Celebrating Women Who Sail!
Since it’s Women’s History Month, I thought I’d take this week to celebrate women that have & are making history in sailing. I’ve selected 9 that have inspired me. Why 9? Because, I wanted to give them all a good write up & my brain started to retire. So I’ll have to save the others for another time. I put them in reverse, alphabetical order; by their first names, because I can’t rate them with numbers. They all have different & similar qualities that endear them all to me.
Virginie on her 45-metre 400-ton auxiliary schooner, L' Ailée.
Photo credit: https://lasardineplastique.com/femme-inspirante-virginie-heriot
Virginie Hériot - Olympic Gold Medalist in sailing 1928, Holland.
To be honest, I didn’t even know who Virginie Heriot was until a few weeks ago when I saw her photo on one of the sailing pages I follow in Facebook. I had to look her up! This woman, who was born in France in 1880, is an amazing person! From what I’ve gathered, in the last week, she didn’t even step on a boat until she was 24. And then it wasn’t until Virginie was 41 that she dedicated her life to sailing. At the age of 48 she won the Gold Medal at the Olympics! This woman has won a ton of sailing races, was granted Knighthood in France & wrote 8 books! -Which I definitely want to read. I’ll have to get back to you all on her whole story.
If you would like to see Virginie at the Olympic games of Amsterdam & her crew, on "Aile VI", go to this link: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/virginie-heriot-french-yachtwoman-at-the-olympic-games-of-news-photo/56203176?adppopup=true
You can also see her with her gazillion trophies at: https://www.boatsnews.com/story/40173/virginie-heriot-a-pioneering-sailor-and-a-symbol-of-womens-yachting
Terysa on Ruby Rose I.
Photo credit: yahoo.com/lifestyle
Terysa Vanderloo - Ruby Rose.
I have to hand it to Terysa. She first got into sailing after she moved from Australia to England to be with her husband, Nick; who was very much into sailing. Starting sailing out in England cannot be the most pleasant way to get into this kind of lifestyle. I’m sure it’s charming there & the a lot of supreme sailors make England their home, but the weather…. I mean, I love sailing & I have a hard time motivating myself when the weather is under 60 degrees. So Terysa really stepped up to the plate! Since Nick had been sailing for such a long time, she took it upon herself to learn what her role on a boat could & would be. Not only has she learned to sail but she has learned to create a successful YouTube Channel. I think she brilliantly shows both the fun sides of sailing & the hard, pain-in-the-ass side too. It’s a very nice balance. There’s both fun & work involved in pretty much all of their videos. She is away from Nick at the moment. They sold their Southerly 38. And have now been waiting & finally getting a Seawind 1370 catamaran. In fact, you can ask for the Ruby Rose model? edition? -not sure of the correct wording but Seawind has basically named a boat after them. The real awesome thing is that Terysa got to give her input to the company on what she wanted in a boat so that it performs well & has important components like good ventilation & ergonomic touches that make a sailing vessel not only comfortable for someone who is tall but also someone who is not so tall. -Like me, who is 5’2”. I actually have to say that I think if I could go out & buy a boat right now I would get the same one. It seems pretty near perfect! I am so excited for her & Nick to sail off on it to new places & to have new adventures. -And for her to be back in the videos again after being away while Nick is filming in Vietnam.
Website: http://yachtrubyrose.com/
Sophie on Polar Seal.
Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk
Sophie Darsy - Polar Seal.
Sophie is a French woman, that moved to Sweden, lived there for several years & then convinced her fairly new boyfriend to buy a boat & sail around the world. So, I can honestly relate to her. Actually, in my case I knew what I wanted & Matt had to convince himself. Anyway, she & her boyfriend, Ryan, have been sailing on their 40’ Beneteau for the past 7 years. And I think I mostly watch it for the comedy. -Not like I’m laughing at them but Sophie could seriously be a comedian. Therefore, not only do you learn sailing skills while watching but she is very entertaining. -Not to mention she’s a great cook. -I mean she’s French. So they eat gourmet when they’re sailing across the ocean. She & Ryan learned how to sail right after/before they bought their boat. -I can’t remember exactly which one but basically it all happened at once. However, she doesn’t take things lightly, aside from her sense of humor, she’s all about safety. I really appreciate that. -Mainly because Matt is very adventurous but also safety conscious. I didn’t use to be, but when I fell in love with him, I was very happy that my worry about him was cut down a lot because I knew he would be safe. -Safe at mountain-biking, safe at surfing, safe at snowboarding, rock-climbing, martial arts, on his motorcycle, etc… So now I do things much more safely because I don’t want him to worry. Anyway, back to Sophie. I like that she can be light-hearted & at the same time pay attention to what is going on while sailing. -Multi-tasking at it’s finest. She & Ryan are back now from a YouTube hiatus. They were making an in-depth online sailing course. The course is divided into 5 different parts. -Making it very easy to navigate. -Pun intended. And now they are getting ready to cruise up the coast from Annapolis, Maryland. -They did live in Sweden, so I guess cold weather doesn’t horrify them.
Website: https://www.ryanandsophie.com/
Liz Clark on Swell.
Photo credit: nationalgeographic.com/adventure
Liz Clark - Swell
This is the woman that basically started me on this sailing journey. In the spring of 2019 I heard her in an interview in a, Women Who Travel, podcast. I was listening to it a year after the actual interview took place. It was for her book, Swell. -Which is also the name of her boat. Her story fascinated me. Even though she had crew some of the time, more than half the time she was solo sailing her 40’ boat, Swell, to Polynesia. -From California. You’ll have to read the book to get the full story. However, I can tell you that it’s fascinating. And right after I heard her interview, before I even read her book, I knew what my purpose was in life! It was crazy! I wish I had mentioned all of this when I started the blog. -You can read it here: https://www.svmersea.com/blog/the-journey-begins . I’m mad at myself for not giving her credit at the time. Anyway, she’s a bad-ass! She does so much for the ocean & the environment & for doggies. She still has her boat & lives in French Polynesia & I will forever be grateful to her for starting me on this path. Thanks Liz!
