all female round the world yacht crew

Practical Boat Owner

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The crew of Maiden makes history again by becoming the first all-female team to win a round the world yacht race

• Katy Stickland
• April 22, 2024

The former Whitbread yacht, sailed by an all-female international crew has taken the coveted title after 153d 2h 16m 53s of racing around the world. Virtually none of the crew had previously faced such an epic challenge and only one had sailed in the Southern Ocean before.

Maiden and her 12-strong crew after crossing the finish line of Leg 4 of the Ocean Globe Race. Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

Maiden and her crew are no strangers to smashing glass ceilings and sailing into the history books.

In the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race , Tracy Edwards skippered the 58ft yacht and, with her crew, became the first all-female team to take part in a round the world yacht race .

Maiden crossing the finish line at Southampton, marking the end of the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race. Credit: Andrew Sassoli-Walker

Maiden came second in class overall, winning two of the three Southern Ocean legs in Division D.

But now the Maiden crew has done one better and become the first all-female crew to win a round the world yacht race, having taken gold in the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race .

The 2024 Maiden crew are all delighted and believe they have achieved their goal of showcasing what women can do and inspiring the next generation. Credit: Don McIntyre/ OGR2023

The retro race, which sees entrants racing four legs without modern technology on board and using celestial navigation , was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973.

Maiden was the only British yacht in the Ocean Globe Race and was skippered throughout by 27-year-old Heather Thomas, who stated from the start that the team was “in it to win it”; the crew comprised women from Britain, India, South Africa, the USA, France, Antigua, Italy, Puerto Rico and Afghanistan.

The multinational crew flew their home country flags. Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

After crossing the Leg 4 finish line, Heather Thomas, who started crewing on Maiden in 2021, said: “We had an amazing welcome and had many boats come and join us out in the Solent to help us cross the finish line. It was phenomenal to have all of those boats and people come and see us!

“The first person we saw on a boat was Tracy, of course! That was fantastic and we’ve had a brilliant welcome back here on land too. Thank you everyone for your support!”

Maiden was one of 14 boats to take part in the race, and one of five in the Flyer Class for yachts previously entered in the 1973, 1977 or 1981 Whitbread, or ‘relevant’ historic significance and ‘approved’ production-built, ocean-certified, sail-training yachts generally 55ft to 68ft LOA.

Heather Thomas has been crewing on Maiden since 2021. At 27, she is the youngest female skipper to have won a round the world yacht race. Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

Throughout the race, Maiden ‘s crew pushed hard, always in the top half of the fleet, coming third in line honours and IRC on the Cowes to Cape Town Leg, fourth in line honours and IRC in the Cape Town to Auckland Leg and second in line hours and fourth in IRC on the Auckland to Punta del Este Leg.

Ahead of the start of Leg 4, Maiden was seven days behind the then IRC leader, Triana .

But the French Swan 53’s lead was soon eroded due to the failure of the expected Southeast Trade Winds which led to slow progress for most of the Ocean Globe Race fleet up the Atlantic ; further fickle winds slowed Triana ‘s progress.

Continues below…

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Leg 4 was the longest at sea for the crew of Maiden – 41 days and 6,599 miles in total.

Having found breeze, Maiden made progress up the Atlantic until hitting the Doldrums. By then, the watermaker onboard the Bruce Farr-designed yacht had broken, and the rain was welcomed until the crew fixed it.

The crew also had to make repairs to the yacht’s generator and inverter.

Vuyisile Jacza and First Mate Rachel Burgess make repairs. Credit: OGR2023/ Maiden

Many entrants hoped that once in the Northern Hemisphere, the Northeat Trade winds would deliver, but this wasn’t the case and the boats continued to struggle in the light winds caused by a high pressure system, west of Biscay.

Eventually, Maiden found strong winds in the northerlies and crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line, Cowes at 10:52 UTC on 16 April.

“After 28,674 nautical miles and 154 days at sea, our girl Maiden is home with her inspirational all-female crew, including the first women of colour to race around the world and our camerawoman who escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan,” said Tracy Edwards.

A jubilant Tracy Edwards as Maiden crossed the finish line. Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

“This truly international crew has changed the face of sailing and they stand for women and girls everywhere. They have made history and we could not be more proud of them!” she added.

Following the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race, Edwards was forced to sell Maiden . She later rescued the yacht from the Seychelles , where it was discovered, abandoned in 2014 .

Edwards decided to refit the boat and use it to promote the importance of education for girls around the world.

Sailing under The Maiden Factor banner, Maiden left the UK on an 18-month world tour to raise awareness of the importance of education for girls and raise money for girls’ education programmes before taking part in the Ocean Globe Race.

IRC results overall in the 2023-2024 Ocean Globe Race

Maiden (UK) – 179d, 1h, 24, 23s Spirit of Helsinki (Finland) – 179d, 18h, 32m, 45s Triana (France) – Pen Duick (France) – 180d, 20h, 33m, 1s L’Esprit d’Equipe (France) – 185d, 12h, 2m, 3s Neptune (France) – 186d, 10h, 59m, 22s Outlaw (Australia) – 187d, 8h, 35m, 8s Galiana with Secure (Finland) – Still racing Evrika (France) – Still racing White Shadow (Spain) – Still racing

Translated 9 (Italy) Sterna (South Africa) Explorer (Australia) Godspeed (USA)

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Queen hails 'brilliant' all-female yacht crew after round-the-world race victory

The maiden crew became the first all-female outfit to triumph in the race earlier this month..

Monday 29 April 2024 22:08, UK

The Queen has praised the endeavours of a "brilliant" all-female yachting crew after they won a global race in a world first.

The Maiden team from the UK crossed the finish line at Cowes, Isle of Wight, earlier this month having sailed for 153 days in the Ocean Globe Race.

They had passed through South Africa, New Zealand and finally Punta del Este, Uruguay, before making a beeline back to British shores.

Camilla welcomed the crew to Clarence House, saying: "You're doing a brilliant job, keep on doing it - that's really important."

Captain Heather Thomas, one of the five Brits on board, said: "It was incredible after we'd found out we'd won.

"It's a pretty historic moment for women's sailing, I'm really happy with the result, the girls all worked really hard for it - so we're proud of ourselves."

The winning yacht was sailed by an international crew that included women from South Africa, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.

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As well as the triumph, the women are part of a project promoting the education of women and girls in countries where access is difficult.

Najiba Noori, who admitted to having no experience of sailing, told Sky News's Mark Austin one of the main reasons she joined Maiden was because she could give "a voice" to the women of her country, Afghanistan , as she also captured the voyage on camera for a documentary.

Ms Thomas told Sky News of the Maiden relying on traditional sailing methods of celestial navigation instead of using GPS, as modern technology is banned according to the race's rules.

She added: "The biggest thing for the crew is that we didn't have any digital music so we had to use cassettes instead," confessing ABBA's greatest hits album was their go-to.

Read more from Sky News: Queen meets father's regiment for first time as patron 'Hardest Geezer' finishes challenge to run length of Africa

This is a limited version of the story so unfortunately this content is not available. Open the full version

Maiden was the brainchild of veteran yachtswoman Tracy Edwards, who skippered the boat during the 1989-90 Whitbread global yacht race with an all-female crew.

The 58-foot yacht had been abandoned in the Indian Ocean until Ms Edwards launched a campaign to resurrect it as part of the Maiden Factor Foundation, which was completed in 2018.

Ms Edwards said the organisation's patron Whoopi Goldberg had challenged her to find a diverse crew.

She said: "For me, this is the end of a 45-year fight for the equality of women within sailing and sport generally and actually women's empowerment.

"And when Whoopi Goldberg became our patron, she looked me square in the eye, and when she went 'change it'. I went 'okay' so we did. So we put this incredible crew together because we want to change the face of sailing."

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race, marks the 50th anniversary of the first edition of the Whitbread round-the-world race, and featured 14 boats representing eight countries.

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Camilla hails ‘brilliant’ all-female yacht crew who won round-the-world race

The Queen has praised a group of yachtswomen for their “brilliant” win in a global race that broke diversity barriers.

Camilla welcomed to her Clarence House home the crew of the Maiden, who became the first all-female outfit to triumph in a round-the-world yacht challenge when they won the Ocean Globe Race earlier this month.

“You’re doing a brilliant job, keep on doing it – that’s really important,” the Queen told the women, who are part of a project promoting the education of women and girls.

Heather Thomas, from Otley, West Yorkshire, captained Maiden to victory as the vessel raced for 153 days and crossed the finish line on April 16 at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

She said after the champagne reception: “It was incredible after we’d found out we’d won.

“It’s a pretty historic moment for women’s sailing, I’m really happy with the result, the girls all worked really hard for it – so we’re proud of ourselves.”

The winning yacht was sailed by an international crew that included African, Caribbean and Middle Eastern women alongside others from the UK and Costa Rica.

Maiden was the brainchild of veteran yachtswoman Tracy Edwards, who skippered the boat during the 1989-90 Whitbread global yacht race with an all-female crew, before resurrecting the vessel as part of the Maiden Factor Foundation.

Ms Edwards, the founder and director of the foundation dedicated to the education of women and girls, said the organisation’s patron Whoopi Goldberg had challenged her to find a diverse crew.

She said: “For me this is the end of a 45-year fight for the equality of women within sailing and sport generally and actually women’s empowerment.

“Sailing is described as male, pale and stale. So with Maiden in 1989 we dealt with male and the stale bit, we didn’t deal with the pale bit.

“And when Whoopi Goldberg became our patron, she looked me square in the eye, and when she went ‘change it’. I went ‘OK’ so we did. So we put this incredible crew together because we want to change the face of sailing.”

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race, which marked the 50th anniversary of the first edition of the Whitbread round-the-world race, featured 14 boats representing eight countries.

The yachts raced over four legs, travelling from Cowes to Cape Town, Auckland and Punta del Este, Uruguay, before returning to the UK.

Tracy Edwards: who is the sailing trailblazer?

• Sophie Dingwall
• March 18, 2022

Sophie Dingwall talks to Tracy Edwards about her sailing life, her campaign for girls’ education and what is next for Maiden

Tracy Edwards: feminist, sailor and visionary is still fighting for women to have the same opportunities as men through The Maiden Factor. Credit: Chris Openshaw

Tracy Edwards skippered the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race and has been empowering women ever since.

