Female-led sailing sessions and courses have been organised in Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom, China and Japan, South Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Grenada, St. Kitts, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, along with many more, making this the biggest edition of Steering the Course so far.
Activities include ’Sail with Her’, ‘Beat Your Fear – Just Sail’ and ‘A Boat Goes by a Female Gender’ sessions in Slovakia led by female coaches, Hansa sailing and remote-control sailing in Japan, and ‘No Buoys Allowed’ in Scotland offering tasters in windsurfing, paddle sports, dinghy, keelboats and power boating all run by women.
“Response has been incredible. We are so pleased to see so many Member National Authorities (MNAs) and sailing clubs around the world sign up to the event and organise activities aimed at having fun, showing the full range of opportunities available and encouraging greater participation in sailing,” Catherine Duncan, Training & Development Executive at World Sailing, said.
“Our aim is to open up new possibilities for women in sailing, either on the water or as a coach or instructor, see where the sport can lead and perhaps inspire the next generation of world champions.”
David Graham, CEO of World Sailing, said, “We saw the positive impact of last year’s debut edition of Steering the Course and this year promises to be even bigger. World Sailing is committed to creating opportunities for women and girls to get into sailing while actively encouraging more women to pursue coaching, race management and leadership roles.
“The activities held around the world show that not only is there huge interest in learning to sail and becoming a coach but great dedication from coaches and volunteers within the sailing community to growing the sport and building a pathway for talented women in sailing.”
Steering the Course runs from 20 May to 29 May 2022. A Southern Hemisphere edition of Steering the Course will be held from 30 September to 9 October. To get involved, please contact training@sailing.org for more information.
Take the eSailing Challenge
A new eSailing Challenge has been launched exclusively for Steering the Course. From -29 May, female eSailors will be able to battle it out in three exciting locations – Barbados, Copenhagen, Denmark and Plymouth, UK – with the boats changing from ILCA to 49er to Nacra 17 for each location.
The top 20 will then advance to the eSailing World Championships semi-finals during the Steering the Course festival in October.
