Visiting Maiden was an experience I will truly cherish for the rest of my life. Much like visiting a historical site it is hard not to think of all that has been accomplished on that 58ft boat. Once onboard I studied the deck for possible locations to shoot from. Coming from a VO65, which is pretty open and easy for me to move around, I instantly saw that Maiden would make me work for my pictures. Suddenly, I totally forgot that I was on a female crewed boat. At that point, it was just sailing, and maybe that’s the point I really needed to grasp. As we left the harbour, I saw the crew start preparations for the day of sailing. Liz at the helm giving commands which usually followed a quick humorous comment that would maintain the morale of the mostly female crew. The sails went up and we started to really move. Then I realised how different this boat was. I was used to going fast and being shaken by huge waves, but Maiden had her own way. As I struggled to move from the pit to the bow, as I felt every bit of water the hull hit making me shake at the knees. I saw Maiden's crew move around with no issue as I clumsily sat down to snap some pictures. As we gained speed, waves crashed over the bow and the bowman. I found a place near her and patiently waited for more waves. The bowman was waiting patiently as well, possibly annoyed by me holding a camera up at her. After grabbing a few pictures I looked back and saw Amalia moving around the deck like she was on solid land to take pictures. I decided to go near aft with much struggle. The day continued and I become more comfortable with my movement on deck. Don’t get me wrong I still resembled Bambi on ice, but there was a slight improvement for sure. It was then that I lost myself, as I tend to do, in the lens of my camera. I shot and moved and shot again. I quickly said a joke and got a funny comment back from a crew member. I scrolled through the shots on my camera while chatting with someone on the grinder. Suddenly, I totally forgot that I was on a female crewed boat. At that point, it was just sailing, and maybe that’s the point I really needed to grasp. The sea doesn’t care who or what you are, the waves will crash and the wind will blow regardless. The thing is that I never have to identify myself as a male photographer. In fact, it just sounds silly saying it out loud. So is it possible that the women onboard Maiden just want to sail without having the stigma of being a “female sailor” carries? Sure, back on land they are wives, girlfriends, daughter and sister who wear the status of being a woman with pride, but out at sea it is my impression that they just want to sail like anyone else. Tracy Edwards just wanted to sail and by doing it with Maiden on sailing's biggest stage she cut a path that now is being widened by Maiden's current crew.