We’ve all got a story to tell, yet those who flock to the seas manufacture the most electric of tales. This is the story of a girl who was heading down the wrong path, became the fighting underdog and is now conquering change for women all over the world.

It takes a standout character to create a global shockwave and that’s exactly what Tracy Edwards has achieved in empowering girls through education.

Tracy Edwards MBE has received more than enough backlash, derogatory and sexist comments, especially by the press, yet this has not fazed her.

In fact, this no-nonsense, straight-talking sailor thrived on the negativity to prove everyone wrong as she made history skippering the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, and becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

‘I often wondered if we would’ve carried on if everyone had said what I was doing was a good idea,’ she says.

Proving them all wrong, Tracy Edwards after arriving back in Southampton having led the first all-female crew around the world. Credit: Getty

She moved to the Gower Peninsula, Wales aged 10 after her father’s death, where she quickly learned to lose her traditional British boarding school accent to try and fit in, but was continually bullied throughout secondary school.

Tracy Edwards was a teenage reprobate, a wild child. At 15 she was expelled, leaving education with no qualifications. Like most omitted teens, Tracy was looking for more; an escape, a purpose… and with this, she moved to Greece, where, during her time working on yachts as a stewardess, her sailing career began.

One of the most inspirational and record-breaking women in the sailing industry fell into the sport by accident. ‘I’d like to say it was all planned, but that would be a total lie,’ she says.

For Tracy, sailing was the backdrop to her life, but what she fell in love with was the people. ‘The sort of people that flock to the sea and boats, the mad type’ gave her a sense of belonging: for the first time in her life, she had found her tribe.

Having met the crews entering the 1985 Whitbread Round the World, Tracy was set on being a part of it. This was no easy feat, especially at a time where women were thought to have no place at sea.

Her persistence and resilient attitude led to a position as a cook on board.

Part of the original Maiden crew reunited onboard ahead of the 58ft yacht’s 2017-18 refit. Credit: Rick Tomlinson

The thirst to navigate around the world was constantly at the forefront of her mind, but after completing the race she came to the shattering realisation that ‘no man will ever let me navigate their boat!’

Tracy turned to her mother for advice, an extraordinary woman in her own right who was a former ballet dancer turned go-kart driver; quite the unorthodox hobby for a woman in the 1960s and inevitably where Tracy inherited her indomitable defiance to achieve her ambitions. a desire to impact the world Tracy asked, ‘Mum, how do I change the world?’

Quite the quest for a 23-year-old runaway and school dropout. Her mother responded with: ‘You can’t change the world… yet. But you can change your world now.’

At this point Tracy Edwards had no idea she would be the matriarch for women, bulldozing a path towards equal opportunities and inspiring a generation of new thinking.

Tracy Edwards and Maiden

Edwards made history when she launched her campaign to skipper the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

Backed by the support and belief of King Hussein of Jordan, whom she had previously met while working on a chartered yacht, Tracy and her crew proved that women were equal to men in the sailing world when Maiden won two of the six legs and finished second in class in the most notoriously challenging yacht race of its time.

It was not an easy path to forge. Faced with the hounding press and sexist remarks, Tracy said she felt ‘like a lamb sent to slaughter’ during interviews. The press revelled in publishing derogatory headlines.

One of yachting’s most renowned journalists, Bob Fisher , who passed away in 2021, described Maiden as ‘A Tin Full of Tarts’.

This charged relationship changed over time and in later years the two became good friends: when Maiden docked in Southampton ahead of the launch of The Maiden Factor to promote girls’ education around the world, Fisher was the first to meet the yacht dressed in his Sunday best.

The Bruce Farr-designed Maiden won two of the three Southern Ocean legs in Division D of the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Credit: Getty

The two cried and rejoiced, and he asked for an interview, opening with the line, ‘Tell me about girls’ education…?’

Other journalists followed his lead, giving Tracy the recognition she deserved. Her unique, brash approach to stand for what she believed in gave her the ability to change the mind of even the harshest critics.

At first, instant fame came as a blessing. Tracy had the spotlight, which enabled her voice to be heard by the many. But this soon changed. The media quickly lost interest in the achievements of Maiden and pried into Tracy’s personal affairs, including the breakdown of her marriage.

Tracy Edwards’ life after the Whitbread

Mental health issues are something many of us will face, and the headstrong, outspoken Tracy Edwards was no exception. After the Whitbread finished, Tracy found herself burnt out and suffered a breakdown.

Tracy Edwards and her Royal & Sun Alliance crew broke five word records during the 1989 Jules Verne Trophy attempt. Credit: Getty

Her recovery saw her move back to the Gower in Wales, where she essentially became a recluse and focused on another passion: breeding horses. She suffered a serious back injury, which has left her unable to endure the physical aspects of sailing, even today.

Perhaps it was the fresh air and change in surroundings that enabled her to dig deep and relight the fire in her belly to continue the legacy she had started.

In 1990 Tracy Edwards was named Yachtsman of the Year and during these awards a match was ignited.

Inspired by Sir Robin Knox Johnston and Peter Blake , she set out to compete in the 1998 Jules Verne Trophy with the first all-female crew on their 92ft catamaran, Royal & SunAlliance .

The team smashed five world records but ended with a broken mast 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile.

Undeterred, a few years later in 2002 Tracy put together the first-ever mixed gender team onboard the 110ft maxi-catamaran Maiden II and again made headlines, when the boat broke numerous world records including longest distance sailed in 24 hours.

The 110ft maxi-catamaran, Maiden II , nurtured female sailing talent including Vendée Globe skippers Sam Davies (back row, second from right) and Miranda Merron (front row, first left). Credit: Getty

Her goal was to prove that women could sail as well as men and they should be included in the big boat race scene. Again she proved her case. proving the critics wrong But the bubble was about to burst.

In 2003 she signed a four-year sponsorship with Qatar to stage a round the world yacht race, starting and finishing in the Middle East. The event ended without payment from Qatar, forcing Tracy into bankruptcy.

The pioneering skipper was again the topic of conversation as outsiders welcomed fresh gossip and rumours, losing sight that she was a single parent and carer for her disabled mother, facing the overwhelming reality that she had lost everything she’d ever worked for including her home and job.

Her strong ability to bounce back from rock bottom is just one of the reasons she has achieved more than most. ‘I stood up, dusted myself off and started again,’ recalls Tracy.

Tracy Edwards with her daughter Mackenna, at the private BAFTA viewing of the film Maiden in London. Credit: Michael Chester

This life-altering event left Tracy in a position she had never been before. At the age of 43, and for the first time, she had to write a CV to get a ‘proper job’.

Tracy Edwards: the first woman to win the YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award. Credit: The Maiden Factor

Her impressive background landed her a position working with Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) as project manager for their International Youth Advisory Conference.

Together with the team, Tracy worked on the The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This human rights treaty hadn’t been renewed since 1947, and her work has helped make children safer around the world.

In her lifetime of achievements, award-winning titles and records broken, it is this which is one of her proudest accomplishments.

In her typical unconventional manner, Tracy decided it was finally time to get an education and aged 47 studied forensic psychology at Roehampton University.

‘It reinvigorated me and gave me confidence. It was more than a degree, it was a way of reaffirming who I was,’ she notes. It was then that the seeds of her campaign to promote education for girls around the world began.

Reflecting on her past she realised ‘sailing saved me’. It had enabled her to find her tribe and fit in, but this was down to the people rather than the ocean or the boat.

She knew that her own experience with Maiden couldn’t be recreated and instead passed the baton on to Maiden itself.

The Maiden Factor was born, giving young women a platform to make a difference by raising awareness and funds themselves.

In 2017 Maiden was brought back to Southampton after years abandoned in the Seychelles to undergo an extensive refit. The boat and her all-female crew then began a tour around the world, with the foundation successfully working with six global charities to break down the barriers that prevent girls from accessing education.

This was brought to an abrupt halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Maiden is now back. The yacht and her crew have started a new three-year world tour to 60 places in over 40 countries, backed by DP World.

‘If I die without putting every ounce into getting girls into education and empowering women, then I haven’t done what I set out to do,’ says Tracy, who believes that every girl has the right and opportunity to at least 12 years of education.

‘If we don’t get girls in education, how will they come up through the ranks?’

Tracy Edwards is still championing equality for women through The Maiden Factor, which campaigns for girls to have access to education around the world. Credit: Michael Chester/The Maiden Factor

Tracy Edwards and Maiden are inextricably linked, both providing courage, inspiration and opportunities to others that may otherwise have been unattainable.

Tracy has not got to where she is today because she is the best sailor; in fact, she’s the first to admit she’s pretty average.

We can all take inspiration from this one girl’s story, as she wholeheartedly has gone after what she believes in, against all odds, and despite the controversy.

Given her track record, one can only assume that she will make waves with The Maiden Factor and change the lives of many women to come.

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Published on February 20th, 2023 | by Editor

Maiden returns to where it all began

Published on February 20th, 2023 by Editor -->

Tracy Edwards MBE has entered the iconic 58-foot yacht Maiden which will compete with an all-female crew in the 2023-24 Ocean Global Race (OGR).

Edwards led the first all-female crew on Maiden in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race, with the yacht returning to this retro-themed race as part of the Flyer Class with other historic Whitbread boats from the 1970s onwards.

The OGR celebrates the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, marking the 50th Anniversary of the original event. Starting in Europe on September 10, the 27,000 nm course is divided into three classes and four legs with stop-overs in Cape Town, South Africa; Auckland, New Zealand; and Punta del Este, Uruguay before returning to Europe in April 2024.

Maiden has been on world tour which began in September 2021, having covered nearly 30,000 nm visiting 20 destinations and engaging with schools, charities and organizations as part of a mission to educate, empower and elevate girls, increasing their life and career choices and also raising money to fund girls’ educational projects around the world.

The OGR will provide a great opportunity to amplify Maiden’s mission and the importance of educating all girls for better futures for all.

Currently in Cape Town, SA, Maiden will sail back to the UK for final preparations for the start, once again with a young female skipper and crew of up-and-coming sailors from around the world, who will no doubt inspire another generation of women and girls to follow their dreams.

