Seeing so many female sailors, coaches and officials come together to demonstrate the opportunities in sailing around the world is inspiring. Last year we saw so many women take their first steps in the sport and return for more, thanks to the mentors at sailing clubs, regattas and the virtual forums organised as part of Steering the Course. This year we hope to go further and inspire even more women to try sailing for the first time, return to the sport, or pursue a new direction within sailing. There are so many opportunities available and Steering the Course is a great way to shine the spotlight on just a few while improving access to the sport for women around the world,” said Catherine Duncan, Training & Development Executive at World Sailing.

“World Sailing is firmly committed to creating opportunities for women and girls to get into sailing, increasing participation and showing the full range of possibilities within the sport. Whether as a hobby or as a pathway to elite level as a sailor or coach, Steering the Course has already shown that there is huge interest in the sport at every level. This year we aim to build on an incredible debut in 2021 and encourage future generations of sailors and sailing enthusiasts to take to the water and see where the sport will take them,” said David Graham, CEO of World Sailing.

Steering the Course extends throughout the year when the Women on Water Regatta gets underway in Germany, Norway and Poland in June, Sweden and Denmark in September and Switzerland in October – just as the Southern Hemisphere edition of Steering the Course kicks off.

In addition, a new eSailing challenge has been launched with the challenge taking place from 23–28 May. Female eSailors will battle it out to be ranked in the top 20, then compete for a place in the eSailing World Championships semi-finals during the Steering the Course festival in October. The races will take place in three locations across the world – Barbados, Copenhagen, Denmark and Plymouth, UK – as part of the May festival, with the boats changing for each location, from ILCA to 49er to Nacra 17, to keep with the festival theme.

The 2022 eSailing Steering the Course Challenge is open to everyone and available to play now on Virtual Regatta Inshore and to download for free on Desktop, iOS or Android.

An extra eSailing Taster Session has also been organised by the Japanese Sailing Federation Female Committee to introduce gamers in Japan to the eSport with the goal of building a national eSailing team.

Full details of planned activities are available here.

Get involved

There is still time to sign up for the 2022 event.

World Sailing is inviting all sailing organisations around the world to sign up to Steering the Course 2022 for a total of 20 days of activities across two festivals:

• Northern Hemisphere, 20-29 May
• Southern Hemisphere, 30 September-9 October

Sign up for Steering the Course 2022 here.

World Sailing is also providing extensive support to organisations running Steering the Course 2022 events with resources ranging from session plans, to banner and T-shirt designs and social media promotion.