Girls, Part II

By Laurie Fullerton

Marblehead, Mass. The former leader of China, Mao Tse Tung, always said, "women hold up half the sky," but when it comes to boating and sailboat racing, men still tend to do most of the heavy lifting.

In what is still considered to be a very male-dominated sport, at the professional and amateur level, the boating scene is changing as more women enter the sport of yacht racing as crewmembers and boat owners. Yet, in the many yachting communities of around the country, there are probably just a handful of female skippers and boat owners compared to men.

To further promote women in sailing, the 2nd annual Women's Sailing Conference took place on June 7 to a sold out crowd.

Sponsored by Boat US and supported by the Women's Sports Foundation, the event was important "because sailing is still seen as a male dominated sport, and there is a huge vacuum for women," said Elaine Dickinson, a representative from Boat U.S. "Boat ownership is changing now and there are more women with good incomes who are into power boating as well as sailing. I think the whole climate has changed tremendously. Women are quite hungry to acquire more knowledge and skill."

One of the top women in the field of professional sailing, America's Cup competitor and Whitbread Around the World sailor Dawn Riley agrees that things are changing in the sport, but slowly. Riley is the only American - man or woman - to sail in three America's Cups and two Whitbread-Round-the-World races and manage an entire America's Cup syndicate. She also received a Leadership in Women's Sailing Award on Saturday.

Riley explains that "women have often sailed with their husbands or on men's boats and the men have handled the larger responsibilities. This conference helps give them the confidence they need to handle any situation at sea."

Although many women at the conference agree that yacht racing remains a last bastion for sporting men, Sharon Osbourne of Portland, ME is a single woman and a sailboat owner who has put together a weekend racing campaign.

"It is my boat and my responsibility so I have to know what to do," Osbourne said. "The information and exchange at this conference is empowering."

During the conference the women learned how to repair an engine, navigate, conduct man overboard drills, fly spinnakers, and improve on racing tactics.

Marblehead, Mass. sailor Elaine Chu says her town has many women sailors participating in the sport, whereas other women from around the country did not see that same trend where they live.

"Sailing is a big part of this community but so many women here today claim they are surprised to see so many women committed to this sport," Chu said.

Riley explains that in professional sailing, at the America's Cup level, the majority of the top competitors today are young men gaining a foothold in what has now become a lucrative career for them. Women are still very much out of the loop, she says.

"Men have to get comfortable racing with women," Riley said. "And, the key is to do everything we can to increase the credibility of women in the sport, and the results will trickle up. I think at the professional level it is best to get some women on a mixed boat and see it open up men's minds. At the community level, I have seen a lot more interest in young, female sailors and a sense of pride in their accomplishments."

06/25/2003