Wind, Waves, and Women: Fall Sails into Empowerment Across the Caribbean
This past fall, the Caribbean witnessed a surge of activity focused on promoting sailing across all levels and demographics. From training future race officials to empowering women at the helm, various initiatives aimed to strengthen the region's sailing scene and cultivate a more inclusive passion for the sport.
There was a whole lot of sailing going on this past fall in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. First, Maria Torrijo and Fabien Bach, two of the world’s top sailing race management experts, taught Race Management Clinics in the Bahamas. The clinics were held ahead of the 2023 Fidelity Bahamas Optimist National Championship, with sailors from the Bahamas, USA, and the Cayman Islands competing and putting their newfound skills into practice.
Torrijo and Bach also visited St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada to teach locally-based sailing coaches. In St Vincents, 13 club officials and sailors participated in the interactive courses, introducing topics such as course-laying, starting, and finishing sequences, scoring protocols, rules and penalties.
“It was such a great clinic and will raise our standard of competition to an international level,” said Vanessa Hadley, from the Vincy Sailing Club, in a release.
In Grenada, 16 attendees took part – including ten local Grenadian women – with the goal of teaching more local people to sail, gaining vocational qualifications for a career in the sailing industry, and acquiring the skills required to host international competitions in the islands.
Finally, Second Star Sailing in Antigua hosted the Women At The Helm Sailing Courses in Jolly Harbour the first week in November. The goal was to increase female participation and teach the skills required to skipper boats of all sizes.
Steering the Course will return for its third edition in 2024. For more information, visit www.sailing.org
Carol Bareuther has written for ALL AT SEA since 2004.
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