Steering the Course 2021
Take a look at the overview of activities that took place in our 2021 edition.
Welcome to Steering the Course 2021
Two festivals took place in 2021 as we wanted to engage new participants at the beginning of the sailing season, so they had a chance to get stuck into the sport, no matter which location they are taking part in. Therefore, we had two festivals, one for Northern Hemisphere MNAs and one for Southern Hemisphere MNAs:
- Northern Hemisphere Festival – Friday 21 to Sunday 30 May 2021
- Southern Hemisphere Festival – Friday 1 to Sunday 10 October 2021
Take a look at some of the activities below:
2021 Activities
Case Studies
- Snipe Class – Raising Numbers – Taking a look at the initiatives the international class association has taken to increase female participation by encouraging back to the sport by creating a female-friendly environment with women running events and clinics, family events and low-cost charter fees.
- The Magenta Project – Mentoring Programme – Started in 2018, the mentoring programme has supported young women to progress along the sailing pathway by connecting them with mentors with similar aspirations. This is a predominantly ‘off-the-water’ project focusing on wider development not just hands on skills, and centres around inspiring talented sailors while addressing issues they face.
- Sail Africa – Girls in Sailing – Based in Durban, South Africa, this project supports the Government’s National Development Plan by introducing girls from townships to sailing and water safety. Sail Africa works with schools to host a weekly sailing class, established a Sailing Club at Durban University of Technology and introduced programmes to build a pathway through to competition level.
- Kanto Intercollegiate Sailing Association – Ladies Championship – The regatta is well-established but female participation in university teams has historically been low. A separate women’s event was developed to aid women’s sailing in Japan and has become the sailing ground for many prominent Japanese female sailors.
eSailing Events
Women’s Inshore eSailing Races (including Practice Races, Semi Finals and a Final)
The winner will receive a direct place to the eSailing World Championships PlayOffs.
Women’s Offshore eSailing Race
After mastering the Inshore version of the game, why not now have a go at an Offshore challenge? A special Steering the Course offshore challenge was hosted in 2021, with sailor racing from Sydney, Australia to Suva, Fiji.
eSailing is a great opportunity to engage more people in sailing whilst also encouraging the message behind Steering the Course.
Discussions
A number of online discussions were held with the aim of inspiring young sailors just starting their journey as well as also asking some of the more complex questions about gender, equity and diversity within sailing.
All of the discussions can be watched on the links below. The discussions included:
- Hear from leading Women in the Sailing talking about their journey to their roles now. Panelists included Olympic Sailor Alessandra Sensini, International Race Officer Maria Torrijo Moll, Danish Coach and Olympic Medalist Jena Mai Hansen, Deutscher Segler Verband President Mona Küppers and Greek Olympic Sailor Emilia Tsoulfa. Watch here.
- Listen as the World Sailing Trust Panel consider recommendations and programmes for sailing to breakdown barriers to equity and inclusion. Watch here.
- During our most recent Southern Hemisphere festival hear from World Sailing Vice-President Sarah Kenny, South African Instructor Elfie Holden, International Race Officer Megan Kensington and Samoa Sailing Association President Raema von Reiche. Watch here.
2021 Report
We produced a report on the activities that took place across 2021. This includes activities from MNA’s, Club and Centres around the world, as well as the actions World Sailing took.
View the report here.