“We are very excited to take part in the 2023 Ocean Global Race, over 30 years since Maiden and the first all-female crew defied the odds in the 89-90 Whitbread race,” said Edwards. “Since then, Maiden has become a Global Ambassador for empowerment of girls through education and we have a young skipper and crew who will have the experience of a lifetime, just as we did all those years ago.”

Details: www.themaidenfactor.org

Event information – Race rules – Entry list

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is a fully crewed, retro race, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, marking the 50th Anniversary of the original event. Starting in Europe on September 10, the OGR is a 27,000-mile sprint around the Globe, divided into four legs that passes south of the three great Capes. The fleet is divided in three classes with stop-overs in Cape Town, South Africa; Auckland, New Zealand; and Punta del Este, Uruguay before returning to Europe in April 2024.

Tags: Maiden , Ocean Globe Race , Tracy Edwards

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Tracy Edwards: Sailor who captained first all-female round the world trip on surviving frostbite and icebergs

In 1989, tracy edwards skippered the first all-female crew in the whitbread round the world yacht race. ahead of the release of her new documentary ‘maiden’ on international women’s day, the sailor tells katie o’malley how she came to realise she was a feminist, article bookmarked.

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“I was fighting for a cause but I didn’t want to be seen as a troublemaker,” Tracy Edwards MBE tells me as we sit in the study of her home in southwest London. On the wall behind her is stuck a colourful map of the world. Across it, thin black arrows drawn in marker pen plot a route that, on first glance, could easily be mistaken for a pirate’s treasure map. A curved streak across the Atlantic joins Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, another hugs the South American coastline down to Uruguay’s Punta del Este. But the treasure charted in this map is not the pearls and diamonds of fabled children’s stories but Edwards’ famed path in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

In 1989, Edwards won international acclaim for being the skipper of the first all-female crew to sail around the world in the competition, now known as the Volvo Ocean Race. For nine months, her crew on board the aptly-named Maiden chartered over 32,000 nautical miles, surviving frostbite, periods of lost satellite signals, icebergs, winning two legs of the course and coming second in class – the best result for a British boat since 1977 and the best result for an all-female crew ever.

Their inspiring voyage is the subject of British director Alex Holmes’ latest documentary, Maiden. It chronicles the team from their two-year wait for sponsorship to participate in the race and Edwards remortgaging her home to buy a second-hand ship to the crew working four-hour rotating shifts 24/7 (sometimes in more than -30C temperatures) and fixing a leak in the ship mid-competition. The film is testament to the resilience and determination of the Maiden crew to confront adversity and prove women not only deserved a place in the race, but that they were serious contenders to win.

It is fitting, then, that the film – which premiered at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival to critical acclaim – is scheduled for release nationwide in the UK on 8 March – International Women’s Day .

And yet, despite its appropriately-timed release date and feminist subject matter, it will come as a surprise to learn that during the race Edwards rejected the notion of feminism all together, at one point even telling reporters on camera: “I hate the word feminist.”

Reflecting on that statement 30 years later, Edwards firmly clarifies: “I’m actually a big feminist.”

The sailor explains that even after the women’s liberation movement up until the 1980s (and arguably still today if recent comments by Dolly Parton and Sarah Jessica Parker are anything to go by) the term “feminism” was widely viewed as a “nasty, dirty, horrible word”.

As a result, it wasn’t until later on in the race that she realised she was not only a feminist but that the Maiden ’s crew was a powerful statement about women’s rights that chipped away at the ever-present, yet slowly eroding, glass ceiling.

“ The Duchess of Sussex said it so eloquently the other day when she said that feminism is about equality and fairness, and that’s what it’s meant to me since [the race],” says Edwards.

“I look at my 19-year-old daughter’s generation and they don’t have the awful connotations that we remember from that word – they just see it as a positive. Their male friends see it as a positive as well which I think is such a great move in the right direction.”

During the entirety of the Whitbread race, the Maiden crew was relentlessly disregarded, ridiculed and underestimated solely on the basis of its gender. No sooner had the women announced their entry into the race were fellow competitors taking bets on how long they’d last in the competition, with few expecting them to make it out of British waters, let alone successfully circumnavigating the globe.

“I was completely mystified,” says Edwards of the misconceptions towards the crew. Having already taken part in her first Whitbread Round the World Race as a cook and lone female aboard the ship Atlantic Privateer in 1985, she believed she had already proven she was more than capable to compete alongside her male contemporaries.

“I’d already sailed around the world. I was strong enough and smart enough – I’d already learned the skills,” she says, still dumbfounded by the resistance to her crew.

“The thing that used to get to me was [the thought that] women don’t get on. Where does that come from? Did people make that up so we wouldn’t get together in large groups?”

The sexist view that the female sailors were susceptible to bitchy behaviour is a bugbear frequently touched on in interviews with Maiden ’s crew members in the documentary, with several recalling the misogynistic line of questioning directed towards their team in comparison to their competitors.

Edwards continued: “I had lived and worked in an environment on chartered boats where lots of women worked together and we’d never had a problem. I just couldn’t understand it so I thought that if that is the perception, we have to change it. That’s what we set about to do.”

And change it they did. During the Whitbread race, Maiden won two out of six individual legs of the race, with Edwards ultimately receiving the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy (the first woman to receive the title in its 34-year history), and made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1990.

Despite their triumphs, the media frequently referred to the Maiden crew as “girls” as opposed to “women”, with one male journalist go as far as to scornfully describe the team as a “tin full of tarts”.

That said, she says her crew found being referred to as tarts at the time “funny more than anything else”.

“We did laugh,” she says, recalling the inherent sexist rhetoric.

“It was so far removed to who or what we were. If he’d said ‘these girls are inefficient sailors’, then we would’ve gone…” she says, screwing up her face in faux anger.

“To his credit, when we came into New Zealand and won our second leg, [the journalist] wrote ‘not just a tin full of tarts, a tin full of smart fast tarts’ – the ultimate accolade,” she jokes.

During the race, the Maiden crew became minor celebrities to young girls and women around the world, with hundreds of supporters lining the ports to welcome them after each leg of the competition, holding up banners, throwing flowers onto the ship’s deck and asking for autographs.

However, it was only after the competition that the realised their trip fulfilled more than a shared dream among female sailors but a feminist vision that transcended borders, both physical and metaphorical.

Over the years, Edwards says countless strangers have expressed their gratitude to her for the Maiden crew’s feat, revealing their participation in the race inspired them to change their lives, take up sailing, and even climb Everest.

“It makes me so proud and it’s taken me a long time to be able to say that,” explains Edwards, adding that “women are the worst in the world” when it comes to accepting praise.

Now working as a motivational speaker, ambassador and fundraiser for girls’ education, Edwards’ fight for female equality and to empower women around the world is far from over.

In 2017, the original Maiden yacht underwent a full restoration after being found abandoned for over a decade in the Seychelles. A year later and with the support of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan – whose father King Hussein of Jordan originally helped Edwards fundraise to buy Maiden for the Whitbread race – the ship set sail on its next feminist voyage around the world.

Over the next two years as the flagship of Edwards’ not-for profit organisation, The Maiden Factor , Maiden will take part in a global campaign to promote girls’ education and raise money to fund projects to empower young women.

The project will charter over 54,000 nautical miles and work with several charities and campaigns – including I am Girl, Just a Drop, Girl Up and The Girls’ Network – working to educate and mentor young girls who are currently unable to access education and combat gender discrimination.

“I’m so proud of being a woman at this time in history where we’re all coming together and making a change. What’s very interesting and positive is the difference between 30 years ago and now is that men are part of the same conversation.”

Thinking about the next generation of young girls and women hoping to unlock their potential and create a better balance of equality among the sexes, Edwards says: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something or you can’t be someone.

“Stand up and go for it.”

Maiden will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 8 March with nationwide previews and a live Q&A with Tracey Edwards MBE on 7 March.

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Queen Camilla hails 'brilliant' all-female sailing crew at Clarence House reception

The queen hosted the crew of the maiden at a special reception.

The Queen hailed the record-breaking crew of The Maiden as “brilliant” as she welcomed them to Clarence House to celebrate their unprecedented victory in the Ocean Globe Race.

They became the first ever all-female crew to win an around-the-world yacht race, setting sail last September and crossing the finish line on April 16 after spending 153 days at sea and raising funds and awareness for girls’ education.

Thanking them for coming, Her Majesty said:  "I think you are doing a brilliant job. Keep on doing it, it’s really important."

As she greeted veteran sailor Tracy Edwards, who founded The Maiden Factor, which promotes girls’ education through the Yacht, Camilla said: "You’ve brought the warm weather with you. It’s rather warmer than Scotland, where I’ve just come from, which was absolutely freezing!"

Before the crew set sail last year, the Queen sent a message to say: "You are all much in my thoughts today, as you cross the start line of the Ocean Globe Race for Maiden’s final race. I do hope that each one of you is proud to be part of such a special crew, bringing Messages of Hope to girls across the world. I wish you fair winds and following seas! - Camilla R."

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Today, as they gathered at the King and Queen’s London residence over tea, sandwiches, cake and Champagne, the crew were introduced to Her Majesty, who joked that "everybody looks younger and younger."

Hailing the winning crew’s skipper Heather Thomas, Tracy told the Queen: "She's happy, she has a glass of Champagne in her hand."

“Quite right!” replied Camilla.

Turning to Heather, 27, she said: “You are a very young skipper!” 

"I'm the same age that Tracy was when she did the race."

The crew’s success comes three decades after celebrated yachtswoman Tracy and her all-female crew finished second in the 1989 to 90 Whitbread Round the World Race aboard the 58ft Maiden, becoming the first all-female team to take part in an around-the-world race.

Asked by the Queen how she became a sailor, Heather replied: “I used to sail dinghies with my dad and then..."

"A bit of a bigger Dinghy!" joked the Queen

Heather went on: "I come from Yorkshire, we’re pretty landlocked. I went on a boat called James Cook which is run by the Ocean’s Trust up in Newcastle and takes disadvantaged kids on trips in the North East and I loved it. I came back and volunteered and at 18 I decided that’s what I wanted to do."

