Spotlight on women sailors

A new initiative designed to encourage more women to take up sailing, compete in yacht racing and consider careers in the marine industry has been launched by the charter firm Sunsail and the charity The Magenta Project.

Sunsail Magenta will deliver a number of sailing activities, including women-only RYA sailing courses, race training courses, career opportunities and mentoring programmes. There will also be opportunities to participate in mixedgender teams at UK sailing events, including Cowes Week.

It comes after the World Sailing Trust’s Strategic Review into Women in Sailing highlighted the lack of gender parity in sailing, with 59% of female respondents reporting gender discrimination. This increased to over 89% in female offshore sailors. Incidents included serious sexual harassment and being passed over for crewing roles.