Liz Wardley

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We are absolutely delighted to welcome back, sailing legend, Liz Wardley as a retuning Maiden Skipper. Liz is an offshore sailor and three times Volvo Ocean Race competitor, as Boat Captain on the mixed team of Turn the Tide on Plastic and as Watch Captain for the all-female crew of Team SCA in the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race. She is also a motivational and public speaker, personal trainer, boat re-fitter and an ocean ambassador who SUPs, surfs and kiteboards in her spare time. “With this calibre of Skipper on board Maiden we know that the crew will be able to grow even more as sailors.” said Founder, Tracy Edwards MBE. Liz says “It is incredible to have the opportunity to sail on Maiden, the first boat to ever race around the world with an all-female crew. It is humbling to follow in Tracy Edwards’ footsteps and skipper her iconic yacht and it’s great to be back!

Marie-Claude Heys

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(Guest Skipper from Dubai to Palma) At 17 Marie-Claude (Kieffer) Heys dreamt of participating in the Whitbread Round the World Race. It would be a dream that took a long time to achieve as a woman in a man’s world. In 1983, she entered the single-handed Figaro race. She competed in this race again in 1987, 1990, and 1991, with respectable results. She skippered female crews for the Tour de France a La Voile in 1985 and 1986. At the age of 25, Marie-Claude completed her first successful transatlantic race – Monaco-New York on Lady Elf skippered by Sylvie Viant. The crew of 7 women and 5 men were victorious. In 1986, MC joined Maiden as 1 st Mate and was instrumental in the success of the project. Things did not go according to plan, though, and she was unable to compete in the race until 1993-94 when she competed on “Heineken”, a boat sailed by a crew of 12 women. She competed in this race again for the 1997-1998 edition as part of a 12 woman crew on “EF Education”. After having spent 15 years living out of a suitcase, she started Key Yachting in Hamble, UK, with her then-boyfriend Paul Heys, to whom she was married in 1998 but widowed in 2019. We are so fortunate to have MC back with Maiden where she belongs!

Annie O'Sullivan

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Annie is a passionate sailor and supporter of women in the sailing industry. A calm, competitive, experienced sailor/racer based in the Solent and Caribbean. She was the Principal & Chief Instructor of 2 RYA sailing schools from 2003 – 2017 training/coaching hundreds of women to sail and race. Annie set up the international business, Girls for Sail which taught hundreds of women and girls to sail inshore and also on trans-Atlantic voyages and at various international regattas. Annie sold Girls for Sail in 2017. Annie has raced extensively and has also taught the girls team at the Grieg City Academy, with whom Maiden has an ongoing relationship. She has a natural affinity with teaching, coaching and mentoring her teams and this fits very well with Maiden’s new Apprentice scheme which will be ongoing with a new intake each year. Annie’s outgoing and energetic personality makes her the perfect Skipper for Maiden and her enthusiasm for promoting women on the water combined with her sailing experience make her the perfect team leader.

Erica Lush

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Erica sailed with Maiden for most of the previous world tours and happily for us, is returning to her rigging/crew role. During her time away from Maiden she continued to push herself in the sport, completing a mentee ship with the Magenta Project, competing in shorthanded distance racing at an international level, and most recently working with IMOCA 60 programs. Over 10 years in the industry, Erica has worked as deckhand, mate, bosun and captain, and sailed over 60,000 nm offshore. Sailing on a variety of different types of yacht in different positions makes her a great team player on Maiden.

Molly Lambert Lapointe

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Molly is a central part of the Maiden family having been on the boat since she helped crew it from Newport across the Atlantic to the Azores last September. The 28 year old American (who hopes shortly to complete Italian citizenship) is considered a ‘nuclear’ crew member having worked on Maiden Outreach Days, an integral part of the project to inform, educate and stimulate. Molly cut her sailing teeth in conventional fashion, learning her craft initially on her father’s 22 foot lanzer in and around the family home in Maine. Molly has always had a simple mantra for life at sea – Ship. Shipmates. Self. Those principles have been applied to her academic as well as sporting life. Molly graduated from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts in 2017 with a degree in French Language and Linguistics and has spent the intervening years adding to her sea-faring knowledge with certification on various courses around Key West and New York Harbour. She is not afraid of getting her hands dirty and has several different experiences acquiring engineering qualifications in fueling, oil changing and all the other unseen and unglamorous work that goes into making a boat function. Her transatlantic experience on a tall square rigger, sailing from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Cork, using traditional sailing practices only, should prove invaluable. Molly has been a really popular figure at the Outreach days, full of fun but also well- informed and willing to get stuck in. That Maiden is all-female fits her own ‘outspoken feminist,’ viewpoint and ‘puts fire in her belly,’ to show just what can be achieved by women.

Heather Thomas

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Sailing is in Heathers’ blood, coming from a long line of mariners. Growing up in Otley, West Yorkshire, the sea was not close by, so Heather began her journey, dinghy sailing at the local lake, Otley Sailing Club, encouraged by her father. The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation gave Heather her first taste of ocean sailing, with a bursary to compete in the Pacific Leg of the 15/16 Clipper Round the World Race. She has since worked in a variety of roles and vessels in the marine industry- from flotilla skipper to teaching young people in the Caribbean. Maiden has been a big inspiration to Heather throughout her sailing career, so to sail on her is a dream come true. Heather looks forward to inspiring young girls to dream big, a value that was instilled in her by her parents, who continue to be her biggest supporters.

Vuyisile Jaca - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Vuy has had to deal with enough adversity in her young life to be able to approach whatever awaits in the Southern Ocean with a degree of calm and equanimity. The 25 year old was brought up in a South African township and lost both her parents when she was no more than a child. It was a chance opportunity at JG Zuma High School that led her to discover Sail Africa in 2015. It was only a fleeting encounter and when Vuy returned to the township she felt so ‘miserable,’ that she took it upon herself to approach the director at Sail Africa to see if there were any more possibilities to sail. She told her that many girls asked to return only ‘to get scared as soon as they went offshore and never came back.’ Vuy was not going to let that happen to her even though she couldn’t swim and had never seen a large body of water in her life before. Now, she is a qualified swimming instructor as well as a recreational diving instructor. She also works part-time as an underwater photographer. More tellingly, she crewed in 2021 on one of the most difficult trips in South Africa, the Vasco de Gama Challenge which runs from Durban to Port Elizabeth. Vuy came to Maiden’s attention through one of their charities as they were sailing from Dakar to Cape Town. Vuy was flown to Dakar ( first time in an airport, first time in a plane) to meet them and here we are with Vuy about to compete in the OGR. It’s hard to compute just how her life has been and how far she has come. “Losing both parents at a very young age drives me every day to follow my dreams,” said Vuy. “Because they are not here to do things for me, I have to do them on my own. I make it my mission to make them proud of me. Even though they are no longer here I know that they are watching over me. I ask my myself if they would be proud or disappointed? Whatever, I’ll just dust myself down and try again.” Vuy is a cherished member of the crew. “We all adore her to bits,” said Tracy Edwards. “She is such a special young lady. She has proven herself on the boat and we have all fallen in love with her.”

Rachel Burgess

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Rachel is used to unexpected calls for help in the middle of the night, be it in the wilds of the Southern Ocean or as a vet of 12 years standing in remote locations. “It makes you appreciate the value of getting sleep when you can,” said Rachel. All the expertise of completing a Covid-interrupted Clipper Race Circumnavigation (2019- 2022) as well as her long-standing involvement in veterinary practice in the UK as well as in Australia will be put to good use now that she is confirmed as being on board Maiden for the OGR. The 36 year old originally tried out in 2021 but simply wasn’t able to commit the time at that juncture. Now she can, and takes her place as Chief Mate, right-hand to skipper Heather. Rachel has a huge volume of experiences to call upon even though she did not get her first taste of sailing until she was 16 years old taking part in a Tall Ship expedition that went from Weymouth to Dublin via several other ports of call. She graduated from the University of Glasgow as a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. Rachel rekindled her passion for the open water when based in Newcastle on Australia’s eastern seaboard and has made a great fist of combining her working life with what she used to view as her hobby. Now she is committed full-time to Maiden for the OGR, looking forward to ‘the rawness of the ocean,’ although she does nurse a fear of ‘running out of Haribo.’ The huge swells of the Southern Ocean are nothing compared to that.

Kate Ledgard - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Kate knows all about searching the horizon for great adventures having been brought up in Devon, sailing around Plymouth Sound where her parents were keen sailors. The open seas have always been a draw for the 26 year old whose interests in attempting a circumnavigation were piqued when she read the biography of Ellen MacArthur. Kate’s mother was able to supplement this interest with her own first-hand memories of Maiden’s return to the UK in the 90s and the excitement it generated. Kate’s sailing career began when she went to Sheffield University to study medicine, quickly outgrowing the lasers she raced when she was younger, and taking up team racing on the lakes in South Yorkshire. She started travelling down to the south coast to race with Junior Offshore Group (‘JOG’) and Royal Ocean Racing Club (‘RORC’), completing her first Rolex Fastnet in 2019. Kate came fourth at the Women’s Match Racing Nationals in 2021, managing to juggle the demands of her medical degree with the all time-consuming duties that sailing entails. She is a fine athlete and as a qualified doctor on board she is sure to be an asset, albeit the hope is that she is not called on too often! Despite having a shorter trial leg, from Southampton to the Azores, Kate’s naturally friendly and open personality has meant that she has slotted straight into the Maiden Team and environment on-board. She hopes to return ‘with another family from all round the world.’. Kate’s sights are well and truly set on being a diligent, competitive crew member who hopes that on this exciting adventure she might also catch her first glimpse of ‘an albatross or breaching whale’!

Maryama Seck - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Bio coming soon!

Junella King

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Junella was spoilt for choice when it came to deciding just what she was going to aim for this year after being invited to try out for the Junior America’s Cup in 2022. Junella had already had dealings with Maiden as far back as 2019 after first getting into sailing as a 15 year old in Antigua at the National Academy there. The 22 year old took to the sport almost immediately and was invited to do a leg with Maiden four years ago as an apprentice (or Milebuilder as they are called) only for the pandemic to do as it did to many lives and interrupt best-laid plans. Junella joined Maiden when things began to open up again and was part of the World Tour in 2021. Junella joined the boat in Dubai as an apprentice but such is her talent and application that she has quickly managed to work her way up to full crew. The invitation to trial for the junior America’s Cup was, of course, a wonderful opportunity but Junella’s heart is set on the big boat ocean experience. Their loss is Maiden’s gain. Junella has spent time with Doyle Sails in Southampton extending her knowledge and operation of that business, quickly getting the hang of all the intricacies and will be in charge of sails on Maiden for the OGR. As with so many, Maiden has fired her imagination. “I admire the idea of sailing with all females and the comfort that it brings, helping to make the world a better and more equal place.”