The 2023-24 retro-style race, which took place 50 years after the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, saw the crew ditch computers, GPS, and other high-tech tools for sextants and paper charts.

The Queen giggled as she was told how crew members were allowed to play cassette tapes during the voyage and had to be shown how to re-spool tape using a pencil.

"You learned a lot of new skills!" she laughed.

Sailors on board 14 boats raced over four legs across 27,000 nautical miles, taking in stops in South Africa, New Zealand and Uruguay. This year's crew was waved off by Tracy as the most diverse professional sailing crew ever to sail the world.

Members come from the UK, Antigua, USA, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Italy, France and Afghanistan and include the first Black and Middle Eastern female crew members to take part in such a race.

The Queen was introduced to Najiba Noori, a former AFP camerawoman who fled Afghanistan nearly three years ago and was recruited to film aboard the Maiden during the race.

She told Camilla: "I grew up in the mountains, I had never been at sea."

Speaking afterwards, she said: "It was a little bit scary, especially when there were big waves and wind, but slowly, slowly, it was okay.”

She said of her escape from the Taliban: "The day I left Afghanistan, that was the toughest day of my life and the toughest decision I’ve made. I had just five minutes to decide should I leave or stay. But I knew that if I stayed I would be a prisoner."

Najiba, who now lives in France, said of her meeting with the Queen: "I would never imagine to sail around the world and.. win the race and after that to meet the Queen. It was very nice to talk to her and tell her a little bit of my story.

"She told me 'It’s very important that you were part of this race', sailing on Maiden, which has a very important message for the world about girls’ education. That was the reason that I decided that I wanted to do this race for the women and girls of Afghanistan."

Najiba, who celebrated her 29 th birthday at sea, added: "I decided to do it just to bring a little bit of hope for the girls and for the women of my country."

The Maiden was repurposed in 2018 to raise funds and awareness around girls’ education and the-then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited her, accompanied by Princess Haya of Jordan, whose father King Abdullah funded the yacht and who helped to fund its refurbishment.

The Queen met 13 crew members and another six on-shore team members, along with Tracy. They included three other members of the original 1989 to 90 team – Marie-Claude Heys, former First Mate for training, Sally Hunter, crew member and Howard Gibbons, who served as an on-shore project manager.

Before leaving, Tracy presented the Queen with a framed, gift-wrapped photograph of The Maiden, which features a spinnaker designed by school girls and hand-painted by the crew and bearing the words: "Respect, Peace, Dignity."

Speaking afterwards, Tracy said: "It’s the perfect bookend to the project we've just done. Her Majesty Queen Camilla actually launched Maiden in September 2018. Since then we’ve been around the world twice, had a pandemic and raced around the world with a new young all female crew – the most diverse female crew that's ever been on a professional sailing team. And they have become the first all-female crew to win an around the world. And then she's invited us here today. It's the perfect circle."

Tracy said of the Maiden’s victory: “For me it's the end of a 45 year fight for the equality of women within sailing sports generally."

She said of the diverse crew: "Sailing is described as male, pale and stale. So with maiden in 1989 we dealt with the male and stale bit, we didn't deal with the pale bit."

She went on: "When Whoopi Goldberg became our patron, she looked me square in the eye and when she went, 'Change it', I went, 'Ok!' So we did.” She said it was vital to keep the sport “evolving”, adding “we’ve got to keep changing our sport or it will die."

She said of Queen Camilla: "We are so lucky to have her as our Queen. I remember meeting her when she launched Maiden and she was talking about the empowerment of women. I don’t think people realise how much she does in that sphere."

Asked about Najiba's story, Tracy said: "We wanted to highlight what was going on in Afghanistan. 130 million girls didn’t have an education before the pandemic and the Taliban… that number has increased."

Skipper Heather Thomas described the Queen's support as "massively important," adding: "We're a British vessel, we've got a lot of history in this country so to have the support of the monarchy is really important to us."

She said: "It was amazing to bring the team and to show them off to the Queen and to get them to see the Queen and be recognised for what they've done."

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Sailing around the world with an all-female crew in ‘Maiden’

A documentary about the first all-women round-the-world sailing crew, “Maiden,” arrives at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, July 12. The Maiden competed in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989. The film’s a must-see for the Island’s sailing community, and for anyone else interested seeing a women’s crew take on the then-sexist world of yacht racing. Directed by Alex Holmes, the film is co-sponsored by Sail MV, and Maiden skipper Tracy Edwards will participate in a postfilm discussion by Skype on Friday.

The Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race (now known as the Ocean Race) departs from European ports, typically in October. Established in 1973, the race is scheduled every three years, and lasts up to nine months; it covered 33,000 nautical miles in 1989-90, the longest such event on earth.

“The ocean’s always trying to kill you,” says Edwards at the opening of “Maiden.” “It doesn’t take a break.” Her English childhood changed at age 10 when her father died. Her mother remarried, and the family moved to Wales. With an abusive and alcoholic stepfather, Edwards developed into an angry teenager, suspended from school 26 times, and eventually leaving home. After landing in Greece, she was hired as a yacht stewardess, then took a job as a cook in a nautical world where there were four “girls” out of 230 crew members. “I was treated like a servant,” she says. “The cooking was horrendous; I loved the sailing.” After reading a book about the Whitbread race, Edwards says, “I wanted to be part of it. It was something I had to do.”

She announced at the Southampton Boat Show that she planned to form an all-female team for the race.

After spending two years hunting unsuccessfully for corporate sponsorship, she reached out to Jordan’s King Hussein I, whom she had met in the U.S.  Hussein, who had encouraged her to assemble an all-female crew, helped arrange funding through Royal Jordanian Airlines. Edwards was undeterred by comments like calling Maiden “a tin full of tarts,” and ridicule from both the yachting world and the media. Describing each leg of the race, “Maiden” shows how Maiden won two legs to come in second in its class. In 2014, Edwards raised funds to rescue Maiden, which she found had been abandoned, and the boat is being used to raise funds for girls’ education. “Maiden” makes a compelling story of Edwards, her crew, and the race that nobody expected them to complete. The surprise is how long it took to make it.

Information and tickets for “Maiden” and other films at the Film Center, the Capawock, and the Strand are available at mvfilmsociety.com . Films playing at the Edgartown Cinemas are available at entertainmentcinemas.com/locations/Edgartown .

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When Men Said It Couldn't Be Done, This All-Women Crew of Sailors Said 'Watch Us.' The Whitbread Round the World yacht race's first all-female crew is profiled in the new documentary 'Maiden.'

By Joan Oleck May 2, 2019

"The ocean's always trying to kill you. It doesn't take a break."

Those are the words Tracy Edwards says at the start of Maiden , a new documentary that relives the inspiring, sometimes terrifying story of the Whitbread Round the World Race of 1989-90 and the plight and ultimate triumph of one yacht crew in particular.

That would be the famous race's first all-female crew, skippered by then-24-year-old British sailor Tracy Edwards.

During the course of the race, Edwards, a kind of nautical entrepreneur and CEO, oversaw a crew of 12, helping them to overcome such challenges as 32,000 miles of open sea, life-threatening 50-foot waves, fund-raising nightmares and a near-mutiny. Not to mention the barrage of personal and media attacks the crew endured as they attempted to stake a claim in the "man's world" of competitive sailing.

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"The ocean's always trying to kill you."

"I think what I meant by that is that the ocean's very honest," Edwards, now 56, told Entrepreneur in an interview last week, discussing the film Maiden , which had its Tribeca Film Festival premiere this week. "It's not talking behind your back or gossiping against you. As long as you understand that and have respect, and you've reduced the elements to their smallest parts, you feel that you deserve to be there … it's you and the elements."

At that time in in the late '80s, the human elements were almost as insurmountable as the physical ones, judging from this documentary by filmmaker Alex Holme s, who intercut old and new interviews with the crew, and footage luckily captured by on-board fixed and hand-held cameras.

Some of the earlier footage captured shows how Edwards grew up in Reading, England, in difficult circumstances: After her father died, her mother married an antagonistic alcoholic Tracy couldn't stand. She acted out in school. She was suspended 26 times and was expelled. Finally, at 16, she fled to Southern England's coastal resorts where she fell in with the "misfits and nomads" of the sailing world.

Applying to join a crew of a Whitbread yacht, Edwards was told her only role could be cook ("We're not having a girl!") She hated that job but loved the overall experience so much that she became determined to form her own crew to compete. "It wasn't a choice; I had to do it," Edwards says in the film.

Why all women? Men and women do race together, Edwards acknowledged. "But [with men aboard], a woman sailing with me will never be recognized for her skill, her achievement. I thought the only way we'll prove that women can do this is if we have an all-female crew.'"

The men weren't buying this, however, and clearly felt threatened. From the pubs to the newspapers -- Guardian yachting writer Bob Fisher dubbed Maiden's crew "a tinful of tarts" -- the women endured misogyny and jeering. "Oh, my god, I was so angry!" Edwards still remembers. "It became an obsession among the guys; guys who didn't sail in particular were quite aggressive towards us…it made me more determined."

She would need that determination. For two years, Edwards tried and failed to raise the £1 million needed; she approached hundreds of companies, but none would invest in an all-women team. One year to race day, Edwards remembers in the film, "It was doubt and fear, panic attacks."

Then came financial salvation from an unlikely source: King Hussein of Jordan . The king was a yachting aficionado and he liked her spirit. "Within an hour, I was completely convinced to help her," the late monarch says in archive footage.

With smooth sailing at last, Edwards made another unorthodox move: She founded a limited liability company to organize the project; it was even VAT registered. "We were methodical and logical, all the things men thought we weren't," Edwards said.

Still, her male critics weren't convinced. "Everything we achieved, they'd go, "Well, there's that. What about that ?'"

Another challenge was renovating the weathered (and Whitbread veteran) yacht Maiden Edwards had purchased. At her direction, the boat was parked in a Southampton shipyard where the crew stripped off weight-bearing items like wood paneling and made the vessel sleek and fast -- as well as designed for women sailors' bodies. "Women use power differently," Edwards explained. "We have different positions and points of power than men. So, we redesigned the deck. We redesigned the interior."

The race begins.

