If you have been sailing with for a while, this information will not surprise you: A lot of sailors are women sailors. But why?

Why so many sailors are women sailors?

Sailing is a popular recreational activity in North America, enjoyed by people of all genders. While it is difficult to determine the exact percentage of women sailors, there are many women who enjoy this sport and are active participants in sailing clubs, yacht clubs and other boating events. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on increasing female participation in sailing events, with organizations and initiatives dedicated to encouraging women to get involved in the sport.

For example, the Women’s Sailing Association – San Francisco Bay Area offers programs and events specifically for women, including clinics, regattas, and social gatherings. Similarly, the Women’s Sailing Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes opportunities for women and girls in sailing through education, training, and mentorship. Overall, while sailing may have historically been seen as a male-dominated sport, there is a growing recognition of the contributions and potential of women in the sailing community, and efforts are being made to ensure that sailing is a welcoming and inclusive sport for people of all genders.

Female sailors are active all over the world. In North America, we can mentioned that a large number of crew finder network members are women sailors. Let’s try to understand why. 

Why women sailors are crew members?

Most of the women are crew members. You will find beginners, experienced crew members as well as some very experienced and passionate boat owners. They join sailing community to improve their sailing network, meet new friends and spend more time on the water. Most of the time female sailors are very friendly and open minded. They represent 40% of Coboaters members. It is huge!

This is very good news for all of us as it shows that women feel safe and that they can find a boat or a crew.

As you probably know, Coboaters.com is a sailing network where people meet and learn to know each other. Their goal is to sail together.

We do our best to select our members and encourage everyone to fill up their profile and to have their ID checked. Our goal is to connect confident boaters, men and women sailors alike.  You can have your own experience: Create your FREE profile to join the community

Why 40% women sailors in crew finder clubs?

1. On Coboaters, you meet enjoyable and nice men and women sailors.

Coboaters is based on membership. Those fees are minimal and allows our team to maintain a good level of service and to keep the website running. It is also a good way to make sure our members are motivated and serious about boating.

When fees are required and profile details are needed, we are unlikely to see:

• Dreamers, who think they will sail, but never cast off;

• The profiteers, who think that living on others’ goodwill and money is good philosophy;

• Those who have “not so good” boats because they don’t have the means to maintain them;

• The web swindlers, who will not pay a membership fee try to swindle members when it is possible to do it for free via other sites.

2. Coboaters does everything possible to generate trust among its members.

We implemented several features for women sailors to feel safe:

1. Reviews between members after a boating event;

2. Profile certification and ID checked

3. The possibility to become a super Coboater. A super Coboater is someone who had welcomed a large number of crew and got only positive reviews. If you are a super Coboater you are likely to find the best crew!

Three best things to do if you are a woman who wants to sail often?

There are a few best practices to follow if you want to sail often with other crew members:

1. Take time to find out about the people you are going to meet, their boats, and their sailing projects.

2. Coboaters is not a dating site. Do not be surprised if women contact men and ask for more details. People on this website want to spend time on the water and enjoy boating. That’s all.

3. Introduce yourself before meeting someone on a boat. It is common sense to make sure you will be with the right person. Chat online, talk over the phone.

To conclude, keep in mind that Coboaters is not only a crew finder website, It is a club where people meet and have fun. It is a social network.  Women sailors are very welcome and we are very proud to see that so many of them are very active and find what they are looking for.

Women sailors’ testimonials:

Sailor Wendy about verification and detailed profile:

I’m looking forward to being a part of this awesome community! Coboaters fulfills an important need by uniquely providing a safe way for boaters to connect… I’m particularly impressed by Coboater’s verification and detailed profile system that other platforms simply do not offer. Thank you Phil for creating this opportunity for people who love getting out on the water!

Captain Julianne experience:

I do welcome new crew, but as of now I have 2 already aboard (that I met via Coboaters), so would like to compliment that with folks with experience. My “racing” is very casual, My boat is a passagemaking boat with lots of sails to play with.

Shannon: a young and amazing sailing woman:

What a gem of a website! When I first started sailing, I had zero clue how/where to connect with other sailors, captains, crew, etc. This summer, Coboaters opened up my life to a whole new community of like-minded people, and I am so excited for more experiences in new places. I’ve met some wonderful people and have gotten to improve my sailing skills from great mentors!

There are a lot of great sailing champions and Kirsten Neuschafer is the first women to win an Around the world race. Here is what she had to say after her victory in April 2023: “I wanted to win not as a woman, but at equal terms with all skippers.”