Lana Coomes

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The 18 year old from Puerto Rico is the youngest of the crew but has already made such an impression that older members of the sailing community have commented that Lana reminds them of Tracy Edwards at the same age. ‘Poor girl,’ says Tracy. Coomes has been ‘a breath of fresh air,’ since joining the team in Brazil in the spring for try- out legs to the Azores and on to the UK. Lana was never far from water when growing up in Puerto Rico so much so that by the age of 12 she was already certificated through the American Sailing Association and the International Yacht Training body. Summers were spent scuba-diving, kite-surfing and sailing round the lesser Antilles. Lana is also an accomplished student and will go on to study Environmental Sustainabilities at university once she has completed her voyage round the world. Maiden is to be her Gap Year experience which beats the usual teenage pursuits at that age. What particularly stimulates is the prospect of ‘celestial navigation,’ using only the sun, moon and stars to plot a course and find the way home. Lana loves the ‘self-reliance’ of sailing as well as the challenge it presents of ‘determination, grit and hard work.’ She hopes that her own experiences will show people back in Puerto Rico ‘just what is possible if you set your mind to a dream.’ That’s exactly how Tracy Edwards used to think all those years ago.

Willow Bland - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Willow is determined to make the most of every second on the boat, aware that this is a rare opportunity and that she was one of the very last candidates to try-out for the Maiden. “We almost didn’t come across her but we are so glad we did,” said Tracy Edwards only later finding out that Willow is actually a cousin of the boat’s on-board qualified medic, Kate. Willow has proven herself to be an excellent sailor, putting into practice all the skills she has acquired since racing Cadets and then 420s throughout her childhood at an international level. Willow was brought up by the sea where she developed a pure love of the water and all that it brings. Willow was selected to represent Great Britain multiple times in fleet racing and team racing, along with her crew she was ranked 1st in the National Cadet ranking 2014 and Ladies 420 National Champion 2016. It was only when leaving school Willow developed a love for offshore racing. She has competed in the Fastnet, coming 2nd in class, as well as the Transat, never once dreaming that she might one day be part of an all-female crew gathering to compete in such a prestigious event. “It seemed like an unattainable dream,” said Willow who had long heard of, and been inspired by, the Maiden story. For Willow to get a chance ‘to push boundaries and defy expectations is a privilege.’

Capucine Treffort

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Capucine grew up in the Parisian suburb of Cergy, an urban landscape where sailing is as common as taming elephants! She became a designer in Paris and worked for design agencies, public institutions and NGO’ s. With an appetite for new discoveries she joined a mission in Concarneau in Brittany with Nomade des Mers – a catamaran expedition around the world in search of the best low-tech innovations for the problems facing the planet. Breaking away from the consumerist environment of her everyday life in Paris she put down her designer ’ s pencil and learnt to navigate. She went on to volunteer for a year with Les Glénans, a not for profit sailing school in France, where she became an instructor. She came to see the ocean as a magical place; to be free to learn and every time you leave the pontoon a chance to experience and write about something new – alone or with the crew. Capucine got her Yacht Master Offshore qualification and decided her life would be spent on the water where she initially skippered for private individuals and companies and continued with her sailing instructor role. In the lead up to the OGR she did her regatta watches with a crew from Marseilles that were entered but they unfortunately didn ’t make it to the start. She then got a place on L’Esprit déquipe for the first two legs of the race before joining Maiden and her all female crew in Auckland “ with stars in her eyes ” as she put it!

Estelle Baud

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Estelle was introduced to sailing in French Polynesia at the age of 19 and fell in love with the sea; sailing in the archipelago and also worked as a volunteer for a local sailing project for underprivileged children. After her academic studies Estelle attended ‘Les Glenans’ sailing school in Corsica and became a sailing instructor and continued adding to her skills in Thailand getting her full dive-master certificate. In 2018 she made her first transatlantic crossing and then bought her own sailing boat in Martinique. She has spent the last five years sailing the Atlantic Ocean on her boat, from Canada to Europe to the Caribbean, single handed on coastal and offshore passages. Estelle is a practical, resourceful and independent person and has really enjoyed maintaining her own boat. In 2022 Estelle was selected as race crew and cook on Pen Duick VI and completed her training during the Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland and RORC Transatlantic races. She then made her fourth transatlantic passage to Europe on her own boat to re-join Pen Duick VI for the first and third legs of the Ocean Globe Race. After the first leg of the OGR, Estelle jumped at the chance to join the all female Maiden crew for the second leg from Cape Town to Auckland.

Najiba Noori

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“Sailing gives me the freedom and peace that I have not had in most of my life,” says Najiba, spoken as an understandably recent convert to the joys of being on the water after the trauma of her enforced exit from Afghanistan two years ago when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Najiba has not seen her family since, fleeing to Paris where she has continued her successful career as journalist and filmmaker, a role she will be filling also on Maiden. The pictures promise to be captivating as Najiba, 28, has honed her craft assiduously since first volunteering for a media organisation in Kabul when she was just 15. She joined AFP as a video journalist in 2019 and has worked on breaking news and feature stories and filed photo and video stories for the likes of the Huffington Post, MSF and UN Women in Afghanistan. Tracy Edwards was determined to put together a crew that was as diverse as possible and discovered Najiba via a press agency as the chances of actually finding a female Afghan sailor were remote. “We wanted to represent the women of Afghanistan to keep the memory of the appalling treatment of women in people’s minds,” said Edwards. It has proven to be an inspired arrangement with Najiba taking to the enormous challenge of sailing round the world while she also does her camerawoman ‘day- job.’ Najiba has close-up pictures as well as the bigger picture always in mind. “I want to tell the story of Maiden, of girls from different continents coming together to dream big, to believe in themselves and to develop their strength and determination. More importantly, we want to raise awareness about the importance of education and equal opportunities for girls and women.”

Heather Thomas

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Sailing is in Heathers’ blood, coming from a long line of mariners. Growing up in Otley, West Yorkshire, the sea was not close by, so Heather began her journey, dinghy sailing at the local lake, Otley Sailing Club, encouraged by her father. The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation gave Heather her first taste of ocean sailing, with a bursary to compete in the Pacific Leg of the 15/16 Clipper Round the World Race. She has since worked in a variety of roles and vessels in the marine industry- from flotilla skipper to teaching young people in the Caribbean. Maiden has been a big inspiration to Heather throughout her sailing career, so to sail on her is a dream come true. Heather looks forward to inspiring young girls to dream big, a value that was instilled in her by her parents, who continue to be her biggest supporters.

Vuyisile Jaca - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Vuy has had to deal with enough adversity in her young life to be able to approach whatever awaits in the Southern Ocean with a degree of calm and equanimity. The 25 year old was brought up in a South African township and lost both her parents when she was no more than a child. It was a chance opportunity at JG Zuma High School that led her to discover Sail Africa in 2015. It was only a fleeting encounter and when Vuy returned to the township she felt so ‘miserable,’ that she took it upon herself to approach the director at Sail Africa to see if there were any more possibilities to sail. She told her that many girls asked to return only ‘to get scared as soon as they went offshore and never came back.’ Vuy was not going to let that happen to her even though she couldn’t swim and had never seen a large body of water in her life before. Now, she is a qualified swimming instructor as well as a recreational diving instructor. She also works part-time as an underwater photographer. More tellingly, she crewed in 2021 on one of the most difficult trips in South Africa, the Vasco de Gama Challenge which runs from Durban to Port Elizabeth. Vuy came to Maiden’s attention through one of their charities as they were sailing from Dakar to Cape Town. Vuy was flown to Dakar ( first time in an airport, first time in a plane) to meet them and here we are with Vuy about to compete in the OGR. It’s hard to compute just how her life has been and how far she has come. “Losing both parents at a very young age drives me every day to follow my dreams,” said Vuy. “Because they are not here to do things for me, I have to do them on my own. I make it my mission to make them proud of me. Even though they are no longer here I know that they are watching over me. I ask my myself if they would be proud or disappointed? Whatever, I’ll just dust myself down and try again.” Vuy is a cherished member of the crew. “We all adore her to bits,” said Tracy Edwards. “She is such a special young lady. She has proven herself on the boat and we have all fallen in love with her.”

Rachel Burgess

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Rachel is used to unexpected calls for help in the middle of the night, be it in the wilds of the Southern Ocean or as a vet of 12 years standing in remote locations. “It makes you appreciate the value of getting sleep when you can,” said Rachel. All the expertise of completing a Covid-interrupted Clipper Race Circumnavigation (2019- 2022) as well as her long-standing involvement in veterinary practice in the UK as well as in Australia will be put to good use now that she is confirmed as being on board Maiden for the OGR. The 36 year old originally tried out in 2021 but simply wasn’t able to commit the time at that juncture. Now she can, and takes her place as Chief Mate, right-hand to skipper Heather. Rachel has a huge volume of experiences to call upon even though she did not get her first taste of sailing until she was 16 years old taking part in a Tall Ship expedition that went from Weymouth to Dublin via several other ports of call. She graduated from the University of Glasgow as a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. Rachel rekindled her passion for the open water when based in Newcastle on Australia’s eastern seaboard and has made a great fist of combining her working life with what she used to view as her hobby. Now she is committed full-time to Maiden for the OGR, looking forward to ‘the rawness of the ocean,’ although she does nurse a fear of ‘running out of Haribo.’ The huge swells of the Southern Ocean are nothing compared to that.

Kate Ledgard - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Kate knows all about searching the horizon for great adventures having been brought up in Devon, sailing around Plymouth Sound where her parents were keen sailors. The open seas have always been a draw for the 26 year old whose interests in attempting a circumnavigation were piqued when she read the biography of Ellen MacArthur. Kate’s mother was able to supplement this interest with her own first-hand memories of Maiden’s return to the UK in the 90s and the excitement it generated. Kate’s sailing career began when she went to Sheffield University to study medicine, quickly outgrowing the lasers she raced when she was younger, and taking up team racing on the lakes in South Yorkshire. She started travelling down to the south coast to race with Junior Offshore Group (‘JOG’) and Royal Ocean Racing Club (‘RORC’), completing her first Rolex Fastnet in 2019. Kate came fourth at the Women’s Match Racing Nationals in 2021, managing to juggle the demands of her medical degree with the all time-consuming duties that sailing entails. She is a fine athlete and as a qualified doctor on board she is sure to be an asset, albeit the hope is that she is not called on too often! Despite having a shorter trial leg, from Southampton to the Azores, Kate’s naturally friendly and open personality has meant that she has slotted straight into the Maiden Team and environment on-board. She hopes to return ‘with another family from all round the world.’. Kate’s sights are well and truly set on being a diligent, competitive crew member who hopes that on this exciting adventure she might also catch her first glimpse of ‘an albatross or breaching whale’!