On Sept. 2, 1989, the race commenced from Southampton, with 23 competing yachts representing 13 countries, all vying to successfully finish the most grueling course in the world, a course in which they would actually circle the world in six punishing legs.

Maiden won two of six of those legs, the best showing by a British boat in 17 years. She finished the final leg second in her class and placed second in the Whitbread overall.

Finally, Edwards's naysayers were silenced: She was awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy, the first woman to receive it, and was made an MBE .

The salty road to that royal honor had been fraught with failures and challenges in some ways familiar to land-locked entrepreneurs: First up was the funding problem. Then came a difficult staffing decision. After Edwards and her first mate Marie-Claude Kieffer clashed on leadership, Edwards fired Kieffer even before Maiden left the dock.

The crew strongly disapproved and relations became so tense it was questionable whether they could work with their skipper. ("Tracy was not very comfortable to be around," Maiden' s medic, Claire Warren, comments in the film's 1989 footage.)

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In the interview, Edwards reflected on those days -- and on her teammates' more recent decision to be absolutely truthful with the filmmaker about those tensions. Her own take on that honesty: "I want girls to see [that success] can be messy and ugly and hard work. You can't always be perfect.

"My decision to sack Marie-Claude at the start was a really hard one because I knew it was my fault and I had not handled the situation well. I let her down pretty badly; I was pretty cruel, but I knew I had to do it."

With that personnel change, instead of a first mate, Edwards wound up with two watch captains to supervise two sailing teams, working exhausting shifts of four hours on, four hours off. "We'd modeled ourselves on a male crew," Edwards commented. "We're not a male crew. Women don't work well in these hierarchies." The watch captains, it turned out, spread the leadership duties out, making things easier for all.

Other difficulties arose: During the intense Southern Ocean leg and those frigid temperatures and 50-foot waves, a competing yacht, the Creighton's Naturall y, suffered tragedy: Two men were swept overboard; both were recovered from the ocean alive, but suffered hypothermia; one later died. Maiden 's medic, Claire Russell, talked Creighton 's crew through those tense resuscitation efforts over the radio.

Another life-threatening risk: During the leg from Auckland to Punta del Este, Edwards felt her feet getting wet, only to discover a serious leak. Because the crew had renovated Maiden from start to finish, they knew every inch of the vessel and were able to find and repair the problem.

Finally, on May 5, 1990, Maiden sailed into the end point of Southampton, second in her class behind Belgium's Rucanor Sport. In the documentary's most powerful moment, the yacht is escorted by an enormous flotilla of private yachts and dinghies and is met by the cheers of thousands on shore applauding the amazing accomplishment of this all-female crew.

"I never set out to break these barriers for women," Edwards, in the interview, reflected about that acclaim. "I was annoyed that I had to be a cook on this [earlier] race boat!"

Recently, Edwards related, she rescued Maiden , which had been abandoned in the Seychelles and was about to be scrapped. She then raised £5 million pounds via crowd-funding for the yacht's restoration and funding for her foundation, The Maiden Factor , which supports charities addressing girls' education in the developing world.

"I'd love to say, "I stood up for women and fought the fight.' I mean, it ended up with us doing that," Edwards said. "I just thought, "I want to sail around the world as a sailor. And I have to put together an all-female crew to do that."

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She continued: "I then realized how angry that made so many people. So I just went, "Right, we see this has to be done.'" And so she did it.

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Historic racing sailboat arrives in Vancouver with all-female crew

The maiden — subject of a new documentary — will be docked in vancouver until aug. 6.

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The Maiden — a yacht that gained acclaim in 1989 as the first helmed by an all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht race — arrived in Vancouver Saturday and will be docked in Coal Harbour all week. 

The boat is on a commemorative world tour to raise awareness and funds for girls' education, and just like its famous race crew, it has a team of female sailors.

The vessel's original all-female crew paved the way for female sailors during the difficult round-the-world race. The team came in second overall, defying sponsors who dropped the team fearing they would die at sea and male competitors who openly took bets on their failure.

Their journey is the subject of a new documentary called  Maiden . The film follows 24-year-old Tracy Edwards who skippered the crew in the prestigious race. Later, Edwards became the first woman to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

• Galzillas all-female sailing team battling sexism at sea

Theresa Riedl, 26, of Vancouver, is one of the female sailors on board for the yacht's current world tour. Riedl, who started sailing when she was 20, joined the crew for the Honolulu to Vancouver leg.

While the trip across the Pacific was tough — battling raging swells and fierce winds across the open ocean — Reidl is reflective on what being on the historic yacht means to her.

"You think what this boat has done and what it means for women sailing and then [that] kind of gives me goose bumps," Riedl said. 

She says though she doesn't face the same kind of overt discrimination that Edwards and her crew faced 30 years ago, there is still discrimination against women in sailing, and they are vastly underrepresented.

For instance, she was the only female skipper working a route in one of her past jobs.

• 'Just hanging on': 76-year-old sailor hits milestone in race for round-the-world record

"The guys are all pretty supportive but I was the only woman working that route in the Mediterranean for two months," she said. 

"On this boat, literally everybody [is] a woman, and some of the top female sailors [are] with us ... [you're] just seeing that, you know, girls can do all of that actually."

The yacht will be docked in Vancouver at the Coal Harbour Marina until August 6, after which it will depart for Seattle. 

With files from Micki Cowan

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Olympic Sailing boats: Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing events explained

• Toby Heppell
• July 23, 2024

From foiling windsurfers and catamarans to traditional classes here'e everything you need to know about the Olympic Boats and Olympic Sailing Events at Paris 2024

There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid delayed, Games in Tokyo, so what are the new Olympic Boats zipping around in the stunning Mediterranean weather in the Olympic sailing venue in Marseilles?

Two of the new Olympic sailing events do not take place in boats at all, but are the Olympic Windsurfing and Olympic Kitesurfing events, which along with the Olympic Dinghy, Olympic Multihull, and Olympic Skiff events all fall under the ‘Olympic Sailing’ banner.

Both the windsurfing and kitesurfing events at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be zooming around out of the water on hydrofoils – as is the case for the Olympic Multihull, the Nacra 17 Catamaran .

Olympic Sailing in Paris 2024 runs from 28th July – 8th Aug

The 10 events that will take place in Paris 2024 will be:

• Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL –  NEW for 2024
• Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL –  NEW for 2024
• Men’s Kite – Formula Kite –  NEW for 2024
• Women’s Kite – Formula Kite –  NEW for 2024
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
• Mixed Dinghy – 470 –  NEW for 2024
• Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Paris 2024 Olympic Boats

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Windsurfer – IQFoil – Men & women

The IQFoil is a windsurfing class selected by World Sailing to replace the RS:X for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sailors competing in the IQFoil fleet may only use a single sail – a notable difference from many windsurfing events, where multiple sails sizes may be used. The sail size for the men’s class is 9m2.

The women’s Olympic windsurfer features a slightly smaller sail than the men’s class at 8m2. For both the men’s and women’s classes, the rider has a choice between using a hydrofoil or a conventional 68 cm fin, with the former being used in all but the lightest of conditions.

Olympic Kitesurfer – Formula Kite – Women & Men

Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut in 2024 having been selected by World Sailing to effectively replace two Olympic Dinghy events. The class features a soft, foil kite and a board with a hydrofoil.

For both men’s and Women’s fleets, the Formula Kite classes do not feature one-design kit, but instead competitors use their choice of approved production equipment. The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) manages the class.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 3 Race Day on 11th July 2023.

Olympic Multihull – Nacra 17 – Mixed

The first mixed class in sailing at the Olympics, the Nacra 17 must have one male and one female, though which role they take (helm or crew) is up to the teams.

The Nacra 17 is a very high performance catamaran and now features hydrofoils allowing the boat to zip around above the surface of the water. It can be very fast and very difficult to control, which can result in races with many lead changes.

Olympic Singlehanded Dinghy – ILCA 7  (Men) + ILCA 6 (Women)

Formerly known at the Laser and the Laser Radial, the ILCA 7 (and women’s ILCA 6) have the largest number of boats at the Olympic sailing regatta. The singlehanded dinghy is a one-design and all sailors are assigned an identical boat at the start of the competition.

The women’s singlehanded dinghy features the same hull as the men’s class with a slightly smaller rig. As with the men’s class, the athletes are assigned a boat at the start of competition.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 7 Race Day on 15th July 2023.

Olympic Skiff – 49erFX (Women) 49er (Men)

The high performance 49er skiff has wings on the side of the boat to increase leverage. Both the helm and crew trapeze from these wings at the same time to increase leverage further still. As a result the boats are fast and difficult to sail requiring a high level of athleticism.

The 49erFX is one of the newest Olympic classes, having been introduced in 2016. The hull is the same at the 49er but the sails are smaller and set on a smaller rig. It still features the two wings and two trapezes and is just as challenging to sail as the 49er.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 5 Race Day on 13th July 2023.

Olympic 2 Person Dinghy – 470 – Mixed

The 470 is a two person dinghy with one helm steering and a crew on the trapeze. for 2024 this has become a mixed event and, like the Nacra 17 must have 1 male and 1 female athlete, though what position they take is up to the crew themselves. Equipment is controlled but can be modified to a degree in order to better match the boat and sailors. Men and women compete in two different fleets for two different medals, though in the same type of boat.

Head over to our Paris 2024  Olympic Sailing page for more on the Olympic Sailing, Olympic sailing form guide , and Olympic sailing boats explainer.

Article continues below…

Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024?

Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing, combined…

Olympic Sailing explained: What you need to know to follow the racing

Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the first Olympiad in 1896 and has changed significantly over the years since.…

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From Honor Student to the Gunman Who Tried to Kill Donald Trump

Thomas Crooks was a brainy and quiet young man who built computers and won honors at school, impressing his teachers. Then he became a would-be assassin.

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By Emily Cochrane Steve Eder William K. Rashbaum Amy Julia Harris Jack Healy and Glenn Thrush

The reporters conducted about 60 interviews with classmates, teachers, neighbors and officials in Bethel Park, Pa., and reviewed law enforcement bulletins and extensive school records for this article.

For Thomas Crooks, the suburban Pittsburgh nursing home where he served meals and washed dishes for $16 an hour was another solitary corner of a nearly invisible life. He was polite but distant, a former co-worker said, ate lunch alone in the break room and rarely spoke with anyone.

