Yachting: 2nd Women on Water – Fun in Sailing Festival |08 October 2022

Second festival to encourage more female sailors

With the aim of supporting and encouraging the growth of female participation in sailing, the Seychelles Yachting Association will be hosting its second full-day sailing festival at the Sail Training Scheme, Roche Caïman, tomorrow.

The event is also aimed at developing characteristic traits, skills and water awareness with ongoing involvement to improve their health and wellbeing.

Under the aegis of World Sailing, the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA) will host the second worldwide festival which began in 2021, giving opportunities to women and girls to get into sailing and encourage pathways into coaching and race management.

Steering the Course forms part of World Sailing’s global strategy to increase the participation of women and girls in sailing and related activities.

The SYA will be holding this event under the theme ‘Women on Water – Fun in Sailing’ and is inviting friends and families to take part in the one-day fun sailing festival focused on inspiring, supporting and creating a hands-on learning experiences on and off the water – activities that could transform their lives.

Being surrounded by the sea, Seychellois are not only islanders but champions of the blue economy, and as such, it is important that our youth are given the opportunity to engage in nautical activities such as sailing, windsurfing, and canoeing.

According to vice-chairman of the SYA, Lucy Athanasius, these activities allow participants to learn through inquiry and at the same time allow students to enhance their critical thinking skills, as well as encourage their learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) as sailing activities are based on wind and sail measurement, weather patterns, sailing geometry, buoyancy.

She added that yachting gives the sailor a deeper appreciation for the sea and marine conservation.

“Sailors also learn, through action, the meaning of responsibility, teamwork, self-reliance, discipline and leadership,” noted Ms Athanasius who further added that sailing embodies these values while building self-confidence and camaraderie.

She further added that right now, Seychelles needs more female sailors and that the festival is designed to attract new talents and inspire a love for our sea, while creating future career aspirations within our blue economy.

Tomorrow’s activities will start at 10am with a briefing session on basic rules and safety, while the programme will include fun with flags (what it means on and off water), knots practice (basic knots that you need to know), wind direction with wind indicator, and how to rig a boat in five minutes (Optimist and Laser).

A canoe polo display has also been scheduled.

The accompanying photos were taken during last year’s event.

Compiled by Roland Duval