Maryama Seck - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Bio coming soon!

Erica Lush

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Erica sailed with Maiden for most of the previous world tours and happily for us, is returning to her rigging/crew role. During her time away from Maiden she continued to push herself in the sport, completing a mentee ship with the Magenta Project, competing in shorthanded distance racing at an international level, and most recently working with IMOCA 60 programs. Over 10 years in the industry, Erica has worked as deckhand, mate, bosun and captain, and sailed over 60,000 nm offshore. Sailing on a variety of different types of yacht in different positions makes her a great team player on Maiden.

Junella King

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Junella was spoilt for choice when it came to deciding just what she was going to aim for this year after being invited to try out for the Junior America’s Cup in 2022. Junella had already had dealings with Maiden as far back as 2019 after first getting into sailing as a 15 year old in Antigua at the National Academy there. The 22 year old took to the sport almost immediately and was invited to do a leg with Maiden four years ago as an apprentice (or Milebuilder as they are called) only for the pandemic to do as it did to many lives and interrupt best-laid plans. Junella joined Maiden when things began to open up again and was part of the World Tour in 2021. Junella joined the boat in Dubai as an apprentice but such is her talent and application that she has quickly managed to work her way up to full crew. The invitation to trial for the junior America’s Cup was, of course, a wonderful opportunity but Junella’s heart is set on the big boat ocean experience. Their loss is Maiden’s gain. Junella has spent time with Doyle Sails in Southampton extending her knowledge and operation of that business, quickly getting the hang of all the intricacies and will be in charge of sails on Maiden for the OGR. As with so many, Maiden has fired her imagination. “I admire the idea of sailing with all females and the comfort that it brings, helping to make the world a better and more equal place.”

Lana Coomes

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The 18 year old from Puerto Rico is the youngest of the crew but has already made such an impression that older members of the sailing community have commented that Lana reminds them of Tracy Edwards at the same age. ‘Poor girl,’ says Tracy. Coomes has been ‘a breath of fresh air,’ since joining the team in Brazil in the spring for try- out legs to the Azores and on to the UK. Lana was never far from water when growing up in Puerto Rico so much so that by the age of 12 she was already certificated through the American Sailing Association and the International Yacht Training body. Summers were spent scuba-diving, kite-surfing and sailing round the lesser Antilles. Lana is also an accomplished student and will go on to study Environmental Sustainabilities at university once she has completed her voyage round the world. Maiden is to be her Gap Year experience which beats the usual teenage pursuits at that age. What particularly stimulates is the prospect of ‘celestial navigation,’ using only the sun, moon and stars to plot a course and find the way home. Lana loves the ‘self-reliance’ of sailing as well as the challenge it presents of ‘determination, grit and hard work.’ She hopes that her own experiences will show people back in Puerto Rico ‘just what is possible if you set your mind to a dream.’ That’s exactly how Tracy Edwards used to think all those years ago.

Willow Bland - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Willow is determined to make the most of every second on the boat, aware that this is a rare opportunity and that she was one of the very last candidates to try-out for the Maiden. “We almost didn’t come across her but we are so glad we did,” said Tracy Edwards only later finding out that Willow is actually a cousin of the boat’s on-board qualified medic, Kate. Willow has proven herself to be an excellent sailor, putting into practice all the skills she has acquired since racing Cadets and then 420s throughout her childhood at an international level. Willow was brought up by the sea where she developed a pure love of the water and all that it brings. Willow was selected to represent Great Britain multiple times in fleet racing and team racing, along with her crew she was ranked 1st in the National Cadet ranking 2014 and Ladies 420 National Champion 2016. It was only when leaving school Willow developed a love for offshore racing. She has competed in the Fastnet, coming 2nd in class, as well as the Transat, never once dreaming that she might one day be part of an all-female crew gathering to compete in such a prestigious event. “It seemed like an unattainable dream,” said Willow who had long heard of, and been inspired by, the Maiden story. For Willow to get a chance ‘to push boundaries and defy expectations is a privilege.’

Capucine Treffort

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Capucine grew up in the Parisian suburb of Cergy, an urban landscape where sailing is as common as taming elephants! She became a designer in Paris and worked for design agencies, public institutions and NGO’ s. With an appetite for new discoveries she joined a mission in Concarneau in Brittany with Nomade des Mers – a catamaran expedition around the world in search of the best low-tech innovations for the problems facing the planet. Breaking away from the consumerist environment of her everyday life in Paris she put down her designer ’ s pencil and learnt to navigate. She went on to volunteer for a year with Les Glénans, a not for profit sailing school in France, where she became an instructor. She came to see the ocean as a magical place; to be free to learn and every time you leave the pontoon a chance to experience and write about something new – alone or with the crew. Capucine got her Yacht Master Offshore qualification and decided her life would be spent on the water where she initially skippered for private individuals and companies and continued with her sailing instructor role. In the lead up to the OGR she did her regatta watches with a crew from Marseilles that were entered but they unfortunately didn ’t make it to the start. She then got a place on L’Esprit déquipe for the first two legs of the race before joining Maiden and her all female crew in Auckland “ with stars in her eyes ” as she put it!

Heather Thomas

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Sailing is in Heathers’ blood, coming from a long line of mariners. Growing up in Otley, West Yorkshire, the sea was not close by, so Heather began her journey, dinghy sailing at the local lake, Otley Sailing Club, encouraged by her father. The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation gave Heather her first taste of ocean sailing, with a bursary to compete in the Pacific Leg of the 15/16 Clipper Round the World Race. She has since worked in a variety of roles and vessels in the marine industry- from flotilla skipper to teaching young people in the Caribbean. Maiden has been a big inspiration to Heather throughout her sailing career, so to sail on her is a dream come true. Heather looks forward to inspiring young girls to dream big, a value that was instilled in her by her parents, who continue to be her biggest supporters.

Vuyisile Jaca - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

+

Vuy has had to deal with enough adversity in her young life to be able to approach whatever awaits in the Southern Ocean with a degree of calm and equanimity. The 25 year old was brought up in a South African township and lost both her parents when she was no more than a child. It was a chance opportunity at JG Zuma High School that led her to discover Sail Africa in 2015. It was only a fleeting encounter and when Vuy returned to the township she felt so ‘miserable,’ that she took it upon herself to approach the director at Sail Africa to see if there were any more possibilities to sail. She told her that many girls asked to return only ‘to get scared as soon as they went offshore and never came back.’ Vuy was not going to let that happen to her even though she couldn’t swim and had never seen a large body of water in her life before. Now, she is a qualified swimming instructor as well as a recreational diving instructor. She also works part-time as an underwater photographer. More tellingly, she crewed in 2021 on one of the most difficult trips in South Africa, the Vasco de Gama Challenge which runs from Durban to Port Elizabeth. Vuy came to Maiden’s attention through one of their charities as they were sailing from Dakar to Cape Town. Vuy was flown to Dakar ( first time in an airport, first time in a plane) to meet them and here we are with Vuy about to compete in the OGR. It’s hard to compute just how her life has been and how far she has come. “Losing both parents at a very young age drives me every day to follow my dreams,” said Vuy. “Because they are not here to do things for me, I have to do them on my own. I make it my mission to make them proud of me. Even though they are no longer here I know that they are watching over me. I ask my myself if they would be proud or disappointed? Whatever, I’ll just dust myself down and try again.” Vuy is a cherished member of the crew. “We all adore her to bits,” said Tracy Edwards. “She is such a special young lady. She has proven herself on the boat and we have all fallen in love with her.”

Kate Ledgard - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Kate knows all about searching the horizon for great adventures having been brought up in Devon, sailing around Plymouth Sound where her parents were keen sailors. The open seas have always been a draw for the 26 year old whose interests in attempting a circumnavigation were piqued when she read the biography of Ellen MacArthur. Kate’s mother was able to supplement this interest with her own first-hand memories of Maiden’s return to the UK in the 90s and the excitement it generated. Kate’s sailing career began when she went to Sheffield University to study medicine, quickly outgrowing the lasers she raced when she was younger, and taking up team racing on the lakes in South Yorkshire. She started travelling down to the south coast to race with Junior Offshore Group (‘JOG’) and Royal Ocean Racing Club (‘RORC’), completing her first Rolex Fastnet in 2019. Kate came fourth at the Women’s Match Racing Nationals in 2021, managing to juggle the demands of her medical degree with the all time-consuming duties that sailing entails. She is a fine athlete and as a qualified doctor on board she is sure to be an asset, albeit the hope is that she is not called on too often! Despite having a shorter trial leg, from Southampton to the Azores, Kate’s naturally friendly and open personality has meant that she has slotted straight into the Maiden Team and environment on-board. She hopes to return ‘with another family from all round the world.’. Kate’s sights are well and truly set on being a diligent, competitive crew member who hopes that on this exciting adventure she might also catch her first glimpse of ‘an albatross or breaching whale’!

Maryama Seck - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Bio coming soon!

Dhanya Pilo - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Dhanya is a film maker, designer and sailor. Her fascination for sailing started by seeing postcards with sailboats on them as a kid and playing with her dad’s model sailboat that they would float on small ponds in the Indian monsoon season. Dhanya says that it’s very rare to see a sailboat in India and there were even sailing clubs that were called that but had no sailboats. Growing up in Mumbai she managed to approach the small sailing fraternity and is now a very active sailor and has been for over 20 years. Dhanya was part of the Indian Women’s Team Windcatchers when they raced in the Thailand Match Race III, Qatar Open Match Racing, Nations Qualifiers Mumbai and the Women’s World Match Racing Championships in Busan. She also passed her Duke of Edinburgh Broze Award! She wants to share her stories/life lessons that sailing has shown her and her contemporaries in a short stories book titled -the Tell Tales. Dhanya says “Sailing around the world is a great way to see/understand the changes in our eco systems and test our own future coping mechanisms. Looking forward to the immersive experience of Sailing with a varied crew of Maiden in the big water body that holds our planet together.” Why does Dhanya love sailing? “Sailors are a special breed. Each of us have so many adventures to share. Sailing is a great way to explore the world and it builds in you a unique point of view on how the world works.”

Erica Lush

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Erica sailed with Maiden for most of the previous world tours and happily for us, is returning to her rigging/crew role. During her time away from Maiden she continued to push herself in the sport, completing a mentee ship with the Magenta Project, competing in shorthanded distance racing at an international level, and most recently working with IMOCA 60 programs. Over 10 years in the industry, Erica has worked as deckhand, mate, bosun and captain, and sailed over 60,000 nm offshore. Sailing on a variety of different types of yacht in different positions makes her a great team player on Maiden.

