Magenta Project goes foiling

Opportunity for female sailors to try a GC32 foiling catamaran in Cowes

The Magenta Project is giving top female sailors the chance to gain experience sailing a GC32 foiling catamaran.

The event will be run from Venture Quays in East Cowes over 18-22 July and is part of the Magenta Project’s mission to give aspiring female sailors opportunities and pathways to compete at the high performance level of the sport. It is kindly being funded by Peters & May, whose dedicated yacht transport division specialise in bespoke logistic and transport solutions for some of the top racing teams in the world.

Craig Stanbury, Operations Director of Peters & May Yacht Racing division, commented: “Having worked with both team SCA and Dee over the years, we’ve seen the incredible amount of perseverance and passion they put into their own racing careers, and the high-performance racing community as a whole. Our support for this event is nothing in comparison to their dedication to supporting women in sailing year in year out. We can’t wait to see the Magenta Project go from strength to strength!”

At present there is only one female sailor racing onboard a GC32; Sharon Ferris from New Zealand who is part of the Armin Strom Sailing Team and she will be giving her time and sharing her skills during the week.

The GC32 has kindly been provided by OC Sport, owners and organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series, which is now in its tenth year.  The long-term aim for The Magenta Project is to see women competing alongside their male peers.

The Magenta Project’s Dee Caffari says: “The talent is certainly out there amongst the top women sailors, it’s the opportunity to practice and hone skills that’s lacking We hope this week of sailing will be a small step towards tackling that.

“The sailors will have the chance to learn from Sharon Ferris who is part of the Armin Strom sailing team who are currently competing in the GC32 Racing Tour. She has proven that it is practical and possible for a mixed crew to compete effectively.

“This is a unique opportunity and we want to give as many female sailors as possible exposure to the foiling generation.”

The Magenta Project was set up as a legacy of the Team SCA Volvo Ocean Race campaign. It aims to advance women in the sport of professional sailing by providing pathways and raising the visibility of those already competing. In the short term providing inspiration and encouragement to those who are trying to establish themselves in the sailing world with a long-term ambition to see the  percentage of professional female sailors competing in premier events increase from 3% to more than 10% by 2020.

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