‘Are you okay to do that?’
I write this from the perspective of a woman who loves boats, yacht racing and all things on the water. I can safely say that the tides have not turned for women on the water. As a woman who has been brought up on boats, raced and competed in global and regional regattas and worked in the yachting industry, as soon as I get on a boat the question still remains ‘are you sure you’re okay to do that?’. The usual response is a fake smile and ‘I think I might be fine’.
I returned from a beautiful trip to Croatia a few weeks ago. Onboard there was a professional skipper, my two male colleagues and another female colleague. The two females onboard were the sailors. As soon as we stepped onboard, the boys were asked if they would be okay to help with throwing lines and assisting with the sailing in general. Growing up in Yorkshire, United Kingdom and seeing a woman who owned and took full ownership of a yacht was not a common phenomenon but it is something that certainly inspired me from a young age.
Start sailing, join a team or go on a charter with a group of women to enter into the amazing industry of sailing and yacht charter!
Women in Yachting
Florence Arthaud
She has become a household name for her solo circumnavigation on a trimaran. Her record and legend stood for many years as she inspired many women to start sailing and to stand up for the sailing capabilities.
The French sailor is the only woman to have won the Route du Rhum, a solo trans- Atlantic yacht race. This victory dominated the global news and that stole people’s hearts. The phrase to describe this victory is that ‘She demonstrated that it wasn’t just the muscle of man needed to win solo competitions. It was the brain accuracy in meteorology and working with yacht design’. Despite being involved in some of the most dangerous sailing in the world, with close calls including falling overboard in Corsica and retrieving her waterproof cellphone, she tragically was killed in a helicopter accident.
The Magenta Project
This organisation works with the aims of changing the sailing scene in women’s favour. It aims to increase the percentage of female sailors to 10% from 3% and to promote female role models within the yachting industry. https://themagentaproject.org
Chartering a yacht with a female crew
Chartering a yacht with a female crew is a very popular and growing charter request. Contact Boatbookings to help you, we are in contact with some of the best female captains and staff onboard global yachts. Boatbookings covers the globe with charter destinations and knows the best place to suit your group requirements. Boatbookings even has a female CEO, meet the team to get to know more about the brokers and team!