Lana Coomes

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The 18 year old from Puerto Rico is the youngest of the crew but has already made such an impression that older members of the sailing community have commented that Lana reminds them of Tracy Edwards at the same age. ‘Poor girl,’ says Tracy. Coomes has been ‘a breath of fresh air,’ since joining the team in Brazil in the spring for try- out legs to the Azores and on to the UK. Lana was never far from water when growing up in Puerto Rico so much so that by the age of 12 she was already certificated through the American Sailing Association and the International Yacht Training body. Summers were spent scuba-diving, kite-surfing and sailing round the lesser Antilles. Lana is also an accomplished student and will go on to study Environmental Sustainabilities at university once she has completed her voyage round the world. Maiden is to be her Gap Year experience which beats the usual teenage pursuits at that age. What particularly stimulates is the prospect of ‘celestial navigation,’ using only the sun, moon and stars to plot a course and find the way home. Lana loves the ‘self-reliance’ of sailing as well as the challenge it presents of ‘determination, grit and hard work.’ She hopes that her own experiences will show people back in Puerto Rico ‘just what is possible if you set your mind to a dream.’ That’s exactly how Tracy Edwards used to think all those years ago.

Willow Bland - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Willow is determined to make the most of every second on the boat, aware that this is a rare opportunity and that she was one of the very last candidates to try-out for the Maiden. “We almost didn’t come across her but we are so glad we did,” said Tracy Edwards only later finding out that Willow is actually a cousin of the boat’s on-board qualified medic, Kate. Willow has proven herself to be an excellent sailor, putting into practice all the skills she has acquired since racing Cadets and then 420s throughout her childhood at an international level. Willow was brought up by the sea where she developed a pure love of the water and all that it brings. Willow was selected to represent Great Britain multiple times in fleet racing and team racing, along with her crew she was ranked 1st in the National Cadet ranking 2014 and Ladies 420 National Champion 2016. It was only when leaving school Willow developed a love for offshore racing. She has competed in the Fastnet, coming 2nd in class, as well as the Transat, never once dreaming that she might one day be part of an all-female crew gathering to compete in such a prestigious event. “It seemed like an unattainable dream,” said Willow who had long heard of, and been inspired by, the Maiden story. For Willow to get a chance ‘to push boundaries and defy expectations is a privilege.’

Amicia Hopkins

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Ami is an engineer with a passion for sailing! When Ami joined Maiden in September she took a decisive step towards her dream of developing this into a career and quickly became a valuable member of the team. “I remember when we took Ami on, Maiden was at Southampton Boat Show and the crew called me to say thank you sending the woman who was fixing everything. I said I hadn’t sent anyone and to grab her and ask if she wanted a job! Luckily for us she said yes.” Tracy Edwards MBE. Ami sailed weekly for over 10 years, in various dinghies competitively, gaining her RYA level 1&2 Dinghy Sailing, Day Skipper and VHF Short Range, before joining us and also completed the sailing training with the Clipper Race Team with a view to completing a leg in a future race. Ami is a very positive person with a strong work ethic and keeps everything running smoothly. Since joining Maiden, Ami has passed her Yachtmaster Theory and sailed over 30,000 nautical miles and is an integral part of the Maiden Outreach Days at destinations around the world, enthusing and encouraging girls to get excited about STEM subjects. What drives Ami? “If you’ve ever lost someone, you realise quickly that you only get a limited amount of time on this earth; do whatever makes you happy. You only get one shot at life and existing through it is not living” What does she love about sailing? “Seeing the sights that can only be seen from a sailing vessel; whales bigger than the boat, the sunrise with a 360 degree horizon and clouds in their full expanded glory!”

Estelle Baud

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Estelle was introduced to sailing in French Polynesia at the age of 19 and fell in love with the sea; sailing in the archipelago and also worked as a volunteer for a local sailing project for underprivileged children. After her academic studies Estelle attended ‘Les Glenans’ sailing school in Corsica and became a sailing instructor and continued adding to her skills in Thailand getting her full dive-master certificate. In 2018 she made her first transatlantic crossing and then bought her own sailing boat in Martinique. She has spent the last five years sailing the Atlantic Ocean on her boat, from Canada to Europe to the Caribbean, single handed on coastal and offshore passages. Estelle is a practical, resourceful and independent person and has really enjoyed maintaining her own boat. In 2022 Estelle was selected as race crew and cook on Pen Duick VI and completed her training during the Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland and RORC Transatlantic races. She then made her fourth transatlantic passage to Europe on her own boat to re-join Pen Duick VI for the first and third legs of the Ocean Globe Race. After the first leg of the OGR, Estelle jumped at the chance to join the all female Maiden crew for the second leg from Cape Town to Auckland.

Najiba Noori

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“Sailing gives me the freedom and peace that I have not had in most of my life,” says Najiba, spoken as an understandably recent convert to the joys of being on the water after the trauma of her enforced exit from Afghanistan two years ago when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Najiba has not seen her family since, fleeing to Paris where she has continued her successful career as journalist and filmmaker, a role she will be filling also on Maiden. The pictures promise to be captivating as Najiba, 28, has honed her craft assiduously since first volunteering for a media organisation in Kabul when she was just 15. She joined AFP as a video journalist in 2019 and has worked on breaking news and feature stories and filed photo and video stories for the likes of the Huffington Post, MSF and UN Women in Afghanistan. Tracy Edwards was determined to put together a crew that was as diverse as possible and discovered Najiba via a press agency as the chances of actually finding a female Afghan sailor were remote. “We wanted to represent the women of Afghanistan to keep the memory of the appalling treatment of women in people’s minds,” said Edwards. It has proven to be an inspired arrangement with Najiba taking to the enormous challenge of sailing round the world while she also does her camerawoman ‘day- job.’ Najiba has close-up pictures as well as the bigger picture always in mind. “I want to tell the story of Maiden, of girls from different continents coming together to dream big, to believe in themselves and to develop their strength and determination. More importantly, we want to raise awareness about the importance of education and equal opportunities for girls and women.”

Heather Thomas

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Sailing is in Heathers’ blood, coming from a long line of mariners. Growing up in Otley, West Yorkshire, the sea was not close by, so Heather began her journey, dinghy sailing at the local lake, Otley Sailing Club, encouraged by her father. The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation gave Heather her first taste of ocean sailing, with a bursary to compete in the Pacific Leg of the 15/16 Clipper Round the World Race. She has since worked in a variety of roles and vessels in the marine industry- from flotilla skipper to teaching young people in the Caribbean. Maiden has been a big inspiration to Heather throughout her sailing career, so to sail on her is a dream come true. Heather looks forward to inspiring young girls to dream big, a value that was instilled in her by her parents, who continue to be her biggest supporters.

Vuyisile Jaca - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Vuy has had to deal with enough adversity in her young life to be able to approach whatever awaits in the Southern Ocean with a degree of calm and equanimity. The 25 year old was brought up in a South African township and lost both her parents when she was no more than a child. It was a chance opportunity at JG Zuma High School that led her to discover Sail Africa in 2015. It was only a fleeting encounter and when Vuy returned to the township she felt so ‘miserable,’ that she took it upon herself to approach the director at Sail Africa to see if there were any more possibilities to sail. She told her that many girls asked to return only ‘to get scared as soon as they went offshore and never came back.’ Vuy was not going to let that happen to her even though she couldn’t swim and had never seen a large body of water in her life before. Now, she is a qualified swimming instructor as well as a recreational diving instructor. She also works part-time as an underwater photographer. More tellingly, she crewed in 2021 on one of the most difficult trips in South Africa, the Vasco de Gama Challenge which runs from Durban to Port Elizabeth. Vuy came to Maiden’s attention through one of their charities as they were sailing from Dakar to Cape Town. Vuy was flown to Dakar ( first time in an airport, first time in a plane) to meet them and here we are with Vuy about to compete in the OGR. It’s hard to compute just how her life has been and how far she has come. “Losing both parents at a very young age drives me every day to follow my dreams,” said Vuy. “Because they are not here to do things for me, I have to do them on my own. I make it my mission to make them proud of me. Even though they are no longer here I know that they are watching over me. I ask my myself if they would be proud or disappointed? Whatever, I’ll just dust myself down and try again.” Vuy is a cherished member of the crew. “We all adore her to bits,” said Tracy Edwards. “She is such a special young lady. She has proven herself on the boat and we have all fallen in love with her.”

Rachel Burgess

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Rachel is used to unexpected calls for help in the middle of the night, be it in the wilds of the Southern Ocean or as a vet of 12 years standing in remote locations. “It makes you appreciate the value of getting sleep when you can,” said Rachel. All the expertise of completing a Covid-interrupted Clipper Race Circumnavigation (2019- 2022) as well as her long-standing involvement in veterinary practice in the UK as well as in Australia will be put to good use now that she is confirmed as being on board Maiden for the OGR. The 36 year old originally tried out in 2021 but simply wasn’t able to commit the time at that juncture. Now she can, and takes her place as Chief Mate, right-hand to skipper Heather. Rachel has a huge volume of experiences to call upon even though she did not get her first taste of sailing until she was 16 years old taking part in a Tall Ship expedition that went from Weymouth to Dublin via several other ports of call. She graduated from the University of Glasgow as a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. Rachel rekindled her passion for the open water when based in Newcastle on Australia’s eastern seaboard and has made a great fist of combining her working life with what she used to view as her hobby. Now she is committed full-time to Maiden for the OGR, looking forward to ‘the rawness of the ocean,’ although she does nurse a fear of ‘running out of Haribo.’ The huge swells of the Southern Ocean are nothing compared to that.

Kate Ledgard - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Kate knows all about searching the horizon for great adventures having been brought up in Devon, sailing around Plymouth Sound where her parents were keen sailors. The open seas have always been a draw for the 26 year old whose interests in attempting a circumnavigation were piqued when she read the biography of Ellen MacArthur. Kate’s mother was able to supplement this interest with her own first-hand memories of Maiden’s return to the UK in the 90s and the excitement it generated. Kate’s sailing career began when she went to Sheffield University to study medicine, quickly outgrowing the lasers she raced when she was younger, and taking up team racing on the lakes in South Yorkshire. She started travelling down to the south coast to race with Junior Offshore Group (‘JOG’) and Royal Ocean Racing Club (‘RORC’), completing her first Rolex Fastnet in 2019. Kate came fourth at the Women’s Match Racing Nationals in 2021, managing to juggle the demands of her medical degree with the all time-consuming duties that sailing entails. She is a fine athlete and as a qualified doctor on board she is sure to be an asset, albeit the hope is that she is not called on too often! Despite having a shorter trial leg, from Southampton to the Azores, Kate’s naturally friendly and open personality has meant that she has slotted straight into the Maiden Team and environment on-board. She hopes to return ‘with another family from all round the world.’. Kate’s sights are well and truly set on being a diligent, competitive crew member who hopes that on this exciting adventure she might also catch her first glimpse of ‘an albatross or breaching whale’!