But as western Pennsylvania geared up last week for the boisterous spectacle of hosting a rally for former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Crooks approached his bosses with a request, law enforcement officials said: He wanted to take Saturday off.

He told them he had something important to do.

It was one of the few hints to emerge so far that the 20-year-old engineering sciences graduate was planning to become a political assassin. A week after Mr. Crooks opened fire at the rally and was killed by the Secret Service, his ideology and motives remain a vexing question for investigators and the people who crossed paths with him.

In dozens of interviews, former classmates, teachers and neighbors said they still could not square their memories of Mr. Crooks — an awkward, intelligent teenager who liked to tinker with computers and spent his weekends playing video games — with the image of the stringy-haired gunman at the rally, armed with his father’s AR-15-style rifle as he clambered onto a rooftop and took aim at the former president. Mr. Trump suffered an injury to his ear, and three spectators were wounded, one of them fatally.

“That’s where I’m struggling — I’ve looked at horrific pictures of an individual that I stood six inches away from, shaking his hand, calling on him in class,” said Xavier Harmon, who saw Mr. Crooks almost daily in the computer technology class he taught at a technical school.

Many of the young men who have attacked schools, movie theaters, supermarkets and churches in recent years deliberately or unintentionally hinted at their rage, violent fantasies or plans well before their attacks — a phenomenon that researchers call “leakage.”

Investigators have uncovered what now could be seen as concerning signs: The gunman’s phone showed that he had possibly read news stories about the teenage school shooter who killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan. Mr. Crooks received multiple packages, including several that were marked “hazardous material,” over the past several months. He looked up “major depressive disorder” on a cellphone later found at his house.

He had also searched a bipartisan roster of political figures, including Mr. Trump, President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, F.B.I. officials told members of Congress. He also looked up both the dates of Mr. Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., as well as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

And in the latest new detail to emerge, federal law enforcement officials said on Friday that they believe Mr. Crooks flew a small drone over the rally grounds on the day of the shooting in what might have been an attempt to surveil the scene.

But investigators have not found any evidence that Mr. Crooks had strong political beliefs or an ideological motivation.

Experts who study the histories of gunmen said the emerging picture of Mr. Crooks looked more like a 21st-century school shooter than a John Wilkes Booth.

“When somebody attacks a president, our gut instinct is to say, ‘That must be politically motivated,’” said James Densley, a founder of the Violence Project, which has compiled a comprehensive database of mass shootings. “What we might be seeing here is: This was somebody intent on perpetrating mass violence, and they happened to pick a political rally.”

The rally he chose was announced in early July for the Butler Farm Show grounds, just an hour’s drive from Mr. Crooks’s hometown, Bethel Park, a mostly white, middle-class suburban town of about 32,000 where Mr. Crooks spent nearly all of his life.

He was born in 2003 and grew up in a modest red brick house on a grassy, rolling road, the younger son of a politically mixed family. He attended local schools, graduating from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and from a local community college, where he received an associate degree in engineering science, in May.

Mr. Crooks was a registered Republican, though records show he also donated $15 to a progressive cause on the day of Mr. Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. Voting records show his mother is a Democrat, and his father and older sister are Libertarians.

The Trump era has brought tensions to local politics in Bethel Park, a traditionally Republican town that is now almost evenly divided. Mr. Trump beat Mr. Biden there by just 65 votes in 2020. This year, the fissures of election season are everywhere.

Some houses fly Trump flags and “Let’s Go Brandon” banners. Others have “Stronger Together” yard signs. MAGA fans in surrounding towns hold flag-waving rallies on highway bridges to provoke liberals. Last Halloween, one resident decorated his lawn with a skeleton pointing a gun at another skeleton wearing a Biden T-shirt.

But several neighbors said the Crooks family did not put out yard signs to display their politics. In fact, they said, they rarely saw the family at all.

Mr. Crooks’s parents, Matthew and Mary, are both licensed professional counselors, and interviews and business records suggest they have been working from home at least since the pandemic.

Mr. Crooks’s father worked at Community Care Behavioral Health, part of the insurance services division of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, connecting patients with in-network counselors, a former colleague said.

F.B.I. investigators who searched the family’s home discovered it was cluttered and not well-cleaned, something akin to a compulsive hoarder’s house.

A neighbor said that years ago she occasionally saw Mary Crooks — who, according to federal authorities, was visually impaired — walking home from work from the local T train station, using a cane. But she had not seen her walking around in recent years.

As a child, Mr. Crooks befriended other children in the neighborhood, and would walk up the block to play in their backyard, one neighbor said. The neighbor said the young Mr. Crooks was fond of wearing polo shirts tucked into cargo shorts, and remembered him as a smart, nerdy child with a penchant for math.

But the family became more insular in recent years, neighbors said. They said Mr. Crooks’s parents would wave to neighbors from their lawn and say good morning, but never initiate conversations.

Kelly Little, 38, said she had never had a conversation with the family, despite living across the street from them. Her son, Liam Campbell, 17, said he rode the bus with Mr. Crooks, and noticed that he was always very reserved.

“He didn’t speak to anyone, and no one spoke to him,” he said. “He seemed like the kind of person who didn’t like to start conversations with people he didn’t know. He seemed nervous.”

It is unclear how and when he became interested in guns, but his father owned more than a dozen firearms, including the semiautomatic rifle used in the attack.

Anthony Pusateri, a member of the rifle team at Bethel Park High School from 2018 to 2020, recalled that Mr. Crooks had tried out for the team, most likely when he was a sophomore, but was a bad shot and did not make the team.

“He just didn’t shoot well enough,” Mr. Pusateri said.

In a statement on Saturday, the school district said it had no record of Mr. Crooks trying out for the team. “However, it is possible that Crooks informally attended a practice, took a shot and never returned,” it said.

He had almost no presence on social media, but the T-shirt he was wearing on the day he attacked the rally was one sold by Demolition Ranch , a popular gun-themed YouTube channel popular in the online world of guntubers, gun enthusiasts who post reviews and explanations of firearms, as well as videos of themselves shooting up watermelons or ballistic dummies.

In high school, some former classmates said Mr. Crooks was aloof, kept to himself and was teased about his hygiene and body odor. They said he walked through the halls with his head down and revealed little about himself in class or on social media.

But others insisted that Mr. Crooks had not been bullied and was not isolated, and remembered him as having a small cluster of friends. They said he never raised any concerns for them. Jim Knapp, his former guidance counselor, said that Mr. Crooks had sat by himself at lunch and played on his phone, but that he was content to do so.

School officials said Mr. Crooks did not have any disciplinary problems in high school, and was sent to detention once, in eighth grade, for chewing gum, according to school records released on Friday. He rarely missed a day of school, and teachers noted that he participated in class and was interested in learning.

Mr. Knapp said he had to call Matthew and Mary Crooks a few times to discuss minor issues about Mr. Crooks, or his older sister, and he said the parents seemed polite, responsive and engaged. But he said the family was insular.

“They stuck to themselves,” he said.

Most afternoons during his sophomore and junior years of high school, Mr. Crooks would catch a bus to attend the computer technology program at the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education. The school draws hundreds of students from southeastern Allegheny County who take classes in auto repair, cosmetology and other job-focused areas.

If he was often alone at his regular high school, he seemed more at ease in his classes at Steel. Mr. Crooks engaged with his classmates and “wanted to be part of the group,” his teacher, Mr. Harmon, said.

He would crack unfunny jokes, and his laughter would prompt other students to laugh, Mr. Harmon said. A shaky cellphone video from his time there shows Mr. Crooks making crude jokes about his height and sexual endowment while another student laughs and holds up two fingers behind his head.

“A lot of them didn’t feel like they were accepted among their peers, so computer technology was their place they called home,” Mr. Harmon said.

Mr. Harmon said Mr. Crooks “set the standard” for academics. He rarely scored low on tests and performed so well during impromptu quiz games that Mr. Harmon said he changed the rules to allow other students a chance to answer.

In an autobiographical statement Mr. Crooks wrote for his induction into the National Technical Honor Society in spring 2021 as a high-school junior, Mr. Crooks said he had a lifelong interest in building things, and that he and his father had built a computer together in 2017.

His interests, Mr. Crooks wrote, “are highly varied, and include computer technology, engineering, history and economics.”

He often finished his work before other students and would sometimes play computer games during idle moments.

“He’d go in the back, grab a computer, grab a screwdriver kit and start breaking it down, clean the pieces of stuff and then put it back together,” Mr. Harmon said.

He recalled giving Mr. Crooks what he called an ironic nickname — “Muscles,” because he was so skinny. He said Mr. Crooks rolled with it.

Mr. Crooks, he said, didn’t weigh in on politics, even when some of his other classmates did, and preferred to talk about the latest technology news or even cryptocurrency. Even when he asked the class to share about their weekends, Mr. Harmon added, Mr. Crooks usually didn’t have much to say.

“Tom always had something like: ‘Well, I sat in my bedroom, and I was gaming. I was on my computer. I didn’t do much this weekend, but I still had fun,’” Mr. Harmon said. “Other than his drive for academics, Tom was simple.”

He graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 4.047, according to school records. His class of about 300 students hooted and cheered as their friends crossed the stage together, in person and unmasked after years of pandemic disruptions. When Mr. Crooks’s name was called, he received a smattering of polite applause as he accepted his diploma.

He did not go far after graduation. After community college, he planned to enroll this fall at Robert Morris University, just outside of Pittsburgh.

But as the summer began, it appears that his plans began to change.

On July 7, six days before the political rally, Mr. Crooks may have cased the site of the planned event. On Friday, the day before the rally, he spent much of the day at the gun range, his parents told investigators. On Saturday, he went to Home Depot at 9:30 a.m. to buy a ladder, purchased 50 rounds of ammunition later in the afternoon and drove to the rally. In the Hyundai Sonata he drove to the rally, investigators said, he left behind two rudimentary explosive devices, several magazines for the rifle he used, a bulletproof vest and the drone that may have been used earlier in the day.

The nursing home said it was shocked to learn the news. Mr. Crooks had told them he would be back at work on Sunday.

