Sri Lanka
Maiden made another quick 'pitstop' into Sri Lanka to refuel and pick up supplies. She also picked up more crew and Skipper Nikki Henderson handed over the wheel to our next legendary Skipper, Wendy Tuck! Nikki and Wendy are old pas of course from the Clipper Race which saw Nikki take second place and Wendy became the first woman to WIN a round the world race. Everyone on the team is honoured to welcome her on board and we say a HUGE THANK YOU to the awesome Nikki for getting Maiden safely to Sri Lank. It was not always easy!
Ayesha, Amalia and Iona also joined Maiden's crew in the short pitstop in Sri Lanka. The legendary yacht which has just been featured in the documentary 'Maiden', is sailing with a brand new crew of inspirational female sailors, embarking on a global awareness and fundraising tour to support and promote access for girls to education. As they sail towards the first official stopover in Australia, let's get to know these new crew members more...
AYESHA LOBO, INDIA
Ayesha is an avid traveller, adventurer and an entrepreneur. As a sailor and founder of one of the top sailing institutions in India she is known to be a legendary captain recognised for her contagious energy. She has been awarded the Women’s Achiever’s Award 2017 by Young Environmentalists Program for her achievements in sailing and also holds the title as the Most Promising Lady Sailor. She has participated and won in multiple national and international sailing events, a few of them being Cowes week, Royal Dartmouth regatta, and Hamble Regattas - UK and a few in Asia ( Hong Kong, China, Malaysia). She’s a go-getter, and one who looks forward to crossing new hurdles and surpassing her own accomplishments. She is heavily involved in coaching and mentoring many sailing enthusiasts in India.
AMALIA INFANTE, SPAIN
Amalia’s passion for the ocean began from a very early age while racing all over the Mediterranean Sea in her families Swan 44. Since then Amalia has participated in many offshore and inshore races both mono and multihull, as well as participating in double handed offshore events, with all of this covering the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Atlantic and North Sea. In conjunction with her sailing, Amalia’s other passion is multimedia. Her sailing media work had her first cover the TP52 circuit in 2007, then the Volvo Ocean Race where Amalia worked with one of the teams in the 2008-9 editions. This culminated in the publication of her well-received book “Life behind the sails.” Amalia feels a strong connection to the ocean and understands that there are stories that deserve to be told to inspire others for what can hopefully allow us a better world.
IONA TAYLOR, ENGLAND
Iona is currently a Junior doctor working in emergency medicine with a passion for sailing. She first started sailing in dinghies at the age of 12, racing at club level and then becoming a dinghy instructor. Whilst studying Medicine, Iona became involved with the university team racing teams and started to sail larger yachts whilst volunteering for the Tall Ships Youth Trust. Recently she has spent some time out of the medical training programme to enhance her sailing career, working as a deck hand and watch leader whilst crossing the Atlantic and parts of the Pacific. Iona has completely fallen in love with both sailing and emergency medicine and aim to combine a future career in both.
And finally some lovely images from Maiden's visit to Sri Lanka.