Lana Coomes

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The 18 year old from Puerto Rico is the youngest of the crew but has already made such an impression that older members of the sailing community have commented that Lana reminds them of Tracy Edwards at the same age. ‘Poor girl,’ says Tracy. Coomes has been ‘a breath of fresh air,’ since joining the team in Brazil in the spring for try- out legs to the Azores and on to the UK. Lana was never far from water when growing up in Puerto Rico so much so that by the age of 12 she was already certificated through the American Sailing Association and the International Yacht Training body. Summers were spent scuba-diving, kite-surfing and sailing round the lesser Antilles. Lana is also an accomplished student and will go on to study Environmental Sustainabilities at university once she has completed her voyage round the world. Maiden is to be her Gap Year experience which beats the usual teenage pursuits at that age. What particularly stimulates is the prospect of ‘celestial navigation,’ using only the sun, moon and stars to plot a course and find the way home. Lana loves the ‘self-reliance’ of sailing as well as the challenge it presents of ‘determination, grit and hard work.’ She hopes that her own experiences will show people back in Puerto Rico ‘just what is possible if you set your mind to a dream.’ That’s exactly how Tracy Edwards used to think all those years ago.

Willow Bland - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Willow is determined to make the most of every second on the boat, aware that this is a rare opportunity and that she was one of the very last candidates to try-out for the Maiden. “We almost didn’t come across her but we are so glad we did,” said Tracy Edwards only later finding out that Willow is actually a cousin of the boat’s on-board qualified medic, Kate. Willow has proven herself to be an excellent sailor, putting into practice all the skills she has acquired since racing Cadets and then 420s throughout her childhood at an international level. Willow was brought up by the sea where she developed a pure love of the water and all that it brings. Willow was selected to represent Great Britain multiple times in fleet racing and team racing, along with her crew she was ranked 1st in the National Cadet ranking 2014 and Ladies 420 National Champion 2016. It was only when leaving school Willow developed a love for offshore racing. She has competed in the Fastnet, coming 2nd in class, as well as the Transat, never once dreaming that she might one day be part of an all-female crew gathering to compete in such a prestigious event. “It seemed like an unattainable dream,” said Willow who had long heard of, and been inspired by, the Maiden story. For Willow to get a chance ‘to push boundaries and defy expectations is a privilege.’

Amicia Hopkins

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Ami is an engineer with a passion for sailing! When Ami joined Maiden in September she took a decisive step towards her dream of developing this into a career and quickly became a valuable member of the team. “I remember when we took Ami on, Maiden was at Southampton Boat Show and the crew called me to say thank you sending the woman who was fixing everything. I said I hadn’t sent anyone and to grab her and ask if she wanted a job! Luckily for us she said yes.” Tracy Edwards MBE. Ami sailed weekly for over 10 years, in various dinghies competitively, gaining her RYA level 1&2 Dinghy Sailing, Day Skipper and VHF Short Range, before joining us and also completed the sailing training with the Clipper Race Team with a view to completing a leg in a future race. Ami is a very positive person with a strong work ethic and keeps everything running smoothly. Since joining Maiden, Ami has passed her Yachtmaster Theory and sailed over 30,000 nautical miles and is an integral part of the Maiden Outreach Days at destinations around the world, enthusing and encouraging girls to get excited about STEM subjects. What drives Ami? “If you’ve ever lost someone, you realise quickly that you only get a limited amount of time on this earth; do whatever makes you happy. You only get one shot at life and existing through it is not living” What does she love about sailing? “Seeing the sights that can only be seen from a sailing vessel; whales bigger than the boat, the sunrise with a 360 degree horizon and clouds in their full expanded glory!”

Flavia Onore

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The Whitbread is in Flavia’s blood, her uncle having competed 40 years ago. “This is a way to get to know him as I never met him,” said the 22 year old, a passionate sailor since she was a young child messing about with her parents and two siblings around the islands of Tuscany. There is a close family connection with the sea as her parents first met on a sailboat and duly married. Flavia spent every free moment on boats in her teenage years, to the detriment at one point of her schooling. The inevitable parental crackdown ( a short- lived six months) made sure that Flavia applied themself to their studies. A two year stint at a prestigious club near Rome, where they joined up with a female 420 racing crew, honed their craft. Flavia was much taken by the prospect of working in an all- female set-up. Having spent a couple of years being involved in various crewing capacities, chartering across the Atlantic from Antigua, they bridled at the reality that it was invariably an 85% male environment. They yearned to be ‘thought of as a sailor rather than as a hostess.’ And yet Flavia almost missed the opportunity to make the cut for Maiden, emailing their application at the last minute but they ticked every box. Their deep-rooted relationship with the sea comes through in every interaction, with the boat itself as well as with the people alongside her. They are a powerhouse of personality and exuberance, a charismatic figure but also a grafter. Every boat needs an extrovert and Flavia fits the bill perfectly.

Najiba Noori

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“Sailing gives me the freedom and peace that I have not had in most of my life,” says Najiba, spoken as an understandably recent convert to the joys of being on the water after the trauma of her enforced exit from Afghanistan two years ago when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Najiba has not seen her family since, fleeing to Paris where she has continued her successful career as journalist and filmmaker, a role she will be filling also on Maiden. The pictures promise to be captivating as Najiba, 28, has honed her craft assiduously since first volunteering for a media organisation in Kabul when she was just 15. She joined AFP as a video journalist in 2019 and has worked on breaking news and feature stories and filed photo and video stories for the likes of the Huffington Post, MSF and UN Women in Afghanistan. Tracy Edwards was determined to put together a crew that was as diverse as possible and discovered Najiba via a press agency as the chances of actually finding a female Afghan sailor were remote. “We wanted to represent the women of Afghanistan to keep the memory of the appalling treatment of women in people’s minds,” said Edwards. It has proven to be an inspired arrangement with Najiba taking to the enormous challenge of sailing round the world while she also does her camerawoman ‘day- job.’ Najiba has close-up pictures as well as the bigger picture always in mind. “I want to tell the story of Maiden, of girls from different continents coming together to dream big, to believe in themselves and to develop their strength and determination. More importantly, we want to raise awareness about the importance of education and equal opportunities for girls and women.”

Payal Gupta - FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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Payal grew up in the quaint town of Dehradun surrounded by mountains only served to make her appreciate all the more ‘the first sighting of the Ocean,’ many years later when she was in her early twenties. By then she had already set her heart on a job in the Indian Military, a career that she has had to put on hold after seeing a Facebook posting for Indian sailors to audition for Maiden. Payal has had to return to India to get permission to leave the Navy and set out on what she sees as a great adventure. The 33-year old is one of the most experienced seafarers on board having clocked up over 40,000 nautical miles and has already taken part in a Circumnavigation as part of a mixed crew in the Navika Sagar Parikrama Project. Payal’s infectious enthusiasm and air of innocence was reflected in her first encounter with the Circumnavigation project, scarcely understanding what the term meant as she listened to a senior officer talk to other officers while she was assisting at a Republic Day Parade event in Delhi. It was only when it was explained to her by colleagues that the senior officer was looking for volunteers that she rushed forward with a hastily ripped-out sheet of A4 paper with her name scribbled on it and handed it to him. She got the post. At the different ports of call round the world, Freemantle, Lyttelton, Port Stanley and Cape Town she gave educational talks on ‘Women Empowerment.’ The experience has made her eager for more. “I still get goosebumps,’ thinking back to her last time battling the storms in the Southern Ocean. Payal also happens to be a good cook so she will be sure to make even the driest of supplies in the galley flavorsome.

Lucy Frost

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Lucy remembers the huge welcoming crowd at Ocean Village when Tracy Edwards and Maiden arrived back in 1990 and the seed was sown. Lucy spent many previous summers at Hayling Island Sailing Club learning how to sail dinghies and windsurfing, but it was that moment in 1990 she realised she wanted to try ‘big boat’ sailing. In 2005 Lucy completed the RYA Yachtmaster course and cruised and raced whenever possible over lakes, rivers, seas and oceans in boats as small as Fireballs through to the Clipper 70s. She has notched up over 25,000 nautical miles, sailed in some fantastic countries, made some lifelong friends along the way and has endured more hurricanes than she cares to remember! Working in the engineering sector, sailing has always been a hobby rather than a career, but Lucy will soon leave for the biggest challenge of her life, the Ocean Globe Race 2023. She sees the opportunity to sail on Maiden is not only a dream come true but a fantastic training programme for what is about to come.

Alesea Charles

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Alesea Charles learned to sail with the National Sailing Academy in Antigua and was put forward, by her instructor, for a place on the crew as a young up and coming female sailor who would benefit from the experience of sailing on Maiden. Although only 20 years old Alesea has managed to notch up an impressive number of miles and courses. When not sailing, Alesea loves to cook, has an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and has spent time as a pastry chef (which the rest of the crew are very happy about!) With her enthusiasm for learning and passion for sailing, we believe that Alesea’s time on Maiden will be both beneficial to her and a joy for the rest of the crew as we think she makes her a perfect Maiden. We hope that Maiden will be a stepping stone for Alesea to fulfil what we know is her great potential.

Lydia Barber

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Lydia is a 21 year old sailor living in the Hamble, with ambitions of a career in offshore sailing. Lydia started sailing at 16 in the Laser on a small lake in the North of England. This snowballed into years of campaigning in the woman’s olympic class, with the goal of representing GBR at an international event. In 2021 that goal was achieved. Since that event, Lydia decided to take a step back from ILCA’s and move into yacht sailing. Since starting yachting in March 2021 Lydia has gained 9,000 sailing miles and taken part in the RORC season, and her first 600 miler the Middle Sea Race. Lydia enjoys most jobs on the boat, from bow to driving, her current goal is be proficient at every role onboard. Lydia is excited to join Maiden and complete longer passages at sea”

Dominique Knuppel Artagaveytia

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Dominique (Domi) is an accomplished sailor and coach from Uruguay who hails from a family of sailors. With a passion for sailing that started at the young age of six, Domi has never looked back. They enjoy all aspects of sailing and have learned to create a good balance between racing, cruising, boat work, and coaching. At the age of 18, Domi began coaching optis and still occasionally does so. In 2017, they embarked on an Olympic Campaign in Nacra 17, sailing as a crew with Pablo Defazio at the helm. Domi’s hard work and dedication paid off when they qualified for Tokyo 2020 during the Pan-American Games in 2019. Domi also served as the Bowman of the Uruguayan team for the Star Sailors League on RC44. Until 2021, they mostly participated in inshore races in different lengths of boats, ranging from J24 to maxis, as well as offshore deliveries. Domi has always had a love for offshore sailing and it wasn’t until 2021 that they started racing offshore. They raced double-handed in Figaro 3 for the Nastro Rosa Sailing Tour in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Domi joined VO65 Viva Mexico for The Ocean Race, adding another exciting chapter to their impressive sailing career.