Jan Ransom , Katie Benner , Bianca Pallaro , Michael Rothfeld , David W. Chen , J. David Goodman , Katie Flaherty, Alan Blinder and Adam Goldman contributed reporting. Julie Tate , Susan C. Beachy and Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

A photograph in an earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the location. The image showed Butler, Pa., not Bethel Park.

How we handle corrections

Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville. More about Emily Cochrane

Steve Eder has been an investigative reporter for The Times for more than a decade. More about Steve Eder

William K. Rashbaum is a Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York. More about William K. Rashbaum

Amy Julia Harris has been an investigative reporter for more than a decade and joined The Times in 2019. Her coverage focuses on New York. More about Amy Julia Harris

Jack Healy is a Phoenix-based national correspondent who focuses on the fast-changing politics and climate of the Southwest. He has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s journalism school. More about Jack Healy

Glenn Thrush covers the Department of Justice and has also written about gun violence, civil rights and conditions in the country’s jails and prisons. More about Glenn Thrush

Our Coverage of the Trump Rally Shooting

The Investigation : F.B.I. officials told Congress that the 20-year-old gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump used his cellphone and other devices to search for images of Trump and President Biden .

Congress Forms Task Force : The top Republican and Democrat in the House have struck a deal to form a bipartisan task force  to lead congressional investigations into the attempted assassination.

Security Blind Spots : Even as investigators continue to examine what happened at the Trump rally, it is already clear that there were multiple missed opportunities to stop the gunman  before the situation turned deadly.

The Gunman : In interviews, former classmates of the suspect described him as intelligent but solitary , someone who tried to avoid teasing by fellow students.

Secret Service Director : Kimberly Cheatle  returned in 2022 to lead the agency she had served for nearly 30 years. Before her resignation, she faced grueling questions from lawmakers  about the adequacy of her agency’s preparation .

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What It's Really Like to Travel With the 'Today' Anchors, According to the Morning Crew Themselves

Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin, and Al Roker chat about all things travel with T+L ahead of jetting off to Paris to cover the Olympics.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

While the spotlight will shine on nearly 10,500 world-class athletes from 206 countries at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics kicking off this week, the most familiar faces to American audiences just might be the Today show hosts and anchors, who will be pulling double duty as part of the NBC Olympics broadcast team covering the games.

The morning show’s Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Craig Melvin have packed their bags as they shift over into sports mode, all returning as veteran Olympic journalists, who have traveled together to previous games.

But their greatest moments often remain off camera, the crew tells Travel + Leisure before they jet off to Paris .

"In London, we were all stuck in this car together and there was so much traffic,” Guthrie recalled . “At the stoplight, Al's like, ‘See you guys later!’ He jumped out, took the Tube, and beat us by an hour and a half! He's a pro!”

.Getty Images

In fact, Roker is always ready to hop onto public transportation. “I love the Paris Metro,” he added. “In fact, when I land at Charles de Gaulle, I usually take the train. Depending on what time you land, it's 90 minutes to get into the city, and it's less than an hour on the train!”

It’s that kind of precise and strategic skill set that has made the Today team learn to play as hard as they work when they’re covering the 19 days of Olympic competition. Despite the long hours working together, they admit they also tend to spend their in-between hours together as well.

One memorable moment was at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics when they planned a hot tub party, but only two of them got in. “Al and I went out in our skivvies and got in the hot tub,” Guthrie said. Roker agreed, “It was great! It was one of my all-time favorite pictures !”

The odd hours with the time difference often means they’re out enjoying the cities when no one else is. After getting off the air at 1 a.m. once in Asia, the were all still "wired," as Guthrie described, and decided to go out. Roker wrapped first and got to the bar ahead of the others. “I'd start ordering apps and drinks, so that they'd all be laid out and they could hit the ground running," he said. "We enjoyed it so much they ran out of bourbon….”

“To be fair, they didn't have enough bourbon stocked,” Melvin added. With more epic moments sure to happen in the City of Light, we chatted with the four Today stars about what they’re looking forward ahead of Paris 2024.

What’s your favorite place to go in Paris? Hoda Kotb: I've gone to Paris a couple of times with my mom — it's one of my favorite travel memories. We just loved walking on the Left Bank and along the Seine. It wasn’t so much a particular spot, but a coffee shop in the rain, looking at the art. We stayed in the tiniest hotel, and loved it. It was what Paris should feel like.  Al Roker: My daughter has lived in Paris for about six years. One of my favorite areas is Rue Cler, where it is nothing but food and cheese shops, and great patisseries and boulangeries. You walk around and grab stuff for either lunch or dinner. You just feel like you are in Paris. There’s also a French American breakfast place called Eggs&Co. But what's great is there's all these weird little spots like... Craig Melvin: Not the Sewer Museum ! Roker: We're talking about food. But here's the thing: I'm trying to convince them to go to the Sewer Museum! Savannah Guthrie: The readers of Travel + Leisure are not going to want to go to the Sewer Museum! Anyway, I think we all just love feeling like we are "of Paris" for the moment, whether it’s sitting at a cafe or having a glass of wine. I personally love getting tips from friends of where the good vintage shopping is. All those French women, they had to give away some of their clothes at some point, so I love looking through the racks there. 

How would you describe each of your travel styles? Kotb: There's nobody better at flying than the girl sitting next to me, [Savannah]. She has a plan of when she's getting to the airport, what she's going to do when she sits, when she eats her meal, when she sleeps, when she wakes up, when she takes her Ambien, and how she lands, so that she is ready to go. And she's a pusher because she's trying to make everyone do her plan, like “Hoda, you’ve got to eat your meal, drink the wine, go to bed!” Guthrie: Never eat on the airplane, eat at the lounge. Have a glass of wine, then you have an Ambien, but only when the wheels are rolling. Never take it when you're on the ground. Kotb: You might be on the ground for a long time! Let me tell you, this girl gets there refreshed, so maybe she's right! Melvin: For me, Roker is the best traveler because, minus the Sewer Museum, he typically finds off-the-beaten spots that are delightful and non-touristy. 

Who gets to the airport the earliest?  Kotb: I'm an early arriver. Al and I are always the first two there.  Roker: Two hours at least.  Kotb: Then there’s Savannah, as the wheels are moving… Roker: She's running and throwing her bag on the plane!  Melvin: I get there like an hour and a half early. I don't like to spend too much time at the airport, although I'm excited about going this time because they've got the new lounge.

Hoda, you've been such an enthusiastic supporter of gymnastics! What makes the sport so exciting for you? Kotb: Watching gymnastics for me is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. I often miss a lot of it because my eyes are closed and I'm watching through my fingers! I get a pit in my stomach and I stress eat. Think about walking along a beam that's as thick as your phone — I get anxiety watching it!

What are your thoughts on this year’s team? Kotb: This year's team is amazing! They have four veterans with Suni [Lee], Simone [Biles], Jade [Carey] and Jordan [Chiles]. Those who have been-there-done-that, they understand the stress and pressure. Then they have Hezly [Rivera] who is the newbie — the youngest [U.S.] Olympian of the whole games — she just turned 16.  To have her there is going to add this jolt of just being wide-eyed. I like that she's part of it because she's reminding those guys how delightful it all is. So it's gonna be good. They're going to win gold!

What sports are the rest of you excited about? Melvin: Swimming is always fun to watch. I love basketball — I used to play many years ago and I coach my son's rec league team. Also, these are professional athletes, playing in their offseason. They're risking injury and they don't get paid for it. They do it for the love of country. It's fun to watch the best of the best compete. The women will dominate as they have over [nearly] 20 years. The international men's basketball game has gone up a notch. [Most of the recent] MVPs in the NBA are foreign born. The Greek team is awesome. The French team is playing on their home court and are awesome. It’s going to be fun to watch — and it should be competitive. Guthrie: Tennis is my favorite sport and I will be watching it, especially with Roland Garros being an iconic venue. I also like sports that we don't get to see every day. I actually really enjoy track and field, like shot put and the long jump. And beach volleyball is fun! Melvin: Al was quite the athlete in high school? What did you play? Roker: The piano! But I first discovered beach volleyball in Athens. It was like, oh my gosh, this is a party. Nobody had seen it and you could just walk in and you didn’t even need a ticket. Now it’s just unbelievable. In fact, Craig and I both have the men's beach volleyball bathing suits we're gonna wear!

What Olympics moment stands out the most in your memory? Roker: I was there in 1996 when Muhammad Ali came out and lit that torch. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was one of the most emotional moments I've ever experienced.  Guthrie: My favorite Olympic memory is Kerri Strug [also at Atlanta 1996] because she was like she did vault injured, and she saved Team USA.  Kotb: A recent one would have probably been the Rio games and the gymnasts winning gold. Simone came out of nowhere — people couldn't pronounce her name, and now she's something special. Savannah and I were also just talking about Mary Lou Retton. I remember the [ Sports Illustrated ] magazine headline was, “Only You, Mary Lou!” Melvin : I'm still sort of the rookie. Honestly, I enjoy hanging out with our team outside of the Games and just spending time together, having dinners and enjoying rosé! We don't get to play together a lot because we keep odd hours at work. So, for me, that's the highlight.

The Today crew's coverage airs from July 26 through Aug. 11 on NBC, as well as on streaming app Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, and the NBC Olympics app. 

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British Classic Week 2024: Round-up and Results

In this regatta’s 22nd year, the beautiful boats of British Classic Week took the Solent last week for five days of exciting racing. After two wet and testy days on the water (reaching 1.5m waves and 25 knots of wind), the weather lifted, giving way to some long awaited sunshine and champagne sailing from Wednesday onwards, Milly Karsten reports.

British classic week 2024.

Founded in 2002 by the British Classic Yacht Club ( BCYC ), this annual Isle of Wight regatta attracts around 500 competitors and guests from around the world. Based in Cowes Yacht Haven, last week almost 50 wonderfully restored boats, new classics, and their crews, came together to race, celebrating the boats and the classics community. 

This year’s five-day race series, managed by Race Officer Peter Saxton and his team from the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), saw some exciting sailing and commendable victories. Regatta Chairman Giovanni Belgrano commented, 

“It was an awesome week and some of the best sailing I have had in my life.  The race management team did an exceptional job giving us five varied races in challenging conditions. The camaraderie and socialising on the dock matched the racing, it was fantastic to see everyone making friends and sharing their beautiful yachts.”

