Peter Bentley is still getting in the neck...

What's your view on Amer Sports Too's performance? I am now 51 years old, but sailed my first Fastnet Race in 1967 as, guess what? 'the cook'. But what a great experience and a chance to learn. In the years that followed I was always trying to go sailing and, always in the minority. In the 1972 Hobart on the successful American Eagle, the sole female in the fleet as far as I knew and that wasn't because there were no other keen and skilled female sailors it was because the guys didn't want them.

The question is, has that changed? It's fantastic that we've now reached a stage where the girls are out there. I would give a lot to shed 20 years and be there too. But wouldn't it be good if they were accepted just that little bit more and so able to compete WITH the guys, instead of being asked to do it AGAINST them, at short notice minus the benefit of the development programs that many crews have undertaken. Everyone knows that guys are stronger, taller and heavier than girls in a majority of cases so, wouldn't it be good if the Volvo developed an overall crew weight rule instead of counting bodies.

In this case Amer Sports Too could have taken 14 girls or preferably, in my view, the rest of the fleet could choose to sail with a mixed crew - selecting a mix of strength, touch, experience and size - perhaps gaining an additional crew member in the process. To be fair to Peter Bentley I feel that he is simply being typically irritating and trying to get a reaction. His article does admit that Lisa McDonald's crew did not have the best boat, the long preparation time, the amazing numbers of circumnavigations or the investment that other challenges had.

But, unfortunately, his article will probably be stuck up on Club noticeboards around the world and appeal to the hordes of mediocre male sailors who have always found a female crew member a threat. It's not helpful Peter, and it's not clever. In fact, you are the one who is not contributing to women's progress in sailing, not the girls on Amer Sports Too who have the support of many, many men as well as women who just respect them for their courage and effort in simply being there and doing their best with the situation they have been given.

From Jenny Barba
What's your view on Amer Sports Too's performance? When I was thirteen, I spent every minute of the summer on the water sailing. I returned to eighth grade in the Fall of 1989 and read Maiden Voyage written by Tania Aebi and Bernadette Brennan cover to cover without stopping for a book report.

Instantly, I was inspired with dreams of ocean sailing and racing on keelboats. Wow, I'd thought, the first American woman to sail around the world alone, and she's only eighteen. If she can do it, so can I. Well, several years, sailing books and regattas later I've come to realise that I'd rather sail around the world with more than a cat and some books, but I still get that same rush of adrenaline when I know that there are amazing women racing around the world alone and with others, setting records and living their dreams.

No matter what the final results are, if it is a recreational weekend regatta or an Olympic class qualifier, women sailors inspire me more than my male counterparts and they always will. Top women sailors are continuously making strides in our sport, passing on knowledge and experience and reaching levels of success in their eyes and the eyes of many others. Thank you ladies for being true to our sport!

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