Sarah Evans

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Sarah is from the small town of Stowe, Vermont. She grew up learning how to sail dinghies on Lake Champlain, where she now races weekly and is a sailing instructor. She has seen and experienced the downfalls and inevitability of the sailing world being male-dominated. Sarah is passionate about uplifting women and young girls within the sailing world, and is excited to learn and grow from working with Maiden’s crew. She is a recent graduate of high school with plans to take a gap year and then continue her education in the Fall of 2023 at the University of Connecticut– majoring in social and environmental sciences.

Erica Lush

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With 4+ years of experience in the industry, Erica has worked as deckhand, mate, and captain on sailing and power vessels 30’-120’ LOA. She has hands on experience in hardware and system maintenance, worked on a wide variety of yard projects, and sailed 20,000+ offshore miles including one Atlantic crossing. Between June 2010 and September 2013 Erica was Lead Instructor at Conanicut Yacht Club where she taught sailing to children and adults in dinghies and keelboats and turned a trial class into a regular offering. Erica’s experience of maintenance in sails, hydraulics and hardware is invaluable as well as her experience in keeping passengers safe on high load yachts. Sailing on a number of different types of yacht in different positions makes her a great team player on Maiden.

Amalia Infante

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Amalia from Spain, joined the crew in Sri Lanka. Her passion for sailing started at a very early age, racing all over the Mediterranean in her family Swan 44. Her role on Maiden is the off shore media producer. She has over thirteen years experience of providing multi platform content and has published a well received book ‘Life behind the sails’. She has a strong connection to the ocean produces great stories to inspire others for a better world.

Courtney Koos

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Courtney has worked in Washington as a Researcher, Project Coordinator and as Communications Consultant to the McCain Institute. Her racing career involves managing fifteen race crew on shore to prepare for racing and whilst racing she oversees the foredeck in her position as Bowman. She has raced in a large number of regattas including Antigua Sailing Wee, Les Voiles d’ Antibes and Newport to Bristol race. Courtney has held a number of positions on superyachts and as well as sailing crew has been involved in maintenance and budgeting areas. As a professional sailor she has also Skippered on the Caribbean circuit. Commercially endorsed, Courtney also has her PADI Open Water and was Panerai’s Under 30 Classic Sailor of the Year in 2017.

Nikki Henderson

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In 2017, at age 23, Nicola ‘Nikki’ Henderson, from Guildford was the Clipper Race’s youngest ever skipper. Over 9 gruelling months and 40,000 she proved that this was no barrier to success when she and her crew placed second in the race. Sailing with family and friends since the age of 13 the idea of being able to work at sea was planted after a short stint in the Sea Cadets. Nicola has since carved a successful sailing career, in both racing and instructing which would rival those twice her age. Before the Clipper, Nikki had already sailed 38,000 miles during which she has skippered three ARC races across the Atlantic (twice winning the Youngest Skipper Award), the Caribbean 600 – an inshore race circuit, two Cowes Weeks, co-skippered two Fastnet campaigns and sailed over 10,000 miles in offshore deliveries. As an RYA instructor for over three years she has already taught over 200 students and also launched a Sailing and Watersports centre in Denver, Colorado.

Wendy Tuck

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For Wendy ‘Wendo’ Tuck, one race around the world was never going to be enough, and now she’s making history as the first Australian skipper to take part in the arduous ocean challenge twice. It’s not the first time Wendy has made Clipper Race history. In the previous 2015-16 edition, she was the first Australian female skipper ever appointed to lead a team of amateurs on the epic 40,000 nautical mile race across the world’s oceans. Before setting off on a second Clipper Race, Wendy rang in 2017 by achieving her life-long goal of making the CYCA honours list, after competing in a tenth Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The RSHYR is a race close to Wendy’s heart. The 52-year-old was awarded the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy after being the first female Skipper across the Finish Line, plus she led her team to win the Clipper Race class of the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which doubled as Race 5 of the All-Australian Leg.

Liz Wardley

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Liz arrived in Los Angeles November 2019 and worked with Wendy and the crew to prepare Maiden for her journey. Commenting on her appointment as skipper she said “It is incredible to have the opportunity to sail on Maiden, the first boat to ever race around the world with an all-female crew. It is humbling to follow in Tracy Edwards’ footsteps and skipper her legendary yacht. Although things have changed a bit over the last 30 years, there is still a lot of skepticism about women in sport and I am really excited to be working with the team to empower the next generation to achieve their goals. The crew, the milebuilders, the guests and hearing the stories from people around the world who are also inspired by the Maiden story, are living proof that through hard work, tenacity and belief, anything is possible.”

Summer Jean Morton

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When taking part in the race, Summer was 16 years old. She was born in St. Maarten and lived there her whole life. Summer has been sailing at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club sailing school since she was eight years old and started sailing in Optimists and when age eleven, started racing a two person boat, an RS Vision, at the helm and have been racing in the St. Maarten and neighbouring islands since. Summer is also an assistant instructor at the SMYC teaching our racing Opti sailors. At ten years old, she raced in her first Heineken Regatta and have sailed in every one since, other with her parents, on youth teams or on the KHS&S Contractors boat. She have also raced on the super yacht Adela in the St. Barths Bucket and raced in Bareboat Class for two Antigua Sailing Weeks. Summer’s dad, Shag Morton, sailed with Tracy Edwards on Atlantic Privateer in the 85-86 Whitbread before she entered Maiden in the next one. Summer grew up listening to stories of these races and says she admires Tracy Edwards and everything she has done to encourage women in sailing and supporting girls’ empowerment and education through The Maiden Factor Foundation.

Elvira Bell

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A natural athlete at ease on the track, in the dojo, in the gym or in the pool, Elvira is a Level 2 Learn-to-swim Instructor and a certified health coach. Her passions are natural health and wellness. The 36-year-old earns her living as a flight dispatcher at LIAT 1974 Ltd. Initially, she said no when asked owing to a bad boating experience. It turned out that the answer was simply reflexive and, after consideration – and subliminal gestures from teammate Kevinia – her adventurous side kicked in. No became yes. Besides, Elvira and Kevinia are twins born of different mothers. She said, “If anyone knows us, where she (Kevinia) goes I go, and I would feel comfortable knowing we are in it together. Her aim, she said, is “to rise and conquer.”

Kevinia Francis

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Any one who knows Kevinia knows that she rarely backs down from a challenge. She began imagining an all-woman crew in 2015 when the first team from Antigua and Barbuda, Team Wadadli, entered the event. In her own words, she said an instant yes “because this challenge epitomizes all that I live for in one go: sports, travel, competition, country, charity, new experiences and creating memories.” The 40-year-old is a certified health-and-fitness trainer and a bar manager at Island B-Hive Party Stand. She’s a title-winning, all-round athlete who excels in basketball, cycling, martial arts and track-and-field. Completing the more than 3,000-mile row is a basic for Kevinia.

Christal Clashing

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In 2004, Christal made history as the first female swimmer to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the Olympics. The 28-year-old adventure guide and travel writer lists as her sports, swimming (pool and open water), stand-up paddling (instructor) and the occasional triathlon. Christal relished the chance to join Team Antigua Island Girls. A few years ago, an encounter with a group traversing the Caribbean in a dugout canoe, retracing the steps of the Amerindians, piqued her interest and set her on a quest for a seafarer adventure. “I immediately jumped at the chance,” she said.

Georgie Carter

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“I started sailing with family and friends as a teenager in Cowes and have been working on super yachts racing and cruising around the world for the past 10 years. I am now the chef on a yacht, I wanted to prove to myself (and my husband!!) that I can still remember how to sail. It is also a once in a lifetime opportunity to sail on Maiden, she is such a historic boat, to sail with old friends and make new ones!” – Georgie

Charlotte Drummond Chew

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Charlotte spent most of her childhood on boats: her Dad was a yacht skipper and they were based in Antibes. He passed away when Charlotte was 4 and the family moved to London. She spend holiday’s whizzing around on lasers in a murky Thames Basin down the road! During trips to visit Charlotte’s parent’s friends (who remained in the yachting world) she was able to experience helming larger yachts. “My career took hold of my life from when I was fairly young. I had always dreamt of organising festivals. After a huge amount of dedication and hard work, at 23 I was offered the dream job to run my favourite festival in the UK. Then, a couple of years ago I went with Mum to Antigua with for the Classics Regatta. I was so captivated by being back in Antigua, meeting all my dad’s old friends and visiting his plaque in Nelson’s dockyard that I knew sailing had to be part of my life. After a lot of thought I decided to quit my job that I had worked so hard on getting and apply to be a stewardess on yachts so I could start working my way up. However, the day I went in to tell my CEO of my decision, before I had even told him he informed me that he wanted me to stay so much that I could write my own job description and he would give it to me. Understandably, I couldn’t turn the offer down. I am now incredibly proud to be running 3 of the UK’s most prestigious festivals however what it did mean is that my dreams of sailing fell by the wayside. Being able to join the Maiden Crew and race in Antigua and follow in my dad’s footsteps means the world to me.”

Claire Tibbott

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Claire grew up in South East England where she learnt to sail Optimists on a local reservoir when she was 5 years old. She has since sailed throughout her life, in roles ranging from assisting the running of a disabled sailing charity to seasons spent abroad teaching guests at Sunsail beach clubs. Claire’s interest in and passion for the ocean and the marine environment was instilled early on which led to her studying to become a Marine Biologist and subsequently working in the field of fisheries management. As a qualified Divemaster and freediver she continues to dive and explore the local environment whenever she can. With a love of sailing a move into the superyachting industry seemed obvious and for the last 7 years she has gained experience on both cruising and racing yachts. She is currently the Stewardess on Sail Yacht Sojana, the trophy winning Farr design racing ketch. Claire loves to travel, explore and meet new people whilst getting involved in worthwhile projects, such as Maiden that make a difference to the local people and environment around her. Claire is currently working on a plan alongside Antigua’s local authorities to make recycling and waste management in English harbour an established and sustainable practice that will benefit the surrounding environment for generations to come. When she is not working or striving to be an ecowarrior, she can be found in her happy place – kitesurfing!

Elaine Smith

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Elaine says she is extremely motivated to learn, along with the passion for sailing, a passion learned later in life. She worked many years in the Hospitality field in upper management. Presently spend all her free time sailing and becoming more knowledgeable about sailing, Elaine loves to travel and live in a small town called Jackson, Louisiana. It is north of Baton Rouge.

