Empowering women to sail: All the wonderful initiatives.
Empowering women to sail: All the wonderful initiatives for female sailors
Encouraging women’s sailing means helping women to take to the sea, which is just as much of a dream for them as
it is for men! In fact, the majority of recreational sailors are men. 70% of boat owners are men, 29% are couples and only 1% are women. In the Coboaters club, the number of “female” boat owners corresponds to the above statistic, but we have almost equal numbers of male and female sailing crew members! And yet, when you’re out on the pontoons or signing up for a sailing course, it’s rare to find parity between men and women on board!
How can this disparity be explained, and how can women’s sailing be encouraged?
Breaking down prejudices among men and limiting beliefs among female sailors
Through their upbringing and their social and family environment, men and women are conditioned in their social relationships, and carry with them prejudices (about others) and limiting beliefs (about themselves).
As far as sailing is concerned, it has always been considered a male activity, and the presence of women on board was even suspected, for a long time, of bringing bad luck to the ship! Despite the progress made, there’s still a long way to go to change attitudes in the world of sailing. Women are often underestimated and relegated to second-rate tasks. It therefore seems essential to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality in sailing, and to show that ladies are just as capable of sailing as men!
Although prejudices are tenacious, since the advent of ocean racing in the media, we’ve had the opportunity every day for many years to see sailing women excel in the art of sailing:
- Florence Arthaud, winner of the Route du Rhum in 1990 ;
- Ellen MacArthur, runner-up in the 2000-2001 Vendée Globe, and record-holder for the solo crossing of the Globe in 2005;
- Sam Davies,4th in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe, participated in several Volvo Ocean Races;
- Dee Caffari, 1st woman to sail solo around the world in 2 directions, numerous participations in the Volvo Ocean Race ;
- Isabelle Autissier, first woman to complete a competitive circumnavigation;
- Marie Tabarly, 5 victories in the International 15MJI Championship, winner of the Giraglia Offshore Race 2016, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez…
And let’s not forget Catherine Chabot, Clarisse Crémer and Laura Decker (holder of the record for the youngest solo round-the-world race at the age of 16).
They paved the way for many generations of women sailors, and their legacy continues to inspire and motivate those who aspire to follow in their footsteps in the world of sailing.
Each of these women has achieved feats that most men could not even dream of! So let’s put aside our prejudices and limiting beliefs. Sailing is a sport open to all!
There is therefore no reason to relegate a woman to a secondary role on board, and women have every right to claim a place as competent sailors on board.
A masculine world, in which it may seem difficult for a woman to fit in
To convince ourselves of this, let’s take a look at the classic career path of today’s sailing enthusiast:
- Beginners enroll in sailing schools for on-board courses. To learn to sail a houseboat, the course format most frequently offered by sailing schools is a week-long cruise where you live aboard, sail and learn on a 10-meter sailboat with 6 people on board. The instructor is often a man, and the crew mostly men.
- They take advantage of the opportunities offered by crew exchanges (or co-sailing or co-boating) to gain experience, thanks to the sharing offered by the (mostly male) boat owners they meet.
- They get their first taste of skippering by chartering yachts with family or friends,
- Finally, some of them take the plunge and buy a boat, when their schedules, life plans and finances finally coincide (often at retirement age). By the time a woman reaches this stage, she’s likely to have bought her boat from a male salesperson, will be confronted with male-run boatyards for maintenance, and will be storing her boat in a harbor managed by men.
As you’ll have gathered, this is currently a male-dominated hobby, so women wishing to immerse themselves in boating have to make their way in a male environment.
This immersion can be intimidating, and sometimes even uncomfortable. Indeed, even if the conditions of comfort on our modern sailboats have nothing in common with those experienced by Christopher Columbus’ sailors, the crewed life offered on a sailboat remains a restricted and enclosed space offering a certain promiscuity to the crew: double cabins often shared between trainees, shared toilets, all poorly soundproofed…
So, how can we reverse the paradigm and make crews more feminine?
Encouraging women to sail: solutions exist to achieve this goal!
To motivate more women to take up sailing, it may be necessary to develop an inclusive framework and introduce dedicated initiatives. Women’s participation in sailing should not be the exception, but rather the norm. Women should be encouraged to enroll in sailing courses and classes, participate in regattas and cruises, and take on responsibilities on board.
Nautical events (competitions, sailing seminars) dedicated to women
Aware of the efforts that need to be made in our sport, many yacht clubs and organizations offer specific events for women sailors like Ladies cups, Women seminars, Classes dedicated to women only.
For example, Narragansett Sailing School organizes a women seminar every month in April and you can join groups of sailing women almost anywhere at anytime. Many Yacht clubs welcome women and put together competitions dedicated to women skippers and crew. For example, the Ladies’ Cup Regatta at RIYC
Co-boating and co-sailing: a path to inclusion
Co-boating offers an effective solution for encouraging the participation of women in sailing. A platform like Coboaters, the number one coboating club in North America has a strong female community and is committed to enabling everyone to find their place on board, with the aim of seeing more and more women at the helm of a sailboat or a powerboat.
This type of platform offers a safer environment (identity certification of profiles, member reviews) where women can practice and gain confidence.
It’s possible to get on board with other female crew members, and even to be welcomed by female boat owners! Below you’ll find a video testimonial from Florence and Valérie explaining why they co-boat!
See women boat owners in the VOG club (for registered members only)
The benefits of training courses: building confidence and skills
Co-sailing courses
To break down limiting beliefs, there’s nothing like self-confidence, which is acquired through skills and knowledge. Taking the same training as men is one way of feeling on an equal footing on a boat. The fact remains, however, that finding yourself in a learning situation on a boat made up of men can be intimidating and may not provide optimal learning conditions.
Sailing courses for women
Training courses dedicated to women are an excellent opportunity to begin or perfect your sailing skills, while offering a safer, more serene learning environment. They can also help overcome psychological barriers and boost self-confidence, so that you’re no longer stuck in a role of convenience.
At Coboaters, we can congratulate ourselves on having the most active community of women in North America!
Why join women-only sailing courses
- Encourage female participation: make a difference and encourage women to get involved in the sport by offering a more inclusive environment.
- Create a safe space: some women feel more comfortable in an all-female environment, especially when they are beginners.
- Boost confidence: a sailing course dedicated to women helps build self-confidence and skills without the pressure or intimidation that can sometimes be felt in mixed environments.
- Address specific topics: even if the content and pedagogy are no different from a mixed course. A sailing course dedicated to women can address topics specific to women, such as the physical and emotional challenges associated with sailing, or topics related to health and well-being.
- Promoting equality: by focusing on female participation, a women’s sailing course helps to promote gender equality in sport, and to draw attention to women’s achievements and skills in this field. Ocean racing, although very elitist, proves to us every year that women, including female skippers, are gifted with great seamanship and rich in impressive resources.
Finally, the aim is also to create a community of female co-skippers and co-boaters. Organizing courses or events dedicated to women can help bring together a number of women who are passionate about sailing, and create a community where they can exchange experiences, advice and mutual support.
Our wish is simple: to enable everyone to find their place on board, and to see more and more women at the helm of a sailboat.
So, ladies, are you ready to take the helm?
