Steering the Course unites the sport behind promoting pathways for women in sailing

Focusing on building pathways within the sport, Race Management Clinics were organised in the Bahamas and delivered by Maria Torrijo and Fabien Bach, two of the world’s top sailing race management experts, ahead of the 2023 Fidelity Bahamas Optimist National Championship the following weekend – with sailors from the Bahamas, USA and Cayman Islands all competing, which allowed some participants to put their new-found skills straight into practice.

Maria and Fabien also visited St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada to teach locally-based sailing coaches. In St Vincents, 13 club officials and sailors from across the islands took part in interactive courses, introducing topics such as course-laying, starting, and finishing sequences, scoring protocols, rules and penalties.

Vanessa Hadley from Vincy Sailing Club said, “It was such a great clinic and will raise our standard of competition to an international level. I’m looking forward to putting what we have learned into practice.”

In Grenada, 16 attendees took part – including ten local Grenadian women – with the goal of teaching more local people to sail, gaining vocational qualifications for a career in the sailing industry and acquiring the skills required to host international competitions in the islands.

Yacht Club Uruguayo held a seven-day Women’s Technical Course for Coaches Level 1, funded by World Sailing, with 15 coaches – 13 from Uruguay and two from neighbouring Argentina.

The course was led by World Sailing Coach Developers Maria Hackerott (BRA) and Hernan Vila (ARG) and the coaches will now go on to work in Learn to Sail programs at their home sailing clubs.

Maria said, “We had a week of lots of experimentation with didactics and methodologies applied to teaching sailing. Over the days we created bonds, and the group became a network of women who support each other. It was beautiful to see the exchange of experiences that took place. Furthermore, I felt that a course just for women provides an environment in which students are more comfortable asking questions and taking a stand.”

In Brazil, 13 women from across the country gathered for the Steering the Course Race Management Clinic held at Marina de Gloria, Rio de Janeiro. Clinic Instructors Ricardo Navarro and Anne Malledant descried the clinic as a “really positive event, attendees very motivated, good discussions”.

Attendees will now look to hone their skills before many take up roles as officials at the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships in Búzios, in December.

The first and longest-running series of events in this edition of Steering the Course was organised in South Africa where South African Sailing held women’s sailing regattas all across the Western Cape Province. The Ladies Only Learn to Sail Weekends started in George Lakes and Theewaterskloof Sports Club then headed to Zeekoevlei and Mossel Bay. A Women Helming cruise and pursuit race also took place at the Vogelvlei Yacht Club.

Australian Sailing and Yachting New Zealand organised the 2023 SheSails Leadership Conference to highlight just some of the opportunities in sailing for women. Featuring prominent figures in each nation, including Jenny Armstrong, Women’s Sailing Manager at Yachting New Zealand, leading sports physiologists and physiotherapists, Carolijn Brouwer, World Champion, Volvo Ocean Race Winner and Australian Sailing Team Coach, and Nic Douglass, Media Professional and TV Commentator for SailGP, the conference showed the range of openings in sailing that extend far beyond competing.

And finally, in Greece the Hellenic Sailing Federation held another successful edition of their HSF Sailing Program where women from across the country took the opportunity to sail offshore boats in the gulf of Eleusis and explore sailing. The Nautical Club of Elefsina also held an Optimist race to demonstrate the depth of young talent in the country. The city of Eleusis has been recognised as the Cultural Capital of Europe and all those actions are supported by the Municipality of Elefsina and the Organizing Committee of the ‘Cultural Capital of Europe’.

More events are planned in the coming weeks, with Second Star Sailing in Antigua hosting the Women At The Helm Sailing Courses in Jolly Harbour from 1 November to increase female participation and teaching the skills required to skipper boats of all sizes.

A Race Management Clinic is scheduled to take place in Hayama Harbour, Kanagawa, Japan, from 11-12 November to enhance the skills of race management officials with a view to growing the sport and encouraging greater female participation.

Steering the Course will return in 2024. For more information about Steering the Course please visit the World Sailing website.