Deb Walters

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Deb says “I was completely captivated by the movie, “Maiden.” I related to Tracy Edward’s challenging childhood and how she broke through many perceived female barriers to achieve her dreams. When the Maiden was visiting Santa Barbara, CA in Oct 2019, I stood at the edge of the harbor and said to myself, “I want to sail on that boat someday.” When I was a rookie teacher I wanted to apply for the NASA Space Shuttle Teacher Program. I was inspired by Christa McAuliffe, an ordinary US civilian and Social Studies Teacher out of New Hampshire. But I never applied. So when I saw The Maiden Factor announcement- “This Could Be You” at the Maiden’s helm, I thought, “Yes! I want this to be me! Anything is possible and I will not pass up the opportunity to at least apply.” So I am beyond thrilled and honored to be chosen as a “wet behind the ears” amateur sailor aboard the Maiden. I definitely will be harnessing the spirit of my beloved female role models- Amelia Earhart and Christa McAuliffe.”

Marthe Robertson

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Marthe grew up sailing on the Great Lakes in Canada with her family and has been an outdoor enthusiast all her life. She has taken an outdoor educator’s course with the North American Outdoor Leadership School, participated in sea kayaking expeditions in Canada and Belize, done a number of wilderness camping trips and cruised on sailboats in Georgian Bay and the Thousand islands.

Agbeli Ameko

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Agbeli Ameko is a co-founder of Ghana Ocean Racing which aims to become the first African team in The Ocean Race. Ag is working hard to build up strength and endurance capacity by participating in some of the world’s most challenging ultramarathons, ski mountaineering races and expeditions, and ocean racing. His participation in the UTMB and his planned ski expeditions marks the first ever Ghanaian/African-American participation in such endurance events. Agbeli is also an associate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Find out more about Ag in our previous blog: https://blog.themaidenfactor.org/2020/02/26/meet-maidens-guests-onboard-the-caribbean-600/ And in Ag’s own blog post: https://blog.themaidenfactor.org/2020/02/27/stronger-winds-good-spirits-and-choppy-waves-a-blog-by-guest-sailor-agbeli-ameko/

April Armstrong

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April is a native of the Pacific Northwest- a region with a rich maritime history and a struggling urban sea. She lives aboard her 33-foot sailboat on beautiful Bainbridge Island across from Seattle. April has always been a water-enthusiast and progressed from swimming to scuba diving along the way to learning to sail. Since buying her boat, she has dedicated herself to learning to sail, race, and maintain a sailboat. April is passionate about the preservation of the sea and the study of marine invertebrates. Her interests include anything that helps people understand and therefore care about water- from scuba diving to volunteering as a seal sitter. As a female sailboat-racer, April was very inspired by the Maiden story. While great progress has been made, sailboat racing is still a male-dominated sport, so she believes that sailing is a wonderful way to learn independence and practical survival skills which are beneficial to all people. She is thrilled to participate in the Maiden tour in support of increasing more diverse access to sailing and the sea. Education and empowerment for women is a vital step towards a more equitable planet – something we should all strive to create and preserve.

Marie - Pierre C. Poirier

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Marie-Pierre is a French Canadian adventurer who loves challenges and discovering the world. She works as a psychiatrist in the province of Quebec and is deeply interested in people. During her medical studies, Marie-Pierre practiced in Nunavik and Ecuador. Those were highly rewarding human experiences. It allowed her to discover other cultures, the beauty in our differences but, overall, how there is so little that really separates us. Marie-Pierre was moved and inspired by the Maiden story. Gender equality was something my mother taught her as a child, but it is still a priority for which we must fight. She is convinced women can achieve anything if they believe in themselves and follow their dreams. As part of Marie-Pierre’s work, she loves offering support in the difficult moments of life, but perhaps even more, witnessing people’s huge potentials and successes. She believes that Maiden’s story is proof that one can turn obstacles into formidable victories and highly values Maiden’s objective of challenging social norms and creating awareness of the 130 million girls worldwide who currently are not able to have an education. She believes girls’ education is a wonderful way to reduce the gender gap.

Amelia Ralphs

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Awaiting bio

Hadley Neale

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Hadley grew up sailing in the Narragansett Bay. Starting on smaller dinghies she showed a tenacity for being on and around the water early on. As she grew older she progressed by moving up in boat size and complexity and found a niche within the waterfront community of Rhode Island. Over the years Hadley’s sailing has branched further out of the Bay to include most of the East Coast of the US. She sailed competitively in High School and College on a variety of one design boats. In 2013 Hadley graduated from Maine Maritime Academy, majoring in Vessel Operations Technologies and minoring in Sail Training. She has been working on various vessels associated with the American Sail Training fleet working primarily with teenagers sailing up and down the East Coast of Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. When Hadley is not sailing with students she is active in racing classics or delivering boats around New England and the Caribbean. Currently, Hadley holds a USCG license of 500 GRT with a 200 GRT Auxiliary Sail endorsement and is studying to upgrade her license and endorsement this year.

Ash Perrin

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Ash became the youngest ever elected member (man or woman) of the RORC at age 15 (1993) doing her first offshore race at age 13. She was the first woman boating officer for British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica in 2009, the first woman to qualify in the STCW Polar Code qualification for Ice Navigation. Ashley is also an assistant instructor for World Sailing Safety at Sea two day courses (6 courses per year run at the San Francisco Yacht Club and also private courses for full crews and cruising families). She worked for the British Antarctic Survey as boating officer and science support diver in 2009-2010 at Rothera Research Station, and then at Grytviken South Georgia as senior boating officer in 2010-2012. Ashley is the owner of Antarctic Ice Pilot (ice Pilot and expedition leader on private super yachts sailing to the Antarctic peninsula). She is also the owner of Racing Yacht Management, managing race programs and captaining cruising boats largest yacht under management 82 foot.

Jo Gooding

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Jo Gooding grew up in Wales, she sailed locally and to the Isles of Scilly with her father from a young age on a 22 ft Catamaran. She started travelling when she was 17 years old, spending time working in the Isles of Scilly, Ireland, Australia and Wales. In 1987 she joined Maiden as cook and was responsible for the filming on board. In 1994 Jo began a career in Mental Health and she then then took a year sabbatical. trained with the BBC and was responsible for the filming on board Tracy’s Catamaran Royal Sun Alliance for the Trans-Atlantic Record attempt. After the birth of her son in 1998 she worked in a respite home with Children and Young people who had profound learning and physical disabilities. Jo qualified as a counsellor in 2006 and she set up her own business working with children, adolescents and adults. She completed her PGCE in teaching in 2008, and delivered courses, workshops as well as developing health and well-being programmes. She has also recently trained as a meditation teacher with the British School of Meditation. Jo has had experience of working with a variety of charities since 1994 including Victim Support, Action for Children, Cruse bereavement care, The Old Mill Foundation (Cancer charity), Womens Aid, Crossroads Young Carers and Rehab.

Natasha Fickling

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I grew up cruising on sail boats with my family around the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, then jumped into all possible opportunities to race from my early 20’s, from Elliot 5.9’s to 40 fters, including many coastal races, night races, national championships, as well as club racing and delivering yachts around the coast of New Zealand. A highlight was competing in a local coastal 115nm race with an all girls crew on our 42ft Beale. I’ve worked behind the scenes of sailing as well, running the sailing programme at Royal Akarana Yacht Club for a few years, this included the offshore race from Auckland to Noumea. I have also worked on a superyachts in the USA, and crewed on a 75ft ex-America’s Cup yacht in Queenstown, NZ. Our future plan is to sail our current yacht around the world with our kids.

Jo Ivory

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Jo Ivory was born in Marlborough New Zealand and has sailed over 100,000 nm on the water / oceans around the world. In 2003 she sailed their 53 foot yacht from Hawaii to Picton NZ put it into survey and skippered it around the Marlborough Sounds for ten years as a luxury charter, with many voyages to the Pacific Islands included. In 2011 she completed the two handed around the North Island of NZ race with another woman. The last five years she has been working in the marine industry in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, including many deliveries across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Jo is back in Auckland and very honoured to be working with the NZ Sailing Trust with youth training on NZ’s most iconic yachts, Sir Peter Blake’s Steinlager 2 and Lion NZ.

Rachel Beszant

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Rachel spent 16 years as Royal Engineer Officer (Major) in the British Army and has also worked as a Chartered Engineer in the construction industry. She began sailing in 2000 and since then has led various sailing expeditions for the Army, developing individual leadership potential and team skills whilst preparing soldiers for their Competent Crew and Day Skipper qualifications. Rachel has been offshore racing since 2013 and has participated in the Fastnet, Round Gotland and Round Ireland races racking up 20,000 nautical miles. She has skippered on a trans-Atlantic and competed in the Caribbean 600 and Antigua Sailing Week. Sara is STEM (UK Government Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador working with schools to inspire disadvantaged students.

Matilda Ajanko

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Tilly was born and raised in Finland, taking up sailing as a child and competing in events each summer in a variety of dinghies. She also enjoyed windsurfing and trained to take part in the 2008 Olympics at the same time as doing a degree in Anthropology, with a minor in international law and human rights law. She worked for the Finnish Sailing Federation in charge of junior sailing, coaching young sailors and arranging events. Tilly then moved to Australia where she started racing and taking part in regattas in keel boats. This took her all over the world and most recently she was living in Palma de Mallorca working for a rigging company. She has accrued over 50,000 sailing miles. She describes herself as a strong, determined, technical sailor with a strange sense of humour!

Emily Chambers

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Emily has been a dinghy instructor for the last 10 years teaching adults and children in various countries around the world. She also taught at a children’s summer camp in Canada and as Senior Instructor in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. She recently trained as a bow girl on Farr 40s in Australia and enjoyed ocean as well as club racing. After returning home to the UK she has gained experience as delivery crew clocking up around 10,000 miles during the year including her first Bay of Biscay crossing subsequently followed by 4 more in a short period of time. Emily plans on completing her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore soon and looks forward to new adventures in the sailing world.

Jenni Kneale

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Jenni has a Yachtmaster Ocean Sail and Power with Commercial Endorsement with 20,000+ miles logged. She established the first commercial RYA Training Centre on the Isle of Man and is Manager and Chief Instructor. Jenni is a level 2 Race Coach for the Manx Youth Sailing Squad which provides top level race coaching to promising Manx junior sailors. and supports them to compete at national and international championships. She has been Skipper and Briefer for a busy yacht charter company, a successful dinghy, keelboat and offshore racer and RNLI crew member for thirteen years, D- Class helm and now a Trainee Coxswain for the Trent Class Lifeboat. Jenni graduated from Southampton Solent University with BA (Hons) Maritime Leisure Management in 2002.

