Maiden stars on screen
The Bruce Farr-designed maxi Maiden and her all-female crew in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race are the subject of a new documentary film to be released on 8 March.
Called simply Maiden, the film features interviews with the yacht’s skipper Tracy Edwards and her crew, as well as footage shot during the race. It was one of a handful of films to be premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019.
The BAFTA award winner Alex Holmes, who is responsible for dramas including House of Saddam and Dunkirk, has directed the film, and described Maiden as “an inspirational story of guts and determination that deserves to be heard by the widest possible audience.”
Edwards was just 27 when she made history by skippering the first all-female crew in a round the world yacht race, defying the expectations of the yachting press and proving women sailors were the equal of their male counterparts.
She built on the path already started by the likes of Clare Francis, who was the first female Whitbread skipper, leading the crew of ADC Accutrac in 1977-78.
Edwards is still fighting for gender equality. Through the not-for-profit Maiden Factor, the sailor has recovered and restored the 58-foot Maiden, which has been relaunched with another all-female crew on a two-year mission to promote girls’ education around the world. n www.themaidenfactor.org