British Classic Week 2024 Winners

Je Ne Sais Quoi prizes

Class 1: Crusade

Class 2: Anne Sophie

Class 3: Sunstone & Whooper

Class 4: Sabrina

Gaffers: Snippet

Motor Boat: Maudorces

Overall Je Ne Sais Quoi winner: Harlequin

In Need of a Stiff Drink Trophy donated by Spirit Yachts

Crusade (for an engine fire onboard)

Best Presented New Entrant, Per Ardua ad Mare trophy

Forts Race sponsored by Spirit Yachts: Classes 1 & 2 overall winner

Happy Forever

West Solent passage race sponsored by Global Forecaster

Gwenhyfar II

Female Helm race sponsored by Raymarine

Class 1: Gwenhyfar II

Class 3: Anna Mai 

Class 4: Timoa

Gaffer: Dorothy

Overall Female Helm Winner: Anne Sophie

Long Inshore Race sponsored by OneSails GBR

Class 4 and Gaffers: Sioma II

Class 3: Sunstone

Classes 1 & 2: Anne Sophie

British Classic Week 2024 – Highest % female crew

British Classic Week 2024 – Youngest crew member

Florence Spooner on Snippet (13yrs)

British Classic Week 2024 – Highest % family crew 

Arctic Skua

Overall Class Winners: British Classic Week 2024 

3rd: Crusade

2nd: Gwenhyfar II

1st: Happy Forever

2nd: Cetewayo

1st: Anne Sophie

3rd: Whooper

2nd: Sunstone

1st: Anna Mai 

2nd: Enchanted

Highest Placed Gaffer

Highest Placed Spirit overall

Small Yacht of the Week

Large Yacht of the Week

Anne Sophie

Classic Boat Pontoon Party

The racing days of British Classic Week 2024 were rightfully rounded off with various sponsored events around Cowes, including Classic Boat Magazine’s infamous pontoon party, with drinks from Hattiers Rum and Dartmouth Gin.

After a summer’s day out on the Solent, it was wonderful to see all the crew kicking back with a cold drink, enjoying the evening sun and atmosphere, while live music drifted through Cowes Yacht Haven. 

If, like us, you’re already looking forward to next year, whether you’ll be getting stuck in or watching the action, we’re happy to announce British Classic Week will be gracing Cowes and the Solent from 6th-11th July 2025 . 

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Superyacht abandoned by a Russian fertilizer billionaire has a new secret owner, who got it for a huge discount

The Alfa Nero superyacht, which has been abandoned in the Caribbean for more than two years, has a new owner.

The 267-foot (81-meter) vessel, complete with a baby grand piano and a swimming pool that turns into a helipad, sold for $40 million last week, said Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the US. He declined to name the buyer, citing a confidentiality agreement.

The sale marks the latest attempt to end the years-long Alfa Nero saga. A Russian oligarch abandoned the luxury yacht in Antigua in March 2022, after being sanctioned by the US Treasury. Then tech billionaire Eric Schmidt tried buying it at auction, only to  give up  when the sale became a legal quagmire. 

Meanwhile, the vessel sat in Antigua’s Falmouth Harbour being tended to by a skeleton crew and costing over a $100,000 a month to maintain.

At $40 million, the new Alfa Nero owner will end up paying far less than the $67.6 million that Schmidt, a former Google CEO, had offered last year. Sanctioned Russian fertilizer billionaire Andrey Guryev had originally bought the Alfa Nero in 2014 for $120 million, the US Treasury Department said — which Guryev denies. 

His daughter, Yulia Gurieva-Motlokhov, later stepped forward to claim ownership of the yacht, triggering a legal dispute.

“It’s not worth 40 million, it’s worth way more,” said Richard Higgins, a broker with Northrop & Johnson who represented the undisclosed buyer. “They needed to get the boat sold.”

Higgins said the new owner is European and will likely put the Alfa Nero on the charter market.

The Alfa Nero is among more than a dozen superyachts pinned down in ports around the globe after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought a series of economic sanctions against Russian oligarchs. Many of the vessels have been stuck in limbo amid costly legal disputes and racking up maintenance costs.

The Phi superyacht has been moored in London since 2022 while other vessels are stuck in Italy and Spain. There’s also the Amadea, a 348-foot ship with a lobster tank and hand-painted clouds on the dining-room ceiling, which was seized from its alleged oligarch owner in Fiji and now sits in California. Last month, a New York court denied the US government’s request to sell the Amadea, Voice of America  reported .

Alfa Nero’s new owner “is not included in the sanctions list of any country or institution,” Ambassador Sanders said.

The latest attempt to sell the Alfa Nero was brokered through a private contract, the port manager, Darwin Telemaque, said in a phone call. He also declined to name the buyer. Telemaque expects the proceeds will cover the millions of dollars in port fees the Alfa Nero has racked up.

“I am very happy that the ship is no longer the responsibility of the people and the government of Antigua and Barbuda,” he said. 

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4 takeaways from President Biden’s Oval Office address

Domenico Montanaro

President Biden speaks during an address to the nation about his decision to not seek reelection in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday. Evan Vucci/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

For the latest on race for president, head to NPR's Election 2024 page.

It’s not often that a politician takes a step back.

They are often their own biggest champions. But in rare cases, when the writing is on the wall, because of age, health — or politics, they do.

In an address to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night, President Biden said he will serve out his term as president, noting there are still things he wants to accomplish. But he explained that he is not seeking reelection, in part, because he wants to “pass the torch to a new generation.”

Here are four takeaways from what Biden had to say:

1. Biden tried to send the message that no one person is bigger than the country — and that what America stands for is at stake.

“Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy,” Biden said. “That includes personal ambition.”

It was a remarkable statement for Biden, 81, who has held public office for more than half a century and ran for president multiple times — unsuccessfully until Donald Trump came along — and was ushered into office at 78 years old, the oldest person ever to be elected president.

Biden's brand was overcoming obstacles. But this one, he couldn't beat

Biden invoked past presidents — Abraham Lincoln, he said, urged Americans to “reject malice;” Franklin Delano Roosevelt implored the country to “reject fear.” He cited George Washington, who, by stepping aside after two terms despite his popularity, “showed us presidents are not kings.”

“I revere this office,” Biden said, “but I love my country more. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title.”

In other words, Vice President Harris gives those who see former President Trump as an existential threat to that democracy the best chance to win because of Biden’s diminished capabilities to prosecute the case against him.

It's a case that Biden sees as necessary for someone to make effectively, considering Trump's unwillingness to accept the results of the 2020 election and his refusal to agree to accept the results of the upcoming election.

6 political takeaways from Biden's decision to step aside

In Washington’s farewell address on Sept. 19, 1796, he also warned that “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

“The great thing about America is,” Biden said, “here, kings and dictators do not rule; the people do.”

Biden and others see that foundational American principle as lost on someone like Trump, who, when he visited Mount Vernon, Washington’s estate in Virginia, in 2019 with French President Emmanuel Macron, said of the nation’s first president, per Politico :

“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”

2. Biden desperately wants to be seen as a uniter, but that’s been a struggle for him as president — and maybe one of his biggest personal disappointments.

President Joe Biden pauses before he addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday about his decision to drop his Democratic presidential reelection bid. Evan Vucci/Pool/via AP hide caption

The president cited the need for unity among Americans multiple times:

“America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.” “In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.” “The sacred cause of this country is larger than any one of us, and those of us who cherish that cause … a cause of American democracy itself, [we] must unite to protect it.” “So I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.” “Let's act together, preserve our democracy.”

The idea of uniting the country is something Biden ran on in 2020. But it hasn’t worked out that way. He’s been sharply criticized by the right and views of him — in this hyperpolarized environment where people get their information largely from sources that reinforce their previously held beliefs — are as partisan as any president before him, including Trump.

Just 43% said they had a favorable view of Biden, according to an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll taken before the debate between him and Trump. That included just 38% of independents and only 10% of Republicans.

3. This is the start of a review of Biden’s legacy — and that views of it may take a long time to set in.

Biden defended his legacy and laid out what he believes he’s accomplished and what he still hopes to do.

“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term,” he said, “but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.”

Poll: Presidential race hits a reset with Harris vs. Trump

The latest NPR poll , taken this week after Biden said he would not continue to run for reelection, tested what people think of his presidency. It showed most, right now, are unimpressed.

Despite the record of legislative accomplishments Biden cited, only slightly more than a quarter of respondents said he would be remembered as an above average president or one of the best presidents in U.S. history. Half said he would be remembered as below average or one of the worst.

Those views can change with time, especially when a president is no longer in the political arena. President Obama’s favorability, for example, has improved since leaving office and views of his signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act, have hit record highs.

A 2022 survey of historians found Biden rated as the 19th best president of the 46 that have served. Trump was in the bottom five at No. 43. But, at this point, Americans overall, feel differently.

4. After seeing Harris for a few days, the contrast with Biden is clear.

Vice President Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on Tuesday in West Allis, Wis. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images hide caption

Biden could have made the determination years ago, after saying he would be a “transitional” president during the 2020 election, that he would not run for reelection.

But the realities of his personal limitations after his dismal debate performance last month, and how his political support had cratered in swing states led to this moment.

Biden had a problem with young voters. Can Harris overcome it?

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For years now, Democrats have been holding their breath with every public appearance he made. They crossed their fingers that he would acquit himself at least decently well, but they knew one bad speech, interview or… debate… could sink his — and their party’s — chances to hold onto the White House.

After watching Harris' first couple of days of campaigning, from her first speech before staffers to her first official campaign rally in Wisconsin, Democrats have been breathing a bit easier.

She has spoken clearly and coherently, and there has been energy from the grassroots. Whether that lasts or if it resonates with swing voters is still to be decided.

Biden didn’t explicitly lay out Wednesday night why he stepped aside, but watching what was an, at times, halting address, the contrast was like night and day.

It was very much a moment in history with a president, who appeared in many ways, to be delivering something of his own farewell. He was recognizing he cannot be as effective a campaigner as he would have liked, so he is taking a step back from the public eye, handing over the reins of the campaign to his vice president for the next 103 critical days in American democracy.

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