Juliia Kramarenko

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Juliia studied at the College of Marine Fleet, Ship handling on Sea Lines and has sailed and worked on an impressive variety of sailing craft over a number of years on the water. She has undertaken a variety of roles on board whilst developing extensive skills which give her a broad range of experience. Juliia has also been a Land and Sea Ranger in Mapoon land and sea shire council, Queensland, Australia. After moving to the UK Juliia took part in multiple yacht deliveries and a number of races in the Solent and Channel. With a raft of impressive qualifications including Fire Fighting and Proficiency in Survival Crafts she is also a keen sports fan and is a keen cyclist and open water swimmer.

Sara Hastreiter

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A professional sailor, Sara raced on the all-female crewed Team SCA in the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race, one of the longest toughest ocean races in the world. She played an integral part of the crew on and off the water and was responsible for media interviews whilst racing. Participation in the Volvo, Round Britain & Ireland, Middle Sea Race, Fastnet and many other international races has contributed to an impressive 150,000 nautical miles. Sara has coached at the Young American Sailing Academy and worked with the USMMA Sailing Foundation. She is currently training to become the first female in history to complete the 7 seas and 7 summits and has set her sights on Everest in 2019.

Iona Taylor

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I am currently a Junior doctor working in emergency medicine with a passion for sailing. I first started sailing in dinghies at the age of 12, racing at club level and then becoming a dinghy instructor. Whilst studying Medicine I became involved with the university team racing teams and started to sail larger yachts whilst volunteering for the Tall Ships Youth Trust. I have recently spent some time out of my medical training programme to enhance my sailing career, working as a deck hand and watch leader whilst crossing the Atlantic and parts of the Pacific. I have completely fallen in love with both sailing and emergency medicine and aim to combine a future career in both.

Ayesha Lobo

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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 recognized 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 enthusiats in India.

Nicola Trinder

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Nicola is a 36-year-old Physiotherapist, originally from Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). Nicola has been living in London for the past 10 years but has recently moved to Perth, Western Australia.She started sailing 2 years ago as part of the 2017/18 edition of the Clipper Round the World Race after having a desire to learn to sail for most of her adult life. She says “I am acutely aware of my privileged upbringing in a safe environment, with an excellent education that has, no doubt, enabled me to have opportunities such as sailing on Maiden, so I hope to be able to help in providing others with opportunities to achieve whatever their dreams desire! I am honoured to be part of the Maiden Factor Team raising money and awareness to help less fortunate women and girls be able to reach their full potential in life.”

Kate Palfrey

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Kate (or Mrs G to her school children) is passionate about sailing and passionate about education, the education of girls in particular. She is Deputy Head teacher at St Swithun’s Prep School, Winchester. A school with the values of Grit, Gratitude and Generosity and which embraces all that the Maiden Factor stands so much so that is has chosen the Maiden Factor as it’s charity of the year. There are ‘messages of hope’ from her girls on board and their hand prints are on the spinnaker! It was at university that Kate first set foot on a yacht and subsequently became a sailing enthusiast! Kate had sailed a variety of boats and in recent years has developed a particular interest in offshore racing. She holders her day skipper qualifications, has sailed over 6,000nm and has completed a number of RORC offshore seasons, including a highly successful 2017 Fastnet Campaign. She also holds her powerboating and PADI Advance Open Water diving qualifications. As a teacher she has been fortunate enough to be able to combine both of her passions and knowing the challenges that sailing offers and wanting the girls she teaches to benefit from these, she set up the highly successful ‘St Swithun’s Sailing Club.’ Sydney holds a special place in her heart and she has always wanted to visit New Zealand so joining the Maiden team on this leg is a dream come true. She is also looking forward to being reunited with the school bear ‘Swithy’ who has been on the World Tour since its departure from Hamble last November.

Alison Kent

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Alison, 35, originally from Wisconsin, USA, has grown up racing both dinghy and keelboats on Lake Michigan. There, she sailed multiple Chicago-Mackinac races, Queen’s Cups, and other offshore races. She was also involved in college sailing at the University of Minnesota. Alison moved to Auckland, New Zealand after graduating university and works as a sailmaker at Doyle Sails. Her sailing in New Zealand has taken her all over the world – she is bow on the New Zealand Women’s Match Race Team, trims main on a local sport boat, completed a Sydney Hobart and Hamilton Island Race Week. She also enjoys teaching the local Green Fleet Optis Alison is delighted to be a part of the Maiden Factor – not only in the sailing sense – but to be involved in making a difference for girls around the world. She thinks that supporting education; promoting and empowering women and girls and sailing around the world is the most exciting combination of fulfilling exercises there is!

Rachel Jones Ross

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My name is Rachel Jones Ross. I am a light-chasing, coffee loving intellectual junkie, who is most inspired by a sky full of stars. This year, I set out on a personal challenge to spend 100 nights under the stars. To date, my project has taken me from my home in the Canadian Rockies, to the Northern reaches of Iceland, and the Southernmost glacial fjords in Chile. I am an explorer at heart, whether that’s exploring through books, research, or travel. When I’m not chasing clear nights for astro photography, I teach photography workshops. When I first heard about this project I watched the trailer for Maiden to see what the story was all about. Tracy made a comment during her interview that really resonated with me; she said “the harder it got, the more [she] wanted it.” With that statement Tracy expressed 1000 moments I’ve experienced. Like many women I’ve been told that I’m not fast enough, strong enough, or capable enough to achieve the things I’ve wanted to. I’ve enjoyed proving those people wrong over and over again! I love Maiden’s message. I am proud and excited to be part of this project. I hope that my work helps to spread the word about the film (I’ve watched it, or listened to it while I work about 12 times and still cry every time!). And I hope that by sharing Maiden’s message, more girls and women will feel that inner confidence to pursue their goals, even when the world would have them believe they are not enough. Rachel Jones Ross Sony Alpha Ambassador

Lindsay Rosen

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Lindsey Rosen began sailing on her Dad’s Cal 25 on Lake Ontario during short summer visits. This first introduced her to the feeling that she still loves – partnering with the wind to glide the boat through water while under the expansive sky. Lindsey was fortunate enough to attend Culver Sailing School where she learned the basics of sailing and after that, she was introduced to dinghy racing with the University of Michigan Sailing Team. Lindsey bought a JY15 in her 20’s, a Contessa 32 in her 30’s, then had a peak sailing experience (so far!) in her 40’s – being surrounded by all three resident Puget Sound orca pods while on a family cruise around the San Juan Islands. Now in her 50’s, she is being called to race on keel boats and to get out into the open ocean. Lindsey spent some years raising a family and establishing a profession supporting others, but she is now entering the next chapter in a woman’s life: more freedom. Lindsey was deeply moved by the Maiden film and now feels like “anything is possible.” The reawakening of Maiden’s journey and her return home parallels Lindsey’s own journey. She is excited by the opportunity to sail on Maiden and she eagerly awaits the adventure with the openness of not knowing where it is leading her, but trusting it.

Danae Hollowed

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Danae Hollowed, 59, is from Seattle, Washington. After falling in love with sailing during a class at University, Danae looked for every opportunity to grow in the sport – racing dinghies, keelboats and eventually skippering her own cruising boat. When her two children were young, she certified as a sailing instructor and worked for a short time at a kids’ camp. Life got busy and after a lengthy break from sailing, Danae joined a local club, completed a two-year keelboat skipper training, and has recently started keelboat racing again in Puget Sound. She is excited to be back on the water! Danae uses her Master’s degree in Business Administration to manage and strengthen finance systems, most recently in the field of Global Health where she travelled extensively with the mission of building health care programs in resource challenged countries. Danae is inspired by the story of Maiden’s crew. When she started racing in the 1980’s she often heard “girls are bad luck on a boat”. She wants to help build women’s confidence in pursuing adventure and to share the love of sailing. Danae is excited to guest crew as a way to improve her sailing skills and to share the experience with an amazing group of women.

Mackenzie Marmol

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Mackenzie Marmol is a 29-year-old who grew up always wanting to sail, but never had the opportunity. Mackenzie was passionate about joining one of the Maiden legs because of her desire to be part of an all female crew and is excited about the opportunity of learning on a boat with such empowering history. To date, Mackenzie’s only experience on a boat was when she was 19 years old. She had a swimming coach who owned a boat and took her out on a sale. Other than that, she can recall childhood memories of being on the boats of family friends. Mackenzie is very keen to learn and soak up everything she can about sailing!

Debra McKenna

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Debra is a lawyer, feminist, and sailor and she is thrilled to be onboard Maiden. The daughter of two Canadian east coasters, Debra was born with saltwater in her blood and a love for all things nautical. Like her work as a litigator at WeirFoulds LLP in Toronto, Canada, Debra relishes in a good challenge, and everyday on the water is a new adventure – an opportunity to learn, push boundaries, and discover things about herself. Debra learned to sail in 2005 and has taken a number of Sail Canada (formerly the Canadian Yachting Association) training courses. She has been a member of the Queen City Yacht Club in Toronto since 2015, where she spends her summers sailing on Lake Ontario and toiling away on her "vintage" 1978 Mirage 26. In the winter months, she has sailed in the Caribbean, completing trips around St. Maarten, St. Barths, and Anguilla in 2016, in St. Lucia and Martinique in 2017, and in Antigua in 2019. For Debra, the story of Maiden and its original crew is unbelievably inspiring. The belief in self and that "anything is possible" resonates strongly. The commitment of the Maiden Factor Foundation to spread that message and to fundraise, educate, and empower girls around the world is a mission that Debra is honoured to champion.

Mackenna Edwards-Mair

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Mack studied Photography and Graphic Design at college in London before joining The Maiden Factor in May 2018. She has worked hard to be able to combine all her passions and skills in her new role, first and foremost to develop and manage the content updates for the new website. Now primarily working alongside our Events Manager as Events Coordinator, Mack is also one of the project’s official photographers and works with the Digital Content Manager and Head of PR so is gaining experience across all media platforms. She is currently travelling to the stopovers, working on Events and assisting Maiden and her crew at destinations around the world.

Schelleen Rathkopf

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Schelleen Rathkopf is a native Seattleite who grew up cruising and racing in the Puget Sound waters. She is producer of Whidbey Island Race Week (now Point Roberts Race Week) and SHE, a new all women regatta in Seattle Girls belong on boats, and there’s no person in history that tells this story better than Tracy Edwards, the British sailor and skipper who assembled an all-women crew to race the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989 on Maiden. This very same 58’ ocean yacht graced our Puget Sound waters in August, having just completed Leg 6 of the Maiden Factor World Tour. The tour, which began in the UK in November 2018, includes 32 destinations in 17 countries and will conclude in the Mediterranean Sea in May 2021. The Maiden Factor World Tour is designed to raise awareness about girls and the importance of education. With the mantra, “Educate a Girl, Change the World,” Maiden has set sail around the world to bring a message of hope to young girls around the globe.