Website: https://swellvoyage.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainlizclark/
Karin & daughter Sierra or Baby Nugs - as they sometimes call her.
Photo credit: sailworldcruising.com/news/230434/SV-Delos-back-in-the-USA
Karin Syrén - Delos.
This woman has almost circumnavigated the world. -Actually, she probably will in this next year. She met her husband, Brian, in New Zealand in 2011 & has basically been on this journey ever since. Karin left her Landscaping Architect behind her & moved her passion over into sailing & becoming a prolific vlogger. Delos was already making videos before she came along but she took it to the next level & made it the success it is today. I can’t say I don’t blame her for deciding to sail on a boat, mostly in the tropics, instead of going back to her homeland of Sweden. Although, currently she is in the Sea of Cortez & it’s been on the chillier side this year. Delos, a 53’ Amel Super Maramu ketch was once occupied by 6 people, has now gone down to just 3. -Karin, Brian & their little girl, Sierra. It’s hard to imagine having the stamina between only 2 viable people for such a big boat but they definitely know their sailing stuff. All I know is that if anyone can do another sail around the world, it’s certainly Karin & Co.
Website: https://svdelos.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@svdelos
Elayna at the helm. -Way, way back on La Vagabonde I.
Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5286339/Sailing-La-Vagabonde-couple-share-travel-tips.html
Elayna Carausu - La Vagabonde.
I think I started watching La Vagabonde videos back in 2015? But I’m not totally sure. I had friends that were sailing, who became friends with other sailboat cruisers & these other sailboat cruisers got interviewed by Elayna & Riley. Anyway, I was kind of hooked after seeing these 2 people cruising on their own 44’ sailboat in the Marquesas. Elayna met Riley in Greece about 9 years ago & they’ve been making sailing videos ever since. I mean, if you watch any sailing vlogs, La Vagabonde is probably one of them. If not, it should be. Elayna is not only talented with filming & editing & all the multi-media stuff but she keeps getting better each year. She also has an amazing voice, plays the guitar, has a swim suit line, has the best sense of style & now has 2 boys, Lenny & Darwin. -Oh & she sails! Right now Elayna is about to embark from Vietnam on La Vagabonde III. -A 60’ Rapido Trimaran. It’s hard not to want to be her but I don’t think she ever sleeps, considering all that she does. So I’m perfectly content to watch her adventurous life & live my own adventurous life.
Website: https://sailing-lavagabonde.com/
New sails on their fairly “new to them” sailboat, Atticus II.
Photo credit: precisionsailloft.com/about/our-partners/project-atticus/
Desiree Golen - Project Atticus. Started with Atticus I & is now on Atticus II.
I found Desiree a few years ago when I was trying to find someone cruising on a somewhat smaller boat than the rest of the vloggers we watched. Project Atticus was the perfect YouTube Channel to follow. Desiree & her now husband, Jordan, bought a boat that was made in the 1960s & basically refitted it from scratch! I think they spent 3 years working on it whenever they had time to spare. Desiree not only did a lot of the grunt work but is now an extremely talented nautical seamstress. -Not easy sewing, let me tell you. All of her hard work has paid off in a successful YouTube Channel but they have also been able to purchase a larger sailboat that is made for ocean crossing. -A 40’ Pacific Seacraft. She has also become an accomplished sailor, a very gifted vlogger & just had an adorable baby girl in Malta. You just can’t help but cheer on for more success for Desiree if you watch her videos.
Website: https://www.projectatticus.com/
Annika & her sweet doggie!
Photo credit: twitter.com/annikarautiola
Annika Rautiola - Liveaboard Sailing Podcast.
I was looking for new podcasts about a year ago when I came across Liveaboard Sailing Podcast. There are a lot of sailing podcasts. I have to say though, that I don’t find any of them consistently interesting. -That is until I came across Annika’s podcast. She’s from Finland, living in Ontario, Canada & interviews cruisers while searching for her own perfect boat. She’s even interviewed some of the other women that I talk about in today’s blog! I find that she asks all the right questions. I have found many answers to my own questions in her interviews. Her podcast is taking off & I hope she can find the perfect boat soon for her, her husband & doggie to start their adventures on.
Alex on Delos - Her world before Cruisers Academy.
Photo credit: svdelos.com/blogs/one-year-on-delos-by-alex-blue
Alex Blue - from Delos to Cruisers Academy.
She originally was hired as a photographer on Delos, became even a more capable sailor & just happened to start a relationship with Brady; who is brothers with Brian on Delos. She’s very cool, very skilled at sailing & a very talented cinematographer. -Not officially a cinematographer but she could be. She now runs a sailing school/academy with Brady in Tahoe. -Although at this time they are in the Sea of Cortez on their boat Lintika teaching people how to sail.
Website: https://www.cruisersacademy.com/
All of these women have inspired me. They might make sailing look easy at times. But that’s just because they all work hard at what they do or what they have done. -They know that people mostly want to see the fun side of sailing & not the darker, more troubling times involved with this life. That part of their lives isn’t really put out there much for people to see the reality of it. I’m hoping that our WiFi is good on our 6 month voyage in autumn. I want to keep watching them & their adventures. -They always help me get back into the joy again & again when things get tough.
Zephyr getting in touch with his feminine side.
Thanks so much for reading. We’ll be back next week with our stories of the latest shenanigans going on. Until then, wishing you all some sunshine!
