A collaborative race report from the crew of the Sierra 26, Dos

The Sierra 26 Dos heads downwind in Shilshole Bay.

The Women at the Helm (WATH) series represents the best of activism in a joyful community. Thirty-four boats helmed by their female owners, co-owners, or offered by generous friends took to the water on July 20 to celebrate the women+ community in Puget Sound sailing. While the sport of sailing has become more equal for women+ by leaps and bounds in the last couple of decades, thanks to the incredibly persistent female pioneers who forged paths for the rest of us to follow, admittedly there is still a long way to go, both for women, and for diversity in the sport as a whole.

The vibrancy of events such as the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club’s WATH series does an incredible job of stewarding the work done so far, and making the pursuit of diversity in sailing a natural and joyful part of the race schedule.

The race committee signaled a one hour postponement to kick off the event, as the wind was taking its sweet time waking up on the laid-back Saturday morning. As the gentle breeze established itself from the north-northeast, the race committee flawlessly ran through the starting sequence, sending boats off on their 16 nautical mile course.

The race started in classic Shilshole fashion with boats flirting with the beaches as the fleets made their way up towards Woodway. As the flooding current took hold, the group rounded the NOAA research buoy and set a course for West Point. The downwind leg was where the real fun began, as the wind faltered, scattering mini-doldrums across the sound, interwoven with passages of light breeze that created an almost total reset at the leeward mark.

The penultimate windward leg saw the conditions settle and build to a consistent 12 knots, which stuck around through the finish. In class six,​​ Katie Biely and her Ratfish crew got away and never looked back, taking first in class.

Stephanie Campbell skippered Christa Bassett Ross’s sweet new ride, Lightly Salted, and took second. Like many boats out on the water, her crew had never sailed all together, a pattern which was repeated, especially on the few all-female boats, and was illustrative of WATH regattas, where teams come together and pull off competitive races without the benefit of a “regular crew or positions.” Aboard the Sierra 26, Dos, the team “came together really quickly despite having not sailed together before. There was great communication, leadership, and instruction. Everything just takes practice, learning, and confidence.

As the team reflected on the day and racing with an all female crew, Vikki commented that, “In over 20 years of competitive racing, I have been witness to the progress of diversity in sailing, and I have to say, never have I learned more quickly than working with a crew of capable women. There is something quite remarkable that happens when a group of gals are left to their own devices—women can go anywhere and accomplish anything when presented the opportunity. And together they can do so joyfully, with compassion and communication, and full of laughter.”

The crew of Dos would like to say thank you to everyone in the sailing community, from organizations like SEASTR, who are committed to expanding opportunities for underrepresented communities in sailing, to individuals who go above and beyond to create space and welcome new faces into the sailing community. Big thanks to Brad for lending a beautiful Sierra 26 to a group of tearaway women to go racing!

Also, thanks goes out to the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club and their sponsors for putting on this event, we will see you all on September 21 for Women at the Helm Part 